Emergency housing

[RoConroy@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/16/2005 10:32:09 PM Central Standard Time, 
jmgoldma at dwx.com writes:
<<First, some general questions:
Question 1- Who pays for these domes? Governments?  NGOs? The users?
Question 2- What kind of foundation will be required?  Emergency
housing should
require little or no foundation.
Question 3- Where will these domes be erected?  Suitable ground must
be located
and property rights should be considered.

Emergency shelter implies temporary shelter in all of the above.
Disposing of a
temporary shelter or subsequent reuse needs to be considered
beforehand. Also,
emergency shelter implies a minimal useful spaces, although it does
not require
a minimalist structure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
When I look at the dollar figures our federal government is spending
on stopgap measures (cruise ships, trailers, etc.) I have to ask how
we could BETTER invest those funds - a warehouse full of deployable
housing, ready to go.  Certainly there are different levels of need.
Those people in Pakistan are literally dying in the cold rain with not
so much as a tree to get under.  Even tents would save lives there.
They aren't worried about real estate issues and sewer hookups.

But back to Sal's points, and there are more - what are the issues
and what will it take to get to YES?  Sorry to say humans are crisis
driven - but therein lies an opportunity.

- Dan G.>>
       In a disaster situation, the everyday problems of safe water, energy, 
food, shelter, waste disposal, transportation and finances, become crisis 
issues.  A solution should try and address all the above.  
       The models and drawings, I am now working on, to submit to Chinese 
manufacturers for cost estimates, are based around injected molded  compound 
curved panels of a quasi 4 frequency hemisphere, with the surface on the inner 
side of the structural radiating flanges, so that the panels can be stacked in a 
minimal space for ease of transportation.  The  thin wall panels can be 
stiffened with a 1" sprayed urethane coating to provide insulation and additional 
strength, depending on the final panel configuration and material mix.  
Monolithic Dome "R" Fairy Tale   I chose compound curve panels for the 
design, to reduce the amount of material needed, and to increase strength.  
    Because the initial outer weather surface of the dome is placed on the 
inner side of the radiating flanges, the panels can be stacked like  injected 
molded patio chairs, with a minimal of space required for storage or 
transportation. Because of the high strength and light weight, no foundation is initially 
required, except for tie down stakes. Not even a flat surface is required,    
Because of the light weight, in the future the structure can either be 
elevevated or moved to a better location. The size of the individual basic dome 
panels are a manageable 4 1/2' in maximum length, with the overall size of the 
dome being in the 500 s.f. range with a ceiling heighth of 11'.  The individual 
domes can be combined into clusters to provide additional space, in 500 s.f. 
increments. 
    With large quantities of the structure being produced, the higher cost, 
for the initial set up, can be translated into a minimum unit cost.  Plans for 
a simple radiant floor system, with plans for a simple drain back hot water 
solar collector, along with the initial tubing can be incorporated into the 
original building package.  This will not only address the global energy crisis, 
but the deforestation crisis as well.
    Since the structure is going to be used as a form, for a future permanent 
structure, there will be no disposal problem.  The emergency shelter will 
become part of the permanent structure.
    Four foot high, easily accessible side gutters can be incorporated into 
the permanent structure, along with a simple ferro-cement collection tank, to 
provide for safe water.
    Simple composting toilet plans can come with the original construction 
package, and the design incorporated into the structure.  This will help protect 
the ground water and provide health benefits in the form of cleaner water 
sources, and also can provide organic material for growing some types of crops.
      The final exterior coating will be in the form of a fiber reinforced 
cementious coating, in lines with the MIT, Berkeley, etc. paper on affordable, 
safe housing.
http://www.princeton.edu/~jalee/Documents/Policy/IAC-NOCMAT_Final.pdf
       A photo of the conventional version of the form system can be found on 
my WEB site at: http://members.aol.com/mtdomes/EPSdomes.html
      As for the financial point, the conventional dome form, as shown on the 
above WEB site, which can possibly be used to construct up to 100 homes, cost 
only around $650 in material.  That would be around $7 per unit cost for the 
form, not including labor, which in is generally low in 3rd world countries.  
Labor in China is somewhere in the range of $2/day for labor.
Bob