Intact Structures Inc.

Housing + water collection + vocation
= productive, peaceful existence

Increasing human potential and
building the capacity of human resource

Intact Structures' goal is to assist in the creation of this circumstance in places where there is little hope. Intact Structures will add intrinsic value to the lives of both those who build them and those who live in them.

Haiti the Crisis Today, Tomorrow and Beyond
<click here for printable version>

Current Problems		Solutions

1.	No water collection	Construct ferrocement housing units with ability to collect and store water and/or ferrocement water tanks to store and manage rain water.

2 .	No shelter	Construct ferrocement single and multi-housing units; with self-help or community help construction.

3.	No medical facilities	The first ferrocement building unit could be a core complex that is a medical center, which would eventually have wings becoming wards then counseling facilities. The second building complex should be the fabrication shop for vocational training to produce ferrocement housing that is permanent, strong, light, and hurricane and earthquake resistant. Next come single housing units, schools or other community buildings.

4.	Lack of reconstruction material	In most situations (emergency, remote areas, low-tech resources, low cost), conventional construction methods are not appropriate. Ferrocement designs use less than 10% of the materials used for conventional concrete, and the materials are light (wire meshes and wires), easily transported and readily available. No forms are needed and labor training is minimal.

5.	Lack of skilled or knowledgeable labor	The construction techniques and trades are trainable on site with hand tools with mass production capabilities.

6.	Lack of readily available construction plans for local conditions	Intact Structures Designs have multiple design capabilities and plans available that can be implemented in any geographic environment.

The structural reasons that so many people died and are injured in an earthquake are numerous. A critical factor though is the weight of the 4 to 8 inch concrete slabs or roofs and the tendency of block walls to collapse at their joints. Intact Structures Ferrocement Designs are light weight, monolithic, strong and ductile and are almost impossible to collapse. They feature integral connections throughout all their components. Intact Structures will add intrinsic value to the lives of both those who build them and those who live in them.