Haiti's Earthquake Resistant Habitat

The already earthquake devastated country of Haiti, struggling with deforestation, and crime, is also impacted by many earthquakes, making the country a very hard place to live.[1] This proposed design could help be the solution the country is looking for.

Supplies

The following supplies needed for the diorama are all shown here

6 in x 24 in fake grass
3d printer
Filament
Blue wrap
Blue tape
Paper
Cardboard
Cardboard cutters
3 small miniature trees
Gorilla tape
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Wire cutters
Soldering wires

The First Six Choices

When I think of extreme locations on Earth, six locations come to mind. Here they are listed and include why they would be a great place to build a structure meant for an extreme environment.

Haiti - Earthquakes, Lack of clean water, & Deforestation [2]

Sahara Desert - Drought & Lack of clean water [3]

Tornado Alley - Tornadoes & Flooding [4]

Himalayas - Extreme cold & Avalanches [5]

Hawaii - Volcanic activity & Smoke [6][7]

California - Fires & Drought [8]

Why Haiti Was Chosen

I picked Haiti for many reasons. Haiti is around the middle of the pack when it comes to population when compared to the other six choices, but due to their low finances, they would definitely benefit more than the others. A data chart is shown up at the top. Haiti is also one of the most dangerous of the choices due to the many earthquakes, a low economy, dirty water, and many more negative attributes.[9][10] Haiti is in a very leveled state due to the previously mentioned reasons, and building a center for people to work and live in would benefit this location greatly.

Earthquake-Proof Inspiration

Pagodas - Japanese pagodas are well known for their earthquake resistant properties, and the system used inside pagodas was picked, as Haiti is a very common place for earthquakes to strike.[2][11] The structure of each floor on this building will have a strong resemblance to pagoda designs, Both structurally and aesthetically.

Bamboo - Bamboo is a plant the thrives in the most seismic prone countries in the world, such as Japan, China, and of course, Haiti.[12] Haitian Bamboo will be a strong resource to use in the design, as the plant would work as an outer column system very well, along with covering the concrete roofs of the building.[13] The bamboo will look nice and strengthen the building.

The Materials, and Who Is Responsible for Them

Bamboo (Main material) - Carpenter / Builders [14][15]

Glass - Glazier [16]

Concrete & Rebar - Civil Engineers / Concrete Masons [17][18]

Base water collection system - Civil Engineers / Plumbing [17][19]

Pipes - Civil Engineers / Plumbing [17][19]

Solar panels - Electrician [20]

Filtration system - Plumbing [19]

The Structure in Detail

The building was built in the style of a pagoda for the previously mentioned reasons.[11] The outside of the tower was lined with bamboo, as it is strong, reduces the overall cost of the building, and gives the building a more colorful exterior. [13][21] The interior is built using concrete and rebar, as this would be a very strong way of keeping all the floors up.[22] A glass curtain meant to survive the elements will line the outside of the structure, excluding the bamboo roof.[23] The floorplan for the building's non mechanical or lobby floors are shown above, along with the Tinkercad model of the building. The dimensions and floor count are interchangeable and will depend on where in Haiti the building is built, or the finances of the engineering firm who ends up building it. It is important to note that these floorplans do not have dimensions. Pipes will run from sinks, toilets, and showers through the floor, until they reach hollowed out service cores where the pipes and electrical wires will run all the way down.[24] The middle of the central column is nothing but rebar and concrete, along with the pagoda style joints. Both of these design choices will be a very great choice for structural integrity.[11][22] The thumbnail concept image of what the tower would look like in Haiti is shown as well. The outer bamboo lining is visible on the roof and columns. An image of a diorama of the tower and the surrounding environment is also shown in the above images. Scenery including trees, buildings, and a lake are included in the model. The tower is included as the main centerpiece of the diorama. This is another great way to look at what the habitat would look like in Haiti. The Diorama was built by using the cardboard as a base, and hot glueing soldering wiring to create the skeletal structure of the hills. 3d printed parts were then placed under the wires in locations where weight would be applied, such as where the tower or trees are. Grass was then placed on top and cut in the top left corner to start the base of the lake. The lake was then made by placing two layers of clear blue wrap between the grass and the cardboard. All wires were removed under, and the cut areas were hot glued onto the cardboard. The trees were then placed, along with removing dirt in the city part of the landscape. The decorated building was put in the giant patch of dirt. Finaly, the area around the tower's foundation was removed, and the tower was placed in. All materials and tools needed to build the diorama are listed in the supplies section of the instructible.

Haiti's Earthquake Resistant Habitat