Revised Proposal

The purpose of this study is to learn how shipping containers are impacted by extreme weather conditions by simulating environmental conditions in Revit and Ecotect. Elements of this study include energy analysis, cooling and heating, daylighting, natural ventilation, thermal analysis, and acoustics. Furthermore, the structural integrity of these containers will be examined by breaking the units down to the point of failure to identify structural weaknesses. Assessment of these results will aid in the design of an alternative to disaster housing using shipping containers as a source for permanent housing.

This investigation will help to inform me of an appropriate response to the need for improved disaster housing. The current applications of disaster housing vary due to the nature of the disaster. Disaster housing can range from short-term shelters to permanent housing. Generally, establishing these shelters is well choreographed on the local level as organizations execute their emergency plans. The challenge presents itself when individuals are displaced for longer periods of time. The ability to meet individual and household needs become more difficult. While in the past, this plan has been effective, it failed to provide adequate housing for those who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Now, more than 3 years later, the struggle to correct the issues brought to light by Hurricane Katrina is ongoing. Through this project, I plan to illustrate how simulation can provide a tool to examine elements of the design that would otherwise require full scale prototypes and an extended period of time. The use of CAD in this study will allow for a comprehensive study of shipping containers and how they can function as more than a temporary fix to a larger problem.

The application of this study will consist of modeling a standard shipping container in Revit and using this model to apply simulation studies within Revit and Ecotect. The combination of the findings from Revit and Ecotect will result in a compilation of knowledge about how shipping containers can be used for residential design. For presentation purposes, a possible design will be rendered in Revit and all information found will be displayed through an online site with an interactive format. This will be accomplished through the use of flash and a web development tool. This project will be limited by time constraints and technology available.

Results of this study are anticipated to be an interactive website that will inform viewers how shipping containers may be used and manipulated to provide housing for others. This will help to inform me in my thesis as well, by illustrating how shipping containers can withstand extreme weather conditions and how they will function within a residential setting. This will then help to dictate how shipping containers could be used to provide an alternative to traditional disaster housing. Ideally a more generalized goal for this study will be to provide a contribution to the body of knowledge.