Disaster Proof Housing Project Blog (5/7-5/11)

Summary:

Mexico is at a very high risk of earthquakes because it is on a subduction zone. The subduction zone is located in Central America, Central Mexico, and Panama, said Gavin Hayes, a research geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey.

Traditional housing in Mexico would generally have thick walls and tile roofs, absorbing and releasing heat and various times of the day. Modern housing often uses Adobe, a material that is made of clay and other natural materials. They are also made of brick and often have wood floors and flat roofs. Other materials also used include cinder block and concrete to add protection during earthquakes. Builders make a frame by pouring concrete, then filling it in with cinder blocks or other concrete, bricks. This process helps protect houses from earthquakes and gives extra support.

 Earthquake-resistant buildings have a structure of reinforced concrete and steel. When exposed to an earthquake, these materials are flexible and strong enough for the building to move without collapsing. The structure of an earthquake-proof house may also have steel frames that will help support the structure during an earthquake. Weights on the roof that can help reduce movement. windows are made from strong glass that will not shatter if they fall and can withstand earthquakes. We have strong pillars that can give extra support in case of an earthquake. Rubber shock-absorbers that can absorb the movement from large earthquakes and help prevent damage.

Backward-Looking:

What process did you go through to produce

To produce this piece, first, we had to choose what natural disaster we were going to make our house disaster proof against and research more about this natural disaster. Once we collected all of our information, we analyzed and sorted it into each of the required sections of our website. Once we were completely finished with our website, we started creating our blueprint. The blueprint showed the rooms, windows, and doors that we would include in our prototype. We created the house out of cardboard and used hot glue to secure all of the furniture. Once we were done, we tested our prototype.

Inward-Looking

How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work?

I feel like we put a lot of effort into this project, so I do feel pretty good about this piece of work. I liked this project because there was a lot of freedom because we could choose what natural disaster we wanted to do and how we were going to make our house disaster-proof. I enjoy how we could use a lot of creativity while we were creating our model. In our piece of work, I liked how we make our house simple and light, however, we did not make it heavy enough for it to be earthquake proof. I really enjoyed this project because we could be creative, we had a lot of freedom, and I like the disaster-proof house that we made.

Outward-Looking

Did you do your work the way other people did theirs? In what ways did you do it differently? In what ways was your work or process similar?

Each group was allowed to choose whatever natural disaster they wanted, so each group was a little bit different. We were the only group that chose earthquakes, so our house looked different from all of the other houses. However, the process of creating our house was similar because the requirements were the same for each group. Each group chose a different natural disaster and was allowed to do their house differently, so each disaster-proof house was unique. Overall, many of the groups did their projects differently, so each group had a unique topic and disaster-proof house.

Forward-Looking

What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again?

If I had a chance to do this piece over again, I would spend more time on making our house bigger and more realistic. I would also spend more time on the disaster-proof house than on the website, as I did feel like we were rushing as it got closer to the due date. Next time, I would manage my time better and be more efficient. Overall, we put a lot of work and effort into this project so there would not be a lot of things that I would change.