The project, called Survival Rooms, basically takes the concept of a panic room and tries to implement it on a large scale. With units of the size of a regular shipping container fitted inside an enclosed capsule, the project is based upon the use of independent emergency life support systems that would be strong enough to protect people in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
The Survivor Room concept may bear an uncanny resemblance to the concept made famous by the story of Mr. Noah and His Legendary Ark, but the project has sound foundations to be built. The unit is crafted out of a reinforced steel frame with insulated bi-steel walls that could protect people from turbulent weather and possibly from the bomb and nuclear-radiation threats.
The 40 x 8 x 8 units are wired with emergency lighting and life support system that are automatically turned on once the door is shut and sealed. A state-of-the-art atmosphere control system allows generation of oxygen through the controlled release of compressed air from an oxygen bank located around the perimeter of the unit. In case the unit needs to stay sealed for periods longer than a few weeks, oxygen can also be generated via electrolysis of water.
A CO2 scrubber fitted with a one-way exhaust system would allow a chemical absorbent to filter carbon dioxide from the atmosphere inside and will expel it from the unit. A specialized atmospheric monitoring system would further analyze the air quality by checking levels of gases like oxygen, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide etc, and would remove harmful gases periodically.
An on-board computer would transmit an emergency signal once the capsule is sealed and is equipped to communicate with the main monitoring station or other agencies. A manual override, a live emergency communication channel and cameras on the outer walls of the unit, allow the inhabitants to survey the outside environment.Each unit is wheel-chair accessible and has comfortable seating for seventy people (adults and children). The seats themselves can be adjusted for an individual’s height with protective gears like the head rest and seat bar.
The main protective area that will house the inhabitants is contained within a cylindrical tube that is located at the heart of the unit with an anti-rolling mechanism that ensures the people inside remain right side up even if the container itself topples over or rolls. The units are capable of carrying enough food and water for up to a week. Although with just one toilet and one hand basin on board, hygiene may become an issue after a point.
The units can be transported anywhere in the world via cargo planes and ships and can be attached to the ground or merged in existing buildings, or even simply docked at a temporary location to serve as a part of a disaster relief mission.At £300,000 a piece, the Survivor Room concept may not appear to be much for a financially secure community. But, since the figure comes up at roughly £4285 per inhabitant, we somehow get the feeling that we won’t be seeing a lot of working class folks getting the benefit of this invention.
Source: Phil Pauley