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Chris Rodinis
January 23rd, 2013

http://www.gizmag.com/carter-williamson-emergency-shelter/25838/

Do What You Can

This post is about green design. It is a post about making use of “what is readily available,” or aka using renewable materials.  As Teddy Roosevelt so famously once said, “Do what you can, with what you got, where you are.”

This is a case of that. And that is the making of an emergency shelter in a disaster area.

This innovative shelter design goes by the name of “Shelter,” and was created by the Carter Williamson architect firm.

According to the article, the design is based on “flexibility” or you might say adaptability, because the one in the picture is made from sheets of corrugated metal. Which probably means any barrier material like plywood or aluminum could be used.

The design components are modular when shipped as a prefab unit. Which makes it easy to transport and easy to put together on the fly.

Use What You Got

What makes it more green is that the Shelter can be constructed from whatever material is available in the disaster area. In the other words it is not a house made from crap, it’s a house made of some good scrap!

The prefab version of shelter that ships flat is based on units that are 8 feet high and the width of a standard shipping container.

Even though any material can be used; currently, some details of the design such as the flexing leg feature are problematic but will soon be resolved.

“According to Carter Williamson, the 37.5 sq m (404 sq ft) Shelter is easily erected by two people in a day.”

Also, through the adjustable legs, the Shelter, can be constructed on hilly ground. And the unit is designed for reuse after disassembly.

“A single Shelter can house 8 to 10 people, with a mezzanine roof space used for sleeping quarters (or to provide a useful private space during the day).”

A Multipurpose Green

When units are combined together they can also be made into dining halls or command and control centers.

“Shelter is also designed to be self-functioning the off-grid, shipping with 1.5 kW of roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power as well as a solar hot water system and a 950-liter water-collection tank.”

In the case of using Shelter as an outpost or  a holiday spot, you can even add an outdoor deck that includes a compost toilet, a shower and a gas cooker.

Whenever the blueprints and cost are available I will try to post them online with permission of course!

For information about electronic waste recycling:
www.EwasteWiz.com


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