Kashmir Education Foundation
Earthquake Rehabilitation and Winter Survival Shelter Programme
The Shelter
Images
KEF designed a basic shelter for survival of the earthquake victims. The design was motivated by the non-availability of craftsmen, availability of materials in the market, cost and ease and time of installation. The shelters have to be provided in a short span of time before the snow sets in, which typically is the first week of December.
The shelter is a hybrid of an Army bunker and a farm green-house. It consists of two independent structures:
Inner Shell: The inner shell is 20 feet long and 9 feet
high. A pit 2.5 feet deep is covered with semi-circular steel rods and canvas.
This can accommodate a typical family of 8-10 people and is the living
accommodation.
Outer Shell: The outer shell is 30 feet long and 14 feet high. It
consists of tubular square pipes (fabricated in Rawalpindi) covered with 20
corrugated tin sheets in a triangular shape. The front of the shelter, 10 feet
long, is covered with chicken wire and talc to give light and some storage
space. The inside of the sheets is insulated with thermo-pour. This structure
can withstand rain, snow and wind and keep the inner shell protected.
After the pit has been dug, the typical installations can be
done in about 5 hours; the only tools required on site are a pair of pliers and
a hammer.
All the material used for this shelter is reusable during reconstruction as and
when it starts.
The design and structure of the shelter has been vetted and approved by top
structural engineers.
