ARCHIMEDE INSTITUTE


SINT MAARTEN - Guana Bay - Beach Condos that Successfully Weathered a Devastating Force 5 Hurricane


A pleasure it was to build in the sunny islands, with grateful owners and rental users year round. The unique geometry with the near absence of right angle corners inside and out still gives pleasure to thousands of visitors as can be seen in these web sites by owners.

VIETNAM - Nha Trang Projected Beach Retirement Community



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.

USA - Los Alamos NM- Ski Lodge From Our Oversized Panels























The Los Alamos Ski Club gave us a chance to try out a simple 3 story steel structure of our design and completely enclosed, roof and wall, with panels injected in our large presses. This plant of ours in Los Alamos innovate in several areas of machinery, methods and product. In the commercial construction field, steel shells are very suitable and popular. This building is still used very effectively 20 years later and its cost was an amazing $17 per ft2

Remarquably, this structure does not need any heating after 9AM in ski season. The body heat of skiers and cooking kitchen with the sun showing up through the large plate glass is more than enough to keep the shell toasty inside till late in the afternoon. R36 wall and roof panels along with supertight joint guarantee that result, along with properly oriented windows.

None of this is really surprising if one studies this text concerning steel clad urethane panels used since the late 40's. Their longevity and sustainability is simply amazing.

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!

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.