A hybrid earthbag and pallet building would provide excellent protection from the weather and would be virtually free to build with debris and discarded shipping pallets. The addition of rain water collection, humanure composting, and simple solar oven(s) would provide fresh water and help keep human waste safely out of the way. Any additional materials would only enhance this basic earthquake resistant structure.
Be sure to visit Michael Janzen’s Tiny House Design website for many more sustainable building ideas.
[Note: this project was part of a design competition at Core77]
HOW TO TRANSFORM A CAR INTO A CHILDREN WINTERSHELTER
Step 1 Find a safe place for the car
Shelters built from cars are easy to transport, and can therefore be placed in a circle or next
to other shelters. Place the cars so that one door can still be opened and plastic or other
materials can cover the space between the cars.
Step 2 Remove all the seats
After removing the seats the car will provide far more space. More people will find protection
against the cold and wind. Use the seats to have a comfortable place to sit on, outside the
car, under the plastic or canvas cover.
Step 3 Isolate the shelter from the inside
A) Cover the floor with mattresses.
Mattresses will provide a good isolation against the cold coming from the ground.
B) Cover the floor with clothing etc.
A thick layer of clothing, cloth, plastic bags and wrapped newspapers will provide isolation.
C) Cover the windows with clothing and newspapers
Step 4 Make isolation-materials for the outside
Fill plastic bags or brick-bags with stones, rubble, earth, ice or snow.
Step 5 Place the bags around the car
Place the bags so that they will prevent the wind from blowing under the car.