NATURAL DISASTER RELIEF HOUSING
PROBLEM - 300,000 people die every year in Natural Disasters, and thousands more loose their jobs, forms of person transportation, and homes. Displaced in their own region or moved to a safer location by themselves or another organization, they have just become homeless. Natural Disasters happen all around the world, where there are numerous different Conditions, Climates, & Cultures. Southeast Asia is hit with a variety of natural disasters regularly: high humidity, monsoon, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, & volcanoes.
What is the next step to be performed by or for those survivors?
Geographically the region is a special because it lies on 2 fault-line zones: Australasia & Pacific Plates. The regional average annually temperature is 800F, with annual rainfall is at 9 ft.
Consisting of lagoons, island bays, beaches, hills & valleys, mountainous ranges with peaks reaching over 16,000 ft, over 300 volcanoes located over 4 million square kilometers, with half being active.
CHALLENGES
• Doesn’t ease the senses - claustrophobic
• Lack of windows not enough natural light
• Lack of multiple materials - colors
• Lack of user customizability
• Size dictates number of units delivered
• Size & build dictates how it is delivered
• Shelter vulnerable to original disaster
• Shelter Design - simple or complicated
• Necessity of user to have building skill
• Speed & Ease of assembly / set up
Finalizing on the folding concept, I focused on keeping the shape but minimize the parts, flaps to make assembly of the shelter obvious and easy. To maintain a structure with usable square footage, it had to be a box rather than a pyramid or sloped asymmetrical shelter. Looking at various folding methods for a cube, settled on the folding of a paper bag. Then took two bags and put the bottoms to each other, so when the framework unfolded through 1800, its own leverage would cantilever the structure up. After erected, the weight of the user, just occupying the structure - keeps it open.
Cotton-Blended Nylon Rip-Stop chosen to reinforce folded joint seams and gap openings because of its toughness, high water resistance. Developed by the US military in 1960’s, still a soft breathable material. 4mm Polycarbonate Corrugated Fluted Panels chosen as the main structure material for its light weight, rigidity, waterproof, inability to grow mold, double walled translucent, and used in greenhouses it can maintain a friendly interior temperature.
21 shelters in ONE Shipping Container
A SINGLE shelter can house 8 people
ONE shipment can house 168 people
2009