Building communities, and communities so built

Abstract

Methods of providing a habitable community having usable habitation facilities, and electric and water utilities, including providing a community construction service pack and corresponding community construction services by which such service pack is rapidly installed at a location in need of such rapidly-built community. Such rapidly-built community may be used e.g. to meet the needs of a population suffering from a recent disaster and/or to meet the needs of a population in need of community facilities at a newly-to-be occupied site remote from human habitation and/or human habitation facilities. The invention thus is able to rapidly provide one or more limited-size functional communities on an urgent-need basis where each community initially has its own community local electric service system and its own community local water service, which may be functional even though local housing units may have been severely damaged or destroyed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The focus of this invention is to provide housing and utility infrastructure, both set-up services and ongoing operating services, to meet basic needs of discreet numbers of people whereby individual communities are set up and serviced, optionally proximate each other, optionally linking utility services.

More specifically, this invention relates to creating a habitable community, of limited and pre-determined size, having basic, optionally temporary, electric and water utility services, using modular habitation units as the living quarters, and using readily mass produced components to build the utility systems which provide the water and electric services.

There is a historic need for sturdy, relatively inexpensive, readily shippable, enclosed, human inhabitable shelters which may be used for a wide range of purposes, on a wide range of sites and in a wide range of environments; inhabitable shelters which can readily survive the rigors of transportation under a wide range of conditions. It is also desirable that such shelters be provided as modular units having standardized dimensions, which facilitates both mass production, shipping, and set-up of a community created using such habitation shelters/units.

There are numerous needs where transportable habitation units are indicated. For example, there is a need for temporary housing of substantial numbers of people during the aftermath of man-made disasters such as war, or after natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, etc. Such disasters, whether natural or man-made, often displace large numbers of people, either through the destruction of their homes, by making it difficult or impossible to reach or live in their homes, and/or by disrupting conventional, e.g. central-generation, grid-based utility services. Such events/situations create a need for immediately-available housing, including immediate need for electricity and water services, optionally immediately-available utility services, without housing services, where a grid-based service has suffered a disaster which will keep the grid-based service out of operation for an extended period of time.

While overall economies of scale suggest that central generation facilities typically provide the most cost effective delivery of electrical and water utility services, putting such central generation facilities in place and building corresponding cost effective distribution systems, or repairing or replacing such systems which have been damaged or destroyed by disaster events, are highly capital-intensive projects, requiring long lead times and substantial quantities of custom made equipment/machines, as well as large capital expenditures; and there is no capability, during construction of the critical generation capability of such central-generation systems, to provide relatively short-response time, limited-capacity, utility services to relatively smaller segments of the population ultimately expected to be serviced by such central generation facility.

By contrast, the need being addressed in this invention is that need wherein capital resources are too low to support central-generation facilities to service a relatively larger population of users, and/or where the need is immediate—namely timing of the initiation of delivery of such services is a significant factor in alleviating high levels of stress which are associated with traumatic losses in the lives of the affected human population. And while a central-generation-type utility service may be preferred as a long term utility service, there is often an unmet need to rapidly put in place incremental such services to provide for immediate needs of as much of the displaced population, in need of such service, as quickly as possible, in order to attenuate health risks as well as to attenuate anxieties associated with loss of utility service, while a suitable central-generation system is optionally being constructed.

Other exemplary needs include emergency office and laboratory facilities for workers directing the relief effort, medical care facilities, retail stores, and governmental facilities, for areas affected by natural or man-made disasters, and short or long term such facilities in developing areas, again including the need for immediate provision of electric and water utility services.

Another and apparently unrelated problem arises from the matter of trade shipment imbalances between countries or between areas of a country. That is, certain countries or locales, optionally those offering low labor costs, tend to be net exporters of certain manufactured goods, often including consumer goods such as vehicles, furniture, electronic components and products, clothing, food, and others, while other countries or locales tend to be net importers/consumers of such goods and to ship a relatively smaller volume of goods in the return direction. Such situations can result in a shipping imbalance wherein empty shipping containers, that is, the means by which the goods are shipped, either accumulate at the receiving locale or are shipped empty back to the source locale. The return of empty shipping containers is often regarded as uneconomical. Therefore, unless the involved industry has developed a specific method to deal with the costs of returning empty containers, such as carrying the return costs as part of the original shipping costs or developing a return market to minimize the volume of empty containers being shipped, the empty containers tend to accumulate at the receiving end of the shipping process. Thus, the non-return and accumulation of empty shipping containers represents a significant lost investment in raw materials and construction costs, as well as an opportunity presented by a low-cost resource which is susceptible to conversion to other uses.

For example, a common method of shipping goods by sea, rail or truck is the use of “sea/land” containers, which are rugged, standardized containers, typically sized in multiples of 20 feet (6.1 meters) in length by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) wide and 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) high, with an opening at one end, closeable by a pair of latching and lockable doors. A typical such container is 40 feet (12.2 meters) long by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) wide by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) high. Such containers include interlock mechanisms at each corner, thereby allowing the containers to be stacked or otherwise securely joined to one another on, for example, the deck of a ship, on a railcar or on a truck, and are typically constructed of heavy gauge steel. The accumulation of empty, unreturned sea/land shipping containers is a particularly significant matter as the containers are manufactured in significant quantities and are sufficiently inexpensive to be commonly used in “one way” trades but, because of the number of containers involved in one-way trades, represent significant unrecovered value in both raw materials and construction costs.

A stand-alone ocean shipping container, converted for use as a portable human habitation unit, does not, by itself, create a safe living environment without the provision of basic utility services such as electricity service and water service, available to such habitation unit. Yet basic utility services such as electricity and water are not readily available in many of the places, in many of the circumstances, where the need is greatest for housing of displaced people, such as in areas affected by natural or man-made disasters or in the face of abject poverty. Further, in the face of such needs, the local government is typically unable to quickly provide even basic electricity and water services. Neither do conventional grid utility suppliers quickly build and provide such services. So there is an unmet need for water and electric services to be quickly provided in combination with portable housing.

Similarly, conventional suppliers of modular habitation units, while able to prepare the habitation unit to receive electricity and water utility services, are not, themselves, able to supply such utility services.

There is thus an unmet need to provide a rapid response system and/or method for quickly creating a functioning community of limited size, where multiple habitation units, defining an entire community of limited size, are clustered/spaced relatively close together, and are serviced by a relatively low-capital mini-electrical utility system and a relatively low-capital water utility system, both utility systems being sized to service the limited-size community, and using components which can all be readily mass produced and which are susceptible to being shipped in conventional-size such shipping containers to the area where needed.

There is further need to provide a such system and/or method which can be replicated so as to sequentially set up multiple, adjacent such functional communities, each initially independent from all others, but susceptible of being up-graded as resources permit, and/or linked to each other, so as to gradually integrate the respective communities with each other and thereby achieve incremental levels of economies of scale in the utilities operations, even though the generation facilities for the respective communities at least initially represent an overall dispersed generation resource.

These and other needs are alleviated, or at least attenuated, or partially or completely satisfied, by the novel products and methods of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides methods of providing a habitable community having usable habitation facilities, and electric and water utilities, including providing a community construction service pack and corresponding community construction service system by which such service pack is rapidly installed at a location in need of such rapidly-built community. Such rapidly-built community may be need e.g. to meet the needs of a population suffering from a recent disaster and/or to meet the needs of a population in need of community facilities at a newly-to-be occupied site remote from human habitation and/or human habitation facilities. The invention thus is able to rapidly provide one or more limited-size functional communities on an urgent-need basis.

In a first family of embodiments, the invention comprehends a method of providing a habitable community having safely usable human habitation facilities and utilities. The method comprises creating such habitable community by providing about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, each providing about 175 square feet (about 16.3 square meters) to about 500 square feet (about 46.5 square meters) of habitation area thereby providing habitation services to at least a portion of a population in need of such services, and thereby creating a habitable community at a community situs, comprising providing habitation units, including determining a pickup locus for such habitation units, and the community situs for such habitation units, determining a quantity of such habitation units to be shipped to such situs, and shipping the determined quantity of such habitation units to the pickup locus, moving the habitation units from the pickup locus to habitation sites at the community situs by arranging for transport to the pickup locus, of material handling equipment suitable for handling the habitation units at the pickup locus, receiving the habitation units at the pickup locus and, using the material handling equipment transported to the pickup locus, loading the habitation units onto suitable transport vehicles and transporting the habitation units to the community situs, preparing the community situs, as necessary, thus identifying and/or preparing suitably flat habitation sites configured to receive placement of respective ones of the habitation units, and unloading the habitation units from the transport vehicles and installing the respective habitation units on the suitably flat habitation sites; providing utility services for such community, comprising shipping to the community situs, and installing, a community local electric service system comprising, as an electricity source, one or more portable electric generators which are collectively capable of providing an acceptable quantity of electrical power to the about 10 up to about 500 habitation units, and building, as a local grid, an electrical distribution network connecting the electricity source to the about 10 up to about 500 installed habitation units, so as to create such community local electric service system for the community, and providing a community local water system comprising a water facility, and a delivery and removal system providing fresh water to the habitation units and removing used water from the habitation units; and making the habitation units available for occupation by people in need of such habitation units at the community situs, thus creating the community of about 10 up to about 500 habitation units occupied by people in need of such habitation units, the habitation units being served by both the community local electric service system and the community local water system.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises treating the used water to make such used water satisfactory for re-use as fresh water.

In some embodiments, the method comprises providing the fresh water to fresh water tanks in the habitation units and/or removing the used water from used water tanks in the habitation units, using one or more non-pipeline removal systems.

In some embodiments, the method comprises, subsequent to creating the at least one such community, merging operations responsibilities of the at least one created community local electric service system or the at least one community local water system with operations responsibilities of a corresponding community local electric service system or a community local water system of a second such so-created community.

In some embodiments, the method comprises converting the community local water system from non-pipeline transport of the fresh water and/or the used water to a community local water system which uses a pipeline network to at least one of transport the fresh water from a primary supply tank to the habitation units or to transport the used water from the habitation units to a water treatment facility.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises converting used ocean shipping containers for human habitation use thus to provide the habitation units.

In some embodiments, the step of identifying and/or preparing suitably flat habitation sites includes clearing debris and/or grading land to create such suitably flat habitation sites.

In some embodiments, at least one of the providing of fresh water to the habitation units and the removing of used water from the habitation units comprises vehicular transport of such fresh water or such used water to and/or from the habitation units.

In some embodiments, the converting of a used ocean shipping container comprises leaving installed any doors originally mounted on an end of such shipping container, and installing an additional closure wall inwardly of such original doors, and further providing a personnel entry door in such inward wall.

In some embodiments, the method is used to transition at least a portion of a population, displaced by disaster, into a functioning housing community having safely usable habitation facilities, and stand-alone community local water system and community local electric service system.

In some embodiments, the method is used to create a new community in a location remote from concentrated human habitation and human habitation services.

In a second family of embodiments, the invention comprehends a community construction service system. The community construction system comprises a supply of modular habitation units; a site selection service available to assist a client in selecting one or more sites for constructing a community; a first transport service providing transport of such habitation units to a pickup locus; a meeting service, meeting such habitation units when such habitation units arrive at the pickup locus; a second transport service loading such habitation units onto transport vehicles as necessary and transporting such habitation units from such pickup locus to the selected one or more sites; an excavation and grading service, excavating and grading one or more individual sites, as necessary, thus identifying suitably flat habitation sites to receive placement of respective ones of the habitation units; a placement service, unloading respective ones of the habitation units from a respective one or more of the transport vehicles and placing such habitation units on the so-prepared habitation sites; an electric utility service providing a community local electric system including building a local distribution network connecting to about 10 to about 500 of such so-placed habitation units, sufficient to provide a required minimum quantity of electricity to the about 10 to about 500 habitation units; and a water utility service providing a community local water system, including fresh water delivery service and used water removal service, to the about 10 to about 500 habitation units.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises a used water treatment service treating the used water removed from the habitation units, suitable to make such used water satisfactory for re-use as fresh water.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises a fresh water service providing fresh water to fresh water tanks in the habitation units using a non-pipeline delivery mechanism.

In some embodiments, the habitation units comprise used ocean shipping containers converted for human habitation use.

In some embodiments, the excavation and grading service includes the service of clearing debris and/or grading land to create such suitably flat habitation sites.

In a third family of embodiments, the invention comprehends a community construction service pack, comprising a pre-defined number of about 10 to about 500 portable modular habitation units; a portable community local electric service system, sized and configured to provide all of the electricity expected to be needed by the about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, the portable community local electric service system comprising one or more portable electric generators having a collective capacity to provide all of the electricity expected to be needed by the about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, enough transmission wire to accommodate setting up a wire-based transmission network connecting the generators to all of the about 10 to about 500 habitation units, suitable switches and controls to control transmission of electricity, generated by the one or more generators, to all of the about 10 to about 500 habitation units through such wire-based transmission network, and supports and connectors suitable to support the wire in the transmission network; and a portable community local water system sized and configured to provide for all of the fresh water expected to be needed, and all of the gray water expected to be produced, by the about 10 to about 500 habitation units, the portable community local water system comprising a water processing facility including one or more portable fresh water tanks having a collective capacity to, in combination with a water source, provide all of the fresh water expected to be needed by the about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, one or more portable gray water tanks having a collective capacity to, in combination with a water discharge system, receive all of the gray water expected to be collected from the about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, and water treatment facilities configured to provide filtration and chemical treatment of source water for distribution as fresh water, and to treat used water prior to discharge into the local environment, and one or more vehicles capable of delivering fresh water to the habitation units and receiving gray water from the habitation units.

In some embodiments, the service pack further comprises a pre-defined vehicular transport capability available to be shipped, as part of the service pack, to the pickup locus, the pre-defined vehicular transport capability having the capacity to assist in transporting the habitation units to a community situs, and to place the habitation units on individual habitation sites.

In some embodiments, the service pack further comprises a pre-defined vehicular excavation capability available to be shipped, as part of the service pack, to a community situs, and configured to prepare habitation sites to receive the habitation units.

In some embodiments, the service pack further comprises connectors, wires, switches, and controls suitable for connecting a first such portable community local electric service system of a first community, built from a first community construction service pack, to a second such portable community local electricity service system of a second community, built from a second community construction service pack.

In some embodiments, the service pack further comprises sufficient piping and connectors capable of being installed between the water processing facility and the pre-defined number of portable habitation units to carry at least one of fresh water from the water processing facility to the habitation units, or gray water from the habitation units to the water processing facility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a pictorial view of a standard ocean shipping container.

FIG. 2 shows a pictorial view, with parts cut away, of a portable habitation unit useful in this invention, the habitation unit having been created, starting from a such shipping container as in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a limited-size community which has been set up using converted habitation units as in FIG. 2, the habitation units being served by a local electric utility and a local water utility, both servicing only the given limited-size community.

FIG. 4 shows first and second such communities as illustrated in FIG. 3, having linked electric utility resources and linked water utility resources.

The invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction, or to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various other ways. Also, it is to be understood that the terminology and phraseology employed herein is for purpose of description and illustration and should not be regarded as limiting. Like reference numerals are used to indicate like components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the FIGURES, an ocean shipping container 10 has external dimensions of typically 40 feet (12.2 meters) long by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) wide by 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) high, which, when converted to habitation quarters, represents about 340 square feet (31.6 square meters) gross, of living space, with an internal height of about 8 feet (2.4 meters). Thus, the height of the container lends itself well to human habitation. While the square footage of living space is somewhat small by developed world standards, such space represents at least adequate space for temporary housing of people displaced by disaster events.

FIG. 2 shows that such shipping container can be converted to a habitation unit 12 providing living space 14 for human habitation, including up to 12 single-size bunk beds 16. FIG. 2 shows such habitation unit with the near side wall and the top wall removed.

The illustrated living space provides a limited kitchen space 18 for food storage and preparation, a limited dining space 20 for eating, and a limited “living room” space 22 for casual, relaxing-type activities. One or more windows 24 may be provided in the sides or top of the converted habitation unit. A main personnel door 26 is provided in the end of the habitation unit adjacent living room space 22. The locking steel doors (not shown) which were originally provided as part of the shipping container may be retained as a security/safety lock mechanism to protect the inhabitants against future disaster events, or may be removed, such as for cosmetic reasons. A utility service door 28 is provided in the end of the habitation unit which is remote from personnel door 26.

Habitation unit 12 is typically outfitted with a set of basic appliances such as a cook-top, an oven, a refrigerator, a microwave, a combination space heating and air conditioning unit (HVAC), and the like. As part of the conversion process, thermal insulation is installed in the walls and ceilings, and optionally in the floor, in order to provide a level of control of the temperature inside habitation unit 12. Conventional electrical wiring is provided inside habitation unit 12 in support of the use of electricity as a source of power for various electrical loads which may be included as part of the habitation unit, such as to power the various appliances, in addition to powering lighting and electronics products. An electrical service panel 30 is provided at the back end of the habitation unit, adjacent service door 28, to receive electricity from outside the habitation unit and to distribute the electricity to various terminals inside the habitation unit, through conventional e.g. 110-120 volt ac wiring.

Similarly, habitation unit 12 is typically outfitted with basic water fixtures such as water faucet 32 providing water running into a sink 34, and a commode 36 in a small chamber 38. Chamber 38 can be expanded to include a shower and sink, e.g. in place of two of the bunk beds. A first water tank 40F below the lower beds holds fresh water; and a second water tank 40G below the lower beds holds used/gray water. A first pipe fitting 42F extends from fresh water tank 40F to and through the back wall at the utility service door. A second pipe fitting 42G extends from gray water tank 40G to and through the back wall, also through the utility service door. Pipe fittings 42F and 42G are indicated, for illustration purposes, in a left column of such habitation units in FIG. 3.

A fresh water pump (not shown), in or attached to the fresh water tank, pumps water to e.g. the sink faucet or the commode as requested by such water fixtures. The fresh water tank can, instead, be mounted at or close to the ceiling of the habitation unit such as in the sleeping area or in bath closet 38, whereby the fresh water pump is obviated, as water can then flow by gravity from the fresh water tank to the faucet or the commode. In warmer climates, the fresh water tank may be mounted outside, on the top of the habitation unit in order that solar radiation can be used to heat water for use inside the habitation unit.

Used water flows, from the sink or the commode, to the gray water tank by gravity. If necessary, commode 36, or a shower, can be raised onto e.g. an elevated platform in order to facilitate such gravity flow from the commode.

FIG. 3 shows a relatively small community 44 defined by 35 habitation units 12, set up in close relationship to each other, in a grid pattern of 7 rows 46A, 46B, 46C, 46D, 46E, 46F, and 46G, with 5 such habitation units 12 in each row. A personnel door 26 is indicated on each habitation unit in order to indicate the direction the respective units 12 are facing in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 further illustrates a water utility comprising a portable water facility 48 near the edge of the community. Water facility 48 serves as a source of fresh water for the community, as well as a receiving locus for receiving and optionally treating gray water from the habitation units in the community. Water facility 48 is portable in that each of its components, including its water tanks, its laboratory facility, and its delivery system, is comprised of mass produced, and readily transportable, components.

FIG. 3 yet further illustrates a basic road system 50 including main delivery road 50A extending left-right through the community from water utility source 48. Transverse secondary delivery roads/paths 50B extend top-bottom across FIG. 3, from the main delivery road, passing the back wall of each habitation unit, proximate the respective service doors 28 and terminus pipe fittings 42F and 42G. Road system 50 thus provides delivery access to the back of each habitation unit whereby a truck 52 or other vehicle, as part of the water utility service, periodically visits each habitation unit, delivering fresh water to the fresh water tank through pipe fitting 42F, and draining gray water from the gray water tank through pipe fitting 42G. Thus, the water utility, which in its basic format, comprises only water facility 48 and truck 52, once a suitable source of fresh water is secured, can be implemented in a very short period of time because no pipelines are laid from the water facility to the respective habitation units which use the water before operation of the water service is implemented. Rather, the water is delivered by truck 52 or other vehicle to each habitation unit on a rationed water, basis. The water is rationed because the community is, by definition, a stressed and/or disaster community whereby, initially, no more than limited quantities of clean water can be counted on to be available. Restated, because the community service packs are pre-engineered and pre-packaged service responses to future intense needs having presently-unknown specifics at the time the service packs are engineered and designed, such service packs are designed to be able to meet a wide variety of such needs, while providing for extremely unfavorable needs and working conditions where workers can still be sent with reasonable expectation of safety for the workers.

The water facility draws fresh water from any available source of water which can be processed to make the water safe to use for fresh water needs. While it is preferable to have a pipeline connecting the water facility to the source water, the source water can be trucked in to the water facility, at least temporarily, if necessary, until a pipeline to the source water can be put in place. While a pipeline to the source water is not critical to operation of the community, if the community/water utility is anticipated to be in place for a sustained period of time, then a pipeline to the source water is indicated as a cost savings measure when time and capital funds offer the opportunity.

The water facility is preferably equipped to do basic water purification of the source water, such as filtration, and adding limited quantities of chemicals, in order to make the water safe for basic uses such as cleaning. Ideally, but not necessarily, the water facility can make the source water safe for human ingestion. Where the water facility cannot readily make the water safe for human ingestion, bottled water, safe for drinking, may also be provided by the water utility as a service to the community. The water facility is also preferably equipped to filter the gray water received from the habitation units, and to treat the gray water for toxins and disease-causing organisms before discharge.

Returning to FIG. 3, an electricity source 54 is shown inside the space occupied by the defined community 44, namely surrounded by the habitation units. Electricity source 54 includes one or more portable generators, typically diesel generators, providing enough electricity to satisfy the basic electricity needs of the community 44.

Electricity source 54 is specifically created using portable generator and switching and control equipment so as to enable quickly setting up the electric utility. At the same time, the capacity of electricity source 54 is selected to limit the capital outlay for the electric utility system to that which is required for the immediate needs of community 44 as well as to limit the ongoing operating costs of the electric utility.

A network 56 of wires extends from electricity source 54 to each of habitation units 12 and connects to the respective habitation units, through utility service doors 28, thence to the respective service panels 30, thus providing basic electric service to the habitation units in the community. Nodes 58 are shown connecting the network wires to each other. Nodes 60 are indicated as connections between the wiring network and the service panels at the respective habitation units.

While the habitation unit illustrated in FIG. 2 shows a unit set up for residential accommodations, the habitation units can be set up for a variety of uses; such uses as medical clinics, governmental offices, retail stores, emergency command posts, field laboratory facilities, and the like. Thus, the community as described herein can include habitation units serving all such purposes, on an as needed basis, as well as serving residential needs of the displaced persons of the area.

As defined herein, a “community” is a combination of

(i) a defined number of portable habitation units,

(ii) an electrical system sized to service the defined number of portable habitation units, and

(iii) a water system sized to service the defined number of portable habitation units;

and wherein the community is considered complete for purposes of the invention when the above three elements are in place and operational.

The defined number of portable habitation units is typically no more than 500 units, more commonly about 25 units to about 250 units, optionally about 100 units. The portable habitation units are typically shipping containers which have been converted for human habitation as illustrated herein, whether for 24 hour residential use or for more limited professional or commercial or governmental uses which typically use the habitation units for less than 24 hours per day, for example, 8-12 hours per day.

When a disaster occurs, depending on the size and severity of the disaster, large numbers of people may be injured and/or displaced from their usual places of residence. In the case of war, there are often large populations of refugees who have no place to stay. In the case of a natural disaster such as hurricane, typhoon, earthquake, tsunami, volcano, and others, there are again large numbers of displaced persons who have no place to stay. The challenge for those in political authority is to solve the displaced persons issues to the extent possible and as quickly as possible.

In the invention, a single e.g. non-governmental project managing organization, hereinafter referred to as the project manager, accepts responsibility for coordinating the entire process of transitioning at least a portion of the displaced-person population, made dysfunctional by loss of safely usable habitation and utilities, into a functioning community having safely usable habitation facilities and utilities. The project manager can be a non-profit entity or a for-profit entity.

Part of the invention lies in the project manager pre-defining, for each anticipated size of community which might be needed, a community service pack which identifies

• • (i) a certain number of habitation units in a basic community service pack, thus defining the community size,
  • (ii) a certain size electricity source, including an electricity source package along with suitable switching and control equipment as well as enough wiring to reach all of the habitation units within the area defined by the given size community,
  • (iii) a certain size water facility, including basic laboratory facilities, tanks, and suitable filtration and mixing equipment, to service all of the habitation units defined for the given size community,
  • (iv) the quantity and types of material handling equipment such as earth moving machinery and lifting equipment, such as cranes or heavy duty forklifts which need to be provided with and/or for each community service pack, as well as sources, and delivery times, of such material handling equipment, and
    • (v) crews of workers trained in setting up such communities, and in maintaining ongoing operation of the respective electric utility service and water utility service.

Thus, the project manager pre-defines pre-packaged sets of community service packs, each including a matched-capacity set of housing, electrical service and water service, such that a community of known pre-determined size can be set up, from each service pack. And multiple such communities can be set up, in any desired proximity to each other, using a corresponding number of such service packs. The project manager can pre-define a variety of sizes of community service packs, each having a resource specification specific to that size of service pack.

When a disaster occurs, the prospective project manager can be prepared, based on pre-determined capabilities balanced with anticipated needs, to send as many of the pre-packaged community service packs, of selected community sizes, as are indicated, to the affected area.

When the manager learns of a newly-developed need, the manager first makes an initial assessment of the type of assistance needed, and whether a “community-based” service pack type system of the invention can satisfy at least part of the needs of the persons who have been displaced and/or made dysfunctional by the disaster. If yes, the expectant project manager communicates with the controlling political entity in the affected locale or locales, offering assistance. The assistance offered is to provide service packs, each of which is a set of products and equipment, along with an installation and operations service, whereby stand-alone, largely-residential communities can be set up and serviced, each having its own electrical system and its own water system. The service pack service includes operating those respective community utility services while optionally training local replacement workers to take over those utility operations responsibilities.

Once agreement is reached with the local political entity, and other supporters as necessary, that the project manager is to provide certain services, the requisite number of community service packs are shipped to a pickup location near the disaster locus, along with a suitable number of workers to carry out the site preparation, transport of the elements of the service pack to the community situs, placement of the habitation units, set up of the electric and water utilities, and ongoing operation of the electric and water utilities. The habitation units, as shipped, are typically fully equipped with furniture, appliances, and fixtures, which are typically securely mounted to the floor and/or walls of the habitation unit, with limited unpacking of bracing and optionally dust covers, optionally placement of bedding on the beds, to be done after a given habitation unit arrives at the community location and before the interior of the habitation unit is ready for occupancy. The HVAC 61 unit is typically shipped inside the habitation unit, and installed after the habitation unit arrives at its use site.

The electric utility equipment and the water utility equipment, except in some cases, the water tanks, can typically be shipped to the pickup locus in the same type of used ocean shipping containers as are used in creating the habitation units. Accordingly, additional conversion supplies and tools may optionally be sent with the shipment so that, when the utility supplies and equipment have been removed from their shipping containers, some or all of those containers can be converted into additional habitation units.

Typically before the habitation units arrive at the pickup locus, the project manager works with the local agents of the respective political entity to establish the location/situs where the community is to be set up.

In addition, the project manager arranges for shipment, to the community/situs, of earthmoving equipment capable of preparing reasonably flat placement locations where each habitation unit is to be set/placed, and so prepares the housing sites for the habitation units.

The project manager also arranges for shipment, to the pickup location, of the lifting equipment, such as e.g. forklifts or cranes sized to handle ocean shipping containers, to receive the habitation units when off-loaded from e.g. an ocean-going ship or rail cars and to move the habitation units from the pickup location to the so-established community location. For example, if the habitation units arrive by ship or rail cars, such forklifts or cranes are used to load the habitation units onto trucks. Trucks are used to transport the lifting equipment, and the habitation units to the community situs. If the habitation units arrive by e.g. flatbed trucks, the trucks can take the habitation units directly to the community situs.

Meantime, the earthmoving equipment is used to clear, grade, and otherwise prepare sites to receive the habitation units.

As sites are cleared and otherwise prepared for the habitation units, locations are also identified and cleared for habitation units which will function as the control centers for the water facility and the electricity source.

Once the habitation units arrive at the community situs, the forklifts or cranes are again used to off-load the respective habitation units from the trucks and to emplace the habitation units on corresponding ones of the so-prepared housing sites.

Recognizing that the original ocean shipping containers were configured to accommodate stacking the shipping containers for trans-ocean shipping, recognizing that the stacking features, and the features facilitating locking stacked containers to each other, remain intact on the habitation units, where space is limited for creating sites for the habitation units, the habitation units can be stacked, up to three units high. In such situation, the overlying habitation units are locked to the underlying units, and stairways are extended from ground level to the upper ones of the habitation units.

Part of the short-term planning for a specific site is to determine the locations of respective ones of the habitation units, including whether any of the habitation units will be stacked. Once the locations have been determined for the various habitation units, the wiring diagram for the electric transmission network can be designed for the specific community.

Once a few of the habitation units have been placed on their respective sites, work can begin on constructing the wiring transmission network at the sites where the habitation units have already been placed. Beginning of construction of the wiring transmission network is thus preferably taking place concurrently with the placing of the habitation units. As more habitation units are placed, the portion of the transmission network which is to be associated to those habitation units can be built. Thus, as the space collectively occupied by the so-placed habitation units increases, the scope of the build-out of the transmission network can accordingly be expanded such that, as the placement of the habitation units reaches completion, construction of the transmission network can be completed shortly thereafter.

Concurrently, the electricity source 54 and the water facility 48 are built, assembled, and the electricity source is connected to the transmission network.

Such concurrent build-out of the transmission network footprint concurrent with, and shortly following, the setting of the habitation units, facilitates a time-sensitive completion of the three primary phases of building the community, namely

• • A. placement of the habitation units,
  • B. build-out of the electric service system and connecting the electric service system to each of the habitation units, and
  • C. build-out of the water system.

Once the habitation units are in place, and water and electric services are available to a given set of habitation units, people in need of such habitation units can be given access to the respective habitation units.

In some instances, it is possible that the water system and the electric service system may be operational to some but not all of the habitation units specified for a given community, for example while some of the habitation units have not yet been placed. In such instance, the water and electric utility services can be initiated to those habitation units which have been so connected, whereby people in need of such habitation units can be given access to the respective so-connected habitation units even though the set-up of the remainder of the community has not yet been completed.

The apportioning of resources committed to a community service pack can be generally determined as follows.

• • 1. The size of a given community service pack is generally defined in terms of the number of habitation units. The number of habitation units can be freely chosen by e.g. the project manager within general parameters that a community of less than about 10 habitation units will have a very high cost per habitation unit and a community of more than about 500 habitation units may become unwieldy in terms of utility services from a single generating facility. So the range of community sizes which is contemplated for definition in a “service pack” is about 10 habitation units to about 500 habitation units, more typically about 25 habitation units to about 250 habitation units.
  • 2. Once the number of habitation units has been decided upon, then the capacities of the electric system and water system required to service that number of habitation units can be determined, based on the number of people expected to occupy the average unit, and corresponding expected use rates per habitation unit.
  • 3. Once the number of habitation units has been determined, and the corresponding electric and water utility requirements have been determined, including the equipment required to set up and operate the respective utility services, the size of the overall shipment of service pack product can be determined. Also, the amount of space nominally needed for the set-up community at the community situs can be determined at that time, recognizing that the nominal space may need to be adjusted depending on conditions at the community situs.
  • 4. Once the size of the overall shipment of service pack product is determined, the amount of earth moving equipment can be determined based on the number of habitation units, and the amount of materials handling equipment needed can be determined based on the overall size of the shipment.
  • 5. The labor requirements to set up and initiate operations of the community can then be determined.

The requirements for each of the above five steps can, in general be determined ahead of time for a given community size, whereby various of the resources can be identified to specific service packs or, in the case of worker crews and/or the earth moving equipment or the material handling equipment, the identification is related to how much of such resources are needed, though those resources may be utilized elsewhere until such time as the disaster response activity is implemented.

Where a community such as that illustrated in FIG. 3 has been set up and the utilities are operational, the next step is to begin to optimize operating costs, and increase reliability. For example, where two or more such communities are situated close to each other, one step which can be taken with minimal effort is to link the utility services of the two communities to each other, and optionally to fully integrate the two utility services together, so they operate in support of each other. Once linked, a failure of either utility at either community can be offset by at least partial service being available from the adjacent community through the linkage. FIG. 4 shows a link 62 linking the two electricity sources 54A and 54B in adjacent communities 44A and 44B. FIG. 4 further shows a link 64 linking the two water facilities 48A and 48B to each other. FIG. 4 also shows a further efficiency which may be put in place as time and capital permits, namely a pipeline system 66 connecting the water utility to the respective habitation units, either a fresh water pipeline network, a gray water (used water drainage) pipeline network, or both a fresh water pipeline network and a gray water pipeline network. Such pipeline system can be built either in a stand-alone community or in a community which is linked to another community. However, such pipeline system is a relatively lower priority because time is of the essence, and vehicular water delivery and retrieval service can be implemented more quickly than a such pipeline can be built.

Such linking of utility systems can result in some, though likely limited, reduction in operating costs, and can add redundancy to the utility system for a given community such that, when a piece of equipment in one utility fails, any spare capacity in the linked utility can be used to at least partially replace the services lost by the utility failure in the adjacent community. Or where the utilities are fully integrated, and a piece of equipment fails, the remaining operational equipment in the system is used to spread the capacity loss uniformly over the affected communities. Accordingly, where 4, 5, or more communities can be so linked, the spare capacity in the community as a whole may be enough to fully compensate for temporary loss of operational capability in a given utility of a single community.

Finally, as time and capital permit, and a modem grid system can be implemented, the operator of the modem grid can choose to connect to respective communities as the modern grid develops the capacity to begin servicing such communities. Similarly, the communities selected for connection to the modern grid can choose to accept the offer to connect, but may also decline such offer because they do have another option, namely to stay with the local grid already in place.

Although the invention has been described with respect to various embodiments, it should be realized this invention is also capable of a wide variety of further and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Those skilled in the art will now see that certain modifications can be made to the apparatus and methods herein disclosed with respect to the illustrated embodiments, without departing from the spirit of the instant invention. And while the invention has been described above with respect to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is adapted to numerous rearrangements, modifications, and alterations, and all such arrangements, modifications, and alterations are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

To the extent the following claims use means plus function language, it is not meant to include there, or in the instant specification, anything not structurally equivalent to what is shown in the embodiments disclosed in the specification.

Claims

1. A method of providing a habitable community having safely usable human habitation facilities and utilities, the method comprising creating such habitable community by:

(a) providing about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, each providing about 175 square feet (about 16.3 square meters) to about 500 square feet (about 46.5 square meters) of habitation area thereby providing habitation services to at least a portion of a population in need of such services, and thereby creating a habitable community at a community situs, comprising (i) providing habitation units, including determining a pickup locus for such habitation units, and the community situs for such habitation units, determining a quantity of such habitation units to be shipped to such situs, and shipping the determined quantity of such habitation units to the pickup locus, (ii) moving the habitation units from the pickup locus to habitation sites at the community situs by arranging for transport to the pickup locus, of material handling equipment suitable for handling the habitation units at the pickup locus, receiving the habitation units at the pickup locus and, using the material handling equipment transported to the pickup locus, loading the habitation units onto suitable transport vehicles and transporting the habitation units to the community situs, preparing the community situs, as necessary, thus identifying and/or preparing suitably flat habitation sites configured to receive placement of respective ones of the habitation units, and unloading the habitation units from the transport vehicles and installing the respective habitation units on the suitably flat habitation sites;

(b) providing utility services for such community, comprising (i) shipping to the community situs, and installing, a community local electric service system comprising, as an electricity source, one or more portable electric generators which are collectively capable of providing an acceptable quantity of electrical power to the about 10 up to about 500 such habitation units, and building, as a local grid, an electrical distribution network connecting the electricity source to the about 10 up to about 500 installed habitation units, so as to create such community local electric service system for the community, and (ii) providing a community local water system comprising a water facility, and a delivery and removal system providing fresh water to the habitation units and removing used water from the habitation units; and

(c) making the habitation units available for occupation by people in need of such habitation units at the community situs, thus creating the community of about 10 up to about 500 habitation units occupied by people in need of such habitation units, the habitation units being served by both the community local electric service system and the community local water system.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising treating the used water to make such used water satisfactory for re-use as fresh water.

3. A method as in claim 1 comprising providing the fresh water to fresh water tanks in the habitation units using a non-pipeline delivery system.

4. A method as in claim 1 comprising removing the used water from used water tanks in the habitation units, using a non-pipeline removal system.

5. A method as in claim 1 comprising, subsequent to such creating of at least one such community, merging operations responsibilities of such at least one created community local electric service system or such at least one community local water system with operations responsibilities of a corresponding community local electric service system or a community local water system of a second such so-created community.

6. A method as in claim 1 comprising converting the community local water system from non-pipeline transport of the fresh water and/or the used water to a community local water system which uses a pipeline network to at least one of transport the fresh water from a primary supply tank to the habitation units or to transport the used water from the habitation units to a water treatment facility.

7. A method as in claim 1, further comprising converting used ocean shipping containers for human habitation use thus to provide the habitation units.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of identifying and/or preparing suitably flat habitation sites includes clearing debris and/or grading land to create such suitably flat habitation sites.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein at least one of providing fresh water to the habitation units and removing used water from the habitation units comprises vehicular transport of such fresh water or such used water to and/or from the habitation units.

10. A method as in claim 7 wherein such converting of a used ocean shipping container comprises leaving installed any doors originally mounted on an end of such shipping container, and installing an additional closure wall inwardly of such original doors, and further providing a personnel entry door in such inward wall.

11. A method as in claim 1 wherein the method is used to transition at least a portion of a population displaced by disaster into a functioning housing community having safely usable habitation facilities, and stand-alone community local water system and community local electric service system.

12. A method as in claim 1 wherein the method is used to create a new community in a location remote from concentrated human habitation and human habitation services.

13. A community construction service system, comprising:

(a) a supply of modular habitation units;

(b) a site selection service available to assist a client in selecting one or more sites for construction of a community;

(c) a first transport service providing transport of such habitation units to a pickup locus;

(d) a meeting service, meeting such habitation units when such habitation units arrive at the pickup locus;

(e) a second transport service loading such habitation units onto transport vehicles as necessary and transporting such habitation units from such pickup locus to the selected one or more sites;

(f) an excavation and grading service, excavating and grading one or more individual sites, as necessary, thus identifying suitably flat habitation sites to receive placement of respective ones of the habitation units;

(g) a placement service, unloading respective ones of the habitation units from a respective one or more of the transport vehicles and placing such habitation units on the so-prepared habitation sites;

(h) an electric utility service providing a community local electric system including building a local distribution network connecting to about 10 to about 500 of such so-placed habitation units, sufficient to provide a required minimum quantity of electricity to the about 10 to about 500 habitation units; and

(i) a water utility service providing a community local water system, including fresh water delivery service and used water removal service, to the about 10 to about 500 habitation units.

14. A community construction service system as in claim 13, further comprising a used water treatment service treating the used water removed from the habitation units, suitable to make such used water satisfactory for re-use as fresh water.

15. A community construction service system as in claim 13, further comprising a fresh water service providing fresh water to fresh water tanks in the habitation units using a non-pipeline delivery mechanism.

16. A community reconstruction system as in claim 13, the habitation units comprising used ocean shipping containers converted for human habitation use.

17. A community reconstruction system as in claim 13 wherein the excavation and grading service includes clearing debris and/or grading land to create such suitably flat habitation sites.

18. A community construction service pack, comprising:

(a) a pre-defined number of about 10 to about 500 portable modular habitation units;

(b) a portable community local electric service system, sized and configured to provide all of the electricity expected to be needed by said about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, said portable community local electric service system comprising (i) one or more portable electric generators having a collective capacity to provide all of the electricity expected to be needed by said about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, (ii) enough transmission wire to accommodate setting up a wire-based transmission network connecting said generators to all of said about 10 to about 500 habitation units, (iii) suitable switches and controls to control transmission of electricity, generated by said one or more generators, to all of said about 10 to about 500 habitation units through such wire-based transmission network, and (iv) supports and connectors suitable to support said wire in said transmission network; and

(c) a portable community local water system sized and configured to provide for all of the fresh water expected to be needed, and to provide for all of the gray water expected to be produced, by the about 10 to about 500 habitation units, said portable community local water system comprising (i) a water processing facility including (A) one or more portable fresh water tanks having a collective capacity to, in combination with a water source, provide all of the fresh water expected to be needed by said about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, (B) one or more portable gray water tanks having a collective capacity to, in combination with a water discharge system, receive all of the gray water expected to be collected from said about 10 to about 500 portable habitation units, and (ii) one or more vehicles capable of delivering fresh water to the habitation units and receiving gray water from the habitation units.

19. A community construction service pack as in claim 18, further comprising a pre-defined vehicular transport capability available to be shipped, as part of said service pack, to the pickup locus, said pre-defined vehicular transport capability having the capacity to assist in transporting the habitation units to a community situs, and to place the habitation units on individual habitation sites.

20. A community construction service pack as in claim 18, further comprising a pre-defined vehicular excavation capability available to be shipped, as part of said service pack, to a community situs, and configured to prepare habitation sites to receive said habitation units.

21. A community construction service pack as in claim 18, further comprising connectors, wires, switches, and controls suitable for connecting a first said portable community local electric service system of a first said community, built from a first said community construction service pack, to a second such portable community local electricity service system of a second said community, built from a second said community construction service pack.

22. A community construction service pack as in claim 18, further comprising sufficient piping and connectors capable of being installed between said water processing facility and said pre-defined number of portable habitation units to carry at least one of

(i) fresh water from said water processing facility to said habitation units, or

(ii) gray water from said habitation units to said water processing facility.

23. A community construction service pack as in claim 18, further comprising water treatment facilities configured to provide at least one of filtration and chemical treatment of source water for distribution as fresh water, or treatment of used water prior to discharge into the local environment.