SEED Shipping Containers Could Supply Haiti with Emergency Housing
By Lydia Dishman for the FastCompany
In this recent article for the FastCompany, Lydia Dishman discusses SEED, a project from Clemson University that aims to use industrial shipping containers as emergency housing. The project, which is still in the developing stage, has recently been put into overdrive to offer aid to the Haitian population in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck the nation last week.
These containers are an incredibly useful resource since they are ‘constructed of steel, reinforced with corrugated steel walls, [and] able to withstand winds up to 140 mph...’ Also, as SEED leader Pernille Christensen explains, 'at 320 square feet, the containers are roughly equivalent to what many islanders are used to. Extended families of 6 to 12 people often live in 200-to-400-square-foot spaces.'
In order to transform a container into a home SEED offers a simple process of cutting the container in ‘a few strategic places to allow for airflow and light while it is still in the port, then transported to the site for further modifications such as coated with ceramic paint for insulation and fitted with wooden shipping pallets that act as “pods” for bathing and cooking.’
Modular housing has been one of the most
studied themes of young and established designers alike over the better part of
the last century. In many ways the best modular projects have been those with temporary
or ephemeral purposes, i.e. to house seasonal workers, foreign workforces, or
as temporary offices for construction and development work.
Temporary housing has always been a huge consideration for disater zones that need emergency shelter, but in these cases tents are often the best solution since they are easily shipped and provide refugees with fast protection from the elements. Therefore, considering this
SEED project from a broader prospective than the Haitian disaster alone, it could represent the merger of the design of a industrial and modern modular home with the purpose of emergent shelter, which would greatly impact the quality of relief available in disaster situations.
For more information please visit SEED’s website
Shipping container as emercency housing by SEED
Shipping container as emercency housing by SEED
