These Houses Are Made of Paper — and They Last for Years

When listing the materials used to build a house, you might mention stone, wood, clay, and concrete blocks. You probably won’t forget the latest innovations — plastic materials that are increasingly being used in residential construction.

But one building material, very old, might be easy to overlook.

That material is paper.

A paper house was built a few years ago. It wasn’t made from old newspapers, but rather from 25-millimeter-thick sheets of compressed paper treated with synthetic resins. This experimental structure stood for five years, enduring sunlight, rain, and frost, yet thorough inspections found no signs of damage.

Experts think such paper houses could be ideal for summer cottages.