Author : Jennifer Gadarowski M.P.H.
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781496064424
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (644 download)
Book Synopsis A Cost-Effective Durable Emergency Shelter Alternative by : Jennifer Gadarowski M.P.H.
Download or read book A Cost-Effective Durable Emergency Shelter Alternative written by Jennifer Gadarowski M.P.H. and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-12 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Containers are in many ways an ideal building material because they are strong, durable, stackable, cuttable, movable, modular, plentiful and relatively cheap. Architects as well as laypeople have used them to build many types of buildings such as homes, offices, apartments, schools, dormitories, artists' studios and emergency shelters. They are also used to provide temporary secure spaces on construction sites and other venues on an "as is" basis instead of building shelters. Phillip C. Clark filed for a United States patent on November 23, 1987 described as "Method for converting one or more steel shipping containers into a habitable building at a building site and the product thereof." This patent was granted August 8, 1989 as patent 4854094. The diagrams and information contained within the documentation of this patent appear to lay the groundwork for many current shipping container architectural ideas. Even so, this patent does not appear to have represented a novel invention at its time of filing (Paul Sawyers described extensive shipping container buildings that were used on the set of the 1985 movie Space Rage Breakout on Prison Planet). During the 1991 Gulf War, containers saw considerable nonstandard uses not only as makeshift shelters but also for the transportation of Iraqi prisoners of war. Holes were cut in the containers to allow for ventilation. Containers continue to be used for military shelters, often additionally fortified by adding sandbags to the side walls to protect against weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades ("RPGs"). The abundance and relative cheapness of these containers during the last decade comes from the deficit in manufactured goods coming from North America in the last two decades. These manufactured goods come to North America from Asia and, to a lesser extent, Europe, in containers that often have to be shipped back empty, or "deadhead," at considerable expense. It is often cheaper to buy new containers in Asia than to ship old ones back. Therefore, new applications are sought for the used containers that have reached their North American destination.
