THE PROBLEMS WITH EXISTING REFUGEE TENTS

Azerbajan Tent Villages
















Pakistani Earthquake of 2005










Iraqui-Jordan Refugees
Collapsed tents, taken down by the U.N. refugee agency because of high winds and the dust storms , line an empty refugee camp on a cold, wind-swept plain near the far eastern Jordanian town of Al-Ruweishid, 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Jordanian-Iraqi border Wednesday, March 26, 2003. This refugee camp is ready to receive thousands of fleeing Iraqis because of the US-led strike against Saddam Hussein 's regime, but so far, there isn't a single one. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Typical Refugee Tent Catalog

GOOGLE MAP- For A Satellite View of Some of our Projects

• The Canadian Arctic Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik, CA
• Ski Area - The Archimede Ski Resort , Sutton CA
  
• Hurricane Sone - Guana Bay Archimede Village, Sint Maarten NA
  
• Deserts - A large residence in Arizona - Bisbee. AZ
  
• Flood Areas- Rosemère QC -
  
• Mountains - Mont Ste Anne condos - QC
  
• City Detached and Semi-detached 2-story housing Domus System, St Jean QC
  
• Technical buildings - I.R.E.Q. (Institut de Recherches en Electricité du Québec)
  

CONSTRUCTION

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DESIGNING

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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).

ETHICAL

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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.

GREEN

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HURRICANES

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INDUSTRIALISTS

• Pat Faley's company designs and builds drones for the US armed forces. These pilotless aircrafts are used with deadly purpose in Afghanistan, but also for surveillance over the US southern border with Mexico. This ex-fighter pilot is a brillant adviser on automation and other assembly line technologies.
• Pierre Caouette, Regen Nautic founder and CEO is also an ex commercial pilot who recently developed digital technology to manage the electrical systems of 'green'  yatchs and cruisers. More than a consulted friend and industrialist, Pierre is also a generous donor to the Institute. He also represents us occasionally in Florida where Regen Nautic is located.

INITIATIVES

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INNOVATIVE

Space-Filling (tessalation) Housing Modules That Allow Expansion In several direction (Poirier- 1979)

• Over 1000 houses in 12 countries built using this system

Wedge Action Panel Press (Poirier- 1980)

• A-Frame double-dide press platens riding on rails and acting like 'easels' to receive facings and other sandwich panel components like doors and windows.
• Fixed A-frame outer press receives the platens that are then wedged tightly into it by floor mounted hydraulics