Advancing Shelter Technology Through Research and Development

A Michael Jantzen Project



Design Studies For Low Cost Prefabricated Steel Houses by M. Jantzen

MISSION STATEMENT

The Human Shelter Innovation Institute (HSII) is a think tank dedicated to creating alternative solutions to the growing global problem of inadequate human shelter.

The primary mission of HSII is to explore designs that make use of alternative materials, technologies and manufacturing techniques. The goal will be to create an aesthetic for the future based on energy efficient, eco friendly and affordable design concepts that embrace appropriate technologies.

At HSII, research will center on the fundamentals of the built environment, emphasizing alternative methodology. Prototype shelters will be engineered, designed, built and tested in a "shelter park" on the Institute's grounds so that the public can experience the designs first-hand.


LOW COST, ENERGY-EFFICIENT, ECO-FRIENDLY SHELTER

HSII has been developed in part to research new approaches to low-cost, energy efficient, eco-friendly shelters. These can be as simple as temporary housing for poverty-stricken communities or emergency relief programs; or as complex as large-scale housing projects for universities and urban communities.

Michael Jantzen, Executive Director of HSII, is a pioneer in energy efficiency, whose work is recognized around the world. Jantzen has worked for over 30 years to develop new concepts for energy-efficient, sustainable, eco-friendly building systems. These efforts will continue as a major part of the Institute's research.


THEORETICAL RESEARCH AND CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

HSII believes that shelter technology has not advanced at a rapid rate due in great part to a reluctance by the design community to embrace unconventional aesthetics. In an era of digital transformations, this is changing and the HSII will be on the leading edge of that change.

HSII's theoretical work is grounded in the real world and is approached with an open mind. Our approach to design allows for research partnerships and synergies with a wide range of organizations, manufacturers, technologies and materials. Through its Theoretical Modeling Division, HSII will work with Partner Organizations to develop new uses for existing materials and expanding the possibilities for new products with a particular interest in the incorporation of technology into the built environment.

HSII encourages Corporations and Manufacturers to submit research proposals focused on expanding market for their products and technologies. The possibilities are exciting!


SUPPORT OUR RESEARCH

HSII is a non-profit organization that relies upon outside support to fund its research programs. Please join us in support of this important addition to shelter research by making a donation. We seek both individual donations and corporate partnerships.

» Click here to find out more information

from gizmag



Reminiscent of Fuller's vision for the Dymaxion House and advanced mass producable autonomous dwelllings, Architect Marcin Panpuch has designed a hight tech spherical house which can either float on water or be lifted by crane and fixed to a tower beside other such spheres. Stairs, kitchen, bathroom and toilet are all located in a central core which also serves a conduit for ducts, cables and pipes. Sound familiar? The ailing US auto industry might be well served to start seriously thinking about diversifing their under utilized production capabaility into production and leasing of hyper-homes. Panpuch's inspirational design won a 2004 commendation from the Royal Institute of British Architects' annual Future House London Competition and Exhibition.

The Idea - London is one of the cities that grew from the river and a great deal of its development has happened thanks to the river. Recently Londoners have turned their backs on the river, because of the pollution.It is no longer a great pleasure to spend time in close proximity to the Thames. But perhaps if people feel more involved with the Thames they become more responsible for it's quality.

The Thames is tidal and one should take advantage of its significant changes in levels. Taking into account the current situation of the housing market, can you imagine yourself living in the centre of London? Perhaps not. But you can afford a car and you may be able to afford city car parks and congestion charges. So if the housing industry takes on board experience from the car industry you might pay the same for your house as for your car.

Yes there is a land issue but there is also the Thames. The river could be the answer to your housing problem. You could own a house and be able to live both in a quiet area of east London and in the middle of the capital, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere and beautiful river views, right on your doorstep.

The river could take you and your house everyday from the suburbs of London to the centre without the need for high-energy consumption. The house itself could become a mode of transport.




Design objectives - Currently houses are largely static and unresponsive. Modern and future materials, technologies and design allow us to create dynamic, evolving places that respond to the complexities of life.

The home will soon be a source of energy rather then a consumer. It will become more of a work place as well as a home. The London house, more than any other, will have to meet density requirements of the future.

The proposed design not only uses the river, estuary + docks, but can also be stacked in a "tower of houses" using a crane on top of the tower. The house module can be relocated as often as required by family and work demands; a city tower, a river home, a rural retreat.

The proposed house can satisfy future needs for mobility, energy production, and applicable changes to the place we live and work.

The proposed design takes into account today's problems of the housing industry, which is decentralized, resistant to change, wary of new technology, and labour intensive. Most people live in places that are low-grade, low-tech, inflexible, difficult to upgrade, high maintenance, and ill-designed.

Environment - The aim is that the house will produce as much energy as it consumes. The energy is produced by photo voltaic cells and accumulated in batteries. "The main floor" is designed to store heat during the day and distribute it at night. The water tank can also act as a medium for heat storage.

The house is designed to be naturally ventilated using the stack effect - the air intake is situated at the bottom of the transparent screens and allows air to migrate up to the top of the core at each floor. All the devices that control the internal environment of the house (sun screens, air intakes/exhausts) are designed to be manually and automatically controlled. All waste produced by occupants is designed to be stored while the house floats and when moored the waste is disposed of to the public utilities.




Design - A sphere has 25% less surface area than a cube of the same volume; minimising the perimeter means reducing the heat loss.

The designed "sphere house" is divided into three floors that are organised around a core - "services/distribution wall". Open plan design allows easy changes to work and living spaces. The central core includes stairs, kitchen (social and family assembly point), bathroom and toilets. The service/distribution wall accommodates all ducts, services, central heating system and electrical connections between floors.

The upper floor is designed as a highly flexible living space with up to two entrance points allowing you to connect to the outside. The lower floor houses working space, sleeping area and the main entrance. The sleeping area is divided by a light partition system. The system can be easily repositioned or, by adding additional components, can create further bedrooms. The working area is open plan space that can be organised according to home occupier's needs.

The lowest floor is designed to accommodate batteries (ballast), storage, water tanks, heating system and central IT equipment necessary for automatic operation of the house. Layers of light, composite materials create the external envelope: the transparent cladding, shades with photo voltaic cells cover the upper part of the house.

The lower part of the envelope is divided in to two parts: under water and above water. The under water part of the envelope is designed as a light insulated aluminium body attached to the main frame. The above water part is covered by transparent cladding and retractable screens for privacy.

» Read more about Marcin Panpuch's vision and design objectives

» RIBA London

Mass Deployment Refugee Housing by Alice B. Phillips and Jeffrey Warren of vestaldesign.com

from Vestal Design:

The SHRIMP (Sustainable Housing for Refugees via Mass Production) is an attempt to bring housing and other relief to large displaced or homeless populations, especially those who have suffered in a natural disaster. Providing shelter to a family of four, it folds up into 1/4 of a shipping container for efficient deployment.



Massive Deployment
Taking cues from IKEA's flat-packing furniture, this shelter starts its life as a 10' x 9.5' x 8' box, or exactly 1/4 of a "hi-cube" shipping container. Because of this standard size and self-contained design, the SHRIMP can be dispatched in extreme quantity; Maersk container ships, for example, can hold 6,400 containers. That equates to housing for roughly 100,000 people, on a single ship. Need medical or administrative centers, or even schools? Every 100th or 1000th SHRIMP can be a specialized unit, creating a complete mobile community. And using the solar distillery on the SHRIMP's roof, fresh water needs are significantly reduced.




Pack It Up

The SHRIMP has pontoons which automatically inflate, using compressed air canisters - assembly takes minutes, not hours. Because many container ships have cranes, this eliminates the need for docking infrastructure - units can be unloaded anywhere there's water. As standard-sized shipping containers, the SHRIMP can also easily be trucked across land. In addition, the simple wooden interior is modifiable with tools available in most places, allowing units to be customized or even converted into more permanent homes.




Sustainable Living
SHRIMP units can be refitted for reuse, and use sustainably farmed wood (see Forest Stewardship Council). They can also be retrofitted out of shipping containers, which are piling up in the US: "It costs $2,000 to ship an empty container back to its source, he said, but China can build new ones for $1,200," writes the Virginian Pilot. The SHRIMP draws upon that waste stream, providing both humanitarian aid and waste management.



» Click here to visit Vestal Design

Inspired Infrastructure By Thomas Fisher, Architecture Minnesota from UTNE reader, May/June 2006


The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals call for significantly improving the lives of at least 100 million of the world's 1 billion slum dwellers by 2020, with an emphasis on providing access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Reaching those goals may seem beyond the ability of architects, but John Gavin Dwyer doesn't think so. He and his Minneapolis firm, Shelter Architecture, have designed a self-contained structure that would supply electricity, clean water, and toilet and bathing facilities to the people who need them the most.

Called the Clean Hub, the 10- by 20-foot unit has a V-shaped metal roof that collects rainwater and an adjustable array of 16 photovoltaic panels that can generate up to 2,640 watts of electricity. A reverse-osmosis system cleans water stored in a below-ground reservoir, where the gray water from showers and sinks is recycled. The toilets are waterless and self-composting. The building itself has impact-resistant stress-skin walls and secure entry doors, supported by a steel tube and a concrete-pier foundation that can adjust to sloped terrain and poor soil. The Clean Hub can serve temporary settlements such as refugee camps, but its 30-year life span makes it most suitable for semipermanent slums that lack basic infrastructure.

Servicing those global human settlements was the driving idea behind Dwyer's clever, compactly designed creation. After studying the work of a number of other architects, Dwyer realized that a new approach was necessary. "Most were doing housing, when the real need was for infrastructure," he says. So Dwyer developed the Clean Hub as a utility box that can be mass-produced and suit almost any site or climate. After consulting the Minnesota chapter of Architecture for Humanity, Dwyer "sent 70 e-mails to various U.N. offices," he says, "and the one in Nairobi finally got back to me." The office helped him connect with potential manufacturers, including General Electric, which worked with Dwyer to develop a business plan for the project. In the end, GE expressed an interest in manufacturing the Clean Hub, but not in financing or marketing it.

Dwyer doesn't seem deterred. "The World Bank spends $15 billion a year on slum upgrades," he notes, "and for only $1 billion, we could build and deliver enough Clean Hubs to meet the U.N.'s Millennium Goal of improving 100 million lives." Shelter Architecture is pursuing several grants to raise the $20,000 to $30,000 needed to build and test a prototype. In the meantime, Dwyer's efforts demonstrate what architects can do to make a difference in the world. "At first, the U.N. wondered why an architect was interested in the subject," he recalls. "Architects can be proactive at a global level and articulate the value of doing things better."


» Click here for the original article

from futurefeeder.com on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005



The winning entry to the Cradle to Cradle C2C Home Competition is an incredible single family dwelling by Matthew Coates and Tim Meldrum that goes right to the core fundamentals of the Cradle to Cradle principles. Not only does the building run a photosynthetic and phototropic skin made with spinach protein, but it also produces more energy than a single family’s needs, allowing the excess to be distributed to neighbors. This radical shift, from centralized energy systems today, fosters community interdependence as neighbors benefit from the resources of others.

ENERGY is neither created nor destroyed.  It is collected and returned.  This design utilizes timeless passive solar strategies by shielding unwanted summer sun and absorbing heat from low winter sun through its thermal mass.  Active solar collection provides the main source of necessary electrical energy.  The core extends vertically, clad with a super-conductive photosynthetic plasma cell skin that is able to generate 200% more electrical voltage per area than contemporary photovoltaics.  Building on current research involving extracted spinach protein, this living skin is photosynthetic and phototropic it grows and follows the path of the sun, generating electricity in excess of single family needs.  excess power is distributed to neighboring homes and street lighting infrastructure.

WATER is a crucial resource to life that should be enhanced by future development. This design integrates building with landscape, a vegetated roof system collects and filters stormwater into the building core.  The core collects and supplies all household plumbing elements contained within it. Black and grey water are released to a primary septic tank below the core and eventually released as effluent to the "living garden". Garden beds along the entry receive irrigation and  nutrients to provide site-yield vegetables.  This system is engineered to accept and treat residential wastewater from neighboring homes in addition to the primary residence to lessen off site dependency. 




MATERIALS should enable, not consume.  Earth acts as a primary insulator and reduces building material use. Rapidly, renewable soy-foam wall panels offer superior thermal resistance with minimal embodied energy.  Reconstituted concrete with striated polymer mesh reinforcement efficiently supports the open building plan, allowing a flexible arrangement of partitions and spaces to accommodate present and future users.

VENTILATION is fundamental to comfort in southern climates.  Prevailing summer wind from the southwest flows freely up the length of the site toward the upturned earth plane.  The building form and contour increase the speed of wind while the roof overhang captures the breeze and directs it through operable louvers to the interior.  The core serves as a stack ventilation tower, allowing a controllable flow of hot air up and out of the house by the positive pressure being created within the house.  Shaded outdoor space provides comfort choices for users and interaction with neighbors.

COMMUNITY underlies all technological success.  No advances in residential building design and technology truly matter if single families remain isolated and independent of one another.  This design suggests that community interdependence is the necessary foundation for future growth.  One home shelters one family, but creates a resource that benefits many.  Excess energy is distributed to offset conventional power production while communal waste is retained on site, collected and treated to nurture common garden space.  In time, this seed of shared resources spreads through common design to create a fundamental link between individual and whole.

from CNET News.com on July 3rd 2006
By Daniel Terdiman
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

ASHLAND, Ore.--Six years ago, several friends and I were putting together the infrastructure for our Burning Man camp and decided it would be great to house everything inside a geodesic dome.

After looking into making our own, we realized we didn't have the time. This being 2000 and pre-recession, we were still flush enough to buy one. So we pooled our resources and plunked down several thousand dollars for a dome from the place everyone seemed to say was the only one that sold what we needed: Ashland's Pacific Domes.

» click here to read the complete story

Submitted by Dick Fischbeck

Tristan Sterk is a pioneer in 21st century tensegrity structures and is expanding his field of influence. In 2005 Tristan was awarded first place in the Chicago Architecture Club, Emerging Visions Award for young architects in Chicago. Last month Wired.com included his work in their article called Smart Buildings. He is a regular contributor to the SUNY Buffalo Geodesic Listserv.

» Click here for an article from WIREDmagazine

» Click here to read summary notes from a Symposium on T. Sterk in 2006

from Scientific American, January 1998 | by Donald E. Ingber; 10 page(s)



Cover Story: Life's Architecture: cells grow with tensegrity, Scientific American, January 1998; by Donald E. Ingber; 10 page(s)

Life is the ultimate example of complexity at work. An organism, whether it is a bacterium or a baboon, develops through an incredibly complex series of interactions involving a vast number of different components. These components, or subsystems, are themselves made up of smaller molecular components, which independently exhibit their own dynamic behavior, such as the ability to catalyze chemical reactions. Yet when they are combined into some larger functioning unit--such as a cell or tissue--utterly new and unpredictable properties emerge, including the ability to move, to change shape and to grow.

Although researchers have recognized this intriguing fact for some time, most discount it in their quest to explain life's fundamentals. For the past several decades, biologists have attempted to advance our understanding of how the human body works by defining the properties of life's critical materials and molecules, such as DNA, the stuff of genes. Indeed, biologists are now striving to identify every gene in the complete set, known as the genome that every human being carries. Because genes are the "blueprints" for the key molecules of life, such as proteins, this Holy Grail of molecular biology will lead in the near future to a catalogue of essentially all the molecules from which a human is created. Understanding what the parts of a complex machine are made of, however, does little to explain how the whole system works, regardless of whether the complex system is a combustion engine or a cell. In other words, identifying and describing the molecular puzzle pieces will do little if we do not understand the rules for their assembly.

» Click here to download a PDF of the full article