Investigating off-grid infrastructure for the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar.
The Ger Plug-in (2016 – 2017) explores the possibility of providing off-grid infrastructure that meets the needs of the ger district residents in Ulaanbaatar. The prototype was a single modular unit called Ger Plug-in that could be attached to a ger and provided heating, sanitation, and a shower system. The project was designed by Joshua Bolchover of Rural Urban Framework (RUF) at the University of Hong Kong. RUF collaborated with the local non-profit GerHub to manage the project and worked directly with the residents. Lorinet Foundation supported the design studio and prototype construction for the project.
The project was launched in early 2016; a plug-in prototype was developed in August 2017 and located in the Bayankhoshuu ger district in the northwestern part of Ulaanbaatar. The Plug-in was owned by Urangua and Zul-Erdene, a young couple that moved to Ulaanbaatar in 2001. They had been living in a small ger on their plot and planned to upgrade their ger when they started a family. GerHub reached out to the couple in early 2016 when they were featured in the short film that was created for Rural Urban Framework’s 2016 Venice Biennale exhibition.
As per the project evaluation estimation, the Ger Plug-In is 23% more efficient than the Mongolian Building Code, allowing the residents to use 93% less coal than their previous year living in a ger.
Currently, the initiative is trying to scale up its activities by providing decentralised infrastructure and energy-efficient housing with improved thermal performance, reduced carbon emissions and built-in sanitation to more households.
