Project: Fire Safe Hawaii

Hello, I am a freshman in high school who enjoys CAD, and I compete in both combat robotics and The First Tech Challenge. I decided that I wanted to compete in this competition because it would help me sharpen my CAD skills and practice creating designs that could make life better for people someday. The first decision I had to make for this instructable was which extreme environment and habitat I wanted to create for that would help the people who live there. First, I compiled a list of extreme environments and recent natural disaster sights that cause issues for people all over the world today. Here are some of the ideas for projects that I considered:

• Haiti - earthquakes and deforestation
• Sahara Dessert - drought, heat, lack of food, and water
• Tornado Alley - Tornadoes and flooding
• Himalayas - extreme cold, avalanches
• Hawaii - fires, smoke, and volcanic ash
• California - fires, drought

I chose Hawaii because the wildfires that rampaged through Maui caused six billion dollars in property damage and displaced thousands of people living there. Another result of the fires was the large amount of smoke being released into the air, which was extremely unhealthy to breathe. Another reason I chose this project was because fire is becoming more of an issue in many parts of the world today. Many people in Hawaii are still homeless due to property damage and high living costs. After some research, I have determined that a solution to this problem could be a house that protects its inhabitants from extreme temperatures using fire-proof building materials and toxic smoke using a high tech filtration system as well as water storage and power generation systems.

Sources Cited

1. https://www.bravarooftile.com/blog/terracotta-roof/
2. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/preliminary-after-action-report-2023-maui-wildfire/
3. https://www.nudura.com/company/blog/architects/how-to-design-and-build-a-fire-resistant-house/
4. https://acrewindows.com/blog/standard-door-width/#:~:text=The%20typical%20standard%20door%20height,require%20a%20different%20installation%20process.
5. https://s3da-design.com/fireproof-homes-building-high-fire-areas/

Tools and materials for the design and prototype:

• Autodesk Fusion360 (can be downloaded here for free https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal)
• Autodesk Tinkercad (you can make a free account easily here https://www.tinkercad.com/)
• 3D Printer (to create the base plate and the roof as well as the mold for the plaster)
• Plaster of Paris (for the main body of the house)
• Hot Glue (to attach the roof)
• Spray Paint
• Acrylic Paint

Materials if the house was to be built in real life:

• House wiring system 
• The battery (Lithium-ion)
• Air conditioning system
• The air filtration system
• Terracotta shingles
• Insulating concrete
• Water tanks (made from aluminium, plastic, or fiberglass)
• Wind turbines (made from fiberglass)
• Steel tubing (for the wind turbine cages)
• Drywall (for the interior)
• Various caulk and rubber sealers (to make sure the house is sealed and does not let smoke in)
• PVC and copper pipes (for plumbing)

That is it for the materials other than the small things like screws, bolts, and nuts that are needed as the build goes along.

Here is all of the technology and design features I implemented into the house as well as the different specialists needed to construct the various features.

• The house will be cast out of a solid piece of concrete. A type of concrete that resists heat well and makes for a good insulator will be used. To make this happen, civil engineers will be needed to design the structure, and cement masons will do the physical construction of the concrete.
• To keep the occupants safe from breathing harmful smoke, the house will be fully sealed and have an air filtration system. To create this system, it will take HVAC technicians to design and install it.
• The house will have a backup battery to keep it powered if the power grid goes down or the wind turbines fail. The most important function of the battery will be to ensure the air filtration system stays on. To design this battery system as well as how it will be implemented into the power grid, it will take electrical engineers. Electricians will install the battery and circuitry.
• There will also be water tanks to ensure the people inside have water even if the city water is shut down. Water tanks are not a new technology, so they should only take plumbers to install.
• Small vertical wind turbines will be put on the roof of the house for energy if the power grid goes out. I chose the vertical wind turbines because a cage can be built around them to protect them from falling debris from trees or larger buildings. These wind turbines will take electricians to install and electrical engineers to design.
• A terracotta roof will be used because it is one of the strongest roofing materials commonly installed. It is also more insulating than other roofing materials because it is made out of clay (1). The roof will take roofers to construct.
• The house will also include double-walled windows for added insulation and durability in case the first layer breaks. This can be installed by glaziers.

I first made a sketch of the layout of the house. I then extruded that to create the foundation of the house. I then used the offset tool to create the sketch to extrude the walls. At this time, I also added more material to the foundation so there would be room for the external equipment. Lastly, I used the pattern on path tool to create rafters to support the roof.

To create a base for the terracotta shingles I first created a sheet that goes over the rafters to attach the shingles. This layer also creates some insulation for the house because it is made out of the same insulating concrete as the rest of the house. I then created a semicircle tube perpendicular to the roof of the house. This is the first shingle. I rotated it upward 5 degrees, then used the pattern on path tool to copy it all over the top of the building. I used tiles in different places to create boundaries and trims where different angles meet.

To create the windows and the front door, I first created a hole in the wall. I then extruded this wall outward and colored the new body to create windows. For the door, I did the same thing but then created a window inside the door and a small cylinder to be the doorknob.

To create the water tanks, I first made a circle at the base of their location. I then extruded them upward and added a filet on top. To create the pipe for water to flow into the tank, I created a path in the middle of the tank to use the pipe tool. I then used the pipe tool to create the pipe. I repeated these steps to create a pipe for the water to be extracted from the tanks.

First, I created some platforms for the wind turbines. Next, I created a sketch that will determine the thickness of the wind turbine blades. I then extruded the wind turbine blades using the sweep tool. Lastly, I used the pipe tool and the sketch tool to create cages to protect the wind turbines.

To create the backup battery, I simply created a rectangular prism and filleted the edges. These steps were repeated to create a model for the air conditioning unit.

The first step in creating the air filter vent was to make a sketch of the basic shape of the vent. Then, I extruded this sketch, and added various filets to round out the shape.

For this model, I really wanted to get a taste of what it would take to create this house in real life. I decided that a good way of doing this would be to cast the main walls of the house out of plaster of Paris, just like how the real house would be cast out of concrete. To make this happen, I first used Tinkercad to make the mold because I can easily use the hole tool make a negative space in a box in the house's shape. Tinkercad was the choice for this step because doing it with the tools I know in fusion 360 would be harder and lead to a less desirable result. then 3D-printed this file to create a mold. I cleaned up the print, then sprayed some olive oil cooking spray on the print to try to keep the plaster from sticking to the mold. I then mixed up the plaster and poured it into the mold. I then removed the plaster from the mold. The mold was printed on weak settings such as, fewer walls and low infill percentage to make it easy to break off the plaster. I am pleased with the detail that was translated from the mold to the plaster.

To create the roof and all of the equipment that goes on top, I first created a separate file for the roof. I then 3D-printed this file. Next, I gave the entire thing a coat of some terracotta-colored spray paint. After this, I gave the roof a wash with black paint. To do the wash, I had to mix the paint with water. Next, I painted it on, then dabbed off the excess with a paper towel. This gave the shingles a more varied and realistic look. I then painted the details in acrylic paint.

To create the foundation and water tanks, I 3D printed the parts in one piece. Next, I used paint markers to add color. Lastly, I glued the rest of the house onto this base.

After doing this project, I have started to think about how some of the features of this house could be used where I live. I live in Florida, where it is hot all the time. Because of this, we run our air conditioning systems very frequently to keep our homes comfortable. This uses a lot of power, which contributes to global warming, and it is also expensive for the residents of the homes. Some of the features of this house I designed that could help with this problem are the concrete walls and the double-walled windows which would help keep the house more insulated. These features would help to keep our houses more comfortable, environmentally friendly, and would be cost-effective in terms of electricity. This project was lots of fun, and I learned many new skills, such as a few new Fusion 360 techniques, plaster of Paris molding, and how to use a paint wash to add realism. I hope that this instructable has been interesting and informative.