They may make their homes in a garage, shed, cardboard shelter, or family car. Their substandard or nonexistent plumbing and sanitary facilities add to discomfort and health problems. Materials and production techniques developed by the aerospace industry under national defense contracts now offer considerable promise for meeting the housing needs of farm workers and others. The composite is the only panel material, serving as structural system as well as exterior and interior enclosure skin. It has an integral color and a finish that provides long-term protection with no regular maintenance.
Panels resist fire, moisture, effects of sun, and breakage.
The material can be shaped to provide watertight framing for all panel openings. Panel doors, windows, fasteners, and accessories can all be fabricated from the same family of materials. All openings except those for doors would be of the same size, to make most interchangeable. The accessories would be attached with a reversible adhesive rather than a hardware or mechanical fastener, so that all such items could be easily removed and replaced. In contrast, use of mechanical fasteners would particularly increase the difficulty of making repairs in remote locations.