Wigwam Construction

Native American wigwam made with saplings and bark
Native American wigwam made with saplings and bark

“Chogan and his family needed a structure that could support the heavy snow and also provide shelter from the harsh northern winters. The dome shape of the wigwam has natural strength, and any snow that accumulated on the wigwam roof provided additional insulation from the cold.

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Collapsible woven refugee shelters powered by the sun

Collapsible woven refugee shelters by designer Abeer Seikaly
Collapsible woven refugee shelters by designer Abeer Seikaly

“More than 40 million people worldwide have been displaced from their homes and left to find shelter in strange lands. Maybe they find a tarp, or a tent, but their quality of life almost always remains dismal. To close this gap in need, Jordanian-Canadian architect and designer Abeer Seikaly designed a new kind of shelter. One that allows refugees to rebuild their lives with dignity.

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Low Cost Disaster Resistant Housing Package for SE Asia

Earth Building Solutions.com open source information for disaster resistant housing in SE Asia
Earth Building Solutions.com open source information for disaster resistant housing in SE Asia

“This open source Information Package is in response to the great, unmet demand for safe and affordable housing in a region prone to earthquake, tsunami and typhoons. After the recent Typhoon Haiyan EBS has decided to upload this disaster resistant low cost housing solution for SE Asia as open source information.

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Emergency Shelter and Disaster Resistant Housing for the Philippines

We’re starting to get requests for disaster relief in the Philippines. This is where earthbag building really shines. I’ve researched this for years and don’t know of any building method that’s better suited to providing low cost, disaster resistant emergency shelter than earthbags. Earthbag structures can be designed to resist earthquakes, typhoons and anything else … Read more

Storm Safety Shelter

Earthbag storm safety shelters for hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters
Earthbag storm safety shelters for hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters

“This was designed for safety in mind. We have had many requests in natural disaster areas (Oklahoma, Colorado, California) that we decided to make a universal plan that meets the international standard for storm shelter safety with an environmentally sound method. The Storm Safety Shelter is designed in accordance with the 2009 IBC and the 2008 ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters (ICC-500.)”

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Konbit Earthbag Shelters

Konbit earthbag dome shelters in Haiti
Konbit earthbag dome shelters in Haiti

“Konbit Shelter is a sustainable building project with the objective of sharing knowledge and resources through the creation of homes and community spaces in post earthquake Haiti. We are a group of artists, builders, architects, and engineers, who, after the January 2010 earthquake, asked ourselves how we could use our skills and resources to directly assist another community in a time of crisis.

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