housing in many varieties

8/11/2019 Housing in Many Varieties

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Housing in many varieties

Adjustments to the climate and financial possibilities

One of the things in which a tropical country differs

from countries of other climate zones, is housing.

The architecture as well as the used construction

materials, show a clear adjustment to the specific

climate conditions. A more important aspect that

influences the architecture is the financial position of

the family.

With less financial possibilities the

architecture and visible construction

materials are more simple and more

derived from the natural surrounding.

Wooden planks, board, bamboo and

straw are the basic materials for thetraditional houses. Geographically, the

more remote the region is, as mountain

areas are, the more the natural

environment delivers the construction

materials for the houses.

Click on the pictures to go inside the

houses

House after replacement of the wooden construction

materials, Red Cross Village, Place: near Ormoc

City, Leyte

Pictures: E.C. de Schoolmeester

House, build with wooden en iron

construction materials, Place: alongside

an outgoing road of Ormoc City, Leyte
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In the mountain areas and villages the traditional

bamboo houses are still common. Because bamboo

has a rather good isolating quality, these houses are

rather cool. The open windows and - common -

open structure, makes a good circulation of air

possible. This makes these houses quit comfortable.

Picture: jarsoftware.com

The houses of the Ifugao, 'Bale', people in

Northern Luzon have specific features.

Like the bamboo houses, they are build on

piles, about three meters high. The roof is

made of long straw. Typical is the

traditional, pyramid -like, shape of the

roof.

Picture: [email protected]

You may remember Abraham Maslows famous hierarchy of needs. The popular pyramid (first

published in 1943 and still a regular fixture in classrooms and corporate teambuilding exercises) puts
http://www.jarsoftware.com/http://popup%28%27ifugaohousebig.jpg%27%29/http://caricafoto%28%27bambhouseb.jpg%27%29/http://popup%28%27ifugaohousebig.jpg%27%29/http://caricafoto%28%27bambhouseb.jpg%27%29/http://popup%28%27ifugaohousebig.jpg%27%29/http://caricafoto%28%27bambhouseb.jpg%27%29/http://www.jarsoftware.com/


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forth a basic argument about humans psychology: that we satisfy our needs in a well-defined order.

First come the basic bodily needs, things like not starving and not freezing to death. Then, once those

are sorted out, we can worry about the next level of needs, safety, and so on. At the pinnacle of

Maslows pyramid is self-actualization the need to reach your full potential, and to lead a fulfilling,

creative, and purposeful life.

Now four psychologists have come along with an update to Maslows pyramid, and theyve created a

controversy a somewhat confused controversy, but still about what it is that we really need. This

new pyramid scraps self-actualization outright. At the top of this pyramid? Parenting. That comes in

right above finding and then keeping a mate.

The update is designed to bring the famous pyramid of needs more closely in line with what weve

learned over the last six decades from fields as diverse as neuroscience and evolutionary

anthropology, according to the researchers who designed. For obvious reasons, not everyones

thrilled with the proposed updates, which were published earlier this summer in Perspectives on

Psychological Science. For some people, sure, parenting is the most fulfilling thing they will ever do.

You might even claim that parenting can be dare I say? self-actualizing. But there are some

people out there who just dont want kids. And that seems to mean, in fact, that no small number of

people out there find itpretty silly to think that parenting is the highest class of need that humans can

fulfill.

As much fun as it might be to mock the new pyramid, this swirling controversy seems, alas, to

be more of a misunderstanding than anything else confusion over whether the needs are things

that people should wantto do, or whether theyre merely things that evolution tells us members of the
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species will do.Writing earlier today in response to some of the critics, study author Douglas Kenrick

explains:

Maslows goal of self-actualization was seen as something to which we should all aspire. This fit with

his humanistic inclination to emphasize higher ideals. Indeed, Maslow chose an elite set of highly

accomplished, highly sensitive people to demonstrate [in his examples] what he meant by self-

actualization. Thats all nice, and its part of why we love Maslow.

But Maslow also believed that the goals in his hierarchy were human universals, and that they

unfolded in a particular developmental order. Our renovation is concerned with those assumptions.

Based on inclusive fitness theory, we argued that human motives are, like all psychological

mechanisms, designed to facilitate reproduction, and that Maslow largely overlooked that. Based on

research and theory on evolutionary life history theory, we argued that, developmentally, parenting is

the goal at the top. This means parenting goals will come to the fore only after other social and

reproductive goals have been accomplished. But in our renovated pyramid, the pinnacle is NOT

designed to be aspirational.

So we are NOT saying that everyone should aspire to have as many children as they can, or even to

have any children at all. My personal belief is that the world is already more than sufficiently

overpopulated

There you have it. Whether you prefer writing poetry over changing diapers is irrelevant. This new

pyramid shows a humans needs for individual reproductive success and those arent necessarily

the same things that you need to be happy.
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Shelter is one of our basic needs: it is a place that can protect us from the elements, keep us warm

and safe, and give us the encouragement to satisfy our other needs. According to Maslows Hierarchy

of Needs,shelter is one of the requirements for addressing our physiological needs (along with the

need food, water, air, sleep, sex). Maslow represented the humans physiologicalneeds as the base

of a triangle to show that meeting these needs are the most important in our lives. If these needs are

not met, the individual may only be able to focus on meeting their physiological needs and not feel

motivated to move towards self-actualization.

Luxembourg mansion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mans shelters, though, come in many different forms depending on a persons social status or

circumstances. The wealthy provide many bedroomed mansions for themselves and their family. The

rooms are richly decorated and the spaces within are light, large and airy. The occupants do not

worry about running water, or warmth on cold winter days. Everyday they are able to concentrate on

other activities besides the daily need to feed themselves, or the worry whether they may lose their

shelter at any moment.
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A shanty town in Soweto, South Africa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the other end of the scale are the shacks found in squatter camps and shanty towns: pieces of

corrugated iron are placed together to form a shelter that houses a group of people. Running water is

unavailable so, even though their need for shelter has been met, the occupants of squatter camps

need to concern themselves everyday on where to find water to drink, cook, and wash. Speak to an

occupant of one of these shanty towns and you will hear they are concerned, not only of being

removed from their space, but also of other occupants in the town coming to steal their meagre

possessions.

An apartment building in Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Many of us live in apartment buildings or in three bedroomed houses. We work to pay the rent or

mortgage to ensure that we have a roof over our heads so that we do not have to worry about the

elements or losing our space (unless we lose our ability to receive a pay check every month). With

our physiological needs having been met, we can then focus on our need for safety, belonging, and

self-esteem. Eventually attaining our need for self-actualization.

We often change the shelter in which we live. We leave home once we are of age and set up our own

space. We marry and have children, thus requiring a larger space for the added members of our

family. There comes a time in our lives when we downsize and no longer need so many rooms and

spaces in which to live. But no matter what time in our lives we are, we all search for a shelter to call

our own.

Everyone shares the right to a decent standard of living. Essential to

the achievement of this standard and therefore to the fulfillment of

human life beyond simple survival is access to adequate housing.Housing fulfills physical needs by providing security and shelter from

weather and climate. It fulfills psychological needs by providing a

sense of personal space and privacy. It fulfills social needs by

providing a gathering area and communal space for the human

family, the basic unit of society. In many societies, it also fulfills

economic needs by functioning as a center for commercial

production.

The human right to adequate housing is the right of every woman,

man, youth and child to acquire and sustain a secure home and

community in which to live in peace and dignity. The right to

housing is codified as a human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of hisfamily, including food, clothing, housingand medical care and necessary social services, and the right tosecurity in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood incircumstances beyond his control." (article 25(1))
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Population growth, migration to urban areas, conflicting needs forexisting land, and insufficient financial and natural resources have

resulted in widespread homelessness and habitation in inadequate

housing. In every country children, men and women sleep on

sidewalks, under bridges, in cars, subway stations, and public parks,

live in ghettos and slums, or "squat" in buildings other people have

abandoned. The United Nations estimates that there are over 100million homeless people and over 1 billion people worldwideinadequately housed.

These statistics are evidence for the difficulty governments have in

guaranteeing access to housing for their citizens, but they also raise

complicated questions about the extent of the obligations of

governments to do so. The fact of shelter as a human need does not

imply that governments must provide each one of their citizens withland, four walls and a roof. Controversy can therefore emerge over

exactly what governments should do to help people exercise their

rights and obtain housing. Government action is usually country-

specific, and is dependent on a variety of economic, cultural, and

social factors. In some cases, increasing access to education or to

the labor market is the best way to ensure the right to housing,because the realizations of those rights mostly lead to greater

access to housing. In other cases, it is necessary for governments toprovide physical shelter directly to people. But regardless of past

government action, in all countries there exist people who, because

of personal issues such as physical or emotion incapacity,

environmental issues such as natural disasters or famine, or social

issues such as war or political instability, are unable to obtainhousing for themselves. In those situations, governments are

obligated to help make housing accessible. Governments are

obligated to function as fair and stable systems through which theircitizens can achieve the satisfaction of their rights, and to provide

the means for the realization of the right to a decent standard of

living which their citizens may utilize through their own free

initiative.


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[Back to Top]

Rights at Stake

The right to housing is included in several international legally-

binding documents. Among the most significant of these is

the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights(article 11.1), which

determines that

"The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living forhimself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of livingconditions."

In order to clarify the meaning and scope of the right to housing as

expressed in the Covenant, in 1991 the Committee on Economic,

Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the body that monitors theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

issued its General Comment 4.

The right to adequate housing applies to everyone. The phrase

"himself and his family" does not refer to any limitation in the right

to housing to individuals, female-headed households, or other

groups. Furthermore, individuals, as well as families, are entitled to

adequate housing regardless of age, economic status, group or

other affiliation or status, and enjoyment of this right must not besubject to any form of discrimination. (paragraph 6)

The right to housing should be interpreted in a broad and inclusive

sense as the right to live in "security, peace and dignity" rather than

a narrow or restrictive sense. The right to housing is inextricably

linked to other fundamental human rights and should been seen as

referring to not only housing by adequate housing (paragraph 7).

The right to adequate housing must be viewed in conjunction withother human rights included in the two International Covenants and

other international instruments (paragraph 9).

While the definition of "adequacy" with regard to housing is

influenced by social, economic, cultural, climatic, ecological, and

other factors, certain aspects of the right are applicable in anycontext. These are:
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Legal security of tenure. Security of tenure means that all people inany living arrangement possess a degree of security against forced

eviction, harassment, or other threats. States are obliged to confer

this security legally.

Availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure. To

ensure the health, security, comfort, and nutrition of its occupants,an adequate house should have sustainable access to natural and

common resources, safe drinking water, energy for cooking, heating

and lighting, sanitation and washing facilities, means of foodstorage, refuse disposal, site drainage and emergency services.

Affordability. Affordable housing is housing for which the associated

financial costs are at a level that does not threaten other basic

needs. States should take steps to ensure that housing costs areproportionate to overall income levels, establish subsidies for those

unable to acquire affordable housing, and protect tenants against

unreasonable rent levels or increases. In societies where housing isbuilt chiefly out of natural materials, states should help ensure the

availability of those materials.

Habitability. Habitable housing provides the occupants with

adequate space, physical security, shelter from weather, andprotection from threats to health like structural hazards and disease.

Accessibility. Adequate housing must be accessible to those entitled

to it. This includes all disadvantaged groups of society, who may

have special housing needs that require extra consideration.

Location. The location of adequate housing, whether urban or rural,

must permit access to employment opportunities, health care,

schools, child care and other social facilities. To protect the right tohealth of the occupants, housing must also be separated frompolluted sites or pollution sources.

Cultural adequacy. The way housing is built, the materials used, and

the policies supporting these must facilitate cultural expression andhousing diversity. The development and modernization of housing in

general should maintain the cultural dimensions of housing while still


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ensuring modern technological facilities, among other things(paragraph 8).

The Commission on Human Settlements'Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year

2000(1998) provides another definition of adequacy:

"Adequate shelter means ... adequate privacy, adequate space, adequate security, adequate lighting and ventilation,

adequate basic infrastructure and adequate location with regard to work and basic facilities - all at a reasonable cost."

The additional human rights referred to in the CESCR's General Comment

4are rights without the enjoyment of which the fulfillment of the

right to housing is threatened or impossible. They include:

- the principle of non-discrimination;- the right to freedom of expression;- the right to freedom of association (such as for tenants and other community-based groups);- the right to freedom of residence (and the right to freedom of movement);- the right to participate in public decision-making;

- the right to security of person (in the case of forced or arbitrary evictions or other forms of harassment);- the right not to be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with one's privacy, family, home orcorrespondence.

In addition, the right to housing provides a foundation that increases

the likelihood of the achievement of other human rights. For

example:

- the right to family;- the right to participate in government;- the right to work;- the right to rest and leisure;- the right to food and water;- the right to the highest attainable level of physical and mental health;- the right to education;- the right to participate in the cultural life of the community.

he Benefits of Building Your Philippine Dream-House

You probably found on the Internet some houses with some features that you like but none of

them are 100% what you are looking for?

BUILDING a HOMEin the Philippines has many advantages; maybe you already have a lotsomewhere so you save on that and you can design your 'dream house' to fit your lot andwishes and budget.

Most Philippine architects and contractors do not offer a 'standard designed house' (model home) becauseit can never be exactly what you want; it will not fit your lot and the floorplan is not as you like it etc.

Therefore they design a UNIQUE house to fit your LOT, WISHES and BUDGET.
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House construction cost in the Philippinesdepends on the total floor area, the exact location,the logistics/accessibility, regulations/restrictions of the local government or subdivision, soil-

type, neighbor-buildings, availability of local skilled labor, source of electricity/water etc. plus

you have to select what level of finishing you want:

A) 'Budget' or 'Low Cost' (ordinary ceramic tiles or vinyl, ordinary paint, G.I. galvanized steel long span

roofing, steel casement windows)

B) 'Average finish' (ceramic- and granite tiles or wood floor panels/parquet, good quality paint, insulated

G.I. galvanized steel long span roofing, steel casement windows, cabinets in kitchen and bedrooms)

C) 'High-end first-class finish' (imported tiles or wood floor panels/parquet, Decore- or Multiflex paint,

wall-mouldings, insulated G.I. galvanized steel long span roofing or clay tiles, aluminum or PVC framedwindows, laminated cabinets in kitchen and bedrooms, hot and cold water)

"GOOD WORK IS NEVER CHEAP, AND CHEAP WORK IS NEVER GOOD"

A Philippine contractor can only give you an EXACT price for construction if he knows all details(so he knows exactly what is included and what quality etc.) and he has to see the lot.

You do not like 'guess-work'.

The price does not come from 'out of nowhere'. In getting the EXACT cost of construction, it is necessaryto itemize all scope of works and materials based on complete plans from architects and engineers and

you ofcourse.

* They collect all data available for the design of the house.* Inspection of the site (lot) where pictures are taken to E-mail you if you are abroad.

* Evaluation of the exact location, the logistics/accessibility, regulations/restrictions of the local

government or subdivision, soil-type, neighbor-buildings, availability of local skilled labor, source ofelectricity/water etc. because this effects the design/price.

* Draft a short report for owners info and evaluation.

* Make a schematic design and floor plan for owners approval subject to relevant revisions incorporatingowners requirements and actual condition of the lot.

* Make the blueprints, apply for a building permit and start construction; if you are abroad you will besend pictures every week to see the progress.

Construction takes roughly 5 months but before that about 6 weeks is needed for blueprints and buildingpermit.
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Shopping for houses means looking through

countless of listings on the Internet, in the classifieds, or in MLM


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listings. Many times these lists dont come with pictures, so you

have to simply imagine how the house looks like through the

written description alone.

Most descriptions come with key words such as, a spacious

bungalow, a cozy villa, or a practical row house. If you are not

familiar with these terms, you might just be thinking about a

different type of house entirely.

In order to eliminate the confusion, below are the eight most

common types of houses. Before you buy your house check out

some things your broker wont tell youorhow to buy a

foreclosure!

1.Bungalow A bungalow is classically defined as a one-story

house, cottage, or cabin. Traditionally, bungalow style houses

are associated with small square footage. Though you can also

find larger, generally newer bungalows. Bungalows generally

do not have basements, and they were originally designed to

provide affordable housing to the working class.

2.Single Detached A single detached is actually any house that

stands on its own, and its four walls are not attached toanother house. It is structurally separated from the

neighboring houses and is surrounded by open land. Basically,

a bungalow, cottage, or even mansion can be termed as a
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single detached house, as long as it is not connected to any

other property through the same wall or tenement.

3.Duplex The term itself refers to a two-fold apartment or

condominium where there are separate entrances for the

dwelling units. Usually a duplex comes in the form of a two

story house where a common wall separates the two areas. A

duplex can then be extended to make three units or more,

and then it would be termed as a three-plex, four-plex, five-

plex and so on. This is also referred to as a semi-detached

home.

4.Row House Row houses are modern type of homes that are

located in the same area and have the same architectural

design and appearance. They are situated side by side, and

the units share a common wall. These houses are usually

priced less than single detached households in closedsubdivisions.

5.Colonial House This type of house features designs that are

related to the United States colonial period. Several types of

colonial houses exist such as the French colonial, Spanish

colonial, Dutch Colonial, Georgian and German Colonial.

Houses that are built in the colonial style takes their designs

from houses, government offices, and churches that were

built sometime during the 16th to the 19th century.


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6.Farm House No particular design is associated with the style

farm house, but it is a term that describes the main house

that is situated on farm land. These houses are more practical

than aesthetic, but they are often well equipped in terms of

insulation and food storage.

7.Villa A villa was once used to refer to as the upper class

country homes of ancient Romans. Today, the term villa has

evolved to refer to a beautiful, tasteful, upper class country

home. The term villa can refer to the houses of the elite, and

properties with the description of villas are usually larger

homes with landscaped gardens and perhaps a view of the sea

or the countryside.

8.Mansion A mansion is the word used to describe a very large

house. In the US, real estate brokers define mansions as

houses with an area of 8,000 square feet or 740 square metersor more. Traditionally, mansions are characterized by having

a large ballroom and numerous bedrooms. Today, however,

there is no particular requirement as to what makes a

mansion, aside from the fact that it should be a large and

well endowed home.

These are only some of the most common types of houses that

can usually be found in real estate listings. Some of the many

other types of houses include end of terrace, colonial houses,

chattel houses, deck houses, log cabins, gambrels, and more.


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However, many of these terms are not as popular or as common

as they once were (like castles for example). Whatever the

purpose may be, learning about different types of houses gives

us insight into different architectural viewpoints. It also helps us

decide which type of house would be most suitable for our

personal use.

LEARNING FROM TRADITION. Traditional Ivatan houses in Batanes feature

storm shutters protecting windows and doors from winds. Photo by Pia

Ranada/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines More than 360,000 houses in Eastern

Visayas were totally destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda,

highlighting the importance of typhoon-resistant architecture.

On Wednesday, November 20, prominent Filipino architects

announced that their organization is surveying the affected areas


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tocome up with appropriate designs for new homes. They are

doing the designs for free, in coordination with the National

Housing Authority and the Department of Public Works and

Highways.

They also discussed features of a typhoon-ready house. Here are

their recommendations:

1. Highly replicable

Willy Coscolluela, the architect behind the acclaimed Zuellig

Building in Makati and SM Aura in Taguig, takes inspiration from

a housing project in Guam which survived a storm and convinced

stubborn locals to move in.

"It was very simple in design and very easy to do. In two weeks'

time, you can already have 6 units."

Topy Vasquez, who has designed more than 100 buildings in the

Visayas, shared his ideas for cubic permanent shelters.

Similar to giant concrete cylinders often found abandoned under

bridges, they are hollow concrete cubes which can stand alone as

single-room homes or be combined together to form bigger living

spaces.
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"It's just like Lego. It can be a two-story structure. It can be a one-

story house. Filipinos can use their creativity to customize it

whichever way suits their needs."

2. Uses durable materials

The days of patched-up metal sheets and crudely-stacked hollow

cement blocks are over as far as the architects are concerned.

"You should use materials that can withstand the water and the

wind. Concrete is the most logical for permanence and for

strength," Coscolluela said.

Concete is also highly abundant in the Philippines, a country with

lots of sand and volcanic ashingredients for the building

material.

3. 4-side slope roofs

"Quatro aguas" is a Spanish architectural term meaning a roof

with 4 sides instead of just the two-sided A-frame design.


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QUATRO AGUAS. Four-sides roofs or hip roofs are less likely to get lifted off

by strong winds. Image from Wikimedia Commons

A 4-sided roof is more typhoon-resistant because it gives wind

less traction to pry the roof away, a horrific phenomenon

witnessed by people living in houses with two-sided roofs during

the storm. A 4-sided roof is more streamlined and sealed against

buffeting winds.

Eaves should no longer be a feature of typhoon-resistant homes.

Eaves, which are the edges of a roof which jut out beyond the

walls of the house, only give the wind more surface with which it

can lift the entire roof.


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Slab roofs made of concrete can also be effective. Homes with

roofdecks survived the storm.

4. Stilts

The riverside-dwelling Badjaos built their houses on stilts because

of the possibility of flooding, Royal Pineda of Budji+Royal

architecture firm said. This can serve as a basis for flood-resistant

andstorm surge-resistant homes.

They can be built on legs. Even if the elevation is not that high,

the force of rushing water will be lessened when it is allowed to

go under the house and not just around it.

5. Tempered glass with protective sticker

Videos of Yolanda winds smashing windows are enough to make

anyone shudder at the thought of being near those windows

during the storm. The flying jagged metal pieces can no doubt

cause serious injury to anyone in the vicinity.

But tempered glass will not have the same fatal effect, assuredCoscolluela. When glass is tempered, it falls in tiny pieces like

"monggo seeds," pieces too small to cause serious injury.

But combine the tiny glass bits with 300-kilometer-per-hour winds

and you're talking of another matter entirely. That's why Pineda
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recommends adding a protective film or sticker over tempered

glass. This would keep the glass in place even when shattered by

high-velocity winds.

The best case scenario would be tempered glass that is also

laminated but this can be pricey.

6. Storm shutters

If you can't stop glass windows from breaking, why not protect

them from the storm as well? Pineda recommends installing

storm shutters over windows and doors, thus effectively sealing

the house from winds and rain.

7. Safe, elevated location

Location is everything in typhoon-ready architecture. Coastal

communities should be moved further away from the shoreline to

lessen the risk of storm surges (flooding due to abnormal sea

level rise). The vacated shoreline can then be converted into a

public park, a place of leisure that won't be a big loss in case of a

storm surge.

Before Yolanda, two schools, a hospital, and the Tacloban city

hall were located near the shoreline. (READ:What made

Tacloban so vulnerable to Haiyan?)
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They should not be constructed in areas assessed to be

vulnerable to landslides and flooding.

8. Revise building standards

The Philippine Building Code must be updated to keep up with

storms that are getting stronger, the architects agreed.

The Code requires that walls of buildings should withstand at

least 250 kph winds. Because Yolanda's winds went over 300

kph, this item must be revisited. Also, the practice of building

drainage systems to last for "x" amount of rainfall should be

changed since rain and typhoons are becoming more frequent.

Rappler.com

Super Typhoon- and Earthquake Proof House? Trya Concrete Roof Deck!The latest 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol and Cebu plus the Super

Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that hits Central Visayas are also lessons for those

who consider construction as an ordinary thing Its MANDATORY tobuild a

house in the Philippines with a durable technology and seek services of only

professionals

Most Pinoys will probably rebuild their home exactly the same way; and wait

for the next devastating storm. The Philippine government hopefully will build

SUSTAINABLE and AFFORDABLE housing for them.

But what makes a house Super Typhoon- and Earthquake Proof?


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Forget about a corrugated steel sheets roof. It appears to be

technically IMPOSSIBLE to construct any concrete home with a corrugated

steel/zinc sheeting roof (whether with wooden frame or steel purlins) that will

withstand a direct hit from a Super Typhoon like Yolanda without substantial

damage.Contrary to popular belief, most homes are NOT blown over during a Super

Typhoon. Instead, you will most likely hear a strange sound coming from

the ceiling for a while after which the complete roof will explode outwards

followed by your appliances and maybe the cat.

A corrugated steel/zinc sheeting roof might also be slowly eaten away piece

by piece.

Thus; consider a concrete roof deck

Waffle Box Building Technology has it all.

It is a reinforced concrete shell design; concrete floor, wallsand roof deck

(ceiling), reinforced with steel bars and monolithically poured in one-go. Using

one form only(How do we do that?? Just ask us byE-mail)It lacks the (weak-) connections of wall-panels or hollow blocks between posts

and/or pre-cast roof panels.

It has the structural integrity of an aircraft fuselage or a ship hull.
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It has portal frames every 60 centimeter distance; they are steel bars inside

the poured concrete which look like a door jamb:

Each portal frame consists of a ring of steel bars which is casted in one-go

inside your concrete floor, walls and roof deck (ceiling). Using one formonly(How do we do that??Just ask us by E-mail)

The walls plus roof is 6 inch thick where needed (portal frames); 2 inch thick

in between, to save about 50% concrete/weight.

PS: we build apartments, hotels, schools etc. exact the same way, typhoon-

and earthquake proof

A secure safe room? Evacuation shelters in the Philippines

Instead of making your complete house typhoon- and earthquake proof,you can opt to

put one Shelter Waffle Box(20 square meter) in your garden, to protect you and your

family against flying carsAdjusted with steel doors and window shutters.- See more at: http://sibonga.com/construction-

blog/?page id=1630#sthash X0pOqiaK dpuf
http://www.sibonga.com/contact_us.htmhttp://www.sibonga.com/contact_us.htmhttp://www.sibonga.com/contact_us.htm

housing in many varieties

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