The Vietnam Beach Resort Project Near Nha Trang

Retirement clusters spread on a grand set of dunes by a lovely beach. On top, north American clusters where each owner is fully isolated from his neighbors in spite of the fact that they share a common plumbing and utilities core connection. Very economical, they provide privacy and comfort without wasting land use and grounds utilities.

In that project, the same basic arrangement is treated in the local idiom by simply changing the roof for synthetic grass over a membrane, also using local craftmen to decorate the panels prior to their erection. These are confined on a small island in the project were artists are invited to stay to create a restful haven for tourists and retirees, having flute players and teachers of Tai Chi and martial arts do demonstrations.

Living High

International Housing Industry Involvement -1972-2000

THE 'CONNECTORS' PROBLEM

Stick-built housing uses too many tiny connectors like nails, staples and small screws. Too many to easily inspect as too many miss their mark (this was shown in the forensic studies after Andrews stormed Homestead FL).

The New Mexico Technical Developments

The Los Alamos factory was built to develop three new technologies relating to foam injected paneling systems and other aspect of the Archimede construction techniques. All achieved complete proof of our starting hypothesis:

• Extra-large panels from a new 'crossover platen press' ,
• Built-in metal cladding system with concealed edges and hidden connectors,
• Passive solar for commercial structures
• Steel structural frames requiring little or no post-finishing.

One of the original partner in these ventures is Eric Treisman, a Santa Fe attorney still very active with the Institute. His long-standing involvement with North American native tribes and with Tibet has been a source of enlightment for all of us.

THE 'HEART-LUNG'MODULE

Photo above shows three 'wet modules' being built at Louisiana plant. These bathrooms are fully tested before being loaded in a container. Their corner posts projecting downward allow plumbers and electricians to go under if needed. These 'high heels' are simply cut-off with a chainsaw before loading. Containing the service entrance panel and the back 'wet' wall to the kitchen, those compact modules are the coe of all Archimede houses, removing at leat 50% of all technical tasks at the building site, speeding up assembly immensely. Below, a 120 m2 (1300 ft2) 2-story house that can be built for well below $50,000. A few of these were erected in Venezuela in 1994.





























At the right, the 'San Isidro' version of the house above as being completed in Isla Margarita VE. Note that three or more houses could be shipped into 2 40-ft containers and that erection time of these prior to stucco finish is only a matter of a few days, thanks in part to the fact that the more technically complex wet module carries most of the wiring and piping. This is why we at the Institute call this concept by Poirier the 'heart-lung' module of any house we fabricated.
It must be said however that the fact that all of these pressure-injected foam core panels are already prepared at the plant with doors and windows, also with notching for roof beams and other task requiring precision. Making these in a weather controlled plant having positioning fixtures or 'jig' is the way to go!

Wall And Roof Treatment Variations

TSUNAMI 'FLOATING SOLUTION'

Although this house was designed for a flooding site, it could handle most tsunamis with its rigidity and steel clad paneled underbelly at a high stance. For the much less probable tsunamis that could rise above the door sills and create massive amounts of floating debris, we suggest soluble bolt anchors on top of each column. This way the house will float as a rigid unit capable of taking a lot of hits and yet remain safe. Of course a solid chain would tether it to a reliable point on the ground. This is not a compromise as both safety and practicality are maintained in a relatively low-cost house.

WHO COMES HERE - OUR TRAINING SEMINARS

We have a one-on-one training program for civil employees wanting to upgrade their palette of choices in the rebuilding arena. These two week seminars are held in Cantamar MX, and cost includes lodging in a beach condo as well as transit to and from the San Diego Airport. The cost of a complete session in $1000., including the documentation that is transferred from computer to computer. Trainees are invited to bring portable drives with at least 300 gigs of free space. Diplomas are given and most governments recognize our institution for tax purposes applied to professional training and career upgrading.

2013-2020

• By the end of 2012, the Institute will be well known to the faculty of most Architectural Schools throughout the world. It would conceivably by then be very easy to recruit students for summer stages at our different facilities. By gaining insight in our methods as a trade-off for their help, those students will vastly enrich and help spread the Archimede gospel for stronger building shells. Seeding the entire profession at this early date in their career, many of these students will chose to forego conventional practice later on and devote their energies to promoting the thousands of needed shelters before the end of the 2010 decade.
• 
  
• On the same schedule, our affiliate offices would recruit local contractors willing to invest a month of their time to learn the Archimede ways. By 2012, we hope to have had the time and energy to clone our head office in several other locations closer to frequent disaster afflicted areas.

2010-2020

These are the eight years where the hurricane shelter project will really be implemented worlwide. After a promotional campaign in 2008, we expect to be training crews in Mexico to manufacture the components to produce and erect these in the affected zones of their country. These people sent to us by their government or NGOs will live with us in Cantamar for the time it takes for them to fully integrate our techniques.

2008-2010

We intend to use the rest of 2007 to raise money and to get in touch with the rebuilding authorities in several areas, namely in Bangladesh, Peru, and Haiti, recent victims of natural disasters. We are completing several design programs:

• A cyclone shelter for 500 people at below $60K. one that can be completed in 1 month by a semi-skilled crew.
• A red cross first aid station that can resist cyclones and tsunamis.
• A tsunami-proof kit house at below $30K, unfinished.
• An aseptic heli-portable surgical module that is autonomous and air conditioned.
  
• A container based portable factory capable of producing 100 panels a day for shelters above.
• Our new institute training program for manufacturing.
  

2008 will be the year when we complete our inernational network of affiliates. Tentatively, we aim to have a presence in Dakra BD---Singapore MY---Ho Chi Minh City VN---Beijing CN---Tokyo JP--- Honolulu US---San Diego* US---Cantamar**MX---Dallas*US---Miami* US---Philipsburgh* N.A.---Caracas VE---New York US---Montréal* CA---Paris* FR---Geneva CH---Moscow RU---Rome IT--- Abijan CI--- Istambul TR---Yerevan* AM---Teheran IR
(* single asterisk indicate existing links that we are developing-** Our home office)