Inspired by ancient structures, an architect's innovative design for an emergency shelter is adapted by the International Rescue Committee to house survivors of the South Asia quake that is estimated to have left 3.3 million homeless.
"The IRC is adapting an innovative design that uses flexible, hollow plastic tubing normally used in the packaging of grains and commodities. The tubing, manufactured in rolls more than a kilometer long, is packed tight with soil and debris which is then twisted into a dome-shaped structure...The structures are an adaptation of a building technique designed by Nadir Khalili...Mr. Khalili came up with the simple dome design after studying ancient structures left standing after natural disasters. He found that domes, vaults and arches have withstood earthquakes for as long as 4,000 years..."
Read the full story: IRC designs emergency shelter for quake survivors
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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