Roll Out House by Gans Studio
Roll Out House (2008)
Venice Biennial
Abstract: Exhibition Prototype
Two infrastructural columns, one of folded paper and one of bamboo, support a bamboo and fabric roof that collects water for the cistern and shower in the bamboo column. Photovoltaic cells on the roof heat the water and power the kitchen in the paper column.
source: www.gans-studio.net and www.designboom.com
55 gallon drum
A 55-gallon drum is a cylindrical container drum with a nominal capacity of 55 U.S. gallons, 44 imperial gallons, or 200 litres. The exact capacity varies with wall thickness and other factors. Standard drums are 22.5 inches (572 mm) in diameter and 33.5 inches (850 mm) high (these dimensions yield a total volume of ~218 L) The drums are typically made of steel with a welded top and ribbed outer wall to improve rigidity and durability. They are commonly used for transporting oils and fuels, but can be used for storing various chemicals as well.
The 55-gallon drum will fit handily four to a fork truck standard wooden shipping pallet, and so ease handling and shipping. The drum’s size, shape, and weight distribution lends itself to being moved about readily on the loading dock or factory floor with a two-wheeled hand truck. They can also be moved short distances by hand by tilting, then rolling along the base, which is designed especially for that purpose.
Closed-head steel barrels and drums used for shipment of chemicals and petroleum products have a standardized bunghole arrangement, with one 2-inch (50.8 mm) NPT and one 3⁄4-inch (19 mm) NPT threaded bunghole on opposite sides of the top head. This arrangement is echoed in many plastic drums in the same size. Various components can be mounted to the drum, such as drum pumps and bung mixers.
In the past, hazardous waste was often placed in drums of this size and stored in open fields or buried. Over time, some drums would corrode and leak. As a result, these drums have become iconic of pollution problems, even though they have numerous uses and are ubiquitous in commerce. Drums are often re-conditioned and then later used for storing different liquids. Re-conditioning drums is one of the safest ways to remove hazardous waste. Until the 1990s many state highway departments reused 55-gallon drums as barricades to protect construction workers from oncoming traffic. Once empty the drums were painted orange and white and placed along roadways where construction was occurring. Today, construction crews use plastic drums that resemble their steel predecessors in both size and shape.
Technology Inventory 01
This is the first iteration in creating an inventory of technologies that need to be contained in the ‘pods’. There are two distinct pods; one for all wet functions, and one for technologies required. The wet pod houses technologies for: storing water, filtering water, hoses, and shower head. The technology pod would house technologies for: lighting, power (solar), tool kit, shading device, canopy, and conduit. The flexible infrastructure works in relation to the aggregations, and allows each individual to connect directly to their neighbor, so to feed off of their technology when necessary. The infrastructure has the ability to expand and contract based on the density of the units, this is possible by attaching the infrastructure to the canopy’s and above pedestrian paths. This allows for a more efficient install/uninstall process, during emergency situations.
Wet Pod
This is a first iteration of a wet pod that would be installed into the shipping container house. Conceivably, the wet pod would include all water functions, including: shower, toilet, sink, water filtration, water collection (grey water and fresh water), and sewage containment. The entire system is packed into the floor size of a standard 48″ x 42″ pallete. This particular design allows for 22 pods to be packed inside one container. Each pod will be transportable by forklift. The pod is then “unpacked” and installed permanently into the container. The wet pod also includes a “drum privy” dry toilet. A 55 gallon drum is used to contain sewage. The drum is vented, and sawdust or earth is added after each use. A more detailed drawing or section describing this particular function will be included later.
