7 ms·

The tent that turns into concrete in less than 24 hours

259 points by thekevan 15y ago

elbelcho 15y ago
Was this featured on Dragon's Den (A BBC show were inventors pitch idea to investors) a year or more ago? I seem to remember someone pitching something very similar to this.
- roel_v 15y ago
  Yes I think it was these two.
- johnyzee 15y ago
  Yes, I remember that. It was on season two, episode four, back in 2005.
wladimir 15y ago
It's primarily aimed at quickly building structures in disaster areas. But maybe this will finally revolutionaize/disrupt the construction sector? It's long due...
- jerf 15y ago
  I doubt there's a city code in the land this would not violate very nearly every clause of. But a similar thing that could actually evolve into something disruptive is something like this: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/business/realestate/main2487598.shtml http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/business/realestat...
  - hugh3 15y ago
    Ah, but which land? I'm thinking Mombasa, not Chicago.
  - gavingmiller 15y ago
    Along the same lines as your link, there's a company here in Alberta that is building houses that are pre-fabbed in a warehouse and put together onsite in under a day. Surprisingly the homes actually look good: http://karoleena.com/karo-homes/karo-multi-collection/the-graycie-fourplex/ http://karoleena.com/karo-homes/karo-multi-collection/the-gr...
- brudgers 15y ago
  Some highly disruptive technologies in construction over the past 100 years or so: 1. Prefabricated components based on standards 2. Electrification 3. HVAC 4. Digital design tools 5. Digital controls
  - dodo53 15y ago
    What I'm waiting from (purely from an uninformed coolness factor) is automated cooperating agent style construction - a la ant colony or termite mound.
  - njharman 15y ago
    Don't see how 2-5 are disruptive at all. Small evolutionary steps. Incumbents just starting using/installing those are subcontracting out. Wood frame house today is except for a few more holes and wires in walls largely same as wood frame house 100 years ago. Carpenters still put them together, roofers still put on the tops, plumbers still plumb. A disruption would be something like we no longer have to build houses we can buy them off of Amazon and have them delivered by fedex.
    - wladimir 15y ago
      Yes, that's the kind of thing I was talking about! True disruption, not the gradual improvement that has been going on for 100's of years. Something that allows for quickly building cheap, efficient and environment friendly housing.
dodo53 15y ago
yeah, the company won an innovation award for it in 2006: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/concrete-tent-gets-mixed-reviews-from-aid-experts/ http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/concrete-tent-gets-mixed-... I guess it takes a while to productionize.
- rglover 15y ago
  Thanks for posting this article. I was curious as to the cost for each of these as well as the mechanics of the delivery. It seems like a lot of people are asking the same questions. It's not an exorbitant cost, but ideally it would be a price where you or I could donate one in the event of a disaster. Still an awesome idea, though. I hope the team behind it gets the right support.
- johnyzee 15y ago
  These guys pitched on the Dragon's Den (BBC's entrepreneur show), season two episode four, way back in 2005, and were turned down by some of Britain's sharpest business guys. Way to hustle getting this so far since then!
brudgers 15y ago
One of my mentors in Grad School (the late David H. Crane, FAIA), got a grant to design an emergency shelter right out of Harvard GSD. He and his team spent months designing a precast concrete building which could be deployed and erected quickly. At the end they did the economic analysis of the fabrication costs. The only place where it was economically viable to build it was lower Manhattan (this was back in the early 1950's). This design suffers similar conceptual problems: diverting potable water to make a concrete structure when a tent would serve adequately - one of the biggest problems early in a disaster is providing potable water in sufficient quantity to maintain sanitation and provide adequate hydration for the local population and aid workers.
- jws 15y ago
  The water need not be potable. Maybe not a great idea for a drought/famine caused dislocation, but maybe for a flood/typhoon destruction of housing event.
  - brudgers 15y ago
    The typically adverse effects of using non-potable water on concrete quality would seem to offset the sole advantage of the design over a simple tent - permanence. Flood events in densely populated areas (i.e. those most in need of large amounts of housing quickly) tend to produce particularly polluted water (e.g. Katrina Soup).
    - jojopotato 15y ago
      At 1:00 in the video they said that they could use seawater and could even work underwater but didn't mention that it had an adverse effect on the quality of the concrete.
      - billswift 15y ago
        Concrete ideally should have clean water for best strength, but it need not be potable. Salts, silt, organic matter, and small bits of trash all weaken the concrete to some, greater or lesser, extent. But the effects can be taken into account in the structural design. For that matter, there are additives that are commonly added to concrete under special conditions, for example to lower the freezing point in winter pouring, that also weaken it in similar ways.
DTE 15y ago
I'm sure this has been worked out by the team, but I am curious to know more about the load-bearing nature of the concrete shell. I would imagine this is a very important consideration if it is to be used in post-disaster areas (i.e earthquake disaster areas where there may also be aftershocks). If, for example, the tent is not fully inflated before the concrete is added, would the hardened building be structurally compromised?
run4yourlives 15y ago
I'm not sure I'm sold completely on the need. It's a very cool idea, to be sure, but I'm confused at the role it fills. My knowledge of disaster zones is limited, but for military deployments - the other major customer - it's pretty in depth. Here's the thing, there are two classes of structure, basically: Temporary and Permanent. For a temporary structure - even longer term - a modern, modular tenting system (such as TEMS: http://www.mandbmag.com/tents/index.html http://www.mandbmag.com/tents/index.html) has this beat hands down in pretty much every way. Lighter, faster setup, faster tear down, adaptability, etc. For a permanent structure, seriously? It would be much easier to build a traditional wooden structure once you've decided that you need one. You could even put the locals to work (which they would need) doing so. I find it very difficult to believe that anyone would want one of these dingy, musty things over a proper wood or concrete framed construction. So where exactly does this fit in the spectrum? I'm not sure it does.
- WiseWeasel 15y ago
  Keep in mind this is the first commercial version of the technology; I'm sure it will rapidly progress beyond dingy, musty blobs. With the strength and light weight of the structure, along with the product's minimal cost compared to more traditional building materials and methods, I could see this being used to create very interesting and organic home designs. If the material is able to pass California building codes for earthquake preparedness, I could see people building whimsical temporary substructures, placing these on top and hardening them, then removing the substructures, enabling a much greater variety of possible forms. I could see doing something cool with stacked layers of bubbles and cut-outs for passages and windows. Another interesting application for something like this would be structures on the Moon or Mars, if you could make the material on-site, or at least the heavy parts of it (cement and water).
- evo_9 15y ago
  You're not sure about the need for a sterile structure that can be erected in 24 hours, almost anywhere in the world?
  - famousactress 15y ago
armored 15y ago
I think the real innovation here is using an inflatable form. This could be cool with a spray on concrete too, like Gancrete: http://www.grancrete.net/videos/index.cfm# http://www.grancrete.net/videos/index.cfm#
sudonim 15y ago
A little off topic, but did anyone else not wait through the 30-second ad to watch the video? I find myself bouncing more and more on videos that do that.
- jrockway 15y ago
  Adblock Plus seems to be as effective for video ads as it is for regular ads.
pitdesi 15y ago
This reminds me of the very cool class I took at Michigan. In 08, our design challenge was to design and build an easily shipped, carried and deployed station for disaster areas that facilitates bathroom functions, washing and showering. The product criteria included that it: Must be free standing and use no external power source. Must allow people to go to the bathroom, wash one’s face and hands, bathe an infant and bathe/shower an adult. Must have a safe, easily executed waste removal and transport system from the bathroom facility. All waste must be easily removed and reliably sealed off from the local environment as it is transported elsewhere. Must weigh less than 40 pounds and pack down for easy transportation. Must manage gray water from the sink and shower, by directing it to a hose connection. http://www.tauber.umich.edu/News%20and%20Events/IPD/2008/index.htm http://www.tauber.umich.edu/News%20and%20Events/IPD/2008/ind... We had a cross disciplinary team (engineering, design, and business) and had to actually build the product, and were judged based on profit... how many "purchases" were made at a fixed price ("purchases" were made by designers around the world on the web and in person at a live show) minus costs (we had to cost out the thing at scale). It was amazing and we ended up winning (I was part of the "cocoon" team). If you can get a chance to take a class like this, do it. Definitely do Integrated Product Development if you're at Michigan!
kjell 15y ago
Does anyone see how these sit on the ground? I don't see any footings in the video. Just compacted and graded topsoil? What is the floor made out of? See also: Dante Bini's air formed domes http://openfarmtech.org/wiki/Air-formed_domes http://openfarmtech.org/wiki/Air-formed_domes
- njharman 15y ago
  Well you can always just lay down more of the concrete cloth for a floor.
visakhcr 15y ago
A demo was shown last week on Nat Geo's I didn't know that. It was pretty impressing how fast it turned from a normal tent to concrete one. This will be really useful for setting up temporary shelters in disaster affected areas. I couldn't find the video online, but here's the link to the show. http://natgeotv.com/asia/i-didnt-know-that/videos http://natgeotv.com/asia/i-didnt-know-that/videos
patrickk 15y ago
There's other interesting examples of this concept: http://www.monolithic.com/ http://www.monolithic.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJfcnIFYqg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJfcnIFYqg&feature=relat... (not affiliated with these guys)

259 points by thekevan 15y ago

Was this featured on Dragon's Den (A BBC show were inventors pitch idea to investors) a year or more ago? I seem to remember someone pitching something very similar to this.

roel_v 15y ago
Yes I think it was these two.
johnyzee 15y ago
Yes, I remember that. It was on season two, episode four, back in 2005.

wladimir 15y ago

It's primarily aimed at quickly building structures in disaster areas. But maybe this will finally revolutionaize/disrupt the construction sector? It's long due...

jerf 15y ago
I doubt there's a city code in the land this would not violate very nearly every clause of. But a similar thing that could actually evolve into something disruptive is something like this: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/business/realestate/main2487598.shtml http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/business/realestat...
- hugh3 15y ago
  Ah, but which land? I'm thinking Mombasa, not Chicago.
- gavingmiller 15y ago
  Along the same lines as your link, there's a company here in Alberta that is building houses that are pre-fabbed in a warehouse and put together onsite in under a day. Surprisingly the homes actually look good: http://karoleena.com/karo-homes/karo-multi-collection/the-graycie-fourplex/ http://karoleena.com/karo-homes/karo-multi-collection/the-gr...
brudgers 15y ago
Some highly disruptive technologies in construction over the past 100 years or so: 1. Prefabricated components based on standards 2. Electrification 3. HVAC 4. Digital design tools 5. Digital controls
- dodo53 15y ago
  What I'm waiting from (purely from an uninformed coolness factor) is automated cooperating agent style construction - a la ant colony or termite mound.
- njharman 15y ago
  Don't see how 2-5 are disruptive at all. Small evolutionary steps. Incumbents just starting using/installing those are subcontracting out. Wood frame house today is except for a few more holes and wires in walls largely same as wood frame house 100 years ago. Carpenters still put them together, roofers still put on the tops, plumbers still plumb. A disruption would be something like we no longer have to build houses we can buy them off of Amazon and have them delivered by fedex.
  - wladimir 15y ago
    Yes, that's the kind of thing I was talking about! True disruption, not the gradual improvement that has been going on for 100's of years. Something that allows for quickly building cheap, efficient and environment friendly housing.

dodo53 15y ago

yeah, the company won an innovation award for it in 2006: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/concrete-tent-gets-mixed-reviews-from-aid-experts/ http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/concrete-tent-gets-mixed-... I guess it takes a while to productionize.

rglover 15y ago
Thanks for posting this article. I was curious as to the cost for each of these as well as the mechanics of the delivery. It seems like a lot of people are asking the same questions. It's not an exorbitant cost, but ideally it would be a price where you or I could donate one in the event of a disaster. Still an awesome idea, though. I hope the team behind it gets the right support.
johnyzee 15y ago
These guys pitched on the Dragon's Den (BBC's entrepreneur show), season two episode four, way back in 2005, and were turned down by some of Britain's sharpest business guys. Way to hustle getting this so far since then!

brudgers 15y ago

One of my mentors in Grad School (the late David H. Crane, FAIA), got a grant to design an emergency shelter right out of Harvard GSD. He and his team spent months designing a precast concrete building which could be deployed and erected quickly. At the end they did the economic analysis of the fabrication costs. The only place where it was economically viable to build it was lower Manhattan (this was back in the early 1950's). This design suffers similar conceptual problems: diverting potable water to make a concrete structure when a tent would serve adequately - one of the biggest problems early in a disaster is providing potable water in sufficient quantity to maintain sanitation and provide adequate hydration for the local population and aid workers.

jws 15y ago
The water need not be potable. Maybe not a great idea for a drought/famine caused dislocation, but maybe for a flood/typhoon destruction of housing event.
- brudgers 15y ago
  The typically adverse effects of using non-potable water on concrete quality would seem to offset the sole advantage of the design over a simple tent - permanence. Flood events in densely populated areas (i.e. those most in need of large amounts of housing quickly) tend to produce particularly polluted water (e.g. Katrina Soup).
  - jojopotato 15y ago
    At 1:00 in the video they said that they could use seawater and could even work underwater but didn't mention that it had an adverse effect on the quality of the concrete.
    - billswift 15y ago
      Concrete ideally should have clean water for best strength, but it need not be potable. Salts, silt, organic matter, and small bits of trash all weaken the concrete to some, greater or lesser, extent. But the effects can be taken into account in the structural design. For that matter, there are additives that are commonly added to concrete under special conditions, for example to lower the freezing point in winter pouring, that also weaken it in similar ways.

DTE 15y ago

I'm sure this has been worked out by the team, but I am curious to know more about the load-bearing nature of the concrete shell. I would imagine this is a very important consideration if it is to be used in post-disaster areas (i.e earthquake disaster areas where there may also be aftershocks). If, for example, the tent is not fully inflated before the concrete is added, would the hardened building be structurally compromised?

run4yourlives 15y ago

I'm not sure I'm sold completely on the need. It's a very cool idea, to be sure, but I'm confused at the role it fills. My knowledge of disaster zones is limited, but for military deployments - the other major customer - it's pretty in depth. Here's the thing, there are two classes of structure, basically: Temporary and Permanent. For a temporary structure - even longer term - a modern, modular tenting system (such as TEMS: http://www.mandbmag.com/tents/index.html http://www.mandbmag.com/tents/index.html) has this beat hands down in pretty much every way. Lighter, faster setup, faster tear down, adaptability, etc. For a permanent structure, seriously? It would be much easier to build a traditional wooden structure once you've decided that you need one. You could even put the locals to work (which they would need) doing so. I find it very difficult to believe that anyone would want one of these dingy, musty things over a proper wood or concrete framed construction. So where exactly does this fit in the spectrum? I'm not sure it does.

WiseWeasel 15y ago
Keep in mind this is the first commercial version of the technology; I'm sure it will rapidly progress beyond dingy, musty blobs. With the strength and light weight of the structure, along with the product's minimal cost compared to more traditional building materials and methods, I could see this being used to create very interesting and organic home designs. If the material is able to pass California building codes for earthquake preparedness, I could see people building whimsical temporary substructures, placing these on top and hardening them, then removing the substructures, enabling a much greater variety of possible forms. I could see doing something cool with stacked layers of bubbles and cut-outs for passages and windows. Another interesting application for something like this would be structures on the Moon or Mars, if you could make the material on-site, or at least the heavy parts of it (cement and water).
evo_9 15y ago
You're not sure about the need for a sterile structure that can be erected in 24 hours, almost anywhere in the world?
- famousactress 15y ago

armored 15y ago

I think the real innovation here is using an inflatable form. This could be cool with a spray on concrete too, like Gancrete: http://www.grancrete.net/videos/index.cfm# http://www.grancrete.net/videos/index.cfm#

sudonim 15y ago

A little off topic, but did anyone else not wait through the 30-second ad to watch the video? I find myself bouncing more and more on videos that do that.

jrockway 15y ago
Adblock Plus seems to be as effective for video ads as it is for regular ads.

pitdesi 15y ago

This reminds me of the very cool class I took at Michigan. In 08, our design challenge was to design and build an easily shipped, carried and deployed station for disaster areas that facilitates bathroom functions, washing and showering. The product criteria included that it: Must be free standing and use no external power source. Must allow people to go to the bathroom, wash one’s face and hands, bathe an infant and bathe/shower an adult. Must have a safe, easily executed waste removal and transport system from the bathroom facility. All waste must be easily removed and reliably sealed off from the local environment as it is transported elsewhere. Must weigh less than 40 pounds and pack down for easy transportation. Must manage gray water from the sink and shower, by directing it to a hose connection. http://www.tauber.umich.edu/News%20and%20Events/IPD/2008/index.htm http://www.tauber.umich.edu/News%20and%20Events/IPD/2008/ind... We had a cross disciplinary team (engineering, design, and business) and had to actually build the product, and were judged based on profit... how many "purchases" were made at a fixed price ("purchases" were made by designers around the world on the web and in person at a live show) minus costs (we had to cost out the thing at scale). It was amazing and we ended up winning (I was part of the "cocoon" team). If you can get a chance to take a class like this, do it. Definitely do Integrated Product Development if you're at Michigan!

kjell 15y ago

Does anyone see how these sit on the ground? I don't see any footings in the video. Just compacted and graded topsoil? What is the floor made out of? See also: Dante Bini's air formed domes http://openfarmtech.org/wiki/Air-formed_domes http://openfarmtech.org/wiki/Air-formed_domes

njharman 15y ago
Well you can always just lay down more of the concrete cloth for a floor.

visakhcr 15y ago

A demo was shown last week on Nat Geo's I didn't know that. It was pretty impressing how fast it turned from a normal tent to concrete one. This will be really useful for setting up temporary shelters in disaster affected areas. I couldn't find the video online, but here's the link to the show. http://natgeotv.com/asia/i-didnt-know-that/videos http://natgeotv.com/asia/i-didnt-know-that/videos

patrickk 15y ago

There's other interesting examples of this concept: http://www.monolithic.com/ http://www.monolithic.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJfcnIFYqg&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJfcnIFYqg&feature=relat... (not affiliated with these guys)