*Read below to learn more about the basic design structure behind the Winston Land-Locked Floating House!
*Please click on the individual pictures to obtain a larger and more detailed image.
Before the Flood....
After the Flood....
General Description
Winston International has developed a new concept in modular homes, specifically designed for areas that experience flooding.All the WinstonHomes are constructed so that the foundation and floor are a single structural unit. This construction technique strengthens the house, and better enables it to withstand extreme changes in the environment; including floods, winds and earth tremors. Winston has patented a new technology for its invention: The Land-Locked Floating House.As the flood waters rise, the Land-Locked Floating House is gently and safely lifted up off its pilings.The house is anchored in place, while in the floatation mode.As the flood water recedes, and the danger passes, the new anchoring system also guides the house, as the water lowers it back onto the pilings.
Before the Flood....
After the Flood....
The Foundation System
The construction techniques employed in the Winston Modular Home are unique in their structural integrity.The foundation system is composed of four vertical laminated beams, blocked and fastened to the floor joist system.The foundation and the joist system are then locked together with steel post tension rods.The steel rods make the foundation and the floor joist system one structural unit.The system is so strong that a finished house can be lifted with a crane from four points on the side of the foundation.The house is then set on nine pressure treated pilings.The wooden piling is nine inches in diameter and eight to ten feet long.It is driven into the ground, to a distance dictated by the soil density.Under dry conditions, the pilings act as a leveling system.
The Floatation System
The Floatation System consists of air tight tubs that are attached to the floor of the Foundation System.The liner is approximately one eighth of an inch thick, or the thickness of a quarter.The liner is made from recycled plastic and it is very strong.When the house is delivered to the site, and placed on the piers, the liner is installed.It is carefully fastened inside the joist area.
The air sealed in the plastic liner acts like a life preserver.The key steps in designing for long-term floatation are (1) to determine the wave action that the house will be exposed to, and (2) to calculate an adequate loadbearing area based on the weight of the structure to be supported.It is very important to determine the live and dead weight loads during the floatation period.The next step is to determine how much is needed to float the live and the dead loads.The final step is to determine how many air tight tubs need to be attached to the house floor.Careful consideration to these measurements reveals that the entire floor area is available for tub attachment, resulting in a force that is more than capable of lifting the house far above the water level.
The air tight tub has a sloped edge.This shape allows the water to pass under and around the house, with a minimum of resistance.As part of the site grading, a depression is created below the tub to allow air flow, and to provide an initial water collection area during flooding.In an emergency situation, one inch of water above ground level will fill the initial water collection cavity below the house, and lift the house eleven inches above the level of the surface water.Other special grading precautions will be taken around the base of the house to prevent random water collection. Outside the tubs are holding tanks for fresh water, gray water, and waste water.Clean outs and chases for utilities are also provided as part of the floatation system.The electrical, water, sewer, and gas line systems are automatically and safely disconnected from, and can be easily reconnected to the house.Waste water is contained in a storage tank.Gray water is held in a gray water tank, purified, and released into the fresh water tank.A small generator system maintains lights, utilities and small appliances.This system is commonly found on house boats.The Winston Floatation System can be adapted to lift any size 3-story structure.
Before the Flood....
After the Flood....
The Extendible Pier System
The Extendible Pier System incorporates steel components into a traditional piling system.In addition to the pressure treated pilings, the Land-Locked Floating House has four lubricated steel piers located near the outer corners of the house.These are then securely bolted to the vertical laminated beams in the Foundation System. These steel piers areten to twenty feet long, and anchored in the ground with concrete. The footings for each steel pier contain approximately four tons of concrete.A boat utilizes only a small anchor relative to its size and weight, while the Land-Locked Floating House has at least four anchors, each weighing four tons.The concrete and steel piers serve to anchor the house when it is in the flotation mode.Inside of each steel pier are nestled two or more lubricated telescoping sections. As the floodwater begins to fill the cavity under the air tight tubs, the house begins to rise. The telescoping sections, like the chain on an anchor, keep the house in the area above the pilings. During this time, the telescoping sections, which are filled with environmentally benign oil, provide a hydrology system that will act as a shock absorber to smooth out any sudden up or down movements experienced by the house as it is floating. The Winston design meets or exceeds all local and national building codes.It may be easily transported to any location and has a life expectancy of over 100 years.
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