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Hydroponic Homeless Shelter

A 16 by 16 foot homeless shelter has been designed that can be used to give a single person daily shelter. The homeless shelter si designed to handle all organic wastes and garbage in a composter which also supplies a large part of the shelter's winter warmth. The shelter includes a small greenhouse that provides growing space for some daily foods.

Figure7.2. A 16 by 16 foot homeless shelter includes a small greenhouse area to grow food.

The greenhouse area measures 16 x 3 x 8 foot (48 square foot growing space). The growing space includes a lower tub system, a set of tubes above and hanging tube growers.

The single person shelter is a design intended for a homeless person to be able to stay warm and provide food for survival. It also provides a composting area so that all waste is disposed of in the shelter. This means the shelter does not have to be connected to a sewer. The enclosed bed area uses plastic cupboard type doors that let in solar energy and heat the bed area during colder months. Solar energy is also stored in the walls and floor to cool the shelter during the day and heat it at night.

The hydroponic homeless shelter includes a greenhouse area that can grow fresh food. The growing area is 16 x 3 x 8 foot (48 square foot growing space), enough to provide most of the food needs for one person. The growing space includes a lower tub system, a set of tubes above and hanging tube growers.

The single person shelter is a design intended for a homeless person to be able to stay warm and provide food for survival. It also provides a composting area so that all waste is disposed of in the shelter. This means the shelter does not have to be connected to a sewer. The enclosed bed area uses plastic cupboard type doors that let in solar energy and heat the bed area during colder months. Solar energy is also stored in the walls and floor to cool the shelter during the day and heat it at night.

Figure 7.4. A homeless shelter designed to provide heat and food year round. The space includes an enclosed bed, for extra warmth in winter.

The greenhouse side of the shelter is located on the sun side of the site (in the Northern Hemisphere it is on the southern exposure). It is a simple system made of tiers of gravel beds and it is pumped once a day by a hand pump. The tiers of gravel and water tank below operate as a solar storage device storing heat from the sun during the day (keeping the shelter cooler) and releasing the heat into the shelter at night. The gravel beds are used to raise all types of food, from root crops to salad greens, herbs and fruits.

The opposite side on the shelter is a bed area which is elevated up so that the area underneath is operating as a composter. There is a toilet area outside and a wash basin which drains into the composter. There is also a garbage disposal shoot that puts vegetable scraps into the composter.

The composter should supply enough heat to keep the shelter comfortable. It is designed like a traditional Russian stove, to pick up most of the warmth from the gases leaving the shelter. This is done by a baffle system that is made of a heat gathering material, such as brick or adobe. The bed above stays warm and cozy. When it is too warm there are vents above the composter that allows heat to escape outside before warming the bed.

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