EARTHQUAKES

Ground shaking lasting sometimes for just a few seconds to up to over one minute affect construction that is not capable of handling the sway induced by these lateral vibrations. Mostly rigid structures with high center of gravity are subject to huge stresses at connector areas.Masonry construction is the first victim whereas lightweight steel of wood construction with adequate connector reinforcement can handle these exceptional stresses quite well.
Archimede systems has 3 great assets for earthquakes, whether on high columns or on a ground slab:

1. A system of shear walls oriented in three axis vs only two, as with orthogonal construction with right angle wall intersections.
2. Lightweight rigid construction where stresses and strains are distributed throughout the entire envelope.
3. Steel or concrete columns long enough to absorb most of the horizontal sway, thus protecting the shell held above (valid for stilt construction Archimede solutions).

FLOODS

Quite obviously the raised Archimede houses can take on any flood. Even when the flood rises beyond the shell's lower edges, the tightness of the envelope will keep the water out. In cases where the water level is expected to rise much higher, we recommend a style of stilts developed to extend out, allowing floatation to take over. For tsunami shelters, a breakaway system allows the entire house to float away, tethered to a chain anchored to the ground. In this manner, the house is more capable of dealing with the floating debris that could  impact the shelter negatively if it was fixed in one place.

HURRICANES

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INITIATIVES

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TSUNAMIS

Obviously it is well worth living 10-15 ft above ground when the purpose is to sleep better, knowing that

DISASTERS

• Earthquakes and Earthquake proofing
• Floods
• Hurricanes and Hurricane proofing
• Tsunamis and Tsunami resistance and protection
• Wildfires
• Landslides
• Termites and Insect proofing
• Permafrost damage and 
• Climate changes
• Wind storms

FLOOD-PRONE AREA CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS

This house belongs to the Ferrari dealership owner in Montreal, a man who needed a secure garage under his house, one where he could wash off the road salts from under his prized set of wheels. In addition, the lot is setting next to the notorious Riviere-des-prairies, a picturesque and highly flood-prone area near Montreal. By building 'high and dry', this proud owner feels safe and snug during the occasional major flood when all his neighbors need to pile their belongings on top of their fridges and counters. But he does leave the Ferrari at the dealership when that happens. He also stores a motorized boat under the same house.
Archimede sold quite a few houses near rivers that flood occasionally. Several of them did weather severe floods and many townships now give building permits only to housing that have this capacity to resist the floods. Although Canada is not subject to hurricanes, it needs to be said that this same house needs very little else to be classified as hurricane proof: laminated glass and a stronger railing and stairs design.