In response to our DIY Movie Making theme, Derek “Deek” Diedricksen sent us this first episode of Tiny Yellow Houses, a series he’s doing on backyard shackitecture, this one featuring his “Hickshaw,” a movable small structure designed to be used as a backyard hang-out space/tiny office or festival sleeping space. Derek also has a self-published, […]
In these photos, you can see the heat transfer happening through a number of roofs in my neighborhood. In a wintery time like we have now, the snow acts as an indicator of your insulation. If you have a full roof of snow, then you’re well insulated. If you have spots of bare roof surrounded by snow, then inside the house is an area where it’s uninsulated, or poorly insulated. If your roof doesn’t hold the snow at all, then it’s time to look at your attic insulation. Sunny, South facing roofs will naturally clear faster on clear days, due to the input of solar energy.
Around the world, people are preparing systems to deploy in emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti, the Asian Tsunami of a few years ago and other situations such as hurricanes, floods, fires and the aftermath of war. Medical personnel are crucial, but their stuff needs to be with them, and they need a place to work. Below are a number of shelters that can be delivered and set up in places of need around the world. The people developing these systems are working hard, often with little funding and driven by their passion to create better designs. The projects below are all in some phase of the Design Process, and each could have its place in a variety of challenging situations. Each community has its’ own traditions of architecture, and the materials available vary by region. The designers of long term structures need to remain sensitive to these local realities.
Concrete Canvas shelters look like an amazing way to deliver shelter to emergency situations. The building arrives in an airtight bag, is pulled out with a vehicle and inflated. The building can be deployed by just two people (and a bit of machinery) in 45 minutes. After squirting with water, the concrete impregnated fabric sets up and is ready for use in 24 hours. Covering it with an earthen berm helps keep it temperature controlled, and the interior can be kept as a sterile environment.
Here’s a beautiful greenhouse that’s like a wish list of sustainable construction: rammed earth, recycled plastic bottles, straw bale, and rainwater harvesting. Check out the Blue Rock Station site for books describing the greenhouse and their other projects. (via Ecofriend)
Stair blog has amazing images of unusual and creatively designed staircases – check out the beautiful Lello Bookshope staircase in Portugal.
Tripod: a student entry from last year’s contest. The EPA just announced its newest lifecycle building challenge: Enter the third year of the Lifecycle Building Challenge competition, to shape the future of green building and facilitate local building materials reuse. Submit your innovative project, design, or idea for reducing to conserve construction and demolition materials […]
