Architecture for Humanity is non-profit

design service founded in 1999. AFH

promotes architectural and design

solutions to global, social and

humanitarian crises. This submission is

an container design studio project

organised by university of Auckland

and AFH Auckland, New Zealand. The

project is a study on turning expired

shipping containers into disaster relief.

We believe a good design can make

trash into treasure. This design focuses

on using shipping containers to deal

with issues in Australia bush fire

disasters.

Name of the students:

Xiaoyi (Sean) Bian

University:

The University of Auckland

Department:

School of Architecture and Planning

Name of the supervisor:

Alexandra JaYeun Lee

Department:

School of Architecture and Planning

5th i-Rec student competition

Emails:

biansean@hotmail.com

Postal address of the Department:

Building 421. Level 6, 26 Symonds St, Auckland

Email of the supervisor:

lee.jayeun@gmail.com

Country: New Zealand

Telephone number:

+0064 21 2997889

Telephone number of the Department

+64 9 373 7067

Telephone number of the supervisor:

+0064 21 957736

Date: 29 March 2010

The site of the project is at north of Melbourne, Australia, where wildfire disasters were constantly

happening. The concept is to provide good designed container houses, founded and well looked

after by local communities. These houses can be rented out as motel to raise founding for more

container houses. They are designed to be highly fire-proof. After bush fire disaster, the house can

be used as temporary or permanent shelter.

Charities tend to give camp vans or designed tents to people as temporary shelters at post disaster

situation. The transformed space provides limited room for multifunction uses. Instead of a

bedroom, only a bed is provided. Instead of a living room, bed needs to be folded as a couch. There

is no functional space, but just objects supply limited functions. This design acknowledged that

providing an extremely compressed living space as survival kit is not architecture for humanity, but

architecture pushing the boundary limitation of our most basic living condition. For people who have

just lost their family and their home deserve better than just a surviving kit. I believe a good design

shall give them a new beginning, a hopeful future, and most importantly, a home.

Container 1

Container 2

Container 3

The design is to compress the

concept of home's functional

spaces in to three elements.

Each element is contained

within one standard size

container. The elements are

private space, contains

bedroom. Communal space,

contains a kitchen and a living

room, or meeting room. And

the services space contains

storage, water tank and

washroom. The three

containers can be assembled

in to one house or can be

used separately for different

functions requirements.

Staircase can be folded together to use as a shelf.

Built in water tank.

Lower Floor Plan

Upper Floor Plan

Stair well can be

closed to became a

secondary bedroom

Balcony for the bedroom

Storage underneath the staircase

Sliding Door

Relocatable

Staircase.

A Secondary Roof is designed to keep its interior cool for certain climate, it is used especially in Australia. The sun heats up the air underneath the roof then the heat is blown away by the wind. Furthermore, the roof is perfect for collecting rain water to store in a built in water tank. The material of the roof is ETFE (ethyl tetra fluoro ethylene ¨C a strain of fluoro polymer). This material will evaporate in the case of fire. All other materials in this project are fire resistible. Asbestine panels cover the body of the container, and the window covers are printed with fire protective print. For Laundry, water and energy efficient washing machine will be used, while a space for a clothesline outside will allow clothes to be dried naturally negating the need for a dryer. Bathroom using a low flow shower head makes showering use less water and be energy efficient. A solar hot water heater will be used, which will supply enough hot water for the whole household. Furthermore, a water feature (swimming pool or fish pond) to be added near the house as emergence fire chamber.

Technical information

Roof and Wall Junction Details

Floor and Wall Junction Details

Secondary Roof Details

Australia city council require the residents

who live in the high rated fire disaster areas

to cut the trees around their house.

However, the reason for those people

moved to the bush is their love for the

trees. The design shall engage with the

surroundings. A concept of A beautiful

house placed underneath the branch an leaf.

The design shall give them a new beginning,

a hopeful future, and most importantly, a

home.