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container homes for Haiti

by Brother Graham: A Prospectus for a

Massive Haitian Homes Project

Brother Graham, what are your thoughts on the Haiti disaster?

A big mess in Haiti, what do we do now?   The answer  is to learn  from past mistakes in similar situations.   Everything possible is being done for their immediate short-term problems  but in great disasters of this magnitude not all can be saved and people will continue to die from starvation and disease.   The progress  fighting HIV/AIDS in Haiti is wiped out and will be worse in the future.   The undiscovered bodies in the rubble will feed huge populations of rodents and flies which will hasten the spread of diseases.   Most Haitians had little to begin with and now millions will have nothing.  The world will come to the aid for years  to come.   We must  help them to help themselves.

The Katrina disaster saddened many Americans.   Rescue efforts were great but the  thousands of camping trailers purchased for relief  made people sick from manufacturing chemical fumes.   Many left not looking back, but the Haitians have nowhere  to go.  In the tsunami’s of South East Asia  a quarter of a million died.   In the aftermath the issue was housing.   Adequate protection is found from Hurricanes, Monsoons, high heat  and insect damage with  walls made with  concrete block roofed  over with poured cement--but this meant sure death for Haitians since they're  held in place by gravity: when the earth side-steps back and forth these houses pancake.   What can we do for these poor people without options?   Prefabricated houses, house kits, modular houses and the like are unaffordable.   Here are some of the better (but not the best) ideas  I found on the internet:

Google some of these names – Haven Partnership who've  been building small concrete block and cement houses for the Haitian poor  for the last year.  Few survived.   KitHomes, .microhouse and habitaflex are  still too expensive for Haiti  and shipping costs impractical.   Spacebox – From the Netherlands but still too expensive.    FutureShack   - From Australia designed for disaster relief but not a long-term housing solution.   I feel the best answer is Shipping Container Homes   A good one is from London called Urban Space Management, an example being the very practical  container city in London.  

SHIPPING CONTAINERS

California shipping containers cost about $1000 each or half that amount in millions of quantities.   A higher amount could be claimed by the shipping companies if they donated them as charity for tax purposes.   I envision a cottage industry of these containers  by local Haitians in Port Au Prince.    A reliable banking system for small loans for start-up companies (successful in Africa) would be a must.   Outside partners (on site) would be necessary until  confident of success.   Wise charities should set up hardware stores and wholesale supply houses for ready to install doors and windows, insulations, caulking and sealers  to encourage creativity in converting these storage containers into homes.  

There are going to be thousands of shipping containers headed for Haiti to keep  people alive and well.   The average container is 8” X 40” --300 sq. ft. 

These containers are stackable and almost indestructible but require  good ventilation and insulation as metal buildings get hot, necessitating air conditioners, awnings and  high ventilation fans.  There are many ways to insulate and shade metal from the sun--I know since I  live in 125 degree whether at times.   Necessity will drive innovation to cope--and they won't have to ever fear collapsing roofs in earthquakes again for these containers maintain their shape.

Metal buildings are also the answer for  larger buildings for schools, hospitals,  government, fire, police--there are many companies that manufacture easily erected metal buildings.   I  like the Pioneer Econospan (www.pioneersteel.com).    It has a nice appearance and doesn’t look like a Quonset hut.  This  single span type of building is superior to beam & metal siding  in an earthquake and high hurricane winds, can be fully insulated, come in all sizes and can be easily erected by a few men with minimum equipment.   They can be ordered with 14 gauge galvanized steel and last forever  if properly constructed on a concrete slab foundation--even surviving a tsunami. Though unaffordable for most Haitians,  these are excellent options for other areas with earthquakes and hurricanes.   Soon I'll build one  because I'm  an active conspiracy theorist and see it all hitting  the fan around 2012 or sooner.  

 VORTEX!

 One vital new high-tech aid is VORTEX!   It's  a polymer spray-on liner material that's  an excellent insulator with great strength (www.vortexsprayliner.com).   It's pricey but many Walmart’s  have had their huge roof areas sprayed to good effect.   Just spray it on like paint and it's  an  ideal answer to insulation problems on metal buildings in hot climates.   You can walk on it barefoot  in 90 degree direct sunlight and it doesn’t get brittle hard with time.

I can’t do much for the people of Haiti in their present need, but wise men always look to the future and plan for a better tomorrow.