Kevin Singh
Graduate architecture student
Auburn, Alabama U.S.

Link: The Auburn Pirogue

Submission: “The Auburn Pirogue Project: a warm, dry room”

DISLOCATION
The devastation left in the wake of natural disasters leaves many families homeless and without the basic necessities of life. These families need to be relocated to a safe, secure and comfortable environment that assures them a humane standard of life. The immediate need is to reunite families and provide housing for an extended duration.

A COMFORTABLE, DRY SPACE
The typical response to these situations is to create a tent city with centralized water, sanitation and food service. While a tent city can be erected quickly, they are vulnerable to harsh weather conditions and do not provide a stable, secure environment. The proposed living units are a modern solution to housing a dislocated population. These solve the issues that could not be addressed fully by tent cites. Basic human comfort is a not a luxury, but a necessity. A comfortable dry space must also house the SPIRIT of home. Our mission is to provide not only shelter & comfort but dignity & hope.

OPPORTUNITY
There is a surplus of steel shipping containers in the southeast region and throughout the United States. These shipping containers are typically 8 feet wide by 40 feet long and have a ceiling height of 8 to 9 feet. These containers are designed to be weather tight and to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Structurally these containers are designed to carry large quantities of materials weighing several tons. These containers withstand the rigors of constantly being handled, stacked several containers high and transported around the world by ship, truck or train.

PROPOSAL
This proposal is to provide substantial, livable housing units to people in need by converting surplus shipping containers into transitional housing units. These units will provide a safe, secure and comfortable home for people in need. The prototypes for these housing units will be designed and constructed by graduate students in the Design-Build Masters Program at Auburn University. Our research will be presented to FEMA, Red Cross and other relief agencies with the hope that mass production techniques will provide all displaced families with warm, dry rooms.

These modifications to the shipping containers use standard construction techniques and materials in a short time frame to create a livable unit with:

• natural light and ventilation • electrical service • wall air conditioning unit • storage
• ceiling fans • bedding units • movable room partitions • refrigerator

PROCESS
The process begins with the collection of specified materials and equipment for construction, including the container itself. The construction/modification of these homes can be done primarily by unskilled, volunteer labor. Openings for light and circulation are cut, bedding units and simple seating is installed and an air conditioner is attached. Units are then ready to be shipped to any site requiring only minimal on-site work to make the house operational and ready for occupancy.

UNIT COST
Given the function and safety of the completed structure, modification of container units is inexpensive even before economies of scale and bulk purchasing are used to reduce component costs. Initial estimates to equip and modify a unit as described:

• Windows & Doors - $1000.00 • Roofing - $600.00
• Electrical - $300.00 • HVAC - $850.00