Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: SEED: Emergent Container Housing Initiative – Solutions for the Caribbean
EPA Grant Number: SU834342Title: SEED: Emergent Container Housing Initiative – Solutions for the Caribbean
Investigators: Christensen, Pernille Hoy , Hecker, Douglas A. , Skinner, Martha L. , Taylor, Aaron , Berry, Adam , Boom, Alex , Prothro, Andrew , Johnson, Arthur , Tanabe, Ayaka , Fowler, Brantley , Houston, Bryant , Hall, Bryce , Nolan, Carson , Bagwell, Chris , White, Dustin , Johnson, Jennifer , Piascik, John , Quales, John-Michael , Hanna, Jonathan , Mclees, Jonathan , Hale, Josh , Koschnitzki, Kenneth , Leanca, Kristen , Miller, Kyle , Scroggs, Kyle , Davis, Maria , Wash, Matt , Newbold, Mitch , Thompson, Mitch , Swart, Nat , Miller, Nathan , Christopher, Nick , McLaughlin, Owen , Phelps, Paul , Falkner, Robert , Tedford, Robert , Yonce, Ryan , Groen, Sam , Nicholson, Sam , Moore, Sarah , Ogletree, Scott , Calloway, Shannon , Padgett, Thomas , Jenkins, Travis , Alexander, Zach
Institution: Clemson University , Tri-County Technical College
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2009 through August 14, 2010
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Clemson University students have been exploring the reuse of retired, hurricane-proof, surplus shipping containers in their design for a prototype emergency housing unit that can withstand hurricane-force winds. Our approach addresses the immediate concern of low-quality housing for low-income populations in hurricane-affected areas, producing a new paradigm in emergency housing. The project mixes low cost prefabricated elements (Water Pod, Technology Pod & Emergent Garden) with simple modifications to localize the unit. Serving as a framework to quickly assemble shelter and restore local food supplies for displaced populations, SEED acts as catalyst for post-disaster community revitalization - adapting to a homeowner’s local needs and evolving into a permanent housing solution.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
We have a constructed a full scale prototype to test numerous systems that could be used to transform a surplus industrial object (the shipping container) into a home. The approach has been focused on creating the maximum transformation of the container using the least number of modifications to affordably adapt the container to the needs of the local population in Dominica. We have designed a kit of prefabricated elements that can be warehoused in staging areas and readied for delivery in the wake of a natural disaster. These elements have been targeted and designed to meet the minimum needs of shelter, nutrition, water and hygiene. This off-the-grid “micro-infrastructure” provides a “SEED” for families to reconstruct their lives and avoid catastrophic setbacks in the future. The nutritional value and growth rate of local foods have been analyzed and a strategy of post-disaster replanting has been created in the Emergent Garden. The system utilizes another surplus item found in the Caribbean – the 55 gallon drum – and in addition to providing a starter garden, the Emergent Garden acts as a water filtration system for each SEED unit. In addition, an implementation strategy has been developed in which the containers are modified while the residential sites are cleared, containers are then delivered to the site(s), residents move back into their neighborhoods and work together to rebuild their communities and their food supplies. The containers and emergent gardens act as the ‘seed’ which is replanted in the community; community members then work together to nourish and propagate the re-growth of the neighborhood.
Conclusions:
Our research has confirmed that the project concept is both feasible and affordable. Because many Caribbean nations have import driven economies, there is an excess of shipping containers and 55 gallon drums being imported into the region compared to the number needed to ship goods for export. This trade imbalance provides an opportunity for re-utilizing the containers and drums quickly and affordably for housing and food restoration. In terms of hurricane resistance, container homes would provide an improvement for a significant portion of the population in Dominica because their structural resistance to wind forces is superior to the typical construction for the housing stock on the island. The Emergent Garden acts as a water filtration system providing clean water supply to the unit as well as creating a place to replant foods for individual unit while the soil conditions rebalance, thereby acting as a catalyst for restoring the local food supplies. Sustainable agricultural strategies have also been proposed for the long-term stability of the local economy.
Supplemental Keywords:
life cycle analysis, shipping containers, recycled materials, material reuse, affordable housing, rain water capture, sustainable agriculture, water filtration, adaptive reuse, alternative building materials, emergency housing, emergency garden, ISBU, Intermodal Steel Building Unit, hurricane resistant design, prefabrication, 4-dimensional mapping, Cradle to Cradle Approach, RFA, Air, climate change, Air Pollution Effects, AtmosphereRelevant Websites:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.