Humanitarian

Paul Elkin’s Emergency Shelter

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Paul Elkins previously share with us his Cadillac of Homeless Shelters and has come up with an idea for an emergency shelter that I though you would enjoy seeing.

This 12′ by 12′ square shelter design was influenced by the designer of the Hexayurt. This will be my 2011 Burningman shelter for my wife and I. It also has shown possibilities as a rapid deployment cold weather Emergency Shelter.

The design consists of 10-one inch thick 4’x8′ foil backed foam insulation panels. Like the Hexayurt, the panels will be supported with tape only. No structural framing should be needed. (I’m keeping my fingers cross) The design also makes for virtually no waist in construction material. The adjoining corners will be mitered for a tight fit, and when stored it will fold like an accordion into a 4’x8’x10″ thick light weight package. Set-up time shouldn’t take too long as only a few seams need to be tapped once it’s unfolded. To secure the structure from high winds, lines from a small aluminum cap will run down to each corner of the shelter.

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Zambulance

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Drue one of my readers keeps me updated on things he discovers on the internet and recently he discovered this bike powered ambulance from Zambia. Drue says:

Zambia is a heck of a long ways off, but I found a bike company there that has an interesting product…the zambulance.

It is a bike-trailer ambulance, but looks like an interesting biker’s shelter. Certainly smaller and less useful for a tiny house, but not a stretch for a homeless person, bike camper, or emergency shelter in times of a disaster.

Photo Credits: Zambikes

zambulance

Here is what Zambikes says about their product:

The Solution – A Bicycle Ambulance Trailer a.k.a “Zambulance” by Zambikes

As a result of a Zambulance, communities have access to a free ambulance service. The clients
are now able to receive medical attention in less time. Whereas it used to take between two to
three hours to take a patient to a rural health centre that was 2.5 km away using an ox-cart, it now
takes an average of 30 minutes using a Zambulance to cover the same distance. Whereas patients used to sit on the back rack of a bicycle en route to a rural health centre, now clients can lie flat on the back of a Zambulance that is much safer and much more comfortable.

Additionally, the canopy of the Zambulance now provides privacy, especially important for the
expectant mothers. The canopy also shelters the clients from the heat of the sun and the rain.

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Tiny Yellow House Video – Boxy Lady

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Derek “Deek” Diedricksen introduces you to his world of microcabins in this episode of Tiny Yellow House. I just received this from Deek and wanted you to have first look at it. Join Deek in the Massachusetts woods for a tour of his “Boxy Lady” vending cart microcabin complete with … Read more

Portable Housing in the New York Times

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A New York Times article tells about the Leeps, builders of luxury homes in Montana who when the economy turned bad began rethinking their business and are now building portable homes for disaster related areas. For the Leeps and their partners, HabiHut is a strange new world. Money is the … Read more

Sponsor Deek’s Tiny Yellow House Episodes

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Here is a preview clip of a structure Deek (Derek Diedricksen) is now working on, that will travel with him to festivals, and speaking appearances, etc. Its designed to be a mobile, stackable, homeless shelter that doubles as a street vending kiosk. As always, its made with a good deal … Read more

Shelter 2.0 Goes to Haiti

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Robert from Shelter 2.0 had been telling me about the special version they were making for Haiti and just sent me some pictures to share with you. Here is the previous Shelter 2.0 post.

This is what the new version looks like the only difference is that we are using 3/4″ osb for the ribs instead of ply. The cost ranges from $500 to $600 dollars in materials depending on what the price of sheet goods is doing and they are 10’x18′.

Here are pictures of the ones we shipped to Haiti being crated and shipped. I will be going to Haiti on June 21st to help set them up.

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The Tiny Houses of Christiania

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A town within a city, a rebel neighborhood within a well-ordered society. This is Christiania (Freetown), Denmark, a small community smack dab in the middle of Copenhagen, Denmark. Within this community are tiny houses, built by hand and with whatever materials are within reach.

Christiania began in 1971 as an occupation of disused army barracks in the southern portion of Copenhagen near a lake. The 900 or so freethinking individuals who inhabit the area are a self governing community who refuse to pay taxes to the Danish government, run their own businesses and schools, live without cars on unpaved roads, build their own houses, restaurants and civil buildings and even have their own currency.

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Homeless in a Boom State

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WILLISTON, N.D. — When Joey Scott arrived here recently from Montana, he had no trouble finding work — he signed almost immediately with a company working to drill in the oil fields. But finding housing was another matter. Mobile homes and so-called skid shacks line up in a mobile home … Read more

Midget Bushtrekka Bicycle Shelter

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Lauren an avid cyclist discovered this cool little shelter at Target and thought you might be interested in it. I think this fits in with the homeless shelter area of our discussions but could also be used in many other ways too. At $849 it is not the cheapest shelter out there but it is very unique and may be what you are looking for.

Innovative and unique, the Midget Bushtrekka Bicycle Camping Trailer is perfect for the cycling/camping enthusiast. With 120 liters of storage capacity, you can go days without having to resupply.

Constructed of high-strength aluminum and 600-denier ripstop nylon, the Bushtrekka is one rugged trailer. This one-of-a-kind pivoting wheel set and alloy wheels make for a comfortable ride over most terrain.

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The PeePoo Sanitation Alternative for Tiny Houses?

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In the world today, 2.6 billion people have no access to basic sanitation. Human faeces contains infectious and lethal pathogens, causing diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. The situation could be described as an ongoing emergency.

Designer and concept inventor Anders Wilhelson and codesigners Peter Thuvander and Camilla Wirsen together with peepoopeople have codesigned the peepoobag as a sanitation solution that aims at solving this global problem.

The peepoobag is a personal, single-use toilet that sanitises human excreta shortly after defecation. All this is done within a high performance degradable bioplastic bag coated with urea. It requires no water, and after use as the bag breaks down and disintegrates, the treated faeces become fertiliser with a high market value. its design is adapted in every way so that it might be manufactured at as low a price as possible and sold to the groups with weakest purchasing power in the world.

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Cadillac of Homeless Shelters

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My name is Paul Elkins. I live in Stanwood Washington USA with my lovely wife Mary and our two dogs. In my spare time I play in my shop creating a host of toys and things that roll, mostly. They all start as and idea that gets transfered to paper. I’ve been doing this idea hatching thing since I was a kid. I recieving my first serious sketch pad on Christmas morning when I was 8 years old.

My original intent was to design and construct a simple, light weight, water tight insulated box on wheels geared for the northwest climate that an urban street person could reside in (with all the comforts of home of course) and have an area to display and sell handmade wares.

Wayno is demonstrating the proper way to push the shelter. All 225 pounds of it, empty.

Many homeless people are actually more creative than you might think, and not all want to beg or go rummage around in trash cans all day for a living. Homeless people have pride too! Also, this I think would make a better connection with the public.

So, what started as something that was suppose to be simple and cheap, well, let’s say I got a bit carried away…

What we have here is the Cadillac of homeless shelters…

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Codding’s Rapid Deployment Structures

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This past week I had the opportunity to connect with Bill Kastrinos of Tortoise Shell Homes who is also involved with Codding Steel in Rohnert Park, CA. Following the Haiti earthquake Codding and Bill have worked together to design these Rapid Deployment Structures and I had the privilege of seeing the first 12′ x 12′ prototype.

Codding is in the process of working with United Way to set up a way for people to donate directly for these structures for help in such places as Haiti and Chile. The current cost for this unit is around $5000. You can learn more by visiting the Codding’s Rapid Deployment Structures web site.

Codding’s Rapid Deployment Structures (RDS) provide the lightest, strongest, and safest materials able to withstand the harshest of elements.

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