h a l f b a k e r yFutility is persistent.
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These lightweight, plastic 1 person emergency living
units
are 8ft long (the width of the semi truck that would
transport them) 7 foot tall and 6 foot wide. They are
hard
plastic, can be transported 16 units at a time on a
standard
semi truck. They have a slightly rounded roof for rain
to
run off that fits into the slightly rounded floor to assist in
keeping bundles of these securely fit together for
transportation. They feature a bed, TV, simple food
heater
and bathroom featuring a toilet / shower combination
like
you have in private rooms in railroad train cars.
Their utilities, heating, cooling, water and sewer are all
supplied by a central service truck. This truck can
service
up to 64 units. A utilities tube is hooked up to the back
of
the pods and runs to the central services truck parked in
the middle of a group of these.
The truck is hooked up to a fire hydrant for water and
has
a tube running temporarily through a manhole into the
nearest sewer. Its has a central water heating system, air
conditioning system, heating system, pneumatic toilet
sewer return system like used in airliners and cable TV
hookup.
These are simple living units that provide the basics to
survive and include the cable TV to make living in one a
bit
more comfortable. There are no electric power outlets
as
this might pose a safety hazard.
These can be used in 2 ways: 1) To house homeless
populations and 2) as emergency shelters to be used
during
times that hospitals are overloaded.
They are comparatively inexpensive due to the fact that
all the expensive systems, heating, cooling, sewer water
and TV are contained in what I'll call the "mother ship"
truck. They might be made with the same system used to
create bathtub / shower combination overlays that are
used speedily and in-expensively re-model bathrooms.
(see
link)
If we had these now, hospitals that are full could have
their parking lots filled with these and up and running in
a
matter of hours.
Let me add that the truck also has food for all the
people in its care. This would be in the nature of
emergency rations, but people would eat 3 meals a day,
be warm in winter, cool in summer, clean and with
several hundred channels to watch on the TV, not
completely bored.
To summarize: although small modular homes have been
suggested, I haven't found any solutions that include the
central utility supply truck that would make this
practical.
Best example I could find.
https://www.homedep...1370110-0/205218517
Still looking though. [doctorremulac3, Mar 19 2020]
Prior art on a tall, narrow pod that rotates to a horizontal position for sleeping
Refreshotelinder
by me. MIMA [notexactly, Mar 20 2020]
[link]
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Yea, the idea is definitely the central utilities / food
truck. |
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I think lack of this is what's keep these from working. I
used
to work in architectural systems design, that's what costs
all
the money. For instance, look at the cost of a garden
shed, a
few hundred bucks. Now turn it into a house. Not cheap,
so
doing it 64 times isn't really practical. Doing it once on a
large scale with truck might make this work. |
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Speaking of which, these would be both strengthened and
insulated by spray in expanding foam. The structure
would have an interior and exterior shell. |
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How do the users pay for their unit ? |
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//How do the users pay for their unit ?// |
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These are taxpayer funded strategic disaster response
items. |
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Is there not a more cost-effective funding strategy available, based on - for example - looting ? Or users have to sign an option on body parts ? |
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// The Red Cross never charges people for blankets // |
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They're clearly missing a trick there. |
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Add a skylight and windows by the way. In the front and on
one side so windows don't look in on the unit next to it. |
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Plastic double pane to increase insulation. In fact the whole
unit could be made of clear plastic and the opaque sections
could be made so by the expanding foam rigid insulation. |
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This method would allow some measure of sound proofing as
well. |
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Clear plastic is typically more expensive and less robust than coloured. It's also more vulnerable to UV embrittlement. We suggest grey/white colouration to limit solar gain, and protect against UV. |
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If this were modeled on a Portaloo, but able to be quickly and easily tipped horizontal for sleeping, the density could be considerably increased, |
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We still consider providing these units free of charge may represent poor policy; if they can get near-acceptable accommodation for nothing, what inducement will poor people in far-away hot countries have to work for starvation wages making consumer goods for the wealthy ? |
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Yea, but having sheets of clear plastic you vacuum mold into
shape might make it worth while. These have to be stamped
out and cheap to actually get made. |
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If we start adding features like separate fixtures, windows
etc it just won't happen. Keep in mind, these are competing
against tents. |
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Indeed; that's the "half-baked" part ... |
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We strive for consistency.... |
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// "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" // |
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No coal to be hewn, no chimeys to be swept, no expensive trainers to be hand-sewn ? What of the oakum-picking trade ? Is there no call for pure-finders* or night-soil men ? |
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All the old skills are being lost.... tragic. |
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*Look it up if you dare; it's disgusting. |
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I'm guessing that it's "night-soil men" I should probably just
guess about. |
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No, it's the other one ... |
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Unless, that is, you find yourself in need of a supply of pure, and have to go out and find it yourself. |
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Then again, you could always subscribe to some News International titles instead - it would amount to the same thing. |
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There should be an electrical outlet, though I don't object to it being a GFCI or similar one. How else are people going to charge their phones and laptops? Even homeless people commonly have cell phones these days. |
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// If this were modeled on a Portaloo, but able to be quickly and easily tipped horizontal for sleeping, the density could be considerably increased // |
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// How else are people going to charge their phones and laptops? // |
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Rent them photovoltaic panels. |
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Better, have rows of stationary bicycles attached to a lineshaft and then a generator (a single large generator is more efficient than many small ones). Torque sensors meter energy input, earning credit to offset against use of chargers. |
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On the end of the lineshaft there can be a big abrasive wheel, just right for grinding the faces of the poor. |
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Pedalling away will keep the occupants of the modules fit, busy, out of trouble, and too physically tired to be troublesome. |
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We like this concept more and more... |
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// How else are people going to charge their
phones and laptops? // |
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OK, I'll add a USP charger port. |
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How about a 12V DC bus ? That can be switched up to a couple of kV, for the painful electric shocks to get them off their beds and onto the stationary bicycles.... |
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I doubt people will want to charge their United States Pharmacopeia-listed medicines. A USB port would be fine for phones and new laptops (if it's the right kind), but what about old laptops? Providing a 19.5 V DC cord with a handful of tips would be sufficient, I guess. But what's wrong with normal power? People don't get hurt from that very often in regular housing. |
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You've never stayed in one of our rental properties, have you, [not] ? |
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Being alive and mostly intact, I doubt it. |
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It certainly fits the observed facts. |
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The Yanks had Ben Franklin, who (allegedly) got away with playing with a kite in a thunderstorm, and the Brits had the altogether more thoughtful Mick Faraday, who also produced electricity but significantly also gave much thought to the importance of not dying in the process. |
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There has historically been a notable divergence in approach to electrical safety on different sides of the Atlantic... |
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