Tahiti Cyclone House

A prototype for a cyclone-resistant home for the Department of Tahitian Housing.  Currently, destroyed homes are being replaced with western style bungalows that act as rigid boxes. They are mostly enclosed with few openings for cross ventilation.  Large waves sweeping the islands often flip them over and off their minimal foundations.

 The Cyclone House has subterranean concrete cistern at its center that acts as the foundation for the Mezzanine sleeping loft.  All walls are modular, panels made from native materials, and designed to break away in a cyclone.  The "sleeping loft" is built with a steel frame with rigid walls that are attached to the cistern and designed to resist both the wind and waves that often sweep over the islands during a cyclone.