Cool Picture!

Here is a picture I found on the internet It is meant for housing in Haiti and it also has the capability to stack with several other containers to make a sort of apartment complex, anyways I thought it was cool and if you follow the link it will take you to the other pictures with the multiple container stacked together.

http://www.architecture-view.com

Here is my ROUGH Abstract

Here is my rough abstract if there is any errors that you see grammatically or content wise don't be afraid to leave a comment

Thanks

The Disaster Container

Thesis:  Can a 20’x8’x9’-6” cargo container be converted into a self sufficient temporary emergency shelter using sustainable technology, and offer all the amenities and comforts of a home?

Recently the world has had to deal with one natural disaster after another leaving millions of people homeless and without basic amenities, for example the flooding that occurred in China in May of 2010 left over 800,000 people without homes (Watts, 2010).  Most of the time the victims are stuffed into community centers or sports arenas, and the other times they are handed tents. Both options offer no security and little to no privacy. 

The one option this research will address is the use of a retired cargo container to provide a private, secure, self sufficient, and sustainable temporary emergency shelter. Since the containers have an initial life span on average of 20 years before they are retired (Brown 2009), they provide a great “green” structure and because they are constructed out of weathering steel, which is a steel that is corrosion resistant and used for objects that are mainly in the elements (Smith 2005), they will be able to last for a long time.  Using a 20’x8’x9’-6” seems to be the most economical size as it will allow the most units to be transported at one time and will also reduce the amount of space that is required for setting up the shelters.  Since not every disaster that occurs happens along a coast line, the ability for these shelters to be placed on trucks or trains makes them even more of an asset to have, and makes them easier to deploy. Conversely once rebuilding of the affected area has begun they could be removed just as easily, and as most of the equipment is very durable the disaster container could be reused again and again.

Incorporated in the design would be all the furniture and appliances, because it is such a tight space everything has to be able to fit together.  The doors and windows would have to be able to with stand all the bumps that go along with the transportation, and the equipment would have to be able to function in less than perfect conditions. Since cost is always an issue when it comes to projects such as this, a small portion of the research will go in to determining the actual feasibility.  It will cover the cost of the individual parts like the cargo container, dry composting toilet, PV panels, power storage, water filtration system/storage, the furniture, and appliances. As the cost of labor is a constantly changing variable this will be excluded from the report

The purpose of this research report is to prepare a design for an emergency shelter that is constructed out of a 20’x8’x9’-6” cargo container.  The report will look at the need for emergency shelters, the needs of displaced people after natural disasters, and the design of a single disaster container.  The design will try to incorporate many sustainable technologies like PV panels, a water filtration system, and a dry composting toilet. The research will focus mainly on providing a design that incorporates all the amenities and comforts that one has come to expect when they are in their own home.  This research will hopefully be able to present a design that will provide them with a feeling of comfort and security.

Check out my Thesis.

What is the best design for a self sufficient emergency shelter constructed out of a 20'x8'x9'-6" cargo container, while keeping in mind comfort, green technology, and cost?

If anyone has any suggestions on the thesis question don't be afraid to comment.

Check out my Graphic

 Here is a walkthrough I put together on Revit, it just shows the exterior of the building. This is similar to how the finished product will look but the windows and doors might be in different locations but it should give a general idea of what it could look like with the solar panels on the top.

Progress Update

Just a little progress update to share with everyone.
I am currently in the process of doing the initial layout of the disaster container trying to fit in all the amenities that I think are essential, and also trying to decide which size of container would be best. I am currently thinking that a larger container would be used for a more permanent situation while a smaller container could be used for shorter times.

If anybody has any thoughts on which container size you think would be best just leave a comment.  Here are your choices:

Standard 20'       8' wide    8'-6" high
High Cube 20'    8' wide     9'-6" high
Standard 40'       8' wide     8'-6" high
High Cube 40'    8' wide     9'-6" high

http://www.containerwest.com/files/basic-products.php

Check It Out.

Here is a short video which includes some of the aspects and technology that I would like to include in the disaster container design, like the water collecting roof and the solar panels.
So check it out.

Research Proposal - Disaster Container

Summary Statement of Proposed Research:

With the recent natural disasters that have plagued the world, the need for sustainable, green, and safe temporary housing has increased.  The current shelters that are provided are generally nothing more than a nylon tent, which offer little protection from the elements and no safety.  

The idea is to design a proper shelter out of a shipping container and other recycled material that would be able to support a family, and could be easily shipped to natural disasters all over the world.  Each disaster container would come equipped with solar panels to generate its own power for lights and heating/cooling systems, a water filtration system, and a dry composting toilet. As price is always an issue a part of the research would be deciding whether or not these Disaster Containers are actually a feasible option.

Purpose:

The purpose of this research is to design a superior shelter out of a shipping container and recycled materials that is mostly self sufficient. It would be able to adequately house a family, while providing them with all the amenities that living in a standard house would offer.

Goals and Objectives:

The goal is to produce a safer, healthier, and greener shelter design for the victims of natural disasters all over the world.  At the end of my research I plan to have a completed design and research paper that outlines the feasibility of a Disaster Container and the overall effect it could have globally.

Methodology:

I will begin by researching what types of shelters are currently being provided for the victims and survivors and volunteers of natural disasters. I will determine what the people actually need to live and/or provide aid to others. Next I will determine if a shipping container is actually large enough and strong enough to comfortably support a small group of people.  I will research some of the mechanical systems that are currently located in RV’s and see in what way they can be incorporated into the design.  Then I will research and compare sustainable equipment that could be incorporated into the design like solar panels, dry composting toilets, and water filtration systems.  Next I will do an estimate on the cost of all the components and provide a preliminary cost of all the components combined and installed.  I will then combine all the results from my above research to design a Disaster Container that is safe, healthy, and green that incorporates all the needs of the people for different areas of the world. Once that is complete, I will create a building information model.  All of the information will then be coalesced into a full report that indicates whether or not Disaster Containers would be feasible to construct and distribute.

Previous Studies:

Many of the studies that have been done are focused on full scale housing being built out of shipping containers. One article I found “Haiti Earthquake: Converting Shipping Containers Into Emergency Housing” by Clemson University is a very similar idea to mine but they just focus on Haiti and not a more global solution.  Other studies have been done on the bearing capacity if the container like, “Stacking Shipping Containers on Land for an Off-Axis Detector” by J. Cooper, J. Kilmer, B. Wands Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510, proves that the vertical bearing strength of a container is much more then would be needed for residential construction.  There are other shelters that people have designed that are able to fit into a shipping container, but this idea of constructing it out of the shipping container itself is somewhat different, and I think makes more sense.

Plans for Dissemination:

The plan is to have an online blog where updates will be posted weekly for peer review and to promote feedback, also people can post any questions or ideas about the research.  I would also like to submit a story to an online website called http://inhabitat.com this is a web site which accepts user created stories and promotes green ideas for all areas of life and has a section on disaster relief housing.