Emergency Floor

Every Shelter

Modular, interlocking, and lightweight emergency floor system.

Snapshot
Manufacturing & delivery
Performance & use
Research & standards
Feedback

Product description Brand name and product description

The Emergency Floor is a low-cost flooring solution for refugee families. The system uses leftover shipping pallets to elevate the polypropylene floor mat. The modular mats use recycled materials to provide a safe, warm, and clean floor for use in refugee shelters. The design aim is to minimize waste by re-purposing materials available in refugee camps (pallets)

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Nepal, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Syria

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Every Shelter in partnership with USAID, UNHCR, and GVC-Italia

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

≅15 USD per unit

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Viva Thermal Sleeping Mat and Synthetic Sleeping Mat.

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Millions of refugees fleeing conflict that are forced to sleep directly on the ground.

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

Mass produced

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Trade Secret

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

End users receive the Emergency Floor as a refugee-assisting technology from emergency/disaster relief organizations. Relief organizations may procure the product via Emergency Floor or Every Shelter

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

Every Shelter has delivered 5,000 emergency floor tiles to Lebanon in late 2018. The quantity covered 250 households, according to the producer.

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Unit dimensions (cm)

Size of the component

50 x 100 cm

Primary materials

List of primary materials in the component

Polypropylene

Complimentary materials

List of secondary materials in the component

The floor is placed on pallets

Fire Resistance (hr)

Measurement, calculated in hours, of the component’s resistance to fire

Unknown

Thermal Insulation Capacity

R value associated with material/product

Unknown

Compressive Strength (MPa)

The compressive strength of the component, measured in megapascals

Unknown

Suitable Climates

List of suitable climates for use of this components

All climates

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

Provides protection from parasitic infections, flash flooding, waterborne diseases, and freezing ground conditions.

Emergency Floor is designed to be installed over top shipping pallets or sandbags to give families an extra 15-20 cm of distance from the ground. The company has developed a custom washer that allows the floors to be secured to any substrate. The Emergency Floor is comprised of polypropylene tiles that are assembled to cover a desired area. Tile dimensions are 50 x 100 cm.

The Emergency Floor is rated to be fire resistant.

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

Technical support Technical support provided by

Unknown

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

Unknown. The shipping pallets that separate the flooring from the soil should be readily available in most refugee camps.

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

Unknown

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

Emergency Floor claims that they have found their product is an ‘effective insulator’ and can reduce the use of heating fuels by about 20% or 220 USD/ shelter (based on use in a UNHCR Family Shelter) as it retains heat in the bottom 75 cm of the shelter where families lounge and sleep.

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

A previous investigation about housing, heath, and happiness, performed in 2008 in undeserved communities in Mexico by researchers from the Department of Economics at the University of Michigan found that replacing “dirt floors” with a “firm floor” would lead to a “78% reduction of in parasitic infestation, a 49% reduction in diarrhea, 81% reduction in anemia, and a 36 to 96% improvement in cognitive development among young children.” The investigation also proved that maternal satisfaction and mental health had a positive impact.

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

The designer partnered with Better Shelter (a refugee shelter project supported by the IKEA Foundation) and the Development Innovation Ventures at the United States Agency for International Development to perform pilot testing in Sweden and in refugee camps.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

No listed hazards. Complies with US Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard – S571.302 STANDARD No 302 – FLAMMABILITY OF INTERIOR MATERIALS. Specified as <4.0 in/min – Pass

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Overhead shelter, such as a tent or plastic structure.

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

Cattaneo, M., et al., 2009. Housing, Health, and Happiness. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 1 (1), pp. 75-105.

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

Complies with US Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard – S571.302 STANDARD No 302 – FLAMMABILITY OF INTERIOR MATERIALS. Specified as <4.0 in/min – Pass

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Pilot testing in Sweden in collaboration with IKEA and their refugee-assisting technology, Better Shelter. Revisions from that testing has prepared them for their Beta product testing, which will take place in Nepal and Iraq and will give the product a chance in the field.

Other information

Every Shelter, represented by our CEO Scott Key, was selected as one of 12 social enterprises into the Praxis Nonprofit Accelerator 2021. This program equips top ventures as they seek the redemptive edge in their industries.

USAID has selected Good Works Studio (now Every Shelter) for a $150,000 USD grant to implement the product.

First Place, Design Like You Give a Damn; Finalist, USAID Development Innovation Ventures; Laura and John Arnold Foundation Award

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

Snapshot

Product description Brand name and product description

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Nepal, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Syria

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

Every Shelter in partnership with USAID, UNHCR, and GVC-Italia

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

≅15 USD per unit

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Viva Thermal Sleeping Mat and Synthetic Sleeping Mat.

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 3: Good health and well-being

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Millions of refugees fleeing conflict that are forced to sleep directly on the ground.

Manufacturing & delivery

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

Mass produced

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Trade Secret

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

End users receive the Emergency Floor as a refugee-assisting technology from emergency/disaster relief organizations. Relief organizations may procure the product via Emergency Floor or Every Shelter

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

Every Shelter has delivered 5,000 emergency floor tiles to Lebanon in late 2018. The quantity covered 250 households, according to the producer.

Performance & use

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Unit dimensions (cm)

Size of the component

50 x 100 cm

Primary materials

List of primary materials in the component

Polypropylene

Complimentary materials

List of secondary materials in the component

The floor is placed on pallets

Fire Resistance (hr)

Measurement, calculated in hours, of the component’s resistance to fire

Unknown

Thermal Insulation Capacity

R value associated with material/product

Unknown

Compressive Strength (MPa)

The compressive strength of the component, measured in megapascals

Unknown

Suitable Climates

List of suitable climates for use of this components

All climates

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

Provides protection from parasitic infections, flash flooding, waterborne diseases, and freezing ground conditions.

The Emergency Floor is rated to be fire resistant.

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

Technical support Technical support provided by

Unknown

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

Unknown. The shipping pallets that separate the flooring from the soil should be readily available in most refugee camps.

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

Unknown

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

No listed hazards. Complies with US Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard – S571.302 STANDARD No 302 – FLAMMABILITY OF INTERIOR MATERIALS. Specified as <4.0 in/min – Pass

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Overhead shelter, such as a tent or plastic structure.

Research & standards

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

Cattaneo, M., et al., 2009. Housing, Health, and Happiness. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 1 (1), pp. 75-105.

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

Complies with US Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard – S571.302 STANDARD No 302 – FLAMMABILITY OF INTERIOR MATERIALS. Specified as <4.0 in/min – Pass

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Other information

USAID has selected Good Works Studio (now Every Shelter) for a $150,000 USD grant to implement the product.

First Place, Design Like You Give a Damn; Finalist, USAID Development Innovation Ventures; Laura and John Arnold Foundation Award

Feedback

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

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Emergency Floor

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In context photographs (0)

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors