Domes for Haiti

.........................................................

Domes for Haiti is an all volunteer grass roots organization dedicated to providing immediate aid to families in need of shelter as a result of the January 12th earthquake. We are composed of a group of artists from Brooklyn, NYC who are pooling our resources and skills to create emergency shelters for the people in Haiti most affected by the earthquake. We are fabricating portable geodesic domes made out of recycled and donated materials from NYC’s entertainment & construction industries. The geodesic domes are 17′ in diameter, 9′ tall in the center and are large enough to house a family of five. We are an all volunteer organization. We have no affiliations with political parties or religious organizations. We are working in solidarity with the Haitian people to redirect valuable resources that are otherwise headed into the American waste stream towards creating semi permanent shelters to people at little or no cost.

Shelter for the hundreds of thousands of survivors remains one of the most pressing needs in the relief efforts. We are committed to sending at least ten emergency shelters by May 1st, 2010 in time for Hurricane season.

Constructed of a framework of self-bracing triangles, the geodesic dome is the strongest and most economical structure ever designed. No other form of enclosure covers so much area without internal supports. The larger it is, the stronger it becomes. Geodesic domes have proven durable in hurricanes that have flattened traditional homes. What’s more, these portable geodesic domes are so easy to assemble that an entire house can be raised in a matter of hours. When properly anchored, geodesic domes can withstand winds up to 150 mph.
We are building the frames out of 1″ galvanized electrical conduit pipe at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn, NY. These are easily assembled on location using simple tools to bolt the sections together. The dome covers are being fabricated out of recycled uv resistant vinyl from theatrical and tv set backdrops at the Bushwick Project for the Arts. The material is both waterproof and extremely durable.
This is not a sustainable living solution but rather a transitional housing to be utilized while building more permanent communities. The dome frame is permanent. The covers have a life of approximately one year. We are partnering with other organizations which are offering a more sustainable living system.
Our organization will be sending a small team to Haiti to deliver the domes to the beneficiaries and show them how to assemble the domes.
We are artists used to finding creative solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. We have the motivation, the tools, the skills and the work space in which to create. What we dont have is funding. We are accepting donations via paypal. If you would like to support our effort, even a few dollars can help.

In kind donations have been plentiful so far in this project. We have been given ample work space free of charge, shipping to Haiti free of charge, vinyl materials, nuts and bolts and plenty of free labor from our community. We’ve been given the offer from a local metal shop owner that if we can give him the 350 ten foot sticks of 1″ electrical Conduit Pipe we need to build the ten domes, his company will do all the fabrication for free! The conduit pipe costs just over two grand. We need money right away! Please donate generously by clicking the “BUY NOW” button to your right.

If you are an organization that likes what we are doing and would love to support our effort, please contact us asap at info@domesforhaiti.org