[Greenbuilding] tornado shelter

[Bruce Donelson]

The idea of taking shelter in a building with a sod roof scares me, unless
the engineering was flawless. Texas Tech University has done some research
on shelters. Youcan start looking at some of their design info at:
http://www.wind.ttu.edu/Shelters/InResShelter.php There are links to some
FEMA information too. One of their reccomendations is to locate the
structure inside your house, that way you are less likely to be hit by
flying debris while going outside to the shelter. Of course, if you live in
a mobile home, getting out is probably the safest option. Mobiles tend to
bounce around a lot while they tumble...Somebody recently put their little
kid into a dryer, the girl survived, but her parents didn't.
Use a design that has been tested. Don't mess with strawbales or cordwood or
anything else that can crush you, unless somebody has thrown a 2x4 traveling
at 100 mph at it and checked it for massive wind loads.
Concrete designs have fared well, with cast-in-place concrete ceilings. Use
a tested design, don't go substituting aerated concrete for the real thing.
They have some good ideas for doors, too. A heavy steel door reinforced with
an extra layer of 14-ga steel and triple dead bolts. An inward opening door
may let you out when debris is stacked against it.
For a structure to be considered green, it should be durable. If it falls
down and crushes you, it doesn't matter what its made of: it not green
anymore.
Bruce Donelson
A BEtter Builder

I want to build a garden shed that can double as a tornado shelter.

I have read that ICF works great, but what about ICF.  Isn't this a
petroleum based product?

Then there's concrete.  It seems aerated concrete may not be strong enough
to withstand large flying debris.

What about Faswall and/or strawbale for shelters.  I like the idea of having
steel running through the buffering agents for strength.  With Faswal you
get that inner concrete skeleton.  I could use flyash in that concrete.

What about cordwood?  I thought perhaps building a steel framework, filling
in with cordwood, then clamping a steel beam along the top of the wall
(forget the term for that beam).

I had even looked ito a monolithic concrete poured dome, but I really don't
have enough space if I also want to install shelved, etc. for my books, etc.

What about a roof system?
I had thought the steel frame could be bolted to concrete footers, extend up
through the frame and through the roof to hold the roof on (instead of a
roof just being tacked onto the top).  The roof would not have overhangs
(any windows would have their own overhang).  How about a sod roof?

Of course earth shelters are cool, but I don't have tons of space.  I could
bank up earth on two sides.  What walls are best to support banking of
earth?

So many questions....

Elizabeth M. Seiler

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