Our Projects
Together with the team over at Habitat for Humanity Lafayette, we continue to help everyone get the simple and decent home that they deserve to live and grow in.
Concrete Blanket Storage
Ongoing Project
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Habitats for Humanity has invested in concrete heating blankets for their projects, but HFH has no designated area to store these expensive and fragile pieces of equipment. The Concrete Blanket Storage team is working with HFH to develop a storage unit for these blankets. The unit will have shelves and will protect the blankets from dust and frictional damage.
Electrical Pole Storage
Ongoing Project
The electrical pole storage team is working with Habitat to create a system that lifts and stores heavy electrical pole vertically against a wall. Currently, HFH keeps their poles on the floor which occupies needed space and is a major tripping hazard. The EPS team plans on creating a system that will allow our partners to safely raise and lower the poles. They will also develop an organization system for the poles in storage.
Saw Dust Collector
Completed Project
The sawdust team is working with Habitat to create a device that reduces the amount of sawdust remains in the air. Currently, Habitat has their saw machines in a small closed off room which makes the air unsafe to breath. The sawdust team is developing a device that traps the sawdust and stops the remains from getting in the air.
Data Management Website
Completed Project
The Data Storage Team is working with Habitat for Humanity Lafayette affiliate to develop a system to allow them to track their inventory effectively. Their equipment ranges from simple tools, like hammers and screwdrivers, to more important and expensive tools, nail guns and jackhammers. Currently, HFH has no formal inventory list they use to track their items, thus leading to wasted time trying to find tools needed on one of the build sites. Furthermore, knowledge of tools leaving the HFH location is limited and hard to keep track of currently.
Cement Framing
Completed Project
Currently, Habitat for Humanity stores their extra materials in a pile outside of their HFH headquarters in Lafayette as depicted in the image adjacent to this text. The volunteers and HFH staff who use this space spend an unnecessary amount of time trying to dig through this pile in order to find the materials they need to transport to their project sites. Our EPICS team has been tasked with creating a storage system that allows for these materials to be easily accessible by volunteers and staff.
Disaster Relief
Completed Project
In fall 2007, the EPICS Habitat for Humanity team partnered up with Habitat for Humanity International Global Disaster Response (HFHI-GDR) to develop "core house" designs and expansion packages for rapid response to shelter needs in the aftermath of global disasters. The designs will focus on specific regions in the world and incorporate disaster resistant construction methods specific to natural disasters in those regions. We wanted to make a house that was not only energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but it also had to be affordable and building practices that can easily be followed by the volunteers at Habitat for Humanity. The hope is that, in the future, we will continue to use the blueprint to build homes for those turning to Habitat for Humanity.
Security System
Completed Project
The security system team is working with Habitat to install a security system at their office building and pole barn. Habitat has been dealing with a lot of theft, and they currently have no efficient way to keep track of their belongings. By installing security cameras they will have constant access to footage of their important belongings, and will be alerted if any unusual motion is detected in the locations.
BioTown in Reynolds, Indiana
Completed Project
In the fall of 2008, we teamed up with Ford to design a green home for BioTown, Indiana. Those in BioTown, also known as Reynolds, were striving to become more energy self-sufficient "by converting agricultural products and byproducts into sustainable energy sources."
We wanted to make a house that was not only energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but it also had to be affordable and building practices that can easily be followed by the volunteers at Habitat for Humanity. The hope is that, in the future, we will continue to use the blueprint to build homes for those turning to Habitat for Humanity.