Tornado-Proof Suburb

Our proposed site is on the outskirts of Kansas City Missouri, under the most violent of atmospheres in the northern hemisphere. Buildings in this region move, but not usually of their own volition. The uninvited motion takes the form of a shredding violence which often obliterates the home, reducing entire communities to rubble.. The solution requires nothing less than a paradigm shift in home design.

A series of hydraulic levers are used to move the housing units in and out of the ground, warping and deflecting the outer skin in response to external stimulation. The mobility also offers the home a chance to aim itself into the prevailing wing to capture maximum breezes or avoid them. Solar cells on the skin rotate and flex to attain maximum solar intensity. A translucent outer skin consisting of clear insulation sandwiched between two layers of Kevlar provides the weather barrier, structure, and diffuse lighting.

Neighborhoods are interconnected to collect and share micro climactic information. The basic framework is composed of three basic processes, Sensors (collecting meteorological data from the surroundings); Control system (processing the real-time information, data mining the knowledge base, and making decision on the action taken); Actuators (expressing the decision made in physical transformation of building). Once the alarm has sounded the entire neighborhood simply and safely drifts down into the ground out of harms way.

The fundamental question is why build something solid where nature's patterns are clear and predictably destructive?

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• StormPod
• Ted Givens
• Trey Tyler
• tornado
• tornadoes
• tornado-proof
• tornado-proof house
• smart house
• breatheable
• underground house
• kansas
• moveable house
• architect
• architecture
• Emily Givens

[HackHunters]

Don't use hydraulic levers, use air. Released thru simple valves it could lower the structure, then it could be raised one house at a time w/ a pump (a big one at that). Why? Cost.

[bryncomeaux]

if yo shape the building as an upside down funnel the tornadoes and wind cant get a grip. Its cheaper than underground building. The rest is a matter of reducing flying debris from standard building that have failed.

[REV0Kadavur]

I designed permnament underground tornado, earthquake, flood proof homes that would remain underground, using solar tubes for sun light and concentrated solar power. Neighborhoods would look like parks, with no house in sight. Only sheds and temporary buildings such as car ports would be built above ground. They would utilize a similar foundation design used with skyscrapers, basically a waterproof box within a waterproof box, seperated by industrial shock absorbing springs... Designed at age 11

[delCielo100]

You guys should check out Monolithic domes in Italy Tx. they have low cost energy efficient buildings one major problem what if this home shown here for some reason has a mechanical failure doubtful but possible then what? Still neat design lacks some practicality though.

[delCielo100]

You guys should check out Monolithic domes in Italy Tx. they have low cost energy efficient buildings one major problem what if this home shown here for some reason has a mechanical failure doubtful but possible then what? Still neat design lacks some practicality though.

[TedGivens73]

A prototype of the house is being built.

The design started as a replacement for the mobile home. There is an urban version as well- but this house deals with the more rural population that can't always afford living in the city.

[missdarlesha2696]

This NEEDS To Be Put In Effect !!!

[rmcdaniel423]

@grneggandsam Fair enough, about the mass production = lower cost. I'm not sure though, that "density" is the best thing. It carries it's own share of countless social problems (crime, disease, homelessness, etc). As long as we're fantasizing about the future, we don't have to include gasoline. Dispersed populations don't have to have interconnected plumbing. And not everyone likes the idea of living like termites.

[grneggandsam]

@rmcdaniel423 I'm sure they used to say that only the rich could own cars, too. Now everyone owns one.

However, my biggest criticism of this is that it still encourages the development of drivable suburbia which has even deeper problems (wastefull of gasoline, energy, space, electric lines, plumbing, as well as creation of countless social problems). Unless these are only farming houses. Look for a solution to housing that is tornado-proof, And also encourages density and pedestrians.