The proposed post-disaster temporary shelter can be modified to fit multiple environmental conditions, both climatically and topographically. However, the chosen areas of focus are the hot-humid Southeast, the temperate Midwest, and the hot-arid Southwest. Due to the fact that a natural disaster can occur anywhere in the United States, and the proposed post-disaster temporary shelter can be modified to fit multiple environmental and weather conditions, there is not a need for a single site for the shelter.
For any location, when designing a structure, it is imperative that the designer take into consideration the average temperature, amount of precipitation, and daylighting. In a climate, such as New Orleans, buildings would be exposed to extreme hot and humid conditions. Due to the South rarely experiencing cold weather, both summer and winter winds are welcome. Therefore, the use of evergreen trees is not immediately in need. In addition, being located in a hot-humid area, heat gain and shading need to be taken into account. Windows account for the most heat gain and loss in a building. Due to this, there is a need to protect the glazing using sun shades. Also, daylighting needs to be taken into account and controlled when designing. One solution is to use fenestration controls, such as light shelves, sun screens, and vegetation. However, the easiest way to control the sun’s exposure is the shelter’s orientation on site.
Image 1 - En example of daylighting that will be incorporated in the shelter village
Once a designer has developed a program, they must choose a site based on that program. To do this, a site analysis must be completed, which includes things such as: why the site was chosen, zoning issues, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, noise within the site, and the type of materiality used in the area. The proposed shelter village is located in Granite City, IL. There are three reasons this site was chosen. The first reason is the site’s closeness to major transportation means to bring the shelters and all the needed elements to the shelter village site. The shelter village is 15 miles from Lambert St. Louis International Airport, 0.5 miles from a major railroad system, 0.5 miles from the Mississippi River, and 4 miles from Interstate 270, 255 and 70. The most feasible ways to get the 100 needed shelters to the site is using a train (can carry 400 shelters) and/or a cargo ship (can carry 2,020 shelters).
Image 2 - The site analysis of that was completed for the proposed site for my shelter village
Image 3 - Site pictures that were taken throughout the proposed village site
The second reason is the area’s history with natural disasters. Granite City lies in close proximity to the New Madrid Fault line, which extends 150 miles through five states. Between 1811 and 1812, the New Madrid fault experienced five of the largest North American earthquakes in recorded history, with magnitudes between 7.7 and 8.0. These earthquakes severely damaged structures in St. Louis, as well as caused fissures and landslides to occur. In a 2008 report, FEMA has predicted that there is a 90% chance of a 6.0 to 6.5 magnitude earthquake by the year 2040 (About the New, n.d.).
Image 4 - A diagram showing the levels of destruction that the 1812 7.7 New Madrid fault earthquake caused
In addition, Granite City is also located within Tornado Alley. As of May 2011, the United States has witnessed 835 confirmed tornadoes, of which two were EF2’s (winds between 111 and 135 mph) and one was an EF4 (winds between 166 and 200 mph). These three tornadoes either impacted or came within ten miles of Granite City (Tornadoes of 2011, n.d.). These three tornadoes have not taken a human life; however, 251 homes have been deemed unlivable (Neuner, 2011).
Image 5 - An aerial view of a subdivision after a 200 mph EF4 tornado slams into St. Louis on April 22, 2011
The third reason this site was chosen is because the site provides two million square feet of open area to house the shelter village, recreational areas, and a park area. In addition, the site is able to be expanded to the Southwest to house more shelters, in the futire. The site is surrounded by various zones: residential to the North, East, and South, a factory to the Northwest, and storage to the South. Due to being near residential and commercial zones, the site has both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. With pedestrian traffic comes the possibility for desirable sounds within the site such as, adults, children, and animals interacting. The undesirable sounds include: the nearby trains, the nearby factories, and the sounds from vehicles on Route 3. The materials used within the immediate area include concrete, various colors of siding and brick, asphalt shingles, and wood fencing. In addition, some of the surrounding buildings include a YMCA, Ace Hardware, old military warehouses, and a U.S. Coast Guard building. The last analysis element is the grade changes and drainage. Throughout the two million square foot shelter site, the grade only changes ten feet, which does not include a flood protective earth mound for the Mississippi River. In addition, the water on the site drains toward a small stream in the center of the left section of the site.
Image 6 - An enlarged pimage of the proposed shelter village
The last problem is to make the inhabitants of the shelter village feel safe and protected during their maximum 18 month stay. Unlike most FEMA villages, the proposed village uses three methods to provide safety for the inhabitants. The first method is providing a green wall and a tree barrier on the exterior of the village that separates the residential, commercial, and factorial areas from the village’s inhabitants. The second method is providing street lights along the village’s roads, parking lots, and recreational areas. In addition, bollard lights are incorporated along all the walking and biking paths, as well as all gathering areas throughout both phases of the village. The last method is providing security for the village, in the case that a disturbance would arise. By supplying a pre-designed temporary shelter and shelter village that attempts to solve the three problem statements, the displaced individuals’ embarrassment could be greatly decreased from that which occurred after Hurricane Katrina struck the United States in August of 2005.
Text
About the New Madrid Fault. (n.d.). Retrieved May23, 2011, from http://www.scchealth.org/
docs/ems/prepare/newmadrid.html
Neuner, Derrick. (2011, April 28). Good Friday Tornado Slams St. Louis Communities.
Retrieved May 23, 2011, from http://www.unewonline.com/2011/04/good-friday-
tornado-slams-st-louis-communities.
Tornadoes of 2011. (n.d.). Retrieved May23, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Tornadoes-of_2011.
Images
Image 1 - http://www.smithgroup.com/articles/1334/media/1173.jpg
Image 4- http://www.survivalprimer.com/Prophesy/The%20New%20Madrid%
20Earthquake_files/quakemap.gif
Image 5 - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KAx4Na-llg0/Thy86LBF9bI/AAAAAAAAACo/cOz-
DpmfDBc/s1600/stl_tornado.jpg
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