This is a model that Netherlands Red Cross is quite into. http://www.innovativeshelter.tue.nl/index2.htm had a fair bit of conversation about it.
It's not Hexayurt specific, but obviously if you're building cheap, lightweight shelters out of some kind of panel stock you need a reason *not* to build Hexayurts - it's the simplest approach most of the time. The deployment model is that you go out with cardboard or foam and then if the refugees or disaster-unhoused people aren't going to be resettled as soon as you hoped you have the option of going out with a concrete spray truck and making their shelters sem-permanent. There are some issues with that approach. The main one is that you might not want a shelter that was expedient - small, cheap - to become permanent with a concrete skin. You might want a very different form of shelter for permanence. Also, if you're working in concrete it's really nice to get closer to a true dome, those flat concrete panels are more prone to cracking than a continuously curved surface. But, with those provisos, rock on. Vinay -- Vinay Gupta Free Science and Engineering in the Global Public Interest http://hexayurt.com - free/open next generation human sheltering http://hexayurt.com/plan - the whole systems, big picture vision Gizmo Project VOIP : (USA) 775-743-1851 Skype/Gizmo/Gtalk : hexayurt Icelandic Cell : (+354) 869-4605 "If it doesn't fit, force it." On Oct 3, 2008, at 8:48 PM, Troy Jones wrote: > Thanks for the reply, Richard. > > I'm thinking of Grancrete for a different scenario than where the > hexayurt usually seems to comes up. More like low-cost permanent > housing for a small family. Say, a cluster of seven 12' hexayurts > as connected "rooms" with proper plumbing, electric, and solar > thermal for heat and water. In that scenario, not everyone needs a > shotcrete sprayer, as there's likely someone in town with the > equipment. The set time on it is 15-30 minutes, so a larger > structure like that would require spraying. > > I think the approach that Grancrete is taking for low cost housing, > vs relief housing, lends itself well to the hexayurt design. It's > the maximization of space through minimalization of materials in > the hexayurt that's the appeal. In a country like the US, a more > reasonable approach to housing to begin with might have eliminated > the need for hexayurts in tent cities like we're starting to see. > > I think there's a real class of people, and quickly growing at > that, who are doing well enough that they're not in a tent, but who > can't afford a traditional house and would be thrilled with 1200 > square feet of a close-packed hexayurt grouping if it came in > around $25-$30K. A business built around that as a non-profit > could then funnel revenue into the relief side of things. > > Glad to know there's a hexayurt enthusiast nearby the Grancrete > folks; I may be in touch as I move further along. > > > Check the weather nationwide with MSN Search Try it now! > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To post to this group, send email to hexayurt@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
