Prefab Pedestal House - Topsider Homes

Syndicate replies to “Prefab Pedestal House - Topsider Homes” topic Sun, 06/01/2008 - 23:17 — admiral doty

The Topsider pedestal house is a pylon mounted prefab house which is available off-the-shelf and already engineered for a marine environment.  It has a proven track record of surviving hurricanes since 1968.  These would be a way to expedite the Baystead phase of the project and may be applicable to Seastead as well.  Costs are listed as comparable to a custom stick built home according to the FAQ section of the website.  Use of the Topside would allow us to focus on engineering the flotation and supporting structure while leveraging off of established technology for the living quarters. The pylon size at the waterline ranges from a 100 to 125 square foot octagon, or 11'-12.5' across the flats, with the flats ranging in width from 4.5' to 5.1'.  I would rather see an entrance in the pylon with internal stairs or elevator from a lower deck which can interconnect with neighboring units (safety float) , but this would require a redesign of the stock floor plans, which have stairs up to exterior balconies, and use the interior area for bathrooms and kitchens.

link:  http://www.topsider.com/hurricane-proof-homes.asp

‹ Size TLP (tension leg platform) design. ›

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Mon, 06/02/2008 - 07:11 — thebastidge

Might take some ideas from

Might take some ideas from the contrsutcion of these as well. But I think geodesic domes with modular panels is probably the way to go for any structure that doesn't actually require a different shape. It's got about the best track record for high winds, and encloses more space with the least amount of materials. damaged panels can be replaced without affecting the structure.

 

Mon, 06/02/2008 - 09:24 — admiral doty

I have a soft spot for

I have a soft spot for geodesic, and especially tensegrity, structures as well.  They are structurally superior to the typical rectilinear sheople shack, which tends to fall down in earthqakes and gets blown down in hurricanes. http://www.domespace.com/fr/accueil has some very nice looking, but not geodesic, domes.  The monlithic cement dome also has a proven track record surviving hurricanes and even a tornado. For fiber reinforced concrete, I can see casting something like Roger Dean's (designer of Yess album covers) very organic home designs, http://www.rogerdean.com/architecture/index.htm ,  http://www.rogerdean.com/architecture/willowater.htm . http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/index.htm also has some designs which can be adapted to casting.

I surveyed a lot of different prefab designs a few years back to quickly build worker housing on a beach front property near the planned Trujillo, Honduras construction site for the Freedom Ship. The Topsider came up in a search for "pylon house", and was an ideal candidate since it was available for export from the US as a complete kit, simplifying the task of trying to find building materials locally in a developing country.  Converted shipping containers and a stackable design which ships as a shipping container were also strong candidates for a high density housing project, http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm . Shipping containers can be stacked up to three high.

I had also considered converted shipping containers for sea colonies which would be live-board ships which would circle the oceans importing materials and components, processing and manufacturing enroute, and exporting along the route. The modular shipping container housing would allow residents to easily move among ships and land based colonies, like the dynamic geography of Seastead. I came across Freedom Ship while researching the idea and joined the project since it was along a similar line of thought, though not modular and flexible.

http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/fablisthome.htm also is a list of some very nice prefabs with modern design.

 

 

 

Mon, 06/02/2008 - 10:53 — Eelco

I love this, great find! I

I love this, great find!

I suspect we will be able to learn a lot from the techniques they have develloped. Lightweight, sea-storm-proof, and designed around the same unconventional foundation. You could basically place these on top of a spar and be ready to go.

Tue, 06/03/2008 - 09:37 — Jesrad

Moving your house around

Another advantage is that they can be moved the same way they are delivered, making the infrastructure easier to detach from the structure.