October 20, 2010
Government Security News (GSN) 2010 Homeland Security Awards Program has announced Zipflat as the winner for Best Blast Mitigation/Property Protection Products in the category of Outstanding Vendors of Physical Security Products and Solutions. Judging in this category was partially based on technological innovation and/or improvement. These awards were created to salute the outstanding vendors who have introduced innovative technologies and products that protect our nation and its people 24/7.
When a blast occurs, 80% of the damage is typically caused by the newly fragmented material taking flight at high speeds. Zipflat from Portable Composite Housing, Inc. created a force resistant, easy deploy structure (FREDS) which mitigates this risk by making the entire building out of ductile materials that are not prone to fragmenting. Like a giant version of a pop-up book, the wall and roof panels of these easy-deploy structures are shipped as flat 2' x 8' panels until onsite. Each panel is approximately than 1" thick. They are then popped open and snapped together to yield a complete building.
FRED's proprietary structural liquid foam is poured into the walls yielding a super strong composite building. The completed ZipFlat building requires only hours of construction time, is highly force resistant, and is insulated to a R-25 level (better insulated than most walk-in refrigerators). All of ZipFlat components have a Class 1 fire rating. In less than 10 total man hours, blast-resistant buildings can be established in a remote location, then military or covert ops can move in.
Since the walls are folded flat and the foam is not expanded until onsite, one 20 foot shipping container can transport up to 1,600 square feet of finished buildings. Each kit includes walls, roof, door and window and all the required hardware, but can be ordered in various configurations. With the speed of deployment, with the mitigation of blasts and with the outstanding protection of physical property, Portable Composite Structures is deserving of this 2010 Homeland Security award to recognize their contributions in safety and security.
Developed in October 2009 in the backyard of Founder Scott Jewett, two full scale, 100
square-foot houses were built using this patent pending material. The product is
lightweight, can be shipped flat and popped open at the home site, and filled with
expandable foam. In a few hours a permanent house is possible with better strength and
insulation than a typical home.
Zipflat was developed by a volunteer team of over a dozen professionals that came
together with the common goal of giving back by building shelters and donating houses
to families in Central America. The goal was to build 10 houses. During this effort a
new construction method resulted in the creation of Zipflat.
Founded in 2009, Portable Composite Structures, Inc. is located in Irvine, California
For additional information visit www.zipflat.com
