house as thesis

 

A couple of weeks ago, there was a violent typhoon passing through Korea.  Due to heavy rains and strong winds, many regions in Korea went through a day-long blackout and water cutoff.  Also every year during the annual raining season, flood becomes a sensitive issue, for it causes lots of loss in houses, agricultural structures, and even further people’s lives.  But Korean situation is not the only case with the issue of harsh weather.  Extreme weather conditions exist everywhere, causing some threats in everyday life.  This is a proposal of a house that is able to withstand the extreme weather conditions.  


Survivor Kit is a transportable emergency shelter in extreme weather conditions - heavy rain and snow, hail, strong winds, dust storm, sweltering heat, etc.  It provides a minimal living space (10’x10’x11’ when folded, 16’x10’x11’ when unfolded) for one person, with sleeping, washing, cooking, and resting area for the needs of  basic surviving activities.


Though it is pretty small, it can be expanded through sliding units - sleeping and cooking area.  Once the house is located, one can customize the space, if bigger space is necessary.  Also there is hidden furniture - chairs and a table - inside of the floor.  To use these, one can simply pick them up from the floor, place them into any configuration based on the situations as long as the space allows.  


It is a prefabricated module with light, yet durable and weather-resistant material.  The walls are insulated with high R-value materials so that it can be prevented from freezing or having too much heat inside.  Its lightweight structure makes possible to have better transportability by truck, boat, or helicopter.