PERU - Earthquakes don't have to Be Like this - They are non-lethal for those residing in Archimede Houses

The immense tragedy like the one shown above have no reasons to be. These houses are actually slow and expensive to build as compared to Archimede, the latter having an incredible earthquake resistance for the following reasons:

• 30% to 50% less unsprung weight
• All concrete surfaces reinforced with a gauge12 mesh
• All panels joined with similar mesh and armatures
• Connection to floor with shear resistant steel @ 1m O/C
• All openings reinforced with #4 rebars, protecting doors and openings
• All wall are shear walls, yet weigh sometimes less than half of that of regular construction. The axial and perpendicular stress resistance on walls and roof is astounding.
• All roof/ceiling panels weigh sometimes 4 times less than regular roofs, yet are fully reinforced with concrete mesh on both sides.
• Connections between roof and walls has a factor of safety of up to 3.

Insects- Archimede Offers Nothing To Eat !!!

In the 2/3 of the world where 3/4 of the population lives, wood is threatened by insects, mildew, rot and fungi of all sorts. Aging is NOT a possibility for most wooden housing, as it is quickly lunch for the local parasites. The chemicals to protect from these are even more harmful (Chromated cupric arsenate,phenols etc...). Concrete is both unedible, rot proof and permanent. We want nothing less for our houses.

ABREF

The design of tents for refugees has been plagued for years with serious shortcomings. Not any more, as our contributors have provided us with a set of features that we are putting together, designing the perfect tent.
Its features:

• Internal guy wires that you can't trip over as they are built into the walls.
• Allows groupings of basic units called 'ABREFS',  in thousands of different ways.
• Wind resistance tested in wind tunnel at our Mexico facility.
• Can be quickly on spit of size.
• Can be subdivided into roomettes quite easily.
• Forms a bundle that is easy to carry.
• Comes with color coding and personalization features.
  

Below, slide of a very dense proposed refugee camp for future Armenian earthquake victims. We will take great pleasure in working with Armenian citizens and artists to make those camps thoroughly lovable by these afflicted people. Music by :

Ithikon Akmeotaton - Armenian Music Medley
Medley of traditional Armenian songs performed by ITHIKON AKMEOTATON, recorded at Octalogic Studio Mannheim, Germany 2007

OPERA

Our oldest medical building was a success from day one, back in 1990 in Louisiana.

ABREFS

ABREF is a sturdy tent that can be adapted for groupings. These have several advantages:

• Grouped tents combine each unit's high resistance to wind pressure to allow for stability under gusts of over 80 mph (see wind testing of tents)
• Because of the ziggurat shape of these, the lanes between the clusters cut down wind speed, allowing users to walk with less difficulty under high winds.
• The formation of wind protected courtyards allow for some privacy in an area that can be made insect-free, ideal for some cooking, child play or any function common to all 6 adjoining units (i.e. storage, water, etc...). In cold areas, we are working on a concept where a central heat source distributes hot air to the six neighboring tents.
  
  
  
  
  This grouping #8.1 (8 units + 1 courtyard) is ideal for high densities that still manage to leave some privacy. With close to 40% ground occupancy, this configuration can reach a site occupancy of up to 400 persons per acre.
  

There are hundreds of combinations that would greatly benefit special site morphologies, like hillside, wooded, rocky etc...We are preparing a movie showing a few of these special cases, so come back here.

TSUTSU

A lowcost

Fire - Archimede Has Just Nothing To Burn !!!

Wood is a friend of insects and rot....AND fire, producing noxious CO and capable of killing within 5 minutes. We use NO wood at all except some doors and occasional shelving. Our pantry material is fire-resistive and all our plastics (insulation, wiring etc...) are protected by at least one inch of sealed concrete.