A Novel Concept of Container House with Zero Energetic Consumption

Abstract

This paper presents a novel concept of acclimatized container to increase people comfort in case of temporary housing. It is based on the ZEBRA concept (Zero Energy Building Renewable Addicted) concept studied by Università of Modena e Reggio Emilia.\ud The original concept developed for industrial building has been extended to mobile metallic housing systems such as the containers transported by trucks which are used for troops and military command during field operations. This system does not require any external source of energy. It requires only the presence of a water well or drilling a hole to place inside a closed loop exchanger which is used to stabilize temperature of internal water which is used as a dynamic thermal barrier which maintains in the wellness conditions inside the mobile housing equipment.\ud Energetic costs of this system are related only to the very reduced energy necessary for water pumping operations. It could be easily produced, together with necessary energy for light and instrumentation by a photovoltaic ceiling. The absence of fenestrations will be obviated by optic-fiber-based external light capturing and distributing, together with air ventilation system.\ud This paper presents the energetic balance of this military field and building concept which can be used also to reduce the surplus of naval container in the harbors of all the occidental countries due to the necessity of the cargo ships to navigate with a high load.\ud By these reasons the presented Zebra concept can be not only a zero energy consumption solution but also a very inexpensive solution for any temporary residential exigency such as temporary construction sites and military camps.\ud Constructive details and container temporary housing design are provided

Simulation and Analysis of Thermal Insulators Applied to Post-Disaster Temporary Shelters in Tropical Countries

“…Shipping containers are essentially large steel boxes that are used to transport cargo [27]. This element was idealized by Malcom McLean in the 1930s with the aim of rationalizing the transport of goods when he was still working as a driver of small trucks at the Port of Hoboken, in New Jersey, USA [6]. In 1958, Malcom patented containers as an "Apparatus for shipping freight" [28].…”

“…However, the product was intended to be a universal cargo transport solution [2]. After the patent registration, the possibility of transporting goods through standardized structures without the need for constant loading and unloading [6] caught the attention of the U.S. Military. The widespread use of this solution by the military influenced its acceptance by most shipping companies [28].…”

“…As a result, the feeling of protection against adverse thermal effects, strong winds, and suffocating dust, among others, is impaired. In this context, the use of shipping containers as temporary post-disaster shelters has drawn the attention of specialists in recent years [2,[4][5][6].…”

“…Nevertheless, regarding Container Houses (CH) for temporary shelters, portability is the most important feature of this system. In other words, the ease and speed with which they can be transported to the places where they are needed [6], providing immediate assistance to the victims. However, although the use of containers as buildings is not a recent concept, there is a gap in the technical literature available on the subject, especially concerning to their use as temporary shelters [14,16].…”