The Art of Container Construction

Container Home Construction Explained:

Construction with used shipping containers has made incredible advances over the past few years. It's no longer uncommon to see stories about shipping container homes on the evening news and the Internet will lead you to dozens of drawings and renderings of cargo container home concepts.

Given today's economic conditions more and more people are getting serious about saving on construction costs, reducing maintenance, and keeping more equity in their pockets. So, when it becomes possible to build a sleek, secure, modern home with the classic good looks of the case study homes of the mid 20th Century, for a fraction of the cost of traditional construction, people get interested.

But, even with all this interest, you will quickly find out that it's still virtually impossible to get any concrete information on learning how to design and build with used shipping containers.

Shipping Container Home Design:

Because their standard design and modular nature, shipping containers provide a flexibility that makes them almost irresistible to anyone with an eye for design. If you have found this web site and have read this far it's probably because you see the ecological sense and simplicity of this method of building. You may even have a design of your own in mind, if you do, wouldn't it be helpful to have an affordable way to play around with various floor plans, to be able to look at the layout in three dimensions, perhaps even adding people and landscaping for perspective?

Con-Structure provides you with the hard information necessary to learn all of the steps of designing and building with used shipping containers. Including the 3D CAD programs you will need to get up to speed right away. ...(more)

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It's something to buy; haven't seen it but perhaps it's worth a try:
http://container4home.com/

Arches ~ Mountain Top Retreat

Photo from Margaret Wakeley, June 23, 2010, Mill Valley CA

Shaded Castle

Shaded Castle, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

Portal into Paradise: Doorway

Doorway, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

See more by IslesPunkFan on flickr.com

Would that I could be there, right now.

Vaulted Ceiling

Vaulted Ceiling, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

How did they do this? I want to build a vaulted ceiling. Perhaps in Guatemala I can. La Antigua Guatemala is full of gorgeous Spanish Colonial architecture. Someone here may know how to do this, or we could figure it out.

Looking Out at the Hudson River

Looking Out at the Hudson River, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

The Cloisters ~ Renaissance (rebirth)

The Cloisters, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

What was life like from the twelfth through the fifteenth century?

It was the Renaissance, a time of cultural rebirth.
No wonder I catch my breath when I "see" from this era.
No wonder I loved France so much. Medieval. My time, my era, for sure.


The Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento, from ri- "again" and nascere "be born")[1] was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. ... (more)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

Main article: Outline of the Renaissance

* Weser Renaissance
* Gilded woodcarving
* List of Renaissance figures
* List of Renaissance structures
* Medical Renaissance
* Scientific Revolution


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wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_people_literally_see_the_past_by_using_light_waves

How can people literally see the past by using light waves?
In: Physics

Answer

Here's the example that illustrate what you just asked. I will be using this example from astronomy. When you look up the sky to the stars, you are literally seeing into the past. The distance from you to the star you are looking at is x lightyears away. Lightyear is distance light travles in 1 year. So if a star is, say 100 lightyears away from you, then you are seeing the state of the star that much time ago.

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MetMuseum.org/cloisters/

The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. The building and its cloistered gardens—located in Fort Tryon Park in Northern Manhattan—are treasures in themselves, effectively part of the collection housed there. The Cloisters collection comprises approximately five thousand works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about the ninth to the fifteenth century. View selected highlights from the collection, or learn more about the curatorial department that oversees The Cloisters collection. ...more

Portal to the Lion

Portal to the Lion, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/islespunkfan/3941148203/



Cloisters Museum: www.metmuseum.org/cloisters

Fuentiduena Apse Window

Fuentiduena Apse Window, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

Cloister from Saint-Gilhem-le-Desert

Cloister from Saint-Gilhem-le-Desert, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

This is what I want to build, and where I want to live. Anywhere within these four open arched walls, with the light pouring in.

Cloister from Saint-Gilhem-le-Desert

Cloister from Saint-Gilhem-le-Desert, originally uploaded by IslesPunkFan.

3D Printing Demo by scorch1974

THIS IS TERRIFIC: We could collect old inkjet printers - saving them from landfills and all the problems they cause - and bring them to Guatemala where people could make things to use. People here have more time than money so this would be a real boon to everyone concerned. Some of the schools here in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, would probably love to give this a try. Now, if someone could come up with using recyclable plastic, much of the trash and lack of landfill problems could be solved around Lake Atitlan. Wonders of Wonders. Will imagination never end?

This technique uses powder made of 50% Weldwood & 50% Water Putty.
Comment from deminisher98: "Every time it "prints" it applies a layer of water thus hardening the sand or clay or whatever and then when you make the "sand" over the newly "printed" thing, you apply another layer of sand to make it thicker... Right?" Right.

Terrific. Can't wait to try it. Hope the inventor, scorch1974, responds.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nbtZOolSIY


scorch1974 — June 05, 2008 — Demo of manually printing simple 3D objects using an old inkjet printer

Category: How To & Style
Tags: inkjet Zcorp powder 3d printer

Global Village Shelters ~ Help for Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, after Hurricane Agatha?

From: Catherine S. Todd
Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 11:36 PM
Subject: Global Village Shelters ~ Help for Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, after Hurricane Agatha
To: Global Village Shelters , ferrara@ferraradesign.com
Cc: DrJohnWMerrick


To: Global Village Shelters LLC
221 Looking Glass Hill Morris, CT 06763 USA
email for information and inquiries: mferrara@ferraradesign.com
telephone: 860.567.4118, fax: 860.567.4265
www.gvshelters.com
Video: 20 Meter Assembly

"Global Village Shelters LLC is a for-profit company based in Litchfield County Connecticut, USA. It is co-owned by father-daughter team Daniel A Ferrara and Mia Ferrara Pelosi."


To Whom It May Concern,

I am sure you have heard about the hurricane and extensive destruction in Guatemala and in all the villages around Lake Atitlan. There are more than 200 people sleeping on the concrete floor of the local gymnasium here in Panajachel, where I live part of the year, and these people have lost EVERYTHING, when their houses slid into the river or down the mountain in a mudslide. I haven't even been able to check on my own property since the roads are still closed due to mud and giant boulders and trees. Things are getting cleaned up very quickly, though, and most utility services have finally been restored around the lake. Which bring us to why I am writing you.

I have been collecting information about kit and modular homes for a number of years, and working with my architect here in Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to start producing some kind of easy to set up and inexpensive home for the people who have to back-pack (literally) every bit of material up the mountain sides here in Panajchel, and across Lake Atitlan to the other pueblos and villages around the lake.

Most building materials here are scarce, expensive and difficult to transport, as well as adding to the pollution of the environment. Adobe is used extensively here, but some people believe that it is not well-suited to earthquakes which due occur here occasionally.

Your coated cardboard structures and your configurations are just marvelous. Your Global Village Shelters are at the top of my list. www.gvshelters.com/20m_configurations.htm

NOW is the time to try one or more out, as NOW is when they are needed.

I seem to remember that one of the small shelters cost about $550.00. Is this true? Do you know of costs & ways to ship them to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan in Guatemala? I have talked to Crowley Container Shipping Services in the past, but I don't remember what the main shipping port is from Miami.

Are your shelters sized for containers or trucks? Could your shelters also be driven overland?

I have very little money right now, but we sell beautiful hand-beaded keychains and jewelry through the American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and more to raise money for schools in Panajachel, Guatemala. I am going to add DISASTER HOUSING to the charitable list we are working on right now.


When the fair and festival season starts in Sept. I will have more cash coming in and could start putting it towards one or more of your shelters. How much do they cost? Who knows, perhaps a major sale will come in sooner than that. Either way, I would like to be prepared to test out your wonderful housing ideas in a most needed, real-world situation that would benefit these people greatly. I could even conceivably put one or more of your shelters on the four lots that I own, that did NOT slide into the mud, and the people could use them until other arrangements were made. These people have lost everything and are left with just the clothes on their back. Their children have no shoes. One man who is a carpenter has of course lost all his tools, their garden disappeared in the mudslide, the land he owned is gone along with the house. They are sleeping on the concrete floor. It's unbelievable, and for them, it's as bad as Haiti for those affected around here.

I hope you are able to help. I am NOT asking for a donation of any kind, just information as to COSTS and SHIPPING and how we could get some of your two-year temporary shelters here to the Lake Atitlan area.

Thank you so much for working on disaster relief housing. It means the world to the people who require it. Your website is full of interesting photos and technical information, and so many simple yet elegant ideas.



I will be coming back to the states through NYC for a few days on June 29 until July 3rd, when I deliver some of the beadwork to my customers and work on special projects, before I return to NC. I would love to be able to meet with you if you are going to be in NYC during that time, or perhaps I could come to Morris, CT since it is only two hours away.

There is a local Habitat for Humanity office in Panajachel, which I hope to visit this week. Perhaps there is something we could do together to help. I've attached some photos of the river after the storm; I'm uploading more on flickr later on. Please advise.

Yours, Catherine Todd
(all contact info & links below)
NY, NC USA & Guatemala
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GLOBAL VILLAGE Links, Configurations and Specs

http://www.gvshelters.com/20m_configurations.htm

Specifications for the 6 Meter Global Village Shelter

Physical/ Material Specifications

•Interior space: 6.25 square meters (67 square feet).

•Interior height: 8 feet maximum (at peak) / 5.1 feet minimum

•Material: White 13mm polypropylene (PP) profile extruded sheet and polypropylene extrusions

•13mm PP is UV resistant

•13mm PP meets ASTM E84, Grade A, Method of Test of Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials with a flame spread index <25.

•13mm PP: Normal temperature performance range is -85°F to 285°F

•White PP material has some translucence and reflects light.

•Construction: All parts are welded.

•Standard 6 meter shelter has one door and two windows.

•Window comes standard with screen and removable acrylic pane.

•Door has double latching system; interior and exterior.

•Global Village Shelter 6 M can be set up by two people in 15-20 minutes.

•Weight: 170lbs

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http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/japan-offers-aid-to-guatemala-victims-20100603-x140.html
Japan offers aid to Guatemala victims
June 3, 2010 - 10:49AM

Japan has announced an emergency aid package of $US220,000 ($A261,438) to help Guatemala recover from tropical storm Agatha, which left more than 150 dead in the nation. The aid is aimed at helping recovery from the storm and represents "the friendship between Japan and Guatemala," according to a statement from the Japanese embassy on Wednesday. The funds are expected to be used for blankets, tents and other supplies, the statement added. ...(more)

--
Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727
Blog: http://catherinetodd.blogspot.com/
Music: http://www.last.fm/music/Catherine+Todd
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinetodd/sets/

Guatemalan Arts & Crafts (GAC)
Panajachel, Lake Atitlan
Guatemala cell (dial 011 from the U.S.):
(502) 5013.6300
Travel: http://lakeatitlan.blogspot.com/
Architecture: http://catherinetoddarchitecture.blogspot.com/

For 2010:

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need do is set our sails."
~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa ~ Gospel of Ramakrishna

Peace and justice are goals for man.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

John 16:33. "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world"

Green

Definitions:

Green is also using local materials. Shipping wood from far away is not so green and expensive.

Local wood or wood from nearby will also be good.

"INSIDE PREFAB" by Princeton Architectural Press

"INSIDE PREFAB" by Princeton Architectural Press:

A book about prefabricated interiors is coming up "Inside Prefab".
The Book will profile 24 contemporary prefabricated interior elements and designs introduced with a historical introductory chapter defining the topic.

90° Furniture is part of it. It will be published by Princeton architectural press somewhere in 2012.

90° Furniture designed by KapteinBolt, www.kapteinbolt.nl
Contact: louwrien@kapteinbolt.nl

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http://www.papress.com/html/our.home.page.tpl


Hello, We publish fine books on architecture, design, photography, landscape and visual culture. Our books are acclaimed for their strong and unique editorial vision, unrivaled design sensibility, and high production values at affordable prices. Please browse around, let our books surprise and seduce you, and order online via our secure server.

KatrinaCottages.com

www.katrinacottages.com/resources/projects.html


Katrina Cottage VIII
Designed by Steve Mouzon
Silver Spring, Maryland

Katrina Cottage VIII is the first Katrina Kernel Cottage to be built. Most tiny cottages don't grow very well because wall space gets used up so quickly for cabinets, bathrooms, closets, etc., but Katrina Kernel Cottages are designed from the beginning to grow easily.

Excerpt below:

September 12, 2006
The flight from New Orleans got into Miami far too late to call anyone, but early the next morning, I was on the phone to Ben Brown to make sure that he concurred before calling Housing International and offering the manufacturing of the USA Weekend cottage to them.

September 13, 2006
Housing International contacted me to let me know that they would be happy to construct and donate the USA Weekend Katrina Cottage. A few days of discussions of the particulars followed while logistical work was beginning. Manufacturing is different from construction in that there are more steps to think of to get an assembly line set up and running. While prototype units are not built on the assembly line, there is nonetheless more planning involved when building a prototype to prepare for the day when it will be put on the line. (more...)

Haiti House.org

Haiti House Disaster Relief Page


PermaShelter™
3RD GENERATION DISASTER RECOVERY HOUSING

PermaShelter™ represents the culmination of input from the Haitian people, their government, the many NGOs, relief groups, missionaries and others who expressed their needs, fears and desires. Each PermaShelter™ is 30-year rated, well-insulated and ventilated, easy-to-maintain and provides solid personal security. All for about the cost of a weaker transitional or temporary structure.

Our featured PermaShelter™ Self-Assembly Housing is now engineer certified to withstand a 150 mph wind (a strong Category 4 hurricane) and rated Seismic D, for a superior disaster recovery home! This THIRD generation housing solution answers all the needs of the Haitian people and more.

DOWNLOAD IMPORTANT PRODUCT COMPARISON: www.haitihouse.org

Critical Value & Performance - PermaShelter™
versus Tents & Yurts / Timber & Transitional Shelters / Foam & Fiberglass

PERSONAL SECURITY and the knowledge that your home is clean and dry is paramount to a less stressful life. Our goal should not be to maintain the status quo, but to permanently solve the issue of appropriate housing.


PERMAMENT HOUSING must be given priority over transitional structures only meant to last a hurricane season or two. Without solid floors and leak proof homes, all that is being accomplished in Haiti will soon be undone by nature.


IMPROVING LIVES and raising the standard of living can only take place once the most basic needs of shelter, food and water are being addressed. If all the Haitian efforts are spent trying to quickly build proper housing all momentum could be lost.


For many years, our company has supplied thousands of disaster relief houses to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and other groups, from single family travel trailers, to larger park models and large family mobile homes. After the Haitian disaster we made a decision to open our government contracting division to the public and offer missionaries, non-profits and even other governments access to the same product lines at substantial discounts off traditional retail prices.

You can read more about us in our company background section and learn why we are a preferred vendor for PermaShelter™ permanent disaster recovery housing, flat pack homes, cargo2™ container village, relief and administrative support units such as showers, baths, offices, kitchens and bunkhouses, as well as park models, travel trailers and other specialty emergency shelters.

Whether your organization seeks to build a small work community with bunkhouses, or establish an entire villages, HaitiHOUSE.org is ready to immediately produce durable, affordable housing, facilities and other specialized units needed for a wide range of communities worldwide.
Click for: ALL Disaster Shelters, Homes & Support Products List

We want the people of Haiti and the world to know we are ready to do our part and bring the finest quality manufactured housing to the island nation, and help others create more viable villages beyond.

- HaitiHOUSE.org

Contents copyright 2010 Haitihouse.org. All Rights Reserved.
All plans are proprietary and property of Harbor Homes LLC, Thomasville, GA 31792
HaitiHouse™ PermaShelter™ and cargo2™ are trademarks of Harbor Homes™ LLC.
Support & Marketing by: marketing-projects.biz

Play The Video Of The PermaShelter™: www.haitihouse.org
Assembly & Tour Below. Now withstands 150mph winds and is rated Seismic D! (Turn up audio.)

Harbor Homes™ Haitihouse.org Chairs The Panel on Haitian Reconstruction at the Global Summit on Haiti - 3.10.2010 - CLICK TO READ MORE
The PermaShelter™ Haitian Economic Development Plan
HaitiHouse™ Disaster Recovery Division can not only build several thousand PermaShelter™ homes each month to immediately begin resettlement, we have also put in place an economic development plan for establishing a factory in Haiti. Various divisions will be responsible to train Haitian personnel to install these homes, service utilities and upgrades, complete final assembly and ultimately manufacture their own components for Haitians and as an export commodity worldwide. CLICK to READ the PLAN.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS & INFORMATION
Front view of the PermaShelter™ with the porch extension. The steel hurricane shutter/tables are folded open but can bolt closed in case of security risk or inclement weather. The face is designed for maximum air flow and use as a storefront as well as a home.


Back view of the PermaShelter™ showing proximity to other units forming a six-sided enclosed courtyard. With steel divider panels linking units together, the residents will be able to safely cook, wash, do laundry, hang clothes, garden, conduct school, ply a trade or produce crafts, and store food or other commodities.
Harbor Homes LLC and its divisions
are Proud Suppliers of:

Harbor Homes is a premier producer of disaster relief shelters, disaster housing and many types of disaster support units. With a long history of supplying FEMA during disasters in the US, we are able to transship overseas via container or cargo vessel to meet the needs of any area hit by natural disasters. Harbor Homes disaster division has immediate factory capacity to produce up to 500 units a week of the types listed on our disaster shelter page. We can supply a single disaster shelter or many types of disaster housing and commercial support facilities such as laundry centers, bath houses, bunk houses, full commercial kitchens, and simple storage units.
Additionally, Harbor Homes has a proven series of field tested mobile disaster housing like our travel trailer, built to house an average family yet still highly mobile. Our other larger models include a 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom standard mobile home and we even have larger models with more bedrooms.
The travel trailer is highly adaptable and can be towed by a pickup truck to provide a mobile medical clinic if desired.
Harbor Homes is a recognized leader in providing disaster assistance in the form of prefabricated housing, shelters, and support items like our food service, laundry service, and portable bathing facilities. We can produce consistent quality products according to the specs provided, or we can work with you to design a unit based on your custom shelter needs.
Whether you are looking for highly rated emergency shelter, emergency kitchen facilities, emergency bunk houses or sleeping quarters, emergency laundry or emergency bath house units, Harbor Homes can ship container sized units anywhere in the world. We meet all US standards for manufacture and use quality materials in all our products. We also can produce the similar units to those presented in disabled versions for those in wheelchairs or who have other handicaps and require ADA or UFAS approved housing.
Harbor Homes has a capacity to produce 500 units a week of any variety presented. Our unrivaled ability to design, produce and ship disaster, emergency or recovery houses, housing, shelter, shelters, multi-bedroom mobile homes, emergency housing, family sized mobile homes, and other facilities is well know throughout the industry and through our FEMA contacts in the US Government.
From our mobile bath house, mobile kitchen, mobile bunk house and mobile laundry we are able to meet the disaster relief needs for those seeking disaster relief shelters and disaster support facilities. With the portable laundry, portable bunk house, portable kitchen and portable sleeping quarters, or portable showers, we are able to supply rescue and relief personnel as well as recover personnel with what they need to complete their disaster mission work.
HaitiHouse™ - Disaster Recovery Services division of Harbor Homes™

MANUFACTURERS OF:
PERMASHELTER™ Self-Assembly Housing

cargo2™ Container Village Support Units

BUILDING VILLAGES - REBUILDING LIVES!

* HOME
HaitiHouse™.org Main Page Legal Disclaimer, Terms & Privacy
* CONTACT US
* ABOUT US
Our Company Background Our Company In The News Wholesale Pricing
* FAMILY HOMES
PermaShelter™ Self-Assembly Housing Family Cargo Container Homes Mobile Travel Trailers Portable Park Models Family Mobile Homes FlatPackHome™ Foldout House
* cargo2™ CONTAINERS
Bunkhouses/Baths Community Showers Commercial Kitchens Laundry Centers Mobile Offices Mobile Medical Clinic Other Modules


More info: http://www.manta.com/c/mm016rr/harbor-homes-llc

Harbor Homes, LLC
HaitiHouse.org
1207 Sunset Drive
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 226-0911
www.haitihouse.org
mlbatson@gmail.com

About Harbor Homes, Llc Disaster Housing Production & Luxury Houseboat MFGMFG of Disaster Housing for the Federal Government and Large NGO Groups. Housing Specialties Include Container Housing, Mobile Homes, Park Model Mobile Homes, Travel Trailers, and Temporary Housing.

A Flatpack Housing Concept for Haiti

See Harbor Homes response below to "A Flatpack Housing Concept for Haiti"
The Design of Everyday Life > Allison Arieff on February 9, 2010 at 6:00 am PST
http://www.good.is/post/a-flatpack-housing-concept-for-haiti/


Response:



TheHaitiHouse™ division of our company, Harbor Homes LLC, (http://www.haitihouse.org) is the creator of theHaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™, the FlatPackQuad™, the cargo2™ container series of bunkhouses, showers, kitchens, laundry, and office units, FEMA approved travel trailers, park models, mobile homes and support facilities for use as temporary AND permanent shelters.

Until the Haitian disaster we only worked privately with the government and its agencies, as in after hurricane Katrina. We produced thousands of portable homes exceeding stringent testing standards. We have the best air quality testing results in the industry, and we formed the HaitiHouse™division to directly assist every charity, mission group, government or non-profit with rebuilding Haiti called Haitihouse.org.



With all due respect to the architect, Mr. Duany, who may be a wonderful planner for urban environments, we are not dealing with the same issues in Haiti as in Miami. While his creation is novel, we believe it won’t function as needed. He only addressed some of the fabrication and construction issues. We will clearly define the issues solved by our products and explain why his supposed solution is no solution at all. In fact, his shelter may present many physical dangers.



HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ and FlatPackQuad™ homes are already being produced. We manufacture a superior, easy-to-assemble home, far better than the one you are discussing here today - because we spent many years developing methods for alternate housing construction by actually constructing and field testing houses of many types. We fabricate our own frames, aluminum and steel structures, ourselves in our own factories. See http://www.haitihouse.org for plans for immediate mass production online.



We are already manufacturing a home that folds out in 15 minutes,packs down to less than 10 inches and fits 16 to a single cargo container. TheHaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ is 7’6”x18’9” long comparable to the creation pictured. We also manufacture a larger version, and an entire FlatPackQuad™line which creates private interior courtyard spaces for residents. Our unique FlatPackHome™ is engineer certified to withstand 130 mile an hour winds and hasa Seismic D rating. People are safer in such structures. The entire integrated raised floor frame sits on the ground with clearance for water to pass through but it does not have to be set up on blocks as the shelter in the photo youshow. Plus, the HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ is already rated for 30-year use, is fireproof,waterproof and impervious to insects and rot. You can a time lapse video of the house being assembled with a wrench and a ladder by a few men in 15 minutes from placement on the ground at www.youtube.com/haitihouseorg1. And because all walls and roof elements of our home are pre-joined by industrial steel hinges, welded and integrated to the galvanized steel studs that encase the entire structure, our HaitiHouse™ does not rely on small pieces of hardware, properly installed to hold pieces together after arrival. The Duany approach relies too heavily on post-delivery construction, which is completely unreliable as we explain later.



Our newest cottage about to be unveiled in the next day will represent a milestone in disaster recovery housing. It will incorporate security, safety, structural integrity, with great circulation, extensibility and many features most Haitians have never enjoyed, such as lighting, a watercooling system and will be rated even higher to withstand a tropical storm. It truly brings more of a liveable space to the Haitian people, one that is permanent yet we’ve managed to keep the costs to about the same as our previous standard unit, the FlatPackHome™.



Our home is MUCH safer than what Mr. Duany proposes since his offers absolutely no personal security for the residents. Large open screened areas are fine for enjoying the open air, but the focus of any permanent structure in Haiti has to be on how to keep women and children safe while they go about daily tasks. His temporary shelter woefully misses that mark. It also provides no security for personal belongings or a truly clean and dry interior.Another problem with this architect’s shelter is that the entire side coming up will act as a giant sail in a fierce storm or sudden squall. Even if residents manage to collapse it, the wind pressure can simply lift and remove the entire structure from its foundation. That is why the bulk of weight in a HaitiHouse™FlatPackHome™ is in the foundation frame and structural steel sides.



Mr. Duany’s temporary shelter is also not a long-term solution for families. They need space to store, and work, and go about daily tasks. His interior is geared towards cramming as many people onto bunks as possible. We could also install bunks, but after consultations with actual Haitians in Haiti, we found they would prefer to have more internal space, and will use cots, blankets, or hang their own bunks rather than be stuck using prepositioned bunks in an unalterable shelter. They prefer a shell approach which is what the HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ has created for them.



Further, the main issue we have with recommendations about any on-site construction of a home using separate pieces is this is not functional in the real world of Haiti. Between the problematic nature of commerce and the impossibility of getting either professional construction crews, methods or materials in place, due to expense and logistics, we know our “whole house”ready-to-deliver approach is more sound to quickly house one to two million people.Various organizations we are supplying at this time agree.



Part of the reason for the scope of the disaster was the inferior mortar used to hold cinder block construction together. Mr. Duany’s barracks only perpetuates the problem by delivering stacks of pieces that can be pilfered as soon as they arrive.



The FlatPackHome™ by HaitiHouse™ has none of those issues since it is entirely a one-piece unit. The whole house unfolds, and can be erected by a small group with a single wrench in less than 15 minutes, with no power tools and no special knowledge. Once assembled it provides complete protection to the inhabitants with sealed screened windows and doors.



The problem with separately assembled pieces like Mr. Duany’s creation, or yurts or tents or any lightweight structure is they cannot survive tropical climates. They are a temporary novelty and waste of money. The house you picture here is not so much a permanent lodging as a temporary shelter. It is novel, but not practical. We haven’t even addressed the fact that them aterials Mr. Duany proposes would need to be analyzed chemically to make sure he would not be building a toxic cabin that would destroy the Haitians’ health. We too have investigated and rejected most composite and similar materials for the simple fact that they could not pass rigid testing requirements to safeguard the health of residents. And since we are the de facto testing agent for over $3.2 billion worth of FEMA contract award mobile home manufacturing,we can document that we have the best standard in the industry when it comes to exceeding all testing requirements. We practically wrote the book on methodology for selecting, processing and providing materials and construction methods that exceed the indoor air quality standards.



The company Mr. Duany has targeted to mass produce his open bus stop style bunkhouse is using a “proprietary” adhesive to create its panels with fiberglass and a polyurethane that is absolutely NOT fireproof as he may claim. The material safety data sheet for the components that are available for public review do not support his claims. And the typical method of cooking is open flame in Haiti. The materials he says will be used have a LOW flame point of around 240 degrees (on preliminary review) which is a low oven, and any spark or flame in direct contact with this supposedly miraculous material will ignite the structure. While the material in its post-manufactured sealed form may not be toxic in the short-term, once ignited and the chemicals released,they could cause a toxic cloud and respiratory problems that are very serious.Since sophisticated fire suppression and re-breathing equipment is needed there is absolutely no reason to chance building anything in Haiti out of untested,and unproven materials.



Worse, he mentions that the panels are rated for 150 mph winds of Category 4 hurricane-proof. The panel itself might be but his shelter is not.The structure of what he proposes, assembled in the normal manner must be tested by engineers to make that assertion. OUR HaitiHouse™ which HAS been tested IS rated to 130 mph in its final form, anchored into the ground. Mr.Duany’s shelter does not sit on the ground and cannot be properly anchored using the materials and construction he proposes. You cannot use simple straps to cinder block as one might with a large footprint, traditionally-built home.His shelter could literally be lifted away in seconds from a high wind gust.



Finally, the Duany shelter also seems to miss the mark as far as pricing. He is quoted as stating his shelter will cost as much as $6,000 per unit. Given the added costs of transhipment to Haiti and overland trucking, his idea is again unworkable for the millions who need housing. We have already created a bulk pricing strategy to supply units at less than $3,900, a far cry from what only exists on paper. We are actually building them now.



We currently supply the World Health Organization, several combined Church groups, and other entities. We are a long-time and current FEMA vendor ready to create several hundred to thousands of homes every week, and have even begun direct shipment to avoid the damaged port in the Haitian capital.



We feel very fortunate to have been able to spearhead some of the recovery effort and will continue to do so. We have also extended our wholesale pricing to all the groups as we understand the unique nature of this crisis and want to do what we can to be supportive. We have already been in direct consultations with a Haitian ministry, Dominican Republic representatives, the State Department, FEMA, the United Nations, World Health Organization,missions, private distribution firms, individual families and villages, to supply the FlatPackHome™ in an accelerated distribution.



While others anticipate manufacturing “something” at “some time inthe future”, or are designing their “prototype units”, our first shipment ofcargo2 container products for the United Nations arrived Sunday, February 11th,2010, in Haiti. We were called upon the day after the disaster to begin production because of our experience and knowledge. Having housed many families around the globe for many years, and having supplied permanent and temporary solutions for many types of needs, we are confident that our established designs and approach will become the standard in this crisis, as we are one of the leading disaster recovery housing specialists in the world.



While we admire Mr. Duany’s attempt, and we understand he is a known architect with some following, we feel his shelter has some very definite drawbacks, that he may have investigated from an architectural point of view,but not from the sociological view needed in Haiti. Overall, we feel Mr. Duany may have designed his shelter without actually looking into the needs of the people and his unit is more an architectural experiment than a real solution.We believe the crisis in Haiti calls for an industrial solution, not an aesthetic one which masquerades as such.



If you are a part of any organization or know one that could benefit from our support or they need to find custom portable buildings for relief efforts, please contact our company directly. Thank you.



- Harbor Homes LLC, www.haitihouse.org

Thomasville, GA - All products made in the USA!

90° Furniture: A Flatpack Apartment by Lowrien Kaptein

Imagine how much less shipping, less material is needed when it flatpacks so efficiently, Dutch designer Louwrien Kaptein had designed an entire apartment, complete with working area, sitting, sleeping, cooking and storage.


Source: Treehugger.com. Original URL
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/90-degree-furniture.php

http://www.twine.com/item/11yhgbk0r-1ym/90-furniture-a-flatpack-apartment-by-lowrien-kaptein-treehugger

---

Contact: louwrien@kapteinbolt.nl
www.kapteinbolt.nl/contact/, www.kapteinbolt.nl
90 Degree Furniture

Sustain Lane ~ Smart Homes for the Eco-Minded

Note the comment at the end:

""Our homes need not be 6,000 square foot McMansions, or Mc-Green homes, to serve as quality safe shelter. The massive trophy home is as much a part of the disease of affluence we Americans inflict on the world as the gas gobbling SUV..."


Hybrid Living Homes: Smart Homes for the Eco-Minded

Hybrid Technologies' recently completed 6,000 square foot "smart home" in Calgary, Alberta produces its own energy and incorporates environmentally sustainable and energy efficient technologies. We spoke with Business Development Director Richard Griffiths about the Las Vegas-based company's Hybrid Living Home project and the future of homes.

SustainLane: Can you give a brief overview of the Hybrid Living Home project?

Richard Griffiths: Hybrid Technologies was established roughly in 2000 as a developer of lithium batteries. We were a company that built lithium batteries and vehicles, and we slowly realized that the development of lithium does not only apply to vehicles and portable electronic devices but can actually power a home. And then, instead of just making it a lithium home, we decided to include all of the latest technology to really enhance what we’re doing. That led to the development of a home that was not only powered by lithium and grid-free, but also embodied all of the latest smart home technology. The home takes a holistic approach, providing the people who live in it with an ambiance of tranquility while using the latest energy and environmental technology. The water in the home is coming from rain water; a heat sink is used to heat and cool the home; solar and wind are used for power; and even the paint deletes UV rays. Every element of the home was considered. It’s sort of a showcase of what you can do with technology but also with environmental concerns.

SL: Can the energy technology coexist with more traditional homes in suburban and urban areas?

Absolutely. Everything we put in this home is a functional and applicable technology. Suburban homeowners can go and buy a $5,000 wind turbine that’s going to help support their home energy use; or a solar panel to decrease the cost of heating water; or lithium components and batteries to power a refrigerator, a TV, and all of that. The hybrid living home is sort of the best and most complete use of current technology, but each piece of that technology can be purchased and used independently.

SL: In the hybrid home there’s also a lot of attention paid to the indoor environment. What are some of the biggest factors affecting indoor air quality in a traditionally built home?

RG: If you look at a traditionally built home, there are a lot of allergens. The carpet, for example, is incredibly filthy and creates a lot of problems for people with allergies. Depending on where you live, your doors can also let in a lot of dust. Designers and builders haven’t thought about things like dust and allergens. With the hybrid living home, there was lot of thought about how to improve the air quality within a home. Also, the materials that are used in the hybrid living home--all the shelves, countertops, and wood--are all formaldehyde-free. There are the hardwood surfaces, concrete, or tile over 75 percent of the floor area. We only used natural carpet, and it wasn’t glued. Everything has a healthy element to it.

SL: Are there plans to construct more homes and put them up for sale?

RG: Our company has been successful working with governments and NGOs around the world. We believe that this technology is applicable not only in a $2 million home, but for example in $20,000 homes being built in Central America or in Asia because of the tsunami. We will never be a manufacturer of homes, but we will be the seller of environmental technology to organizations, to NGOs, to government, and to consumers within the U.S. and European markets.

SL: Why aren’t more people building homes like this one?

RG: Just think about how much technology we’ve had in this short period of time. And yet when we look at the way we live, nothing’s changed. That’s the biggest element about all of this. You have to start showing people that it is not conceptual. It is not only attainable by the very few--the obscure people like Bill Gates with his 40,000 square foot super home. You don’t have to be a billionaire to live that way; you don’t have to be a billionaire to drive a lithium vehicle. What we’re trying to do is make it affordable and also palatable. It’s not just about seeing how much technology you can put into a home, it’s about really respecting the fact that this is your environment. We want you to be a healthier person mentally, spiritually, environmentally by living in a home like this and driving a car like this. That’s our foundation.

Related Content
Learn how to increase your home's efficiency.
Find out how to dispose of remodeling waste responsibly from Chris Sparks.
Get the scoop on plug-in hybrid cars.
Find out how churches that go green save money.

Community Comments

"Our homes need not be 6,000 square foot McMansions, or Mc-Green homes, to serve as quality safe shelter. The massive trophy home is as much a part of the disease of affluence we Americans inflict on the world as the gas gobbling SUV. Where do we get off saying huge homes are sustainable when we just 4% of the planet's humans suck up 25% of the resources. Ah, yes that's right -- 'too much is just enough...' Sick."

-- Bion D. Howard, Hilton Head Island, SC

Bion D. Howard, President. PO Box 23858, Hilton Head Island, SC 29925 USA. energybuilder@hotmail.com, www.energybuilder.com

----


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House Plan in Panajachel by Amilcar Ovalle

House plan by Amilcar Ovalle (first sketch). EDAOL ESTUDIO



Casitas en Caja ~ Little Houses in a Box

KapteinBolt ~ 90° Furniture

90 Degree Furniture: kapteinbolt.nl/main.shtml


A flexible interior for an artist,
consisting of 4 double panels,
each with its own function
An interior with four units:

a working unit
a sitting and sleeping unit
a cooking unit
a storage unit


The closed panels open in a 90º angle.
Each unit is a room divider and
a functional piece of furniture.
The interior is easy to move
and usable in any space.

contact

louwrien@kapteinbolt.nl

90° FILMPlay movie
copywrite kapteinbolt.nl

Email:

from Catherine S. Todd
to louwrien@kapteinbolt.nl
cc Les Todd ,
George Nippo ,
Eddy Amilcar ,
DrJohnWMerrick
date Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 10:30 AM

Subject FLKS Furniture by KapteinBolt / Flat-Pack Furniture for an All-in-One Interior Design


To: KapteinBolt, www.kapteinbolt.nl

Do you have this room for sale yet?

How much does it cost, what are the dimensions, and can you ship to 1. North Carolina, USA and 2. Panajachel, Solola, Guatemala at Lake Atitlan?

Fantastic Design. I would like to try this out in Life School, a small private bi-lingual school we do fundraising for at Lake Atitlan: www.LifeSchoolweb.com.

Catherine Todd
3007 Bent Tree Dr. Oxford NC 27565
H 919.693.0853 U.S. cell 919.605.0727

---

Article from http://weburbanist.com/2008/11/09/prefab-architecture-flat-pack-furniture/

http://dornob.com/flat-pack-furniture-for-an-all-in-one-interior-design/

FLKS Furniture

Solar Roads: The Greatest Pipe Dream Yet

Design Forward Newsletter February 2010, vol. 82



Solar Roads: The Greatest Pipe Dream Yet

Over 5.7 million miles of highway stretch across America alone. The carbon footprint produced by the machinery needed for salting and snow removal of these paved roads is almost immeasurable. With the world's attention focused on the climate crisis industry has shifted toward developments in renewable resources.

The sun, which is an unequivocal provider of all life energy, is now the inspiration behind an ambitious project one small Idaho company hopes will someday be responsible for cutting greenhouse gases in half. The project, which is already in phase I of its development is to create "a series of structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon", or solar-roadways', as creators Scott and Julie Brusaw have dubbed them.

The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots, and driveways with Solar Road Panels that collect and store solar energy to be used by our homes and businesses. This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used by the generation of electricity. Getting the project off the ground was no easy task and securing funding, even for Phase I of production was a challenge. "Getting the Phase I contract was mainly about physically writing the proposals to get it approved for funding; to prove that these panels were feasible. When I first came up with the idea, my team was invited by the Department of Transportation in Virginia to come out and present for them, and so we did. They were excited about the project and asked a lot of questions, soon after we applied for funding", says co-creator, Scott Brusaw. The funding they received was a $100,000 grant from the Dept of Transportation to build a prototype, "I'm madly ordering parts as fast as I can," says Scott.

As asphalt and tar have never been credited as unparalleled engineering it is easy to understand that solar panel highways will require a level of complexity not yet considered for roadways. The panels are said to consist of three layers. The base will contain power and data lines and is overlaid with the electronics strata that contain solar cells, LEDs and super-capacitors which would produce and store electricity.

The LED's would provide paint' for the highways and be able to communicate messages such as slow' or detour ahead' with the use of lights brought to the surface. The top layer will be made of glass that would provide the same traction as asphalt.

Even more impressive would be their ability to heat up, melting ice from the road, "Our target date to finish Phase I is February 12, 2010. During this demonstration the snow should be falling where we are, allowing us to demonstrate how the panels' heating elements can melt snow or ice. We will videotape everything and put it up on our website."

Though entirely ingenious the project has some obvious flaws, for which solutions are being furiously researched. Solar panels are notoriously fragile and would not be able to withstand the weight of even light vehicles. "We are trying to work on developing a type of glass that would be able to withstand the pressure of trucks and other vehicles driving over it daily. This glass that we're going to be layering over the panels needs to have enough grip and not be slippery, especially in rain or snow. We have partnered with Pennsylvania State University to develop the glass surface for our panels, and they're going to be testing it using 80,000-lb. trucks."

Though the price tag for implanting solar roads throughout the country is estimated at an unworldly $35 trillion, the Brusaw's hope that funding from Phase II of their contract will allow them to start implementing solar panels in parking lots of businesses, and possibly begin mass-producing them shortly after.

The product has received widespread interest globally from countries wanting to build plants. "We're getting requests from all around the world, from countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The Czech Republic contacted us just last week about possibly having some of their people visit our site, and once this project here gets off the ground, and we have plants that are mass-producing the panels for the roads, they would like to have some of their employees come over here for 2-3 years and see how everything works, and to gain confidence in getting the project off the ground over there as well."

Sure they will be ploughing the snow from our roads this year, but keep in mind they laughed at the light bulb and said man was never meant to fly.

Jennifer Maclellan is the Senior Writer for the Green Guide Network. You can contact her at jennifer@greenguidenetwork.com.

Sources:

www.solarroadways.com

Interview with Scott Brusaw conducted by Danielli Marfori, Creative Intern for the Green Guide Network.

Article & Picture © GreenGuideNetwork.com.
Comment on "Solar Roads: The Greatest Pipe Dream Yet" on Lisa's Blog http://designforward.blogspot.com/2010/02/solar-roads-greatest-pipe-dream-yet.html

(more)

Habinet: Architecture + Shipping Containers

Habitainer project begins as a synthesis of concepts developed during the lasts years at architecture school. It involves a very simple but rotund point of view: Many of our habitation manners are indeed temporary activities, thus we must pay special attention to this happenings around us in order to be able to act.

Luis Rodríguez Alonso acts as a coordinator in different spontaneous works that happen towards the basic idea. In order to give shape to the initiative it is decided to study separately but simultaneously three main aspects: Construction, Energy and Mobility. These are the basic research lines developed, joined together for each specific project.

First theoretical works can be found at Mo.vida, dated October 2003. It is mainly the basic concepts of our philosophy explained by words. In this project Valle Piñero Ortiz, Carlos Santos Iillana, Elena Vigil Alonso and others do collaborate.

Habitainer concepts are developed by Danish architect Trine Skammelsen and Sune Henriksen in Dreaming Habitainer, a document that would achieve a special mention during Copenhagen X competition, in September 2004.

Designing over container high mobility units has developed a couple interesting projects such as HBTU Technological classroom , by Valle Piñero Ortiz and the HBTU Cad interface, by Luis Rodríguez Alonso

From December 2004 the document Habitainer: Temporary occupation system describes and analyzes the objectives in a long term basis regarding our project, and settles a develop framework to be completed.

Related to particular land owners is the project for modular individual housing developed by Javier Presa and Luis Rodríguez.

In September 2005 Javier Presa Bosch and Luis Rodríguez Alonso become founders of Habitainer S.L. (CIF: B35870534), a Spanish company that distributes habitation systems and develops temporary occupation projects.


www.habitainer.net info@habitainer.net November 2005

---

Habinet: Architecture + Shipping Containers - Unidad de Salud Transportable - Diego García



www.habinet.org

Welcome to Habinet: Architecture + Shipping Containers
Unidad de Salud Transportable - Diego García PDF

Projects - Externos

Interesante proyecto de Diego García -Proyecto Final en la Universidad Diego Portales de Chile- en el cual se presenta una "Unidad de Salud Transportable" realizada a partir de las medidas estandard de un contenedor de 40 pies. Con petacas extensibles y una gran variedad de modelos queda reflejada la flexibilidad que aporta esta capacidad de ampliación así como la elegante disposición de accesos y pasarelas.

Onil Stove

In Santiago la Laguna, Lake Atitlan, Solola, contact Acum: (502) 5054-5986. He delivers and installs the Onil stoves. He works with the NGO that finds donors in the states who help the Mayan families purchase the stoves, who pay half the cost.


Onilstove.com
$160.00 (Q1300) for the large stove, $50.00 (Q300) for the small.
Contact in Panajachel: www.mayanfamilies.org

Helps International:
HELPS recruits volunteer groups to implement such projects as the ONIL stove installations, school construction, potable water systems, and concrete floors ...
www.helpsintl.org

The ONIL Stove - Helps International
Today, thousands of rural Mayan families are using the ONIL Stove with the ... Form your own stove-building team and work side by side with Guatemalan ...
www.helpsintl.org/programs/stove.php



Helps International Stove Program

HELPS International medical teams see severe burns from indoor open fires; ONIL Stove developed by Don O'Neal; Stove teams install stoves in multiple ...

How to Explain a Process or Device in an Intercultural Engineering ...
29 May 2008 ... Part Three asks you to plan new instructions or explanations for a device or ... A summary and slide show explain the problem the Onil Stove ...cnx.org

Video | BioEnergy Lists: Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves

The Kitchen Killer: Onil Stove Video video by Lindsey Oneal, Guatemala, January 2008 .... A new video from Aprovecho showing step-by-step instructions for ...
www.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/174?page=1

Design | BioEnergy Lists: Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves
... May 2005; Instructions for Building a VITA Stove by Samuel F. Baldwin, 1987, ... The Onil Stove, Don Oneal, 2005. Gasification (Wood Gas or Turbo Stove) ...
www.bioenergylists.org/design

[Stoves] TLUD construction document

7 Mar 2009 ... The ONIL stove is a fantastic stove structure. ... The document contains detailed instructions for the construction of >> Anderson's ...
listserv.repp.org/pipermail/stoves_listserv.repp.org/2009.../010954.html




Onil Stove. Source: Mayan FamiliesMayan Families: Onil Stove
http://www.mayanfamilies.org/OnilStoves

Shipping Container Architecture Projects

Habitainer.com

Habitainer project begins as a synthesis of lasts years at ...
File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML
Habitainer project begins as a synthesis of concepts developed during the lasts years at architecture school. It involves a very simple but rotund point of ...
www.casaportale.com/public/.../57976_102_habitainerGroup-text.doc


Shipping Container Architecture Projects
26 models
by Luis Habitainer
Shipping Container Architecture Projects
www.habinet.org
Updated Feb 26, 2009

See also:

Container Bay:
www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm

New York Sun Works ~ Greenhouse Project

nysunworks.org



* About New York Sun Works
* The Greenhouse Project
* The Science Barge
* Press
* People
* Donate
* BrightFarm Systems

nysunworks.org/index ...(more)



New York Sun Works Greenhouse Project

The Greenhouse Project is a program of New York Sun Works dedicated to improving environmental science education in NYC public schools through a hands-on integrated curriculum and professional development.

In partnership with Manhattan School for Children (PS 333), The Greenhouse Project is building the Sun Works Center for Environmental Studies, a model laboratory based on our vision to empower grade-school children to make educated choices about their impact on the environment.

Construction of the Sun Works Center will begin in the spring of 2010 on the roof of the PS 333 school building at West 93rd street and will serve students from Kindergarten through 8th grade, in addition to training educators from around the city, the region, and the world.

Like the Sun Works Center, subsequent Greenhouse Project laboratories will typically accommodate an urban farm and an environmental science laboratory. Students will grow food, while learning hands-on about nutrition, water resource management, efficient land use, climate change, biodiversity, conservation, contamination, pollution, waste management, and sustainable development. To facilitate a hands-on learning environment, the Greenhouse Project laboratory will include solar panels, a hydroponics growing system, a rainwater catchment system, a weather station and a kitchen corner. The greenhouse laboratory will operate as an integrated part of the school’s curricula and will prepare children to exceed New York City’s science standards.

In addition to enhancing the science curriculum, the facility will enrich the school’s arts and social studies curricula by connecting nature to culture. Students will learn the relationship between humans and the environment and will gain a greater appreciation of sustainable development and its direct relationship to cultural diversity. An adapted version of the curriculum is being developed for motor impaired learners and will be implemented at the pilot site.

The Greenhouse Project laboratory will also serve as a site for teacher education and professional development through school day collaborations with neighboring institutions, as well as after school and weekend workshops for teachers and students. These activities will help sustain the project financially, while expanding the scope of its reach.

The Greenhouse Project has its own website: please click here for more information, or please send mail to srobards at nysunworks.org. ...

Terreform ONE (Open Network Ecology)

Mitchell Joachim TED2010 Fellowship: Mitchell Joachim The Colbert Report: Mitchell Joachim ... Mitchell Joachim is #83. Architect Magazine cover story: ...
www.terreform.org

Projects
People
Contact
TerreFarm Lab

Research
About
Eliot Hodges
Publications
More results from terreform.org

ABOUT:

Terreform ONE [Open Network Ecology] is a non-profit design group that promotes green design in cities. Through our creative projects and outreach efforts, we hope to illuminate the environmental possibilities of New York City and inspire solutions in areas like it around the world.

Terreform ONE is a unique laboratory for scientists, artists, architects, students, and individuals of all backgrounds to explore and advance the larger framework of green design. The group develops innovative solutions and technologies for local sustainability in energy, transportation, infrastructure, buildings, waste treatment, food, water, and media spaces.

TEAM Terreform is a winner of the Infiniti Design Excellence Award - History Channel City of the Future competition.
The Future of New York City 2106: MOVIE
All volunteers directed by Dr. Joachim.

Tax Exempt Status: View our 501c3 Letter of Determination.

Contact:

Terreform ONE
33 Flatbush Avenue, 7th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217

TEL: (617) 285-0901 or
(917) 921-0446
E-MAIL: info@terreform.org
www.terreform.org

---

Vertical Farm



The Vertical Farm Blog

http://verticalfarmblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/mitchell-joaquim-friend-of-vertical.html

Rolling Stone Magazine
100 People Who Are Changing America;
Mitchell Joachim is #83.

www.terreform.org/people_mj.html

Mitchell Joachim, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Joachim is a leader in ecological design and urbanism. He is a Co-Founder at Terreform ONE and Terrefuge. He earned; Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MAUD Harvard University, M.Arch. Columbia University, BPS SUNY at Buffalo with Honors. Dr. Joachim is faculty at Columbia University and Parsons. Formerly an architect at Gehry Partners, and Pei Cobb Freed. He has been awarded the Moshe Safdie Research Fellowship, and the Martin Family Society Fellow for Sustainability at MIT. He won the History Channel and Infiniti Excellence Award for the City of the Future, and Time Magazine Best Invention of the Year 2007, Compacted Car w/ MIT Smart Cities. His project, Fab Tree Hab, has been exhibited at MoMA and widely published. He was chosen by Wired magazine for "The 2008 Smart List: 15 People the Next President Should Listen To". Rolling Stone magazine honored Mitchell as an agent of change in "The 100 People Who Are Changing America". He was selected to be the Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design at the University of Toronto for 2009-2010. Mitchell has also won the TED2010 Fellowship.

Archinode Studio
cell: (617) 285-0901
e-mail: mj@terreform.org

Team: www.terreform.org/people.html

3D Printers To Build Houses

Slashdot | 3D Printers To Build Houses
15 Jan 2007 ... 3D Printers To Build Houses. Posted by kdawson on Mon Jan 15, 2007 04:38 AM from the spray-that-right-here dept. Robotics · Technology ...
hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/15/0038259

Robotics Technology

gbjbaanb writes to point out an article in the Sunday Times describing two separate programs where robots are being developed to build houses. The Los Angeles project is farther along than the one in the UK, but the article provides more details on the techniques employed in the latter. Liquid concrete and gypsum will be sprayed from nozzles in a manner analogous to an inkjet printer. From the article: "The first prototype — a watertight shell of a two-story house built in 24 hours without a single builder on site — will be erected in California before April. The robots are rigged to a metal frame, enabling them to shuttle in three dimensions and assemble the structure of the house layer by layer. The sole foreman on site operates a computer programmed with the designer's plans... Inspired by the inkjet printer, the technology goes far beyond the techniques already used for prefabricated homes. 'This will remove all the limitations of traditional building,' said [an architect involved with the UK project]. 'Anything you can dream you can build.'"

---

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1292795.ece

From The Sunday Times
January 14, 2007
Robo-builder threatens the brickie
Robert Booth

IS THE writing on the wall for the brickie? Engineers are racing to unveil the world’s first robot capable of building a house at the touch of a button.

The first prototype — a watertight shell of a two-storey house built in 24 hours without a single builder on site — will be erected in California before April.

A rival design, being pioneered in the East Midlands, with £1.2m of government funding, will include sunken baths, fireplaces and cornices. There are even plans for robots to supplant painters and decorators by spraying colourful frescoes at an affordable price.

By building almost an entire house from just two materials — concrete and gypsum — the robots will eliminate the need for dozens of traditional components, including floorboards, wooden window frames and possibly even wallpaper. It may eventually be possible to use specially treated gypsum instead of glass window panes.

Engineers on both projects say the robots will not only cut costs and avoid human delays but liberate the normal family homes from the conventional designs of pitched roofs, right-angled walls and rectangular windows. ...

Rapid Re(f)use: New York City Rebuilt From Its Own Trash

Inhabit.com
by Bridgette Meinhold, 01/29/10

New York City, much like any big city, disposes of a lot of trash — but what if that trash could be used in a constructive manner? NYC-based architects Terreform have proposed a new form of construction for the City that uses industrial sized robots to create buildings and islands from waste instead of sending it to landfills like Fresh Kills. They’re calling the project Rapid Re(f)use, and the first design is a reverse of the Statue of Liberty that would be built out in the harbor. ...(more)


Comment:

GreenCorbu Says:
January 30th, 2010 at 11:04 am

WOW!
Just Excellent.
It is a the POWER behind the image that makes the message convincing.
see from their Terrefom URL;
“New York City is disposing of 38,000 tons of waste per day. Most of this discarded material ended up in Fresh Kills landfill before it closed. The Rapid Re(f)use project supposes an extended New York reconstituted from its own landfill material. Our concept remakes the city by utilizing the trash at Fresh Kills. With our method, we can remake seven entirely new Manhattan islands at full scale. Automated robot 3d printers are modified to process trash and complete this task within decades. These robots are based on existing techniques commonly found in industrial waste compaction devices. Instead of machines that crush objects into cubes, these devices have jaws that make simple shape grammars for assembly. Different materials serve specified purposes; plastic for fenestration, organic compounds for temporary scaffolds, metals for primary structures, and etc. Eventually, the future city makes no distinction between waste and supply.”

---

Video: www.metacafe.com/watch/bg-4005890/every_hour/

Every hour New York City produces enough waste to fill the Statue of Liberty. Our concept remakes the city by utilizing the trash. Automated robot 3d printers are modified to process trash and complete this task within decades. Eventually, the future city makes no distinction between waste and supply.

YouTube: City, Ecology, Mobility - With Mitch Joachim, Terreform 1 (and more)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnuJa2LT6iM


Links: www.terreform.org/projects_urbanity_rapid_refuse.html

Rapid Re(f)use - Terreform
2006 - 2008 Terreform ... Our concept remakes the city by utilizing the trash at Fresh Kills. With our method, we can remake seven entirely new Manhattan ...
www.terreform.org/projects_urbanity_rapid_refuse.html

Green Brain - Terreform
2006 - 2008 Terreform. CONTACT. RESEARCH. PROJECTS. ABOUT. URBANITY. PEOPLE. FORWARD · BACK. GREEN BRAIN: A SMART PARK FOR A NEW CITY ...
www.terreform.org/projects_urbanity_greenbrain.html

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3D Printing and Rapid Manufacturing machines: Rapid prototyping
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototyping

RepRap Project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project

Low Cost 3D Printer for Desktop Manufacturing of Bio-material Scaffolds
http://www.mechatronics.canterbury.ac.nz/research/research_proj.shtml