disastrer relief for the digital age

This thesis is dedicated to my family and friends for standing beside me through my five years in SCAD giving me support and encouragement. I would like to say thanks to my the-sis committee: Judith Reno, Jean Jaminet, and Sheila Edwards for all their support, in put and critique. Also special thanks to Scott Dietz and Michael Pearce for your resources.

Without the support of everybody I would have not been able to make my vision a reality.

CONTENTSThesis Abstract 02

Natural Disasters 05

Current Disaster Recovery 21

Digital Fabrication 49

Standards for a Shelter 73

Site Analysis 91

Program Development 135

Modular Architecture 145

Schematic Design 157

Design Development 185

Thesis Conclusion 239

3

Everybody wants the same thing, rich or poor...not only a warm, dry room, but a shelter for the soul.

Samuel Mockbee, architect

4

Everybody wants the same thing, rich or poor...not only a warm, dry room, but a shelter for the soul.

Samuel Mockbee, architect

7

INTRODUCTIONUnited States sustains about ten major natural

disasters every year.1 Recent events, such as the

destruction caused by hurricane Katrina and the

earthquake in Haiti, raised the stakes for design and

construction professionals to respond intelligently to

disaster relief. The lack of suitable living units for post-

disasters has become to be a striking problem in the

design field. Most government and relief groups from

around the world struggle with providing immediate

and effective shelters to the unfortunate victims.

Many major agencies do not use the knowledge of

architecture for shelter. Yet they assign volunteers

that are not familiar with disaster relief housing needs

which effectively condemn the victims to years of

inadequate housing.

In September 2012 Federal Emergency Management

Agency was fine $42.6 million dollars for distributing

toxic trailers to the victims of hurricanes Katrina and

Rita, by the court, who claimed that they were exposed

to hazardous fumes while living in them. The court

found high levels of formaldehyde in the trailers

provided by FEMA. Formaldehyde, a chemical

commonly found in building materials, cause

breathing problems and is classified as a carcinogen.

Government tests on hundreds of trailers in Louisiana

and Mississippi found formaldehyde levels that were,

on average, about five times what people are exposed

to in most modern homes. Roughly 55,000 victims

will be eligible for shares of $37.5 million paid by more

than two dozen manufacturers.2

With that in mind, this thesis will develop a novel

design and fabrication process for mass customized

post-hurricane disaster shelter modules. The process

will involve generative computational methods and

fabrication techniques with the study of materiality.

The challenges in the way of finding a suitable shelter

are manifold. The shelter should be efficient to deploy,

easy to installed, able to withstand extreme weather

conditions, lightweight enough to be carried to the

disaster-affected zones. Shelters must preserve the

dignity along with provisions for health and safety of

the victims who have suffered many losses.

Natural Disasters

8Image 1.01Image 1.01

99 Natural Disasters9Image 1.02

10

This map shows the tracks of all known North Atlantic

major hurricanes from 1851 to 2008. Majority of

hurricane activity in the world happens in the Atlantic

Ocean. A major hurricane is a tropical cyclone of

Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane

Scale and has maximum sustained surface winds of

at least 111 miles per hour.3

1111 Natural Disasters

...the aftermath11

Image 1.03

1212

Flooding in New Orleans, Louisiana,after Hurricane Katrina

Worldwide, the total number of natural disasters reported each year has been rising steadily in recent decades, from4

78348

in 1970toin 2004

13 Natural Disasters

Image 1.04 Image 1.05



14

POST HURRICANEA natural disaster, such as a hurricane, not only leaves

a trail of property destruction in its wake, but many

times leaves thousands of its victims with a destroyed

sense of balance.5 Victims are left homeless due to

the flash floods and strong winds. Communities are

erased as their neighbourhoods are washed away. As

a result, so many people are force to live in inadequate

housing that range from a simple tent to FEMA trailers.

Some of this storms can be so devastating that it can

take years for a city to recover.

However, inadequate housing is not the only problem

they have to worry about. With the streets flooded for

weeks it can bring a whole different kinds of issues

from sanitation to diseases. It also makes it difficult

for organizations to aid the victims, especially when it

comes to medical help.

In more recent events, Hurricane Sandy was all over

the news during the last couple of months of 2012.

Long before hitting New York and New Jersey, it tore

through the Caribbean leaving destruction behind

Cuba and Haiti. To this day, people in Haiti are still

waiting for help. With a poverty levels so high, many

if its people were left homeless once again. Guy

Mathieu, owner of a local radio station in Haiti, quoted

after Hurricane Sandy stroke the island, “there is no

separation between the living and the dead.”6

So many if the victims having been thrown into

schools and shelters were adults and children sleep

on the same ground. Many of these places do not

receive any assistance and a lot of its people are still

recovering from the 2012 earthquake.

1515 Natural Disasters15

Haitians are living in tents and tarps camps after the 2010 earthquake.7 1.5 million

1616

Haitians are living in tents and tarps camps after the 2010 earthquake.7

Image 1.10

1717 Natural Disasters17

Of the world’s refugees

49%47%

are femaleandare children[under 18]8

The average duration of major refugee situations has increased

9 years17 years

From

To

[1993]

[2003]9

On any given night i the United States, at least

700,000people are without shelter 10

1818

Stranded victims of Katrina restinside the Superdome

Image 1.11

19

FOOTNOTES“The Changing Role of Architects in Disaster

Response.” The American Institute of Architects.

The American Institute of Architects, n.d. Web.

09 Sept. 2012. <http://www.aia.org/about/

initiatives/AIAS075272>.

AP. “Katrina, Rita Victims Get $42.6M in Toxic

FEMA Trailer Suit.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive,

27 Sept. 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.

cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57521757/>.

“Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.” Saffir-

Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. NOAA/ National

Weather Service, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. <

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php>.

The International Disaster Database <http://

www.emdat.be/

Caito, Rebecca. “Dealing With the Aftermath of

a Hurricane.” Dealing With the Aftermath of a

Hurricane. Rhode Island Sea Grant, Apr. 1992.

Web. 14 Jan. 2013. <http://seagrant.gso.uri.

edu/factsheets/aftermath_hurricane.html>

”Victims of Hurricane Sandy Forgotten in Haiti

| Bangkok Post: News.” Victims of Hurricane

Sandy Forgotten in Haiti | Bangkok Post: News.

Bangkok Post, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Jan.

2013. < http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/

world/322333/victims-of-hurricane-..>

“Haiti Unprepared For Hurricane Season |

MyAyiti.Com.” Haiti Unprepared For Hurricane

Season | MyAyiti.Com. MYAYITI.COM, 1 June

2010. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. < http://myayiti.

com/2010/06/haiti-unprepared-for-hurricane-

season/>

“Protracted Refugee Situations,” UNHCR, June

2004.

“Protracted Refugee Situations,” UNHCR, June

2004.

Marielena Zuniga, “No Home of Her Own:

Homeless Women,” Soroptimist of Americas,

Jan. 2003.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

20

IMAGE NOTES1.01

1.02

1.03

1.04

1.05

1.06

1.07

1.08

1.09

1.10

http://www.nytimes.com/

interactive/2011/05/01/

weekinreview/01safe.html

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/

http://cheaperthandirt.com/

blog/?tag=disasters

http://photos.syracuse.com/post-

standard/2012/10/brian_hajeski_1.html

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/

photo/2jArk9LM1fDRqI383yR6mg

http://my.opera.com/greendanang/albums/

showpic.dml?album=5531842&pictu

re=83389782

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15739028@

N03/4992371254/

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/category/world/

haiti/

http://www.gettao.com/bbs/ viewthread.

php?action=

printable&tid=29202

http://kylechowning.com/the-homeless-in-

haiti-need-you/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15739028@

N03/4992369860/1.11

2323 Current Disaster Recovery23

FEMA

2424FEMA recovery center in Miami, FL

FEMA

Image 2.01

25

FEMA RECOVERY CONTINUUMThe recovery process is best described as a sequence

of interdependent and often concurrent activities

that progressively advance a community toward

a successful recovery. However, decisions made

and priorities set early in the recovery process by

a community will have a cascading effect on the

nature and speed of the recovery progress. 11 The

image below indicates how FEMA does response and

recovery functions related in example sectors.

Current Disaster Recovery

Image 2.02

26

- Individual and Family Empowerment.

- Leadership and Local Primacy

- Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning

- Partnerships and Inclusiveness

- Public Information

- Unity of Effort

- Timeliness and Flexibility

- Resilience and Sustainability

- Psychological and Emotional

- Recovery12

RECOVERY CORE PRINCIPLES

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESPartnerships at every level are supported by State and

Federal authorities and encouraged through two-way

communication.13

Successful recovery depends on all recovery

stakeholders having a clear understanding of pre- and

post-disaster roles and responsibilities. In keeping

with the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF)

principles, clearly defined roles and responsibilities

are a foundation for unity of effort among all recovery

partners to jointly identify opportunities, foster

partnerships and optimize resources.14

Image 2.03

27 Current Disaster Recovery

HOUSINGCoordinating Agency: HUD

Primary Agencies: DHS/FEMA, DOJ, HUD, USDA

Supporting Organizations: CNCS, DOC, DOE, EPA,

HHS, SBA, U.S. Access Board, VA, ARC, NVOAD

Address pre- and post-disaster housing issues and

coordinate and facilitate the delivery of Federal

resources and activities to assist local, State and Tribal

governments in the rehabilitation and reconstruction

of destroyed and damaged housing, whenever

feasible, and development of other new accessible,

permanent housing options.15

The function for housing is the ability to implement

housing solutions that effectively support the

needs of the whole community and contribute to its

sustainability and resilience. Housing is a critical and

often challenging component in disaster recovery. It is

critical because local economies cannot recover from

devastating disasters without adequate housing,

especially affordable housing. It is challenging because

many years’ worth of housing repair, rehabilitation,

reconstruction and new construction often need to

occur at an accelerated pace after a disaster.16

MISSION

FUNCTION

The Housing Recovery Support Function works toward

addressing disaster housing issues pre-disaster,

focusing on solutions that are implementable,

sustainable and resilient. As States and communities

look to the Federal Government for assistance in

housing both disaster survivors and others who

choose to live in recovering communities, the Housing

RSF coordinates and effectively integrates available

housing-related resources, addresses conflicting

policy and program issues.17

Consistent with the National Disaster Housing Strategy

(NDHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

maintains lead responsibility for sheltering and interim

housing with interim housing support from Housing

and Urban Development (HUD) as well as other primary

agencies and support organizations. Sheltering falls

under ESF #6 in the National Response Framework

(NRF) where DHS/FEMA is the coordinating agency.18

2828FEMA trailers after hurricane Katrina

Image 2.04

2929 Sandy victims in New YorkCurrent Disaster Recovery29

Image 2.05

30

FEMA FAILURE Sandy Aftermath: FEMA Trailers Sitting Unused, Despite Thousands Still Powerless In New York -ABC News

FEMA trailers have not been delivered to those in

New York hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, despite a

substantial number of the mobile homes sitting in

Maryland.

New York City has actually chosen to forego emergency

assistance in the form of FEMA trailers. This despite

the fact that, more than a month after the superstorm

devastated large swaths of the New York metropolitan

area, thousands of families are still coping with the

devastation, and could face substantial health risks

living in damaged homes. Eyewitness News found

them in Cumberland Maryland at a FEMA Temporary

Housing storage site about 300 miles from New York

City.19 Hundred upon hundreds of trailors have been

sitting there six weeks after Sandy hit New York.

Instead of trailers, Mayor Bloomberg is relying on his

program called Rapid Repairs to get people back into

their homes quickly.20

Five weeks after Rapid Repairs was launched, 1,200

homes have been fixed. That’s leaves 11,000 families

still waiting, without heat or electricity.21 The winter

is getting colder but atleast New York is stating to

shleter their own people.

FEMA says that the trailers would not work there. “We

don’t have the open space and the open space we

have is back in flooded areas and we don’t want to

compound the problem of putting peoples in harm’s

way by putting units in where they don’t belong,” said

Michael Byrne, of FEMA.22 In other words the FEMA

trailors are useless for Sandy victims,

Congressman Frank Pallone pressure FEMA to finally

get a few dozen trailers to New Jersey. “It’s getting

cold, you can’t expect people to rely on neighbours,

relatives, hotels forever, they need this housing,”

Congressman Pallone said.23

3131 Current Disaster Recovery31

RED CROSS SOCIETY

3232

RED CROSS SOCIETY

Red Cross Society respond after Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011

Image 2.06

33

MISSIONThe American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization

led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional

Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,

will provide relief to those affected by disaster and

help people prevent, prepare for and respond to

emergencies.24

While the Red Cross network of chapters is responding

to emergencies in every state, every day, the states

shaded in this map illustrate where the Red Cross

provided large-scale relief from July 1, 2010 to June

30, 2011.25

With more than 130 years of emergency relief

experience, the Red Cross and its volunteers are

experts in the field of disaster response. In the wake

of domestic disasters, the Red Cross is prepared to:

- Open shelters and serve meals

- Distribute recovery supplies such as cleanup

and comfort kits

- Work with those affected to develop longterm

plans for recovery and identify available

resources

- Provide physical and mental health care

through our team of more than 3,800

licensed medical professionals and more

than 3,200 mental health professionals26


Image 2.07

34Image 2.08

3535 Current Disaster Recovery35Hurricane Katrina relief shelter

in Astrodome, HoustonImage 2.09

36

NATIONAL SHELTER SYSTEMThe Red Cross National Shelter System (NSS)

contains information for over 56,000 potential shelter

facilities and is used to track and report shelter

information during disasters. This powerful tool

enables emergency managers and disaster workers

to identify the location, managing agency, capacity,

current population, and other relevant information of

all shelters operated in response to disasters.27

NSS information assists the Red Cross, FEMA,

state and local emergency management, and non-

government organizations in developing strategies to

ensure prompt and effective mass care services. The

system also serves as a planning tool before disaster

strikes.28 They include:

- Self-sufficiency for power

- Emergency generator on-site

- Utilities

-Kitchen/preparation capacity

-Seating for food service

- Can support day-to-day shelter management

in response to any size disaster

- Can aid in decision making, request for a

declaration, and recovery processes

- support matching available shelter

resources with needs of affected area

- access, organize, and report data as

disaster situations evolve29

NSS VALUES

37

RED CROSS SOCIETY FAILURE Where did the money go in Haiti? -WGBH News

It turns out that almost none of the money that the

general public believed was going to Haiti actually

went directly to the country. Of the $468 million the

Red Cross has collected for Haiti relief efforts, it has

spent $148 million. Most of the money that was

spent went to outside governments, international

aid agencies, and well-connected non-governmental

organizations.

Two years after the earthquake and most people

in Haiti are still living in temporary housing built by

the Red Cross and other organizations. “You should

see what they’re building. It’s like little boxes and

they’re calling them houses.”30 Seven months after

the earthquake struck the island, the Red Cross has

spent only one-third of the half a billion dollars it

collected in aid. Majority of the money has not been

seen by any of the victims.

TransAfrica is one of several organizations monitoring

how money is being spent in Haiti in the aftermath of

the earthquake. “One of the goals that was set in the

first year… was to build 125,000 transitional shelters.

Now we’re at the two-year mark and there still aren’t

even 100,000 shelters.”31 That means more than

half a million people are living under tarps and tents.

Today, housing remains the most intractable problem.

“There’s a lot of open land that can be used for new

housing programs but there hasn’t been a bold action”

to use it for low-cost housing. 32

Where does the money go? Some has gone to good

purposes, such as cholera treatment pills for the

water supply and tarps. However, “there has been

little accountability and also little participation of the

actual eventual beneficiaries, and therefore there has

been a lot of waste.”33


3838Image 2.10

3939

HABITATFOR

HUMANITY

Habitat for Humanity volunteers rebuildhomes after series of tornadoes struckAlabama April 27, 2011.

Current Disaster Recovery39Image 2.11

4040

HABITATFOR

HUMANITY

41

MISSIONTo develop innovative housing and shelter assistance

models that generate sustainable interventions

for people vulnerable to or affected by disasters or

conflicts. In addition, Disaster Response builds the

capacity of the global Habitat community in the areas

of disaster mitigation, preparedness and recovery

through education, training and partnerships.34

Disaster strikes in an instant, but shelter and housing

needs remain. 35

Habitat’s Disaster Response focuses on the

housing needs that arise from natural disasters and

humanitarian emergency conflicts. We meet the

challenge of disasters and conflicts worldwide using a

number of integrated approaches that revolve around

our core competencies of sustainable shelter and

housing solutions.36

Disaster recovery introduces new and urgent issues

on the long-term problems of inadequate housing.

This poses a special challenge to shelter recovery

efforts, since long-term issues — tenure insecurity,

SHELTER

poor basic services and lack of effective building

regulation — do not disappear. Adequate housing

should be at the center of urban disaster-recovery

efforts, not only because the need is great, but also

because it facilitates other elements of recovery.39

Safe shelter is known to have a positive impact on

human health.

Disaster response needs focus on the entire

neighbourhood. Solutions must be designed to reflect

the diversity of neighbourhoods and not provide one

standard assistance mechanism across the entire

city.

Finally, post-disaster housing solutions should be

designed to reduce the risk of future hazards. There

is no point in rebuilding in a flood plain, or on an

unstable slope, or with the same technique that made

houses vulnerable in the first place.39

The agency usually gathers a group of volunteers to

help build wood structure houses for the victims. The

duration of the construction can vary depending on

the number of volunteers and access of materials and

tools.


4242Image 2.12

4343 Current Disaster Recovery43Image 2.13

44

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY FAILURE Volunteer Group Lags in Replacing Gulf Houses -The New York Times

Couple of days just days after Hurricane Katrina,

Habitat for Humanity chief executive appeared on

CNN, promising to build and repair as many homes

as it could pay for, “hopefully in the thousands.” The

organization quickly mustered 50,000 volunteers,

raised $127 million, and attracted prominent backers

like President Bush and the New Orleans jazz

luminaries Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis.40

But almost 18 months after storms destroyed more

than 250,000 homes, Habitat for Humanity says it

has built just 10 houses for poor hurricane victims

here, 36 in New Orleans, and a total of 416 along the

entire coast, from Alabama to Texas. More are under

construction, for a total of 702.41

There is criticism with Habitat’s decision making

structure and its unwillingness to change its methods

of operations to suit the massive needs in the

hurricane reconstruction zone:

- Habitat works only through local affiliates,

slowing decision making and complicating

fund raising

- Only builds new homes

- Habitat requires cash payments, good credit

and sweat equity by the prospective home

buyer

- Habitat volunteers aren’t all that efficient

at home building. Habitat is more about

providing volunteers with a heartwarming

experience.

Habitat, with more than $1 billion in annual revenues,

is based in Atlanta and Americus, Ga., and has

operations worldwide. Its mission often seems as

much about providing spiritual fulfillment to its

volunteers as it is about improving new homeowners’

lives.42

Habitat for Humanity illustrates both the strength

and the weakness of an organization with a strong

commitment to a particular mission and model. The

commitment to a model emphasizing local control,

volunteerism, and helping people who can help

themselves has been instrumental in creating a

strong national brand. But this model falls far short

of achieving the mission principle stated in the 2004

annual report:

“that safe and affordable housing is a basic

human right and a fundamental component

of dignity and long-term well-being for every

person on earth.”43

45

FOOTNOTES“National Disaster Recovery Framework | FEMA.

gov.” FEMA.gov. FEMA, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.

<http://www.fema.gov/national-disaster-

recovery-framework>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Hoffer, Jim. “FEMA Trailers Sitting Uninhabited,

Victims Want Answers.” ABC. WABC-TV/DT,

12 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://

abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/

investigators&id=8918103>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

“2011 Disaster Relief Program Review.”

American Red Cross. American Red Cross, n.d.

Web. 28 Jan. 2013. <http://www.redcross.

org/what-we-do/disaster-relief/2011-disaster-

relief-program>

Ibid

Ibid

“The National Shelter System.” American Red

Cross. American Red Cross, n.d. Web. 28 Jan.

2013. <https://nss.communityos.org/cms/>

Ibid

Ibid

Martin, Philip. “Where Did The Money Go In

Haiti?” WGBH News. PBD NPR, 12 Jan. 2012.

Web. 29 Jan. 2013. < http://www15.wgbh.org/

articles/index.cfm?tempid=5337>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

“Habitat for Humanity’s Disaster Response.”

Habitat for Humanity Int’l. Habitat for Humanity

Int’l, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.

habitat.org/disaster>

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

46

IMAGE NOTEShttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

File:FEMA_-_9010_-_Photograph_by_An-

drea_Booher_taken_on_10-31-2003_in_Cal-

ifornia.jpg

FEMA National Disaster Recovery Framework

Guide

Ibid

http://www.fema.gov/photodata/origi-

nal/45300.jpg

http://blog.archny.org/notes/wp-content/

uploads/2012/11/weneedhelp.jpg

http://www.flwestcoastredcross.org/image-

sup/Tampa%20Bay%20Chapter/Images/

Japan.jpg

American Red Cross Disaster Service Pro-

gram Review

http://arcgbw.files.wordpress.

com/2011/12/h21157-37515-2011disinf.

jpg

http://www.bayarea-redcross.org/imagesup/

American%20Red%20Cross%20Bay%20

Area/Gregory%20Smith.JPG

2.01

2.02

2.03

2.04

2.05

2.06

2.07

2.08

2.09

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Strom, Leslie Eaton And Stephanie, and STEPH-

ANIE STROM. “Charity Group Lags in Efforts On

Gulf Homes.” The New York Times. The New

York Times, 22 Feb. 2007. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/

us/22habitat.html>

Ibid

Ibid

“The History of Habitat.” Habitat for Humanity

Int’l. Habitat for Humanity Int’l, n.d. Web. 30

Jan. 2013. <http://www.habitat.org/how/histo-

rytext.aspx>

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

47

IMAGE NOTEShttp://bethelmissionoutreach.org/wp-

content/uploads/2013/01/0110haitirecove

ry_update.png

http://www.fema.gov/photodata/origi-

nal/49681.jpg

http://static.move.com/blogs/page-

lyrdcblogs/blogs/wp-content/up-

loads/2012/11/infographic_112112-.jpg

http://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/view.

image?Id=2090

2.10

2.11

2.12

2.13

51

Digital design and fabrication technologies have given

architects the means to invent new architectural

languages and communicate them directly to

production facilities allowing for the construction of

projects with unforeseen complexity.44 The increasing

proliferation of computers and advanced modeling

software has enabled architects and students alike

to conceive and construct 3-D designs that would be

very difficult to develop using traditional methods.45

The architectural possibilities of developments in

material technology continue to increase, fueled by

digital fabrication methods.

Digital fabrication is a process using digital data to

direct a manufacturing development. While digital

fabrication has been around for decades, only now has

it become possible for designers to take advantage

of this powerful technology. A significant figure in the

field, Lisa Iwamoto describes the shift towards digital

fabrication:

“For many years, as the process of making

drawings steadily shifted from being analog

to digital, the design of buildings did not

really reflect the change. CAD replaced

drawings with a parallel rule and lead

pointer, but buildings looked pretty much

the same. This is perhaps not so surprising

one form of two-dimensional representation

simply replaces another. It took three-

dimensional computer modeling and digital

fabrication to energize design thinking and

expand the boundaries of architectural form

and construction.”46

An early advocate of this approach was Gehry &

Associates, whose adoption and development of

digital fabrication was vital in enabling them to

construct the iconic Disney Concert Hall from 1989-

2003. The critical part of this translation process lay

in the practice’s adaptation of an existing software

program, Computer-Aided Three-dimensional

Interactive Application (CATIA). This program is an

established design-and-development application in

the aerospace industry. The firm used it to model the

building’s envelope and permitted full-size prototype

to be digitally fabricated.

The computer is often used as an active and dynamic

agent that not only enables the representation of

creative ideas but also generates them. One of the

most important features of digital design is in its

capacity to develop complex curvilinear geometries,

a relatively difficult feat when using traditional design

and construction processes.47 This feature has

brought numerous architects to be highly engaged in

the fabrication process to ensure the design intent is

carried through into the production. As a result of this

involvement, designers have inherited greater control

of the construction process since the digital design

data is so closely integrated with digital manufacturing

technologies.

Additionally, a vast array of material exploration

suddenly opens up to the designer using digital

fabrication methods – facilitating creative, efficient,

and highly effective use of architectural materials.48

This will be further explored later on in the book.

INTRODUCTION

Digital Fabrication

5252Image 3.01

53 Digital Fabrication

MASS CUSTOMIZATION The digital age, in which we live, the question is no

longer whether a design is buildable or not, the

question now is what is the best way to engage with

and respond to the potential of digital fabrication.

Possibly the most important development in this

regard is the making of “nonstandard” components

through a process of “mass customization.”49 These

nonstandard components should be modularized and

their function combines into a single subsystem. With

digital fabrication, mass customization has become a

reality and at times a necessity. Mass customization

proposes new processes to build using automated

production, but with the ability to differentiate each

artifact from those that are fabricated before and

after assembly.

Mass production was the ideal of the early twentieth

century. Mass customization is the recently emerged

reality of the twenty-first century. Mass customization

is a hybrid.50 “The ability to differentiate, to distinguish

architecture based upon site, use, and desire,

is a prerequisite to success that has eluded our

predecessors.”51 This idea strongly opposes the

historic notion of mass production which was about the

economy of making things in quantity. This inevitable

design required the architect or client to choose from

predetermined parts. Now that mass customization

is a reality, it can provide mass customized, designed

housing for emergency shelter. A definitive need exist

for a system that is rapidly deployable and mountable

for the affected communities.

5454

A carefully detailed private workspace conceals office equipment behind birch plywood ribs by Synthesis

Design + Architecture

Image 3.02

55 Digital Fabrication Image 3.03

56

CASE STUDY The Instant HouseA great example for this idea is “The Instant House”

project developed by Marcel Botha and Lawrence

D. Sass for MIT’s Department of Architecture. They

studied how digital design and fabrication can be

utilized in an urgent housing environment, specifically

designed as a relief effort for natural disaster areas or

refugee camps. It promoted the use of a system that

is rapidly deployable and mountable, while fostering

individuality within the larger rebuilt community.

The Instant House product ships as an all-

inclusive flat packed structure, ready for immediate

implementation.52 Botha and Sass created a

solution for emergency housing, while still giving

personal ownership to the user, through generative

computational methods and CNC fabrication

techniques. In the past, examples of generative

methods have tended to produce house designs as

spaces and forms only. The Instant House combines

the concept of prefabricated low cost design with those

based on shape and a system for digital fabrication.

The Instant House process produces a customized,

habitable mono-material plywood structure. Various

joint types sustain their assembly through friction

connection for each component of the system,

eliminating the need for nails, screws or glue. The

process is divided into five stages: shape design,

design development, evaluation, fabrication, and

construction.53 The house took two people and three

days to assemble it.

The notion of mass customization is the idea of

“nonstandard” components. Digital fabrication

methods phase encourage the making of one-

off, nonstandard objects and components. In an

architectural context, using nonstandard elements-

whether structurally, external/internal, or otherwise

means that the possibilities of optimizing variance

in relation to ecological and local criteria, alongside

other design intentions and aesthetic decisions, are

myriad.54

57

DIGITAL FABRICATION PrinciplesThe techniques of digital fabrication generally fit

into three main categories: cutting, subtracting, and

addition. Although these techniques are analogous

to traditional processes used in architectural model

making, they ultimately bring more options for model

makers.

The first technique, which is perhaps the most

common and accessible, is cutting. There is a range

of different cutting techniques, but essentially they

all enable the production of flat components using

a cutting head that follows instructions provided by

digital design data.55 These techniques are often

referred to as “two-dimensional fabrication”56 and are

usually limited by the thickness of the material they

can cut.

The laser cutter is a technology that uses a laser to cut

precise patterns in most types of materials such as

metal, plastic, and paper. It also enables designers to

make components with complex shapes and detailed

elements, incorporating apertures and patterns.

Digital Fabrication

Cutting

Many professional model makers use this technology

for high-quality model components such as façades.

A major disadvantage is that most laser cutters are

relatively small, which places a limit on the size of the

components. This process of construction is akin to

traditional methods, except that some designers use

the laser-cutting technology to provide a reference key

on each component as well as small holes, slots, and

notches to aid assembly.57

Barkow Leibingers Architects are at the forefront

in architectural experimentation based on digital

fabrication and mechanical assembly of buildings. For

“The Gatehouse” project in Stuttgart, the designers

used laser digital cutting to fabricate a unique and

freestanding building, in which the application of

this technique is integral to the construction and

not simply surface decoration.58 Working with über-

engineer Werner Sobek, the firm used Triumpt’s own

technology to laser-cut and weld sheet metal for the

roofing system. The gatehouse consists of a small

functional core topped by a honeycombed steel roof

that cantilevers an astonishing 66 feet across the

street in front of it.

58

SubtrationThe second technique is subtraction, which is the

process of taking material from an existing solid

volume. The excess material is typically removed

through milling or routing process leaving behind

the desire features and components. Using the

subtractive process has many advantages. Much

larger elements can be made, meaning there is a

wide selection of raw material that can be used. Also

elements can be more accurately fabricated and they

are more economical and faster for large quantities.59

Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) milling and

routing are two of the most firmly established

digital fabrication techniques.60 The CNC process

uses a computer system to generate code (G-code)

instructions that control the movements of a machine

tool. G-code is basically a programming language that

gives the CNC machine the coordinates from which to

hold and engage the machining tool in order to cut

and shape the material. All CNC machines have two

or more programmable directions of motion called

axes. One of the first specifications that imply a CNC

machine’s complexity is how many axes it has. The

more axes, the more complex the machine is hence

the more complex work it can produce.

CNC milling or routing has two main roles: first it may

be applied to remove material from a volume and

fabricate components in a manner similar to carving.61

Since G-code gives the machine specific instructions to

produce the components from a volume material, this

process can reduce the amount of waste material as

well as facilitate the effective and relative economical

making of nonstandard components.62 The second

application relates to the results. Due to the fact that

the CNC machine can perform in a high degree of

accuracy and complexity on surfaces, this facilitates

to fabricate geometrically sophisticated molds.

An experimental project from the Institute for Advanced

Architecture of Catalonia has made the “ ,” part of the

Smart City Expo in Barcelona, Spain. The project aims

to explore how technology can create architecture that

is adaptive to particular environmental conditions.

Designed to be fabricated by CNC machines, the

building was assembled out of in a month. The parts

were defined in a digital format string and cut into very

quickly, even if they were completely different from

each other with no additional cost.63 The components

came to site they are pre-drilled and slotted, and can

be assembled like flat pack furniture.

59 Digital Fabrication59 Digital Fabrication59 Digital Fabrication Image 3.04

60

The third technique is based on an additive technique

which slowly builds up material in layers rather than

removing it.64 All additive processes work on the basis

of translating digital design information into a series

of two-dimensional layers.65 The physical object is

made through an accumulative process of layering.

Its advantages include the direct conversation from

digital model, which means that no additional devices

or molds are required. Sophisticated geometry and

internal voids are also easily fabricated, and it does

not require a special program language or machine

skill to use the application.66

This additive category of digital fabrication is most

commonly known as rapid prototyping. Rapid

prototyping enables quick fabrication of physical

models using three-dimensional computer aided

design data. The process lies in the gradual buildup

of incremental two-dimensional layers of material to

produce a three-dimensional object.67 The process

most commonly known as a type of rapid prototyping

is 3D printing. The 3D printing machine reads the

data from the CAD drawing and lays down successive

layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material – building

up the physical model from a series of cross sections.

These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross

section from the CAD model, are automatically joined

together to create the final shape.

Typically, rapid prototyping systems can produce

3D models within a few hours. The most significant

limitation of rapid prototyping process has been the

size of objects they are able to fabricate. Considering

the expense of additive fabrication machines, along

with the relatively long time required for making

the object, has led to a reasonable narrow use

in architecture. The greatest application of rapid

prototyping is typically during the design process,

in which the designer can examine complex and

curvilinear geometries in physical formations rather

than digital ones.68

A New York based architecture studio, Kokkugia, has

come up with a project that explores structures based

on fibrous skeletons. Unlike conventional skyscrapers,

which have a hard outer covering to increase stability,

the Fibrous Tower is based on algorithmic design

methodologies that explore ornamental, structural

and spatial order through this lens. According to the

creators, the project compresses the structural and

tectonic hierarchies of contemporary tower design into

a single shell. This shell self-organizes in response

to the conflicting set of criteria. The firm used a

stereolithographic, the first form of rapid prototyping,

as part of a series of investigations that explore

different structure designs.

Additive

6161 Digital Fabrication61

6262

Daiareef is a thesis project for AA, London. The thisis aims for the development of a self-prganize system

that can adapt to a high pressure enviroment.

Image 3.05

63

DIGITAL FABRICATION StrategiesThere are a wide range of digital design and fabrication

approaches that may enhance or replace traditional

aspects of the architectural design process. Within

these approaches, there are a number of key ways of

integrating digital technologies to achieve the desired

result. This process is sometimes referred to as

“tooling”, defined as the provision and setting up of

tools for a machining process.”69 Within this tooling

process, there are four different approaches that are

primarily implemented by architectural designers.

These approaches are: contouring, folding, forming,

and sectioning.70

The first approach is contouring, unlike the other

methods, it is subtractive in nature. This technique

reshapes a surface and creates a three-dimensional

relief by removing successive layers of material

such as carving. Carving is the long-established

technique of working with materials in architecture,

principally in stone and wood stretching back to

ancient civilizations.71 The main difference between

the two processes lays in the nature of the tooling of

each method. Incorporating digital processes into the

design and construction of contoured surfaces allows

for a consistent form and quicker productions, as well

as control the type of texture on surface. Contouring

is readily achieved using CNC routing and milling

processes and may extend surface characteristics by

incorporating geometrical variation and complexity

into otherwise planar materials.72 However using

the CNC for contouring can be time-consuming and

demands a considerable amount of material. Because

of its wasteful nature, it is not conceivable to create an

entire building by carving it out of a solid material. The

process if contouring has enabled architect to achieve

highly imaginative effects from traditional materials,

by articulating their properties in an effective and

transformative manner.73

Bone Wall by urban A&O is a great example of

implementing and contorting to create a highly

complex and fluid form constructed of detailed

pieces of foam. The idea of this project is to explore

continuity of surfaces and modulation of light within

the wall as well as to provide elements for storage and

seating. The firm did this project as an experiment

aimed toward the advancement of contemporary

architectural practice and to demonstrate new

opportunity for designers to participate more directly

in processes of fabrication.

Contouring

Digital Fabrication

64

The second approach is folding, the simple act of

turning a flat surface into a three-dimensional form,

can be best described as an exercise in architectural

origami. Folding has a rich potential for defining

structural geometry. Through folding, the self-

supporting effective span and rigidity of sheet

materials may increase substantially, offering further

design development.74 Of course the structural ability

for the surfaces relies greatly on the characteristic

of the surface material. Using two-dimensional

surfaces to create three-dimensional forms has an

extensive history in product design and other creative

disciplines. This allows designers to shift from scale

models to full-size prototypes, which allows them not

only to explore but directly experience it. The data

there unfolded sheets is usually used with the laser

cutter. The advantage of laser cutters is that they

can score sheet material rather than cut all the way

through its thickness, affording fold to be more easily

made.75

The Starlight Theater by Studio Gang Architects was

designed for Rock Valley College to replace an existing

outdoor venue. The firm incorporated a faceted roof

structure whose folding geometry permits the center

sections to open upward, so that each roof panel

overlaps its neighbor in a similar manner to flower

petals.76 They used the folding and laser cutter to make

this structure a reality. What makes this roof structure

amazing is the ability to open and close depending on

the weather for their performances.

Next approach is forming. Forming is a ubiquitous

method used for such things as packing, cell phones,

car bodies and anything else made out of plastic. It is

readily applied for the mass production of consumer

products. For architecture the method of forming

usually was relegated to the use of concrete. Digital

fabrication approaches the method requiring a mold

and form which is usually created via CNC milling, but

occasionally used rapid-prototyping techniques.77 The

process produces positive and negative molds, also

referred as female and male. The positive molds

can be used for thermo- and vacuum molding, while

negative molds may facilitate casting and injection

moldings.78 Forming is a key way of making curvilinear

elements.

Franken Architekten designed the Bubble for the

BMW Trade Fair combining this approach with

contouring. The Bubble was one of the first structures

in the world which was completely created with digital

means, from the design through to construction.79

The frames were evolved from the parametric design

and laser cut 3,500 individual pieces from sheets

aluminum. The cladding elements, which comprised

305 unique acrylic-glass panels, were heated formed

onto individual CNC-milled foam blocks.80 With all the

components fabricated, they were able to assemble it

on site with no problems.

Folding Forming

65

The fourth approach is sectioning, the act of creating

a three-dimensional form by connecting a skin over

closely placed parallel ribs. This approach has a long

time history in the construction of ships and airplanes.

The form of the object is defines by a series of sections

that are covered with a material or skin. Digital

fabrication techniques typically used in sectioning are

cutters, particularly laser cutter and CNC routers.

Burnham Pavilion, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects,

shows how curvilinear geometry and methods of

overlaying combined can create a complex structure.

The pavilion comprises intricate bent-aluminum

structural sections; each shaped and welded to create

its unique curvilinear form.81 The structural sections

are then covered with stretched fabric. The tent-like

shape has been planned to be collapsible and re-

installed without any difficulties.82

Finally the last approach is tessellating, which

aesthetically resembles a mosaic composition, is

a collection of pieces that fit together without gaps

to form a plane or surface. The history of tiling is a

long established in traditional manual craftsmanship-

producing mosaics, stained glass windows, and

other ornaments. One of the many advantages of

digital design and fabrication methods is that they

can effectively overcome the previous investment of

time and also provide ways in which patterns may be

generated and optimized to gain maximum impact

both visually and materiality-especially concerning

the reduction of waste.83 Also another big difference

between historical and contemporary tessellating is

that digital technologies give us the ability to create

divergent doubly curved surfaces.

3XN’s design for Horten’s new Copenhagen

headquarters demonstrates innovative use of three-

dimensional tessellation to address design issues.84

The building units are consciously designed to ensure

that they buildings energy consumption is ten per

cent less that required by the energy guidelines in

the Danish building codes.85 The façade elements

were developed specifically for this building’s complex

geometry providing bay windows views towards the

water while avoiding direct sunlight.

Digital Fabrication

Sectioning Tessellation

6666Image 3.06

6767 Digital Fabrication67Image 3.07

68

Digital fabrication signals a major shift in the way we

may engage architectural design. The techniques used

by digital fabrication required designers to rethink their

design process, often developing novel methodologies

and nonlinear approaches. As designers we are

now able to produce precise and complex geometry

combined with direct making and assembly process,

and exploit material performance will result of the

architects returning to a position of master builders

which have disappeared in the medieval times.

Essentially the use of digital fabrication will become

the future of architecture.

69

FOOTNOTES(FAB)BOTS customised robotic devices for

design & fabrication in FABRICATE2012 by

Marta Male-Alemany, Jeron Van Ameijde and

Victor Vina, 2011:40

Sheil, Bob, and Ruairi Glynn. (2009) Fabricate:

Making Digital Architecture. Toronto: Riverside

Architectural, p.6.

Iwamoto, L. (2009) Digital Fabrication:

Architectural and Material Techniques.

Princeton Architectural Press, p.5.

Dunn, Nick. (2012) Digital Fabrication in

Architecture. London: Laurence King, p.49.

Ibid, p.76.

Ibid, p.77.

Kieran, Stephen, and James Timberlake. (2004)

Refabricating Architecture: How Manufacturing

Methodologies Are Poised to Transform Building

Construction. New York: McGraw-Hill, p.xii.

Ibid, p.xiii.

Bortha, M and Sass, L. (2006) The Instant

House: Design and digital fabrication of housing

for developing environments, CAADRIA 2006

Kumamoto (Japan), p.209.

Bortha, M and Sass, L. (2006) The Instant

House: Design and digital fabrication of housing

for developing environments, CAADRIA 2006

Kumamoto (Japan), p.211.





Ibid, p.88.

Ibid, p.91.





Ibid, p.96.

Ibid, p.96.

Ibid, p.96.

Grozdanic, Lidija. “Endessa Pavilion Is a Modular

Solar Collector by IAAC.” EVolo | Architecture

Magazine. EVOLO, LLC, 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 05

Oct. 2012. <http://www.evolo.us/architecture/

endessa-pavilion-is-a-modular-solar-collector-

by-iaac/>.

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

70

Dunn, Nick. (2012) Digital Fabrication in Archi-

tecture. London: Laurence King, p.89.

Ibid, p.89.

Ibid, p.89.

Ibid, p.102.



The Chambers Dictionary. Chambers Harrap,

2001.



Ibid, p.130.

Ibid, p.130.

Ibid, p.130.



Ibid, p.140.

Ibid, p.143.



Ibid, p.148.

“Bubble.” - FRANKENARCHITEKTEN. Franken

Architekten GmbH, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.franken-architekten.de/index.

php?pagetype=projectdetail>





“Burnham Eco Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects

and UNStudios.” Burnham Eco Pavilions by

Zaha Hadid and UNStudio. Tuvie - Futuristic

Technology, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://

www.tuvie.com/burnham-eco-pavilions-by-

zaha-hadid-and-unstudio/>.



Ibid, p.168.

“Horten Headquarters.” 3xn Architects. 3xn

Architects, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://

www.3xn.dk/en/>.

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

71

IMAGE NOTES3.01

3.02

3.03

3.04

3.05

3.06

3.07

http://thestraighttorquer.com/wp-content/

uploads/2012/02/disney-2-1024x768.jpg

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-

content/uploads/2012/02/SDA_desk-0080.

jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0l2613wxR08/

R1MFbtAXlVI/AAAAAAAAACY/PIv_B9i31x0/

s1600-R/image.jpg

http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/

uploads/2012/09/505be68f28ba0d27150

0021b_endesa-pavilion-iaac__mg_0358.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.

com/2796/4410373569_b6d93a0b48_b.

jpg

http://www.bustler.net/images/gallery/

zaha_hadid_burnham_pavilion_10.jpg

http://abduzeedo.com/files/originals/u/url.

jpg

7575 Standards for a shelter23

What are the basic needs for a shelter?Image 4.01

7676

What are the basic needs for a shelter?

Destroyed homes after Hurricane Sandy in Queens, NY

77

THE BASIC ELEMENTS FOR LIFE INCLUDE

Shelter - Clean Water - Sanitation

Standards for a shelter

78

Shelter is a critical determinant for survival in the

initial staged of a disaster. Beyond survival, shelter

is necessary to provide security, personal safety and

protection from the climate and to promote resistance

to ill health and disease.86 It is also very important for

human dignity, “to sustain family and community life

and to enable the effected population to recover from

the impact of disaster.”87

According to the Minimum Standards in Shelter,

Settlement, and Non-Food Items by The Sphere

Project, everyone has the right to adequate housing.

This includes the right to live in security, peace, and

dignity.88 These instruments are define as:

- sufficient space and protection from

cold, damp, heat, rain, wind, and other

threats to health

- sustainable access to natural and

common resources: safe drinking water,

heating and lighting, sanitation and

washing facilities, and emergency

services

- that building materials and policies

relating to housing construction appro-

piately enable the expression of cultural

identity and diversity of housing 89

After a disaster, the opportunity to return to their own

land and dwelling is a major goal for most disaster-

affected victims. Shelter responses should enable

affected populations to incrementally upgrade and/

or make the transition from emergency to durable

housing solution.

An approach rather than a phase of response, the

provision of transitional shelter responds to the fact

that post-disaster shelter is often undertaken by

the affected population themselves.90 Post-disaster

shelter solutions should be reused, relocate from

temporary to permanent locations, and can promote

the transition by affected populations to more durable

shelter.


Settlement, and Non-Food Items by The Sphere Project,

for non-displaced victims on the site of their original

homes, transitional shelter can provide basic starter

home, to be upgraded, expanded or replaced over

time as resources permit. For displaces populations,

transitional shelter can provide appropriate shelter

which can be disassembled and reused when the

victims are able to return to their homes.91

TRANSITIONAL SHELTER

79 Standards for a shelter

LIVING SPACE“People should have sufficient covered living space

providing thermal comfort, fresh air, and protection

from the climate ensuring their privacy, safety, and

health and enabling essential households and live

hood activities to be undertaken.”92


Settlement, and Non-Food Items by The Sphere

Project, for a shelter, all affected individuals have

an initial minimum covered floor area of 3.5m2 per

person.93

The living space should provide for the fallowing

activities:

- sleeping

- washing

- dressing

- care of children

- storage for food, water and household

possessions

In warm, humid climates the shelter should be

oriented and designed to maximise ventilation and

minimise entry of direct sunlight. The roof should

have a reasonable slope for rainwater drainage with

large overhangs.94 The construction of the shelter

should be lightweight. For flood zones, the use of

raised floors will minimise the risk of water entering

the shelter.

The floor-to-ceiling height is a key factor, with greater

height being preferable in hot and humid climates

to aid air circulation. In warmer climates, adjacent

shades in the outside can be used for food preparation

and cooking.95

8080AbleNook: Rapidly Deployable Modular Dwelling interior shot 28Image 4.02

81 Standards for a shelter

There are ‘transitional’ as opposed to ‘temporary.’ Emergency shelter is temporary and is intended just to provide shelter for survival. Transitional implies something that is longer-term and gives you space to carry out livelihood activities rather than just surviving.

Elizabeth Babiester, shelter advisor

82

There are ‘transitional’ as opposed to ‘temporary.’ Emergency shelter is temporary and is intended just to provide shelter for survival. Transitional implies something that is longer-term and gives you space to carry out livelihood activities rather than just surviving.

Elizabeth Babiester, shelter advisor

8383

By 2030, we will need to build

Bruce Mau, Designer 96

96,000 homes a day to give people shelter

Standards for a shelter31Image 4.03

848432

85

CASE STUDY AbleNook

Standards for a shelter

There is no “one size fits all” solution to disaster relief

housing but there is a common set of criteria: sturdy,

reliable and economical to build. One tactic for less

expensive housing solutions is prefabricated and flat-

pack shelters. Two graduate students at the University

of South Florida, Jason Ross and Sean Verdecia, have

designed the AbleNook.

“AbleNook is the only rapidly deployable portable

structure comprised of interlocking components which

can be assembled by unskilled workers in a short

period of time. These components are shipped flat-

packed in order to maximize the number of families

who are helped in disaster areas, while reducing

transportation costs.”97

The design is based on an universal aluminium

structural insulated panels (SIPs) that clip together

without the use of any tools. The main structural

members, like the floor joists and wall columns, are

also identical, extruded from aluminium and can run

electrical conduit through them. This universal plug-

and-play assembly system allows for economies of

scale during fabrication, efficient shipping and easy

assembly upon arrival.

“The design itself is a narrow room with an arched

roof covered in solar panels that collects rainwater

on both ends and directs it into a collection tank

at the back of the house. Units can be single or

double-wide depending on the need and can include

multiple bedrooms, kitchen, work space, storage and

bathroom. Adjustable footing foundations allow the

unit to be placed on uneven surfaces.”98

ADVANTAGES

- Units are shipped flat packed

- More units can be delivered by truck

- Can be deployed on wildly uneven

terrain

- Units can be assembled by unskilled in-

dividuals in minutes, without tools

- Integrated electrical = Plug-in anywhere

- Can be expanded for larger space

requirements with ease in minutes

- Thermally insulated

- Units can be used for residential,

military, home office, and school

- Thermodynamically based upon bunga-

low typology = passive cooling effect

- Can be re-used = long term savings 99

Standards for a shelter Image 4.04

86


Image 408


Image 4.07

Flat Packaged for transportation

Exploded isometric of structure

Aluminium connectors

Solar panels

Exterior perspective

Mechanical system on the back

8787 Standards for a shelter35Image 4.11

8888

AbleNook: Rapidly Deployable Modular Dwelling

89

FOOTNOTES“Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards

in Humanitarian Response.” The

Sphere Handbook. The Sphere Project, n.d.

Web. 17 Jan. 2013.

<http://www.spherehandbook.org/en/how-to-

use-this-chapter-2/>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Alter, Lloyd. “Join Bruce Mau. Be Part of the

World House Project.” TreeHugger. Treehugger,

24 Feb. 2006. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. <http://

www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/

join-bruce-mau-be-part-of-the-world-house-

project.html>

Verdeci, Sean, and Jason Ross. “Ablenook-

modular Universal Space Creation on Demand

- Home.” Ablenook-modular Universal Space

Creation on Demand - Home. University of

South Florid, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. < http://

www.ablenook.com/>

Meinhold, Bridgette. “AbleNook: Flat Pack

Modular Prefab Units That Come Together In A

Snap.” Inhabitat, 02 Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Jan.

2013.< http://inhabitat.com/ablenook-flat-

pack-modular-prefab-units-that-come-together-

in-a-snap/>

Verdeci, Sean, and Jason Ross. “Ablenook-

modular Universal Space Creation on Demand

- Home.” Ablenook-modular Universal Space

Creation on Demand - Home. University of

South Florid, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. < http://

www.ablenook.com/>

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

90

IMAGE NOTES4.01

4.02

4.03

4.04

4.05

4.06

4.07

4.08

4.09

4.10

4.11

http://www.theatlantic.com/

infocus/2013/01/hurricane-sandy-80-days-

later/100440/

http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/omg/pads/

ablenook-rapidly-deployable-6298.jpg

http://therealsasha.wordpress.

com/2011/10/27/7-billion-australia-the-

2011-census/

http://inhabitat.com/a-prototype-of-the-

ablenook-rapidly-deployable-emergency-

modular-living-unit-is-now-complete/

ablenook-prototype-12/

http://www.ablenook.com/gallery/

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

93 Site AnalysisImage 5.01

94

LOCATIONSThe Atlantic hurricanes runs from June 1st to November

30th. The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean,

Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Peak season is

from mid-August to late October.

As shown in image 1.02, you can see that must

hurricane activity starts in Africa and travels through

the Caribbean Sea. This area is known as Hurricane

Alley. It is known for its warm waters of the Atlantic

Ocean. It stretches from the west coast of Africa all

the way to the Gulf Coast of United States. Hurricanes

form over tropical waters in areas of high humidity,

light winds, and warm sea surface temperature, which

makes Hurricane Alley an ideal place for hurricanes to

form. The sea surface temperature of the Atlantic in

Hurricane Alley has been steadily growing warmer over

the past decades, which most climate scientist believe

accounts for the increase in hurricane activity.100

For this reasons, I have choose three different sites

to conduct my research, New Orleans, South Florida,

and Puerto Rico. Through my research I have found

that these are the areas that are most affected by

hurricanes and would be an ideal places to design the

shelter module.

Hurricane Alley

95 Site AnalysisSite Analysis

HURRICANE PATHS 1850 - 2008Looking close on the three site, I diagrammed all the

hurricane activity that has passed through each site.

I narrowed it down to category 3 or higher hurricanes.

According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale,

a category 3 can sustains winds 111-129 mph. It

is consider to be a major hurricane that can cause

devastating damages.101 This type of hurricane can

damage well-built frame homes and, electricity and

water will be unavailable for several days to weeks

after the storm passes.102 The bold dash lines on the

map represent category 5 hurricanes. This type of

hurricane can sustain 157 mph or higher winds. It is

consider to cause catastrophic damages.

Looking at all three maps, its evident that all three

sites have a high level of hurricane activity. However,

Puerto Rico stands out the most in the amount of

hurricane activity and the most category 5 hurricanes.

This is true due to the fact that Puerto Rico is one of

the first islands in the Hurricane Alley.

gets hit by hurricanes every 2.24 years.

Image 5.02

96



Image 5.03

9797 Site Analysis

Crescent City

45Image 5.04

98

NEW ORLEANSIn 1699, French explorers and brothers Pierre Le

Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne,

Sieur de Bienville found the mouth of the Mississippi

River and established the first European settlement

on the Gulf coast called New Orleans, named after

the Duc d’Orleans, on the high ground along the

Mississippi.103

A four-by-eleven block area was established on the

bend of the river that became known as the French

Quarter.104 The people that inhabited early New

Orleans came from many groups including Native

American, French, African, and Caribbean islands.

No group was dominant in the early days and there

was a great mixing of the cultures. From this mixing

came a unique culture that influenced food, music,

architecture, and language. New Orleans became

America’s most unique city with its multicultural

influence and joy of life attitude.105

New Orleans was a difficult place to live with its

swampy land, terrific heat and humidity. Mosquitoes

plagued the residents with Yellow Fever and resulted

in an unusually high death rate. Out of the sorrow of

death came a proliferation of Jazz bands that began

and flourished in the city.106

Jim Crow laws of the south began to change New

Orleans’ multicultural nature. African-Americans and

Creoles, once a vibrant part of the city’s culture and

social scene, were now excluded and marginalized.

American city that started off with various ethnic

groups for the most part getting along had become like

most American cities in the 50s and 60s with racial

tensions that occasionally broke out into riots. New

Orleans remains a city of racial tension, but it seems

to be put to the side at some of the great events such

as Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival.107

99 Site Analysis

SOUTH FLORIDAWritten records about life in Florida began with the

arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer Juan

Ponce de León in 1513. Ponce de León waded

ashore on the northeast coast of Florida, possibly

near present-day St. Augustine. He called the area

la Florida, in honor of Pascua florida (“feast of the

flowers”).108

The French adventurers prompted Spain to accelerate

her plans for colonization. Pedro Menéndez de

Avilés hastened across the Atlantic, his sights set

on removing the French and creating a Spanish

settlement. Menéndez arrived in 1565 at a place he

called San Augustín (St. Augustine) and established

the first permanent European settlement in what is

now the United States.109

Britain gained control of Florida in 1763 in exchange

for Havana, Cuba, which the British had captured from

Spain during the Seven Years’ War (1756–63). Spain

evacuated Florida after the exchange, leaving the

province virtually empty. At that time, St. Augustine

was still a garrison community with fewer than five

hundred houses, and Pensacola also was a small

military town.110

Later on British evacuated Florida, giving Spain control

over it again. Many of the new residents were lured by

favorable Spanish terms for acquiring property. Others

who came were escaped slaves, trying to reach a place

where their U.S. masters had no authority. Instead of

becoming more Spanish, Florida increasingly became

more “American.” Finally, after several official and

unofficial U.S. military expeditions into the territory,

Spain formally ceded Florida to the United States in

1821, according to terms of the Adams-Onís Treaty.111

Florida became the twenty-seventh state in the United

States on March 3, 1845. By 1850 the population

had grown to 87,445, including about 39,000 African

American slaves and 1,000 free blacks.112

World War II spurred economic development in Florida.

Because of its year-round mild climate, the state

became a major training center for soldiers, sailors,

and aviators of the United States. One of the most

significant trends of the postwar era has been steady

population growth, resulting from large migrations

to the state from within the U.S. and from countries

throughout the western hemisphere, notably Cuba

and Haiti.113

100100

The Sunshine

StateImage 5.05

101101 Site Analysis48

BorinkenImage 5.06

102

PUERTO RICOWhen Christopher Columbus reached Puerto Rico in

1493, the island was inhabited by an Arawak Indian

tribe known as the Taíno. The Taíno were the most

recent of numerous indigenous tribes to settle the

island.114

Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain and named

it San Juan Bautista, but the Spanish would not

settle the island until 1508, when Juan Ponce de

León landed on its shores and established the town

of Caparra in the north of the island. A year later, he

moved east and founded a new city that boasted a

deep harbor; he called it Puerto Rico, or “Rich Port.”

This would soon become the name of the island.115

The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors nearly wiped

out the native Taíno population; their remaining

descendants gradually merged with the Spanish

settlers and the African slaves that the conquistadors

brought to the island.116

In the 1700s, Puerto Rico’s fortunes began to change,

thanks to an agricultural boom. Sugar, tobacco and

coffee became lucrative exports that gave rise to

a wealthy class of landowners and a labor class of

country folk called the jíbaros. The jíbaro have come

to be a cherished part of our social fabric, and their

music, culture and hardworking spirit have helped

define modern Puerto Rico.117

In 1870, Puerto Rico saw the establishment of its first

political parties: The Liberal Conservative Party was

traditionalist, while the Liberal Reformist Party

favoured autonomy. Leading the Autonomy movement

was Luis Muñoz Rivera, the “George Washington of

Puerto Rico.” It was Rivera’s determined efforts that

gave Puerto Rico its first taste of freedom in 1897. But

the Spanish-American War in 1898 brought the island

under U.S. control.118

In 1952, Puerto Rico ratified its own constitution

and officially became a commonwealth, or “free

associated state” of the United States. It was a time

of rapid modernization on the island. In 1947, Puerto

Rico embarked on an industrial advancement program

called “Operación Manos a la Obra,” or “Operation

Bootstrap,” which introduced growth through external

capital and tax exemptions. Coupled with US laws

that allowed for exemption from federal taxes for

businesses operating in Puerto Rico, Operation

Bootstrap ushered in an unprecedented era of

prosperity. The island’s agricultural backbone gave way

to a new industrial economy, and it became a highly

desirable destination for U.S. corporate interests.

In particular, manufacturing and pharmaceuticals

companies planted deep roots on the island, so much

so that Puerto Rico became the source for nearly all

drugs that carried the label “Made in America.”119

103

CLIMATEThe climate on all three regions are all very similar,

hot climate and fully humid. Summers tend to be very

warm and the winters are comfortably cool. Precipi-

tation varies a bit in South Florida compared to the

other two sites, however all three locations get a high

amount of rainfall throughout the year.

Site Analysis

New

Orle

ans

Sout

h Fl

orid

aPu

erto

Ric

o

104

Temperature[oF] Precipitation[in]

Image 5.07

105 Site Analysis New

Orle

ans

Sout

h Fl

orid

aPu

erto

Ric

o

FLOOD ZONE

106

2 MILES

10 MILES

50 MILES

Image 5.08

107 Site Analysis

SOILSMost of the soils are normally found in humid and

tropical regions. Majority of them are clay based or

hard top soils. A few are particle-size class, like Spo-

dosols, that have a soft texture like sand. With the

variation of the soil types, it will help me design the

appropriate footing/base of the module shelter.

Sout

h Fl

orid

aPu

erto

Ric

oN

ew O

rlean

s

108

2 MILES

10 MILES

50 MILES

Image 5.09

109

DEMOGRAPHICS

Site Analysis

110

Image 5.10

111 Site Analysis

The map shows the distribution and numbers of the 1.3 million individuals who filed FEMA for assistance after Hurricane Katrina 23 September 2005

Site Analysis

112

SITE ANALYSIS RESPONSE

To get a better understanding of the three sites to

help dictate my design process, I decided to use all

the data that I have gathered to create three different

scenarios. Each scenario will showcase a major

disaster problem that prevents existing shelters from

reaching out to the victims.

Each scenario will provide a problem fallowing by a

case study highlighting the solution. By studying each

case study, it will provide me a set of guidelines to

incorporate in my design process.

Image 5.11

113113 Site Analysis113

Scenario #1As a hurricane impacts the land, a large amount

of rainfall is expected. Heavy rain causes flood

waters to rise and pool in streets and throughout

neighbourhoods. During flooding, the greatest

threat comes from a moving water. The deeper

the moving water, the greater the threat.

As mentioned in current disaster recovery

chapter, the article “Sandy Aftermath: FEMA

Trailers Sitting Unused, Despite Thousands Still

Powerless In New York” by ABC News, highlights

the issues of providing shelter to victims in flood

zones. As the article recalls, FEMA refused to

provide trailers to the victims of Hurricane Sandy

because their area was flooded. This is not the

first time this has happened with FEMA. Same

issues arise when Hurricane Katrina hit New

Orleans.

As showed in image 5.07, both New Orleans and

Florida have a huge flood zone. New Orleans was

underwater for weeks after Hurricane Katrina.

It is predicted that by 2050 New Orleans will

sink thirty inches.121 With hurricanes becoming

more of a common occurrences, more than ever,

we need shelters that can be deployed in flood

zones.

FLOODING

114114

Image 5.12

115 Site Analysis

CASE STUDY The FLOAT House -By Morphosis Architects

The FLOAT House is a new kind of house: a house

that can sustain its own water and power needs; a

house that can survive the floodwaters generated by

a storm the size of Hurricane Katrina; and perhaps

most importantly, a house that can be manufactured

cheaply enough to function as low-income housing.122

The concept for the house is twofold:

- to design a foundation that enables the

house to function independently of the basic

infrastructure and public services

- to create a new house that rests on that

foundation but its wholly integrated with the

natural environment, respectful of New

Orleans vernacular and enriched with

sustainable technologies123

The penalized walls, windows, interior finishes and

kit-of-parts roof are prefabricated, to be assembled

on-site along with the installation of fixtures and

appliances.

The FLOAT House is a flood-safe house that securely

floats with rising water levels. Nearly 200 million

people worldwide live in high risk coastal flooding

zones , and in the US alone, over 36 million people

currently face the threat of flooding. This house

prototype proposes a sustainable way of living that

adapts to this uncertain reality.124

MAKE IT: FLOAT

An internal mechanism allows the FLOAT House to rise

vertically on guide post, securely floating up to twelve

feet of flooding and existing completely off the grid

for up to twenty-one days. In the event of a flood, the

house’s chassis acts as a raft, guided by steel masts,

which are anchored to the ground by two concrete pile

caps each with six 45-foot deep piles.125

The FLOAT House is a high-performance house that

generates and sustains its own water and power. This

systems include:

- Solar Power Generator

- Rainwater Collection

- Water Efficient Systems

- High-grade Energy Efficient Kitchen

- Geothermal Heating and Cooling

MAKE IT: GREEN

116

Image 5.14



117

FLOAT HOUSE: Parts

FLOOR PLAN 1 FRONT PORCH 2 LIVING ROOM 3 GALLERY 4 KITCHEN 5 BEDROOM 6 BATH 7 MECHANICAL 8 GUIDE POSTS

Site AnalysisImage 5.18

119119

Scenario #2Most of the island of Puerto Rico is covered of

central interior mountain ranges. It includes the

interior mountains, hills, mountain sides, and

low area within the mountains. During hurricane

season, this area of the island becomes the

most vulnerable. Mostly because of the altitude

they get hit by strong winds and large amount of

rainfall creates mud-slides.

The image shown is a small town in located in

the middle of Puerto Rico. The town is far away

from major cities. So after a hurricane passes, it

becomes difficult for them to get supplies or any

shelter. The fact that they live on the mountains

makes it hard for majority of currently emergency

shelters to be stationed forcing the victims to

travel. This issues does not only occur in Puerto

Rico, it is also a major issue in many islands in the

Caribbean Sea. For a solution, we need a shelter

that can be easily transported to this areas and

be able to adjust to uneven grounds.

UNEVEN GROUND

Site Analysis119Image 5.19

120120

121

CASE STUDY Uber Shelter -By Rafael Smith

Uber Shelter is an organization with the mission of

providing temporary and transitional shelter to meet

the needs of people displaced by natural disaster and

conflict.126 Agencies working on a transitional shelter

project in Port-du-Prince have found that many parcels

of land are too small. A second story of living space was

provided adequate floor are per person. This shelter

can be very quickly transported and reassemble with

just a few necessary tools and provide victims with a

more personal place to live. There are five points that

the designer wanted to meet:

- easily transportable, collapsible, and able to

shipped flat

- built of recyclable materials and have the

ability to be reused

-easy to erect and assembled with few or no

tools

- infrastructure can be used as a basic

structure, but have the capabilities to

upgrade and implement modern

conveniences

- stackable127

Uber Shelter is shipped flat to allow for transport

via air, sea, and land. All components that create

the modular living unit are stored inside the shelter

in its collapsed position during transport. It is then

taken apart and assembled on location. The shelter

has been designed to adapt to different situations,

terrains, and climate.

Camps needs are addresses in phases.

Phase 1

Is to meet the basic needs of the people, providing

them with the bare essentials.

Phase 2

When there is more time, funding, and personnel,

phase two will provide with more pleasant solutions

and conveniences. This will include outhouse,

electricity for light, compact stove, and refrigerator.

ASSEMBLY PHASES

Site Analysis

122



Image 5.22

123123

ASSEMBLY

collapsed shelter (4x8x2 ft)

sleeping loft

attach roof

telescoping legs

assemble frame and floors

Site AnalysisImage 5.25

124

attach walls and windows

vented roof ridge

shaded porch for out-doorcooking

secured to ground withload-rated earth anchors

125 Site Analysis125 Site Analysis

When a hurricane makes landfall, the shear force

of hurricane strength winds can destroy buildings,

topple trees, bring down power lines, and blow

vehicles off roads. As mentioned earlier in the

book, hurricane can sustain winds over 150 mph.

Hurricane winds impact homes and other

buildings in two different ways: differential

pressures act on the building envelope and wind-

borne debris may strike a building.

As mentioned in current disaster recovery

chapter, the article “Where did the money go in

Haiti?” by WGBH News, over half a million of the

earthquake victims in Haiti are still living in tents

or tarps shelters. This kind of shelter cannot

sustain hurricane winds. A lot of this big rescue

agencies can not provide sufficient shelters to

hurricane victims leaving them vulnerable for the

next hurricane.

WINDS

Site Analysis125

126126

Scenario #3

Image 5.26

127 Site Analysis

CASE STUDY Tornado House -By I0 Design

Architects at I0 Design have developed a prototype

house able to tackle extreme weather. Equipped with

high-tech mechanisms for tornado evasion and flood

resistance, Tornado House, is able to change positions

in order to avoid damage. It can tuck itself beneath

the ground just like a turtle retracts its vulnerable

head away from danger.

A system of hydraulic levers would be used to push the

moving structure up and down, out of a sunken dock

beneath the ground. When the house is secured for

safety, a watertight seal would protect it from intense

winds and thunderstorms. Solar cells on the exterior

rotate and flex to maximize solar power generation,

while the skin itself is composed of a translucent

insulation sandwiches between two layers of Kevlar.128

Kevlar is a fiber used to make a variety of clothing,

accessories, and equipped for safe and cute resistant.

It’s lightweight and extraordinarily strong, with five

times the strength of steel on an equal-weight basis.

The architects envision entire communities of the

house, where any residence can sound an alarm

to warm others of approaching tornados. The first

prototype is currently in development.

With the optimal environmental conditions re-

established, the building emerges, exposing its

inhabitants to open air and natural light. Ted Givens,

a design partner at 10 Design, apparently has a

vision of communities wired up with sensors and can

process weather data to tuck away the homes in case

of an emergency.129

128



Image 5.29

129129 Site Analysis129Image 5.32

130130

131

FOOTNOTES“Hurricane Alley Heats Up : Image of the Day.”

Hurricane Alley Heats Up : Image of the Day. The

Earth Observatory, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. <

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.

php?id=5742>

“Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.” Saffir-

Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. NOAA/ National

Weather Service, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2013. <

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php>

Ibid

“The Institute for New Orleans History and

Culture: A Brief History of New Orleans.” The

Institute for New Orleans History and Culture:

A Brief History of New Orleans. The Institute

for New Orleans History and Culture, n.d. Web.

20 Dec. 2012. < http://www.gmc.edu/library/

neworleans/NOhistory.htm>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

“Florida Division of Historical Resources.” A

Brief History of Florida. Florida Deparment of

State - Division of Historical Resources, n.d.

Web. 20 Dec. 2012. < http://www.flheritage.

com/facts/history/summary/index.cfm>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

“About Puerto Rico.” History. Puerto Rico

Tourism Company, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

<http://www.seepuer torico.com/about/

history>

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development, Cities and Climate Change, 2010

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

132

Mayne, Thom, Stan Allen, and Thom Mayne.

(2011) Combinatory Urbanism: The Complex

Behavior of Collective Form. Culver City, CA:

Stray Dog Café, p.342.

“The FLOAT House – Make it Right / Morphosis

Architects” 02 Aug 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed

02 Feb 2013. <http://www.archdaily.

com/259629>

Mayne, Thom, Stan Allen, and Thom Mayne.

(2011) Combinatory Urbanism: The Complex

Behavior of Collective Form. Culver City, CA:

Stray Dog Café, p.346.

“The FLOAT House – Make it Right / Morphosis

Architects” 02 Aug 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed

02 Feb 2013. <http://www.archdaily.

com/259629>

Ibid

“Uber Shelter.” Uber Shelter. N.p., n.d. Web. 02

Feb. 2013. <http://www.ubershelter.org/about.

html>

Ibid

Grozdanic, Lidija. “Tornado Proof House /

10 Design.” EVolo | Architecture Magazine.

EVOLO, LLC, 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.evolo.us/architecture/tornado-

proof-house-10-design/>.

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

Ibid129

133

IMAGE NOTES5.01

5.02

5.03

5.04

5.05

5.06

5.07

5.08

5.09

5.10

Image by author

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/

atlantic/

Ibid

http://girltomom.com/gtom-love-it/red-

dress-run-new-orleans

http://wallpapersup.net/

wallpapers/2012/01/miami-beach-

widescreen-landscape-city-768x1024.jpg

http://transplantedtatar.wordpress.

com/2012/08/11/discovering-old-

san-juan-puerto-rico-two-forts-and-a-

cemetery/20120319-dss_5930/

http://travel.usnews.com/

http://flood.firetree.net/?II=27.2742,-

83.6719&z=10&m=10

http://usace.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.

html?id=8e525f49a00e4c9ba7effc0040b

796b7

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html

5.11

5.12

5.13

5.14

5.15

5.16

5.17

5.18

5.19

5.20

5.21

5.22

5.23

http://www.nytimes.com/

imagepages/2005/10/02/national/national

special/20051002diaspora_graphic.html

http://wtcampaigns.files.wordpress.

com/2012/09/flooding-tewkesbury-2007.jpg

http://www.archdaily.com/259629/make-it-

right-house-morphosis-architects/

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

http://morphopedia.com/files/float-house-

parts-diagram

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/

en/1/1b/Comerio0041_0030.JPG

http://www.ubershelter.org/about.html

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

134

5.24

5.25

5.26

5.27

5.28

5.29

5.30

5.31

5.32

Ibid

Ibid

http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/museum_

info/press/images/nature3_lg.jpg

http://www.evolo.us/wp-content/

uploads/2011/09/Tornado-House-5.jpg

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

137

ROBERTO ROSARIO

Age: 10

Location: Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Income: None

Status: Orphan

EDWARD MILLER

Born: 61

Location: Miami, Florida

Income: $42,385 / year

Status: Retired

HOWARD FAMILY

Maried: 18 years

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Income: $23,050 / year

Status: Below Poverty Level

Image 6.01

Image 6.02

Image 6.03

138

USER GROUP: Most AffectedIn an event of a hurricane, nobody can predict how

badly they are going to get hit. Everybody is vulnerable

to lose their homes, however there are some few users

that are more vulnerable than others.

Roberto Rosario is a ten year old boy who bacame

an orphan couple years ago. He currently lives in an

orphanage in a small town in Puerto Rico. In an event

of a hurricane, if the orphanage gets destroyed, he

would not have no family memeber to go to for help.

Edward Miller is a retired salesman who moved to

Florida to enjoy the rest of his retirement. Like many

people his age, he has many health issues like arthritis

and diabetes. In an event of a hurricane, if a flooding

occurs, he would have difficulty to reach a safe zone.

Without his medicine, he would not be able to survive

long without assistance

The Howard Family live near the Lower 9th Warth

where they affected badly by Hurricane Katrina. They

lost their home and are currently still living in a FEMA

trailer because they dont have enough money to get a

new house. In a event of a hurricane, if New Orleans

becomes flooded again, they will lose their current

home once again and become homeless.

139

WHAT IS THE TRANSITIONAL SHELTER APPROACH?

Transitional shelter provides a habitable, covered

living space and a secure, healthy living environment,

with privacy and dignity to those within it during the

period of natural disaster and the achievement of

a durable shelter solution.130 It is not intended to

replace emergency shelter or permanent housing

but rather offer support to the affected population

incrementally in response to a natural disaster.

Transitional shelter can be categorised into four

shelter types:

A transitional shelter programme can consist of a

combination of different transitional shelter types in

order to best support the affected population.

Image 6.04

Program Development

140

LIVING SPACE

- Sleeping

- Living Area

- Storage

- Dressing / Bath

- Cooking

- Entrance

- Utility (Electric, HVAC, Pluming)

QUALITATIVE

A transitional shelter offers different kind of

programming compared to a emergency shleter or

permanent housing. The shelter needs to provide the

basic needs for the victims to be able to continue their

lives while they trnasition to a permament shelter.

The living space is a very important in the design

process. It needs to be compact and at the same time

be able to facilitate a dignify space for the victims.

As mentioned in Standard for a Shelter chapter, the

minimum surface are per person in 3.5m2 which

translate to 37.6ft2. Using this guidelines, I can

accomodate the appropiate amount of spaceing for

the shelter depending on thje number of people living

in it.

SHELTER

Image 6.05

141 Program Development

PROGRAM DIAGRAM

Connected

Adjacent

Private

Public

Image 6.06

142

QUANTITATIVE

The inner radius indicates the connections and

adjacencies between programming. Fallowing by the

spatial quality between private and public spaces

and required floor area. At the far ends of the circle

are images of compact spaces that will be integrated

within my shelter.

Image 6.07

143

FOOTNOTESCorsellis, T. and Vitale A. “Case Study No.5:

Transitional shelter: understanding shelter from

emergency through reconstuction and beyond,”

2010

130

144

IMAGE NOTES6.01

6.02

6.03

6.04

6.05

6.06

6.07

http://www.pathhelps.org/wp-content/

uploads/2011/11/hispanic-child.jpg

http://havebiblewillpreach.com/wp-

content/uploads/2012/11/homeless_

portraiture_02.png

http://news.streetroots.org/sites/

default/files/wordpress/wp-content/

uploads/2009/06/jcherry-1-6.jpg

Image done by author

<http://www.spherehandbook.org/en/how-

to-use-this-chapter-2/>



147

INTRODUCTIONThe modular home has been a subject of great

interest since the beginning of the last century and

has historically been an area of both innovation and

failure. As mass production of homes grew out of the

boom years following the Second World War, architects

and builders sought efficiencies and new methods for

designing, constructing, and delivering homes to meet

growing market demands and shifts in population away

from urban centers. The call for the industrialization

and prefabrication of architecture became conflated

with modular strategies that increased the design

flexibility while allowing for individual customization. 131

The Temporary Housing Programmed Act was instigated

by the British government in 1943 at the end of the

WWII to address housing shortage. Standardization

became the key to speed, economy, and flexibility.

There were four main house-production: the Arcon:

the AIROH, the Uni-Seco, and the Tarran, all similar

in layout but different in construction materials and

methods. 132 The UK Prime Minister, Winston Churchill,

promised 500,000 temporary new homes, although

only 156,623 were actually produced between 1945

and 1949. 133 The houses would be prefabricated

in sections, in factories no longer needed for war

production, transported to where they were needed

and “bolted” together on site, in a fraction of the time

it would take to build a conventional house. 134

More recently, with the arrival of new digital fabrication

technologies and a renewed public interest in

sustainable strategies, the modular prefab home

promises material and resource efficiencies,

optimized quality control, material cost reduction, and

reduction of onsite waste and construction time. 135

Tying it in with the need of disaster relief as a result of

recent destruction of Katrina and Haiti, as mentioned

earlier, there has been an increase in rebuilding

efforts with effective homebuilding techniques and

delivery methods which elevated the issues of mass

production and modular construction to the forefront.

A relevant example is the Katrina Cottage designed

by Marianne Cusato as a response for the Hurricane

Katrina victims as a dignified alternative to the

FEMA trailers. The Katrina Cottage is a typically

small, ranging from less than 500 square feet up to

about 1,000 square feet. These cottages are prefab

houses constructed from factory-made panels. For

this reason, Katrina Cottages can be built quickly and

economically. These homes meet the International

Building Code and most hurricane codes.136

Another example of modular architecture is the

2002 British Government Classrooms of the Future.

Initiative pursued to create a new kind of mobile

school buildings that would bring together factory-

based manufacturing and the latest ideas in teaching

environments. 137 The pods are prefabricated and

integrated with the latest teaching methods. The

classrooms can function independently to the rest

of the school and its structural skin is created of

fiberglass and balsa wood.

Modular Architecture

148Image 7.01

149

PORTABLE ARCHITECTURE

Modular Architecture

Portable buildings have been in use since humankind

first began to build, yet because of their impermanent

nature it is only comparatively recently that they

began to be perceived as architecture. 138 We now

are recognizing them for their finely tuned response

to the environment, social, and cultural conditions.

Some of the sophisticated construction techniques

and complex habitation patterns that have not only

retained their relevance for thousands of years but

are linked to some of the most sophisticated building

patterns of the present day.

A relevant example is the Bedouin tent. It incorporates

compressive struts and tensile membranes that

utilize the same principles as modern tensile

engineering systems. 139 The Asian yurt uses modular

manufacturing techniques and a geodesic-based

wall structure that are familiar twentieth century

constructional strategies. 140

Portable architecture consists of structures that are

intended for easy erection on a site remote from

their manufacturer.141 In 1830 John Manning, a

carpenter and builder, conceived the first documented

prefabricated house called: Manning Portable Colonial

Cottage. The cottage became a commercial success,

and Manning developed several models of varying

size and cost, testifying to the fact that the houses

were provisioned for clients across a range of incomes

and to the notion that the prefabricated house could

be a measure of status in the colonial setting. 142 It

was a prefabricated timber building that could be

packaged into a small volume for transportation

overseas.

Today, the portable architecture movement is an

international and fast-developing phenomenon,

taking its source from the nomadic lifestyle of ancient

communities and adding to it the technology of the

modern world. As time has passed, the idea of portable

architecture has evolved. As Jude Steward, a social

media consultant, describes portable architecture:

“In the fast-growing category of “mobile

architecture,” buildings pull up stakes and

go places; factories assemble custom

housing and whisk it to ready-made sites;

materials work smarter and harder toward

sustainability; temporary structures respond

more readily to our desire for mobility,

from disaster aid to ad hoc celebrations;

and out of collective sense if place, itself,

and society shifts.” 143

Advances in architectural technology do make more

buildings forms available to the designer, but there

are other factors that affect the generation of those

forms and they are usually more powerful, such as

economic, social, cultural, and aesthetic issues.

Technology is a driving force, but it tends to drive

society first and architecture, as its servant, follows

behind. 144 We need to embrace more the technology

and start building in controlled environments.

Particularly, housing prefabrication is seen as a route

150

towards greater efficiency and faster provisions.

Jennifer Siegal, principal and founder of Office of

Mobile Design, says Factory-built prefab lets architects

“think about buildings like a product designer does” 145 In United States, a typical construction site throws

away thirty percent of the materials, whereas in a

factory ninety nine percent of those materials get

used or recycles into a new project.

For disaster relief should be a responsive, supporting

strategy that enables local people to direct their own

needs.146 The architecture should be flexible and

integrate the requirements of the present with the

possibility to adapt to changing situations in the future.

An example is an emergency shelter design by Rafael

Smith. “This project is a shelter solution that meets

the needs of emergency response but also provides

victims with a more personal place to live; a base unit

that can serve as a very basic shelter but also have

the capabilities to upgrade and implement modern

infrastructure. This shelter is also stackable. Many

alternative housing solutions deal with small scale but

can’t cope with large scale displaced populations.” 147 The shelter is made of recyclable and reusable

materials.

Image 7.02

Image 7.03

151 Image 7.04

152

CASE STUDY House ArcAn innovative module in the market is the House Arc by

Hawaii-based firm Bellomo Architects. The lightweight

metal structure is ideal as emergency housing

because it can be transported and assembled quickly.

“We designed it to be a kit of parts house that can

be assembled quickly – like prefab furniture,” says

architect Joseph Bellono. 148

The system is designed to be flat-packed and shipped

in a box measuring four feet by ten feet by three feet.

Once on site, it can easily be easily assembled. The

structure stands on four concrete footings which also

allows air to flow underneath it for cooling. It can

withstand tropical winds and features a roof design

that supports solar panels.

Image 7.05

Image 7.06

153

FOOTNOTESWilliam McDonough + Partners. “The Flow

House Adaptive Modularity.” Modular Build-

ing Institute. Modular Building Institute, 3 Oct.

2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.modu-

lar.org/htmlPage.aspx?name=Flow_House>

Kronenburg, Robert. (2007) Flexible: Architec-

ture That Responds to Change. London: Lau-

rence King, p.36

Gilbert, Clive. “PREFABS – THE SOLUTION TO A

HOUSING CRISIS.” Epsom and Ewell History Ex-

plorer. N.p., 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://

www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/

MoreOnPrefabs.pdf>

Gilbert, Clive. “PREFABS – THE SOLUTION TO A

HOUSING CRISIS.” Epsom and Ewell History Ex-

plorer. N.p., 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://

www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/

MoreOnPrefabs.pdf>

William McDonough + Partners. “The Flow

House Adaptive Modularity.” Modular Build-

ing Institute. Modular Building Institute, 3 Oct.

2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. <http://www.modu-

lar.org/htmlPage.aspx?name=Flow_House>

“2006 - Present: Katrina Cottages.” About.

com Architecture. About.com, n.d. Web. 14 Oct.

2012. <http://architecture.about.com/od/pe-

riodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Katrina-Cottage.

htm>

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

Kronenburg, Robert. (2007) Flexible: Archi-

tecture That Responds to Change. London:

Laurence King, p.36.

Kronenburg, Robert. (2008) Portable Ar-

chitecture: Design and Technology. Basel:

Birkhauser, p.8.

Ibid, p.8.

Ibid, p.8.

Ibid, p.8.

“Manning Portable Colonial Cottage for Emi-

grants (1833-1840).” Housing.com. Housing.

com, LLC., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://

www.housing.com/categories/homes/his-

tory-prefabricated-home/manning-portable-

colonial-cottage-emigrants-1833-1840.html>

Stewart, Jude, William J. Mitchell, and Jen-

nifer Siegal. (2008) More Mobile: Portable

Architecture for Today. New York: Princeton

Architectural, p.6.

Kronenburg, Robert. (2007) Flexible: Archi-

tecture That Responds to Change. London:

Laurence King, p.90.

154

145

146

147

148

Stewart, Jude, William J. Mitchell, and

Jennifer Siegal. (2008) More Mobile:

Portable Architecture for Today. New York:

Princeton Architectural, p.7.

Kronenburg, Robert. (2007) Flexible:

Architecture That Responds to Change.

London: Laurence King, p.110.

“Uber Shelter.” Uber Shelter : An Emergency

Shelter in Disastrous Events. Tuvie -

Futuristic Technology, n.d. Web. 14 Oct.

2012. <http://www.tuvie.com/uber-shelter-

an-emergency-shelter-in-disastrous-events/>

“Bike Arc Products :: House Arc.” House

Arc. Bike Arc, LLC., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.bikearc.com/houseArc.html>

155

IMAGE NOTES7.01

7.02

7.03

7.04

7.05

7.06

http://architecture.about.com/od/

periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Katrina-

Cottage.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cymro76/

sets/72157605370281317/detail/?page=2

http://srd364lvb.blogspot.com/2008/08/

mobile-classroom.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/

garden/bellomo-architects-have-designed-

the-house-arc-a-kit-shelter.html







159

Catastrophic events require a new kind of planning

147 Joseph Bruno, New York City Office of Emergency Management

160

Catastrophic events require a new kind of planningJoseph Bruno, New York City Office of Emergency Management Image 8.01

161161 Schematic Design


Image 8.04

162162

CONCEPT MODELSThe goal is to design a prefabricated living module that

snaps together and is easily assembled, transported,

and adaptive to diverse terrain. This project is a

shelter solution that meets the needs of emergency

response, but also provides victims with a more

personal place to live.

There are four points that I will be focusing during the

design of this shelter. The shelter must be:

- easily transportable, collapsible and able to

be shipped flat

- easy to erect and assembled with a few or

no tools

- modular: to be able to accommodate

different

social and cultural context

- able to meet the three scenarios :

- Wind

- Flood

- Uneven Ground


Image 8.05

Image 8.06

164

For form exploration, I started with a simple geometry and

began to insert parameters to manipulate it. The matrix

begins to dictate some of the parameters.

FORM EXPLORATION

- All three cities have an urban context, which means space is going to be limited. I begin to squeeze the square and make it to a rectangle to be able to fit into compact spaces.

- Puerto Rico also has rural context, which allows me to still use the square.

- Puerto Rico and New Orleans share the same social characteristics of having multiple family memebers under one household. However, poverty rates are high on both locations. The shelter now needs to begin to expand to accomodate multiple people but also incorporate energy and water saving systems.

- Florida has a low number on members per household and a high rate of retirees within the state. For this location, I can shrink the shelter and beging to accomodate for the elderly.

- New Orleans and Florida have two common scenarios: flood and wind. To tackel wind, I begin to curve the rectabgle to even out wind distribution. For flood, I begin to elevate the shelter off the ground.

- Puerto rico has two scenarios: wind and uneven ground. For wind I begin to curve as I did for the other locations. However, for uneven ground I incorporate stilts that can adapt to the uneven terrain.

165

CONCEPT SKETCHES

Schematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic Design

Image 8.07

Image 8.09

Image 8.11

Image 8.08

Image 8.10

Image 8.12

166

Image 8.13

Image 8.14

Image 8.16

Image 8.15

Image 8.17

167

DESIGN BEGINS

SMOOTH DOWN

PUSH UP

SLOPE UP

PUSH DOWN

PUSH DOWN

PUSH UP

PUSH IN

PUSH OUT

WIND

OPTION 3

OPTION 2

PUSH OUT

PUSH UP

PUSH OUT

WIND

OPTION 1

MASSING DIAGRAMS

Schematic DesignImage 8.18

168

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

FUNCTION DIAGRAMS

Aerodynamics

The form provides vertical space to place a second floor within the module

By placing the bath in the center of the floor plan, it automatically creates a divide between public and private spaces

Floors are elevated up to create space for structure and run power and water utilities

By manipulation the floor plane, begin to create levels within the floor plan to use the overall space efficiently

Facing the kitchen to the living and eating space, it creates an open floor plan and allows flexibility

By angling the roof plane, I can begin to play with the angles for natural lighting and openings

Slopping the roof will allow water collection

Bending the floor plane into a upsidown V and elevating the floor, it allows me to incorporate a structure system where stilts can be places on for floods and uneven ground

Creating a utility core in the middle of the floor plan, allows me to minimize the use of partition walls

Adding a floor plane on top of the core, allows me to add more space to accomodate bigger familes

Stilts for floods and uneven groundImage 8.19

169

MODULAR SYSTEMS Master Plan 1

PUSH OUT

PUSH OUT

PUSH IN

PUSH IN

PUSH

IN

COMMUNITY SPACE

MODULE DIAGRAM

Schematic DesignSchematic DesignFORM EXPLORATION

COMMUNITY EXPLORATION

Image 8.20

Image 8.21

Image 8.22

170

OPTION 2

OPTION 1

HOUSE UNIT 1

HOUSE UNIT 2

COMMUNITY SPACE(BTWEEN 2 SHELTERS)

HOUSE UNIT 1COMMUNITY SPACE(BTWEEN 3 SHELTERS)

CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION

Image 8.23

Image 8.24

171

MODULAR SYSTEMS Master Plan 2MODULE DIAGRAM

COMMUNITY SPACE

COMMUNITY SPACE

COMMUNITY EXPLORATION & FORM EXPLORATION

COMMUNITY EXPLORATION & FORM EXPLORATION

Schematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic DesignImage 8.25

Image 8.26

Image 8.27

172

OPTION 2

OPTION 1

HOUSE UNIT 2

HOUSE UNIT 1COMMUNITY SPACE(BTWEEN 3 SHELTERS)

CIRCULATION

HOUSE UNIT 1

COMMUNITY SPACE(BTWEEN 3 SHELTERS)

CIRCULATION

Image 8.28

Image 8.29


CASE STUDY Watervilla de Omval +31 Architects

The houseboat is currently located in

Amstel River of Amsterdam. The client

wanted a boat with an open floor plan

where they enjoy the views to the water.

Programing :

1 Jetty

2 Entrance

3 Toilet

4 Kitchen

5 Living Area

6 Floating Terrace

7 Bedroom

8 Study

9 Hall

10 Bathroom

11 Technical Area

12 Guestroom

13 Ballast

14 Storage

Image 8.30

Image 8.31

174

FLOODING SYSTEMFLOATING MODULES

PRE-DISASTER

POST-DISASTER

WATER LEVELS BEGIN TO RISE

HIGH FLOOD ZONE

CABLE STRUCTURE

Image 8.32

175

CASE STUDY Micro Compact Home Richard Horden

The Micro Compact Home is design to be lightweight

and off gris prefabricated home that can be

transported and assemble with easy. It is intended

to be adjustable to any kind of terrain and location.

Schematic Design

Image 8.33

Image 8.34

176

CURRENT SHELTERS

NEW DWELLING UNITS

RE-DESIGN

UNEVEN GROUND SYSTEM

Image 8.35

177

PASSIVE SYSTEMSSOLAR POWER

WATER COLLECTION

SOLAR PANELS

CHARGER CONTROLLER

BATTERY

INVERTER POWER

COLLECT SOLARENERGY CONVERT TO ELECTRICITY

CHARGER

BATTERY

RAIN WATERCOLLECTOR

FILTER

CONVERT TO GREYWATER

RECYCLE THE GREYWATERSchematic DesignSchematic DesignSchematic Design

Image 8.36

Image 8.37

178

WASTE TREATMENT

TOILET

EXHAUST PIPE

COMPOSITE CHAMBERS

CHAMBERS ACCESSDOOR

SELF-CONTAINED COMPOSITE TOILET

After a hurricane, a city loses its power source, water

source, and its waste system. The modules should be

able to function off the grid while the city repair itself

from the destruction.

Image 8.38

179

CASE STUDY Interiors

The interiors of the modules should break away from

the typical shelters. I began to explore the fusion

of elements, forms and textures, where floors, walls

and furniture become one continuous surface; one

seamless skin.

Every single element merges and flows, from bedroom

doors with LED lights, bathtubs and vanity units to

beds, shelves and chairs.

Schematic Design

Image 8.39

180

Image 8.40

Image 8.42

Image 8.41

Image 8.43


LIVING AREA

84 - 112inmax. personal space communication factor

13 - 16in 58 - 80in 13 - 16in

12 -

18in

14 -

17in

eye leveleye level

sight lines

sight lines

16 - 18in

42 -

48in

6 -9

in

3 - 6in 28in 28in 28in

90 - 96in

EATING

42in

9in 24in 9in

10in16in 16in

16in

24in

40in

minimum ta�le �i�th

29 -

30in

16 -

17in

7.5i

n

18 - 24in 36 - 42in 18 - 24in

19in

�LEE�ING

2.5in 2.5in73in

6in

6in

24in

78in

36in

2.5in 2.5in73in

44 -

46in

78in

48in

single �e�

�ou�le �e�

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44 - 46in

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64 -

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ERGONOMICS Influence

Image 8.44

182

LIVING AREA

84 - 112inmax. personal space communication factor

13 - 16in 58 - 80in 13 - 16in

12 -

18in

14 -

17in

eye leveleye level

sight lines

sight lines

16 - 18in

42 -

48in

6 -9

in

3 - 6in 28in 28in 28in

90 - 96in

EATING

42in

9in 24in 9in

10in16in 16in

16in

24in

40in

minimum ta�le �i�th

29 -

30in

16 -

17in

7.5i

n

18 - 24in 36 - 42in 18 - 24in

19in

�LEE�ING

2.5in 2.5in73in

6in

6in

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78in

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2.5in 2.5in73in

44 -

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The main features of ergonomics, i.e. its

humanocentricity and interdisciplinary nature are

also main features of the broad understanding of

architecture. I began to look in ergonomics as a

driving factor for my interiors spaces. The modules

are going to be small compact spaces, so I need to

create a working and living spaces that is fitting and

comfortable for the inhabitant.

Image 8.45

183

IMAGE NOTES8.01

8.02

8.03

8.04

8.05

8.06

8.07

8.08

8.09

8.10

8.11

8.12

8.13

8.14

8.15

8.16

8.17

8.18

8.19

8.20

8.21

8.22

8.23

8.24

8.25

8.26

8.27

8.28

8.29

8.30

http://deepho.files.wordpress.

com/2009/04/wasteland.jpg



















http://www.flickr.com/photos/

elijahporter/5329334252/





http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Tessellation.

html





http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg62/

witchyhoy3/0aaa/dezeen_Watervilla-de-

Omval-by-31-Architects-1.jpg

184

IMAGE NOTES8.31

8.32

8.33

8.34

8.35

8.36

8.37

8.38

8.39

8.40

8.41

8.42

8.43

8.44

8.45

http://www.arthitectural.com/wp-content/

uploads/2011/07/31ARCHITECTS-watervilla-

de-omval-section-1-3.jpg


http://www.topboxdesign.com/wp-content/

uploads/2011/03/micro-compact-home-m-

ch-design-Exterior-2.jpg

http://prefabcosm.com/media/

photos/2008/01/10/microcompact2.jpg





http://www.archello.com/sites/default/

files/imagecache/media_image/story/

media/1074_puert_phot_06.jpg

http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/

uploads/2011/10/1319491846-mg-5579-

401x500.jpg

http://ilkoboddeke.files.wordpress.

com/2013/03/dezeen_folio-staircase-by-

disguincio-and-co_3.jpg?w=468&h=624

http://www.archello.com/sites/default/

files/imagecache/media_image/story/

media/1074_puert_phot_06.jpg

http://www.hasenkopf.de/typo3temp/GB/

Hasenkopf_PW_Referenzen_ZIsland_01-

da2b8fa0c3.jpg



187

“…I really do believe that technology needs to be approached as a medium; not as a science, not as a technology in and of itself; but it is a design medium”Greg Lynn

188

“…I really do believe that technology needs to be approached as a medium; not as a science, not as a technology in and of itself; but it is a design medium”Greg Lynn

189

MASTERPLAN

Design Development

190

MASTERAN

Image 9.01

191

...clean slateNeighborhoods disapear once a hurricane hits. There is no grid, just a clean slate.

In order to place my modules accordingly, I created a master plan that will bring back

order to the site. My master plan wil not only give a guideline to where to place the

modules, but it is also designed to create a sense of community for the victims.

Design DevelopmentImage 9.02

192

Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

...clean slate

193

CASE STUDY Military Base Layout

Design Development

Image 9.03

Image 9.04

194

Community

Circulation

Dwelling Units

If you look typical refugee camps, all you see is rows

of trailers or tents. There is no sense of community

or hope in these camps. I believe it is important to

encourage the victims to gather and help each other

in order to move forward from the tragic event.

I began to study military camps and how they are laid

out. At first glance you see several blocks next to each

other. One the blocks is the community resource

center where they eat, get health care services,

laundry and other resources.

At you look closer to the blocks, you see clusters

of sleeping units with a share bathroom and play

area in the middle. This middle space becomes the

community space for the soldiers living in this block.

195 Design Development

MASTER PLAN Concept

Community

Circulation

Dwelling BlocksImage 9.05

196

Image 9.06

197

MASTER PLAN Diagrams

Design Development

Community

Dwelling Blocks

Breaking the grid

Typical military grid + Concept

New grid

Typical military grid

Community nodes

Image 9.07

Image 9.09

Image 9.08

Image 9.10

198

Community Diagram

One diamond holds17 module units

Community

Circulation

Dwelling Units

SUPPLY CENTERHEALTH

LAUNDRY

Neighborhood Personal

Community Pavilion

Community Cooking

Image 9.11

Image 9.12


MASTER PLAN

Image 9.13

200

When a hurricane hits, one can not predict the amount

of damage that is going to leave behind, nor the space

I would have to place my modules. It is important that

the grid is flexible and able to adjust depending on the

site conditions.

The master plan is derived from a tessellation pattern

so it has the flexibility to adjust depending on the

site. Within the pattern, I was able to create atypical

grid that will allow the victims to move around freely

between the modules and community spaces.

201

PERSPECTIVE Community Cooking


203

FLOORPLANS

Design Development

204

OORANS

Image 9.15


Community

Circulation

Dwelling Units

Dwelling units

FLOOR PLAN Concept

Dwelling units will become the guideline for the floor plans

Image 9.16

206

units will become the

Image 9.17

207

FLOOR PLAN Dwelling Unit 1

Design Development

- Houses 1-2 people- 3 Modules- 328 sqft

11

23

4

5

6

FIRST FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

FIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOOR

0 2’ 4’ 8’

1

23

4

5

6

Image 9.18

208

MODULE 1(core)

MODULE 2

MODULE 3

LEGEND1. Cleaning2. Cooking3. Eating4. Living5. Sleeping6. Storage

Image 9.19

209

FLOOR PLAN Dwelling Unit 2- Houses 3-4 people- 3 Modules- 355 sqft

1

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FIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOOR

0 2’ 4’ 8’

Design Development

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LEGEND1. Cleaning2. Cooking3. Eating4. Living5. Sleeping6. Working7. Storage

MODULE 1(core)

MODULE 4

MODULE 5

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FLOOR PLAN Dwelling Unit 3- Houses 5-6 people- 4 Modules- 477 sqft

Design Development

FIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOORFIRST FLOOR

0 2’ 4’ 8’

SECOND FLOOR

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LEGEND1. Cleaning2. Cooking3. Eating4. Living5. Sleeping6. Working7. Storage

MODULE 1(core)MODULE 5

MODULE 4

MODULE 3

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FORM EXPLORATION

Design Development

Dwelling Unit 1

Dwelling Unit 2

Dwelling Unit 3 Image 9.24

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Image 9.25

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MODULE FUNCTIONS Details

Design Development

aerodynamics x ventilationopenings on the walls of the skin

will promote air movement and

natural ventilation

rain water collection x water reservoirrain water will be collected through the

openings on the roof and will be directed

down to the reservoir

thin film solar cells x energy storagethe thin film solar cells are used to collect

and store power for the modules to work off

grid

Dwelling Unit 1

Dwelling Unit 2

Dwelling Unit 3

Image 9.26

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flood base unitthis plug in is a buoyant surface that will allow the dwellings to float during flooding. at the

same time it will house the water and electric systems. the base will reshape according to

the dwelling unit.

solar energyenergy gets collected from the

solar cells and transfer to a

battery where it converts to

electric power

grey water tankwater gets filtered and

recycled to be used again

in sink, shower, and toilet

dump valveconnection to the

dump trunk

black water tankwater from the toilet

will be stored here until

a waste truck empties

the tank

Image 9.27

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PERSPECTIVE Interior


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CROSS SECTION Details

Dwelling Unit 1

panelsolar storageand integrated energy inverter

welded pipe

water reservoiropening for cross ventilation

grey water tank

2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’

02 ’4 ’8 ’


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glass panel

opening for rain water collection system

black water tank

plywood construction structure

2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’

2’

4’

6’

8’

10’

14’

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Design Development

Dwelling Unit 2

02 ’4 ’8 ’

2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’

opening for rain water collection systemglass panel


water reservoir

Image 9.30

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2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’

2’

4’

6’

8’

14’


black water tank

grey water tank

welded pipe structure

opening for cross ventilation

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Dwelling Unit 3

02 ’4 ’8 ’

2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’


water reservoir opening for rain water collection systemglass panel


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2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’ 2’

2’

4’

6’

8’

10’

14’

opening for cross ventilation



black water tank

grey water tank

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CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS Details

Design Development

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Design Development

exterior fiber-glassexterior fiber-glasspanels


waffle structurewaffle structure

interior fiber-glass interior fiber-glass panel

convertional timberconvertional timberstructure for floorstructure for floorsystem

float baseunit

ZIP SYSTEM TAPE

advanced acrylic adhesive is made of highly po-lar molecules, meaning a magnetic-like attraction pulls the adhesive into ZIP System panels. this will be use to connent the modules together

STEP 1fasten panels

STEP 2tape seams

STEP 3tape corners

Image 9.32Image 9.33

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MODULE 3MODULE 3

sleeping spacesleeping space

MODULE 1MODULE 1

cleaning andcooking spacecooking space

MODULE 2

living and eatingspace

each module will be pre-frabricate off-site with interior each module will be pre-frabricate off-site with interior walls and furnishing. it will then be assemble once it walls and furnishing. it will then be assemble once it walls and furnishing. it will then be assemble once it arrives on site.

Image 9.34

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ECONOMIC TRANSPORTATION



MODULE LIFECYCLE

Image 9.36

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PERSPECTIVE Master Plan


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PERSPECTIVE Floating Modules


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FINAL BOARDS


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IMAGE NOTES9.01

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http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5087/532933

4252_37a630b2d3_z.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/

commons/4/42/Hurricane_katrina_

damage_gulfport_mississippi.jpg

http://www.interworks.eu/images/

Generic%20Camp%20Layout%20-%20

Long%20-%2010k%20-%206%20person%20

families.gif

http://www.interworks.eu/images/

Generic%20Block%20layout%20for%20

1250%20persons.gif


4252_37a630b2d3_z.jpg


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IMAGE NOTES9.28

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241

At the initial onset of this thesis, it became evident

that there is a lack of suitable planning for post-

disasters. Many of the current shelters have not

proven to be efficient solution for housing hurricane

victims. Yet in the architecture world, we do not fully

engage the advancements of technology to design a

better shelter.

After investigating several books, I became intrigued

with the relationship of digital fabrication and

architecture. Digital fabrication has been strong

influences in many industries like product design

and furniture design for several decades. However,

this kind of design process is now slowly emerging in

the architecture world. Considering the use of digital

fabrication methods, it became clear to me that I

should focus my thesis into the relationship between

design and production.

In the beginning of my research, I was shocked at the

rapid increase of natural disasters per year. I realized I

don’t only need to design a better shelter, but it should

also be able to be fabricated quickly and transport it

easily. One of the case studies that explore the idea

of using digital fabrication as a relief effort for natural

disasters is “The Instant House” by Marcel Bortha

and Lawerence D. Sass from MIT’s Department of

Architecture. The project fallows the notion of mass

customization and fast assembly. This case study

became the initial spark of my design process.

However this project only used conventional materials.

I quickly realized if I wanted my shelter to be efficient,

lightweight and strong enough to resist future

hurricanes, I needed to explore other material options.

In the Current Disaster Recovery chapter, I researched

the most well-known rescue organizations like FEMA

and found many flaws not only within the organization,

but the shelters that they provide to the victims. In one

of the articles that I wrote talks about FEMA refusing to

send trailers to Hurricane Sandy victims because the

shelters would fail on flooded land. As I looked closer

to FEMA and other organizations, I quickly realized

what current shelters were lacking on. As I kept

discovering more flaws, my concept began to develop.

By the end of the chapter I had a clear objective on

what I want my shelter to achieve. I translated these

objectives into three different scenarios: Flooding,

Uneven Ground, and Winds. At the end of my thesis,

I want my shelter to be able to adapt to these three

scenarios.

As the project progressed forward, I was able to achieve

the three scenarios along with sustainable functions

of generations their own power and water. At the end

of my thesis I did not only accomplished all the goals

I set in the beginning of my thesis, but I also redesign

the notion of an emergency shelter. Even though my

design is set for a more futuristic motion, I believe it

addresses a better solution for disaster recovery and

set a new standards for emergency shelters.

Thesis Conclusion

disastrer relief for the digital age

Documents

suitable shelter

design development

schematic design

novel design

major natural disasters

design field

disaster relief housing

fabrication process