From the category “creative responses to environmental challenges“: Concrete Canvas Shelters. These are inflatable concrete buildings, hardened shelters that require only water and air for construction. According to the manufacturer, they can be constructed by 2 people without any training in under an hour and are ready to use in 24 hours, making them a viable alternative to conventional emergency shelters. Contrary to the conventional light tents that only last for a limited amount of time and which use massive amounts of plastic and other synthetic fibre, these concrete shelters can last for decades, provide reliable shelter from even the heaviest storms, can be upgraded with plumbing and electricity etc.–and do all of this while requiring much less energy and material input than conventional shelters.
Key facts about the Concrete Canvas Shelters:
- ready to use within 24 hours,
- use low mass, low carbon technology which requires 95% less material than conventional concrete,
- have minimal impact on the local ecology due to its limited alkaline reserve and very low wash rate,
- can be reinforced with further material such as sand or clay to increase its thermal mass, and
- left untreated, they naturally “green” over time as the top surface allows moss and other vegetation to grow.
