John Brown University and Samaritan's Purse International Relief will host the fourth annual Disaster Shelter Design Competition April 23-25 on the university's Siloam Springs campus.
Samaritan's Purse will evaluate the shelter designs for possible implementation in its relief efforts worldwide.
"A competition like this is an incredible resource for everyone involved," said Mark Terrill, assistant professor of construction management and competition coordinator. "This competition gives Samaritan's Purse access to some of the region's most innovative engineers, architects and construction management students and asks students to provide practical solutions to real-world problems. This is where classroom learning and real-world application collide, and it's really fun to watch."
This year's competition scenario is based on the 2005 earthquake in Balakot, Pakistan, that killed close to 75,000 people and displaced nearly 3.3 million people. The shelter itself must be "transitional" or modifiable, lightweight, easily-stored and transported, viable for mass production and cost less than $1,500 to reproduce.
Teams from Dordt College (Souix Center, Iowa), Temple College (Temple, Texas), Pittsburg State University (Pittsburg, Kan.) and John Brown University submitted preliminary shelter plans in November and will present their refined prototypes for durability tests this week that include earthquake sustainability, heat retention, habitability and wind load.
The public is encouraged to attend the various shelter tests and seminars on campus.
General News on 04/22/2015