Extremis Technology

Project Background
Extremis Technology have made an initial patent filing for a unique concept for emergency shelters to be used in disaster relief: a fold-flat building that requires no tools to be assembled and can be put up by a small number of men in under ten minutes. It does not compete with tents that are currently used in the the immediate aftermath of a disaster, but instead is designed to fill the gap between the initial use of the tents and the final repatriation of people to their original or final homes. The UN estimates that there are currently 42 million Internationally Displaced Persons (IDPs) globally.

Built entirely of timber and marine ply, it is designed to be low-carbon, repairable, recyclable and extendable. Currently work is being carried out to minimise weight and cost.

Extremis Technology has had a meeting with the Secretary of State at the Department for the Department for International Development (Douglas Alexander) and are now working with menbers of his department on solutions for shelters specifically for Haiti. With their endorsement Extremis Technology will look for an NGO or charity partner to help fund and develop fourth commercial versions of this product for global deployment within two years.

4NRg's role
4NRg produced several initial hurricane shelter and seismic isolator designs at the beginning of the project, and continues to provide technical support for the project, recently completing CAD drawings, a 1:20 scale prototype and conducting material comaparison's form the Hurricane Shelter 2 (HS2). We have also facilitated the fabrication and testing of the seismic isolator in conjunction with Cambridge University's Engineering Department.