Shipping Containers Could Provide Housing Relief in Haiti

After Hurricane Katrina, a group of researchers at Clemson University devloped the SEED Project, aimed at turning shipping containers into temporary housing in the event a similar storm hit the Caribbean. The idea was only a concept, but in the wake of Haiti's earthquake, the team is working to make the idea a...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

January 19, 2010

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After Hurricane Katrina, a group of researchers at Clemson University devloped the SEED Project, aimed at turning shipping containers into temporary housing in the event a similar storm hit the Caribbean. The idea was only a concept, but in the wake of Haiti's earthquake, the team is working to make the idea a reality.

Designed for short-term emergency occupancy, the shipping containers, which can withstand both hurricane-force winds and quakes, would have holes cut in the sides to provide light and air circulation and then would be covered in brightly colored ceramic paint. Wooden pallets would be turned into bathing areas, large tires into beds, and metal drums into gardens to provide food.

Each container has about 310 square feet of space, which is about the size of many SoBe efficiency appartments we've visited, and the flat roofs allow for stacking to create more housing.

[Inhabitat: Shipping Containers Could Provide Disaster Relief For Haiti via CoolHunting]

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