• The Great Walls of America: Some idiot designs a tornado barrier
    91 replies, posted
Why not build wind turbines and use them to blow the tornados away
Just for people here. This wouldn't work. We are talking about giant fucking windstorms exceeding a mile in width and even more in fucking height. This would be a small roadbump on its way to completely obliterate shit. There really is no way we can currently control a fucking tornado, to call them big is an understatement. So after reading even more into this. Yeah, three 100 mile wide barriers wouldn't be enough to literally block all of the winds.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;44172165]Why not build wind turbines and use them to blow the tornados away[/QUOTE] But wind turbines would also push away air until we run out of air.
[QUOTE=Irespawnoften;44172059]Well shit. I knew we got a lot of tornados here, but I didn't think we had that many. Shit, I've never even seen a tornado. Lets get building bunkers then.[/QUOTE] Yep. The USA is the most active tornado zone in the world, bar none, 10x more than 2nd place (Canada) with an average of 1000 per year. Unless I'm mistaken, the USA is the recipient of the most variety in all severe weather and natural disasters on the planet.
[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;44172225]Yep. The USA is the most active tornado zone in the world, bar none, 10x more than 2nd place (Canada) with an average of 1000 per year. Unless I'm mistaken, the USA is the recipient of the most variety in all severe weather and natural disasters on the planet.[/QUOTE] I've always wondered how often Europe gets hit by natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, or great wild fires. I almost never hear about natural disasters except for snow storms or extreme rainy seasons from there.
[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;44172225]Yep. The USA is the most active tornado zone in the world, bar none, 10x more than 2nd place (Canada) with an average of 1000 per year. Unless I'm mistaken, the USA is the recipient of the most variety in all severe weather and natural disasters on the planet.[/QUOTE] Yeah, we get a lot of shit.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44170412]Just start building all Midwestern structures [I]underground[/I]. Problem solved, buddy![/QUOTE] I love the idea of building underground. When people think of subsurface structures they tend to think about grungy basements and caves, but I feel like you could do it in a way that is very attractive.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;44172442]I love the idea of building underground. When people think of subsurface structures they tend to think about grungy basements and caves, but I feel like you could do it in a way that is very attractive.[/QUOTE] Absolutely, you can. Really, the biggest hurdle with subterranean architecture is groundwater. It costs more to build underground, because a lot of special materials are needed to properly seal and waterproof the building, and the structure needs to be extra strong to support the weight of the earth surrounding it. As a bonus, however, they're extremely thermally efficient, as earth is an amazing natural insulator. In most temperate/midwestern climates, it wouldn't even be necessary to run central heating and cooling, as the natural temperature of the earth remains a constant average of the yearly temperature within a few degrees, meaning your house would never get colder or warmer than 60-70 degrees, year round. If you follow the Earthship method and leave one wall exposed to the East or West for the sun, you could heat and cool your house through entirely natural means. The money you'd save on heating and cooling your home would make up for the extra construction costs, on a long enough timeline. Plus, they're basically impervious to storms, easy to secure in case of emergencies, and don't pollute the landscape as much as upward and outward construction. The major downside is the lack of natural light and windows, which can eventually start to bum people out. However, sun-tubes can channel light from the surface, and one benefit of building down is that it doesn't leave much of a footprint on your property, meaning you could have a garden, greenhouse, sunroom, or atrium built directly over your main structure to bask in. Another thing to consider is that the primary construction material for subterranean architecture is concrete, which is terrible for the environment. Though, again, the benefits of being naturally heated, cooled, and insulated, over the course of ten-to-fifteen years, catches up to and surpasses the carbon efficiency of standard construction techniques. I love subterranean architecture, personally. It's very cool, and has a lot of interesting benefits! It's especially well-suited to the Tornado alley environments, though not so much for coastal regions, due to marshy conditions making building underground much more complicated and expensive.
Attack On Tornado :v: [img]http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/104/2/6/attack_on_titans_anime_wallpaper__1920x1200__by_abdu1995-d61olzx.jpg[/img]
Just make an artificial tornado to fight the other tornados and other weather disasters It'll work...trust me
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44171607]Even if it works, it's a ridiculous and inefficient solution that would require one of the most extreme feats of engineering in human history to pull off. Or, we could just start making more intelligently designed infrastructures, with storm-resistant buildings and community storm shelters.[/QUOTE] How would you even go about building something that large, the sheer scale of what would need to be done blows my mind.
Just build that wall out of Nokia 3310s. [IMG]http://www.geekosystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/nokia3310.jpeg[/IMG] Nothing can break that shit.
I have a different idea: A big hole with a big fan on the bottom. Also huge fans on the outside. Attracts the twister into the hole, the ventilator turns on and sucks it in, then the air is distributed equally everywhere through a system of air pipes.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44172623]Absolutely, you can. Really, the biggest hurdle with subterranean architecture is groundwater. It costs more to build underground, because a lot of special materials are needed to properly seal and waterproof the building, and the structure needs to be extra strong to support the weight of the earth surrounding it. As a bonus, however, they're extremely thermally efficient, as earth is an amazing natural insulator. In most temperate/midwestern climates, it wouldn't even be necessary to run central heating and cooling, as the natural temperature of the earth remains a constant average of the yearly temperature within a few degrees, meaning your house would never get colder or warmer than 60-70 degrees, year round. If you follow the Earthship method and leave one wall exposed to the East or West for the sun, you could heat and cool your house through entirely natural means. The money you'd save on heating and cooling your home would make up for the extra construction costs, on a long enough timeline. Plus, they're basically impervious to storms, easy to secure in case of emergencies, and don't pollute the landscape as much as upward and outward construction. The major downside is the lack of natural light and windows, which can eventually start to bum people out. However, sun-tubes can channel light from the surface, and one benefit of building down is that it doesn't leave much of a footprint on your property, meaning you could have a garden, greenhouse, sunroom, or atrium built directly over your main structure to bask in. Another thing to consider is that the primary construction material for subterranean architecture is concrete, which is terrible for the environment. Though, again, the benefits of being naturally heated, cooled, and insulated, over the course of ten-to-fifteen years, catches up to and surpasses the carbon efficiency of standard construction techniques. I love subterranean architecture, personally. It's very cool, and has a lot of interesting benefits! It's especially well-suited to the Tornado alley environments, though not so much for coastal regions, due to marshy conditions making building underground much more complicated and expensive.[/QUOTE] I agree completely! Although code is a substantial hurdle towards larger underground projects (especially in states like California), the biggest hurdle in my opinion is consumer opinion. We could literally solve every single issue that people have with living underground, and they'd still hesitate. What we need is a groundbreaking underground development project that people can people to and go "See? Look how well that worked. It's beautiful!". It needs to act as the hallmark project that other architects and development firms can refer to when clients express concern. The other fairly concerning issue is Radon gas, but that's solved by sealing the foundation/concrete of the structure and installing a good ventilation system.
Why don't they just build their houses out of something stronger than toothpick grade lumber? It would cost money to build a house out of concrete, but it also costs money losing your entire house and everything you own in one tornado. It also costs lives. Then you'd have to start all over unless the government helps you out.
[QUOTE=cqbcat;44173198]Why don't they just build their houses out of something stronger than toothpick grade lumber? It would cost money to build a house out of concrete, but it also costs money losing your entire house and everything you own in one tornado. It also costs lives. Then you'd have to start all over unless the government helps you out.[/QUOTE] Cost vs. Risk, as always. Even with the huge amount of tornadoes we get per year, the chance of it going right through YOUR house is still extremely low.
[QUOTE=ewitwins;44173079]I agree completely! Although code is a substantial hurdle towards larger underground projects (especially in states like California), the biggest hurdle in my opinion is consumer opinion. We could literally solve every single issue that people have with living underground, and they'd still hesitate. What we need is a groundbreaking underground development project that people can people to and go "See? Look how well that worked. It's beautiful!". It needs to act as the hallmark project that other architects and development firms can refer to when clients express concern. The other fairly concerning issue is Radon gas, but that's solved by sealing the foundation/concrete of the structure and installing a good ventilation system.[/QUOTE] I wish I were a billionaire architect.
[QUOTE=be;44171572]That's...irrelevant? As long as it works, that's all that matters. I don't know if this would work though, but I'm not sure what a tornado would do when it comes upon a wall so damn high.[/QUOTE] Nuking an ant nest works too but thats not justifiable. Same concept applies
please don't build this wall. i love living in a place where a giant dumbass wind geyser can ruin my life at any moment in the summer.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44170412]Just start building all Midwestern structures [I]underground[/I]. Problem solved, buddy![/QUOTE] you would think it would be easy but the geology of the areaa actually makes digging difficult also all places are different, some places like in Ohio you dig 3 feet down and its solid rock, others you can dig 15 feet and still not hit dirt [editline]8th March 2014[/editline] and have you ever tried to dig through clay? that shit sucks and most of the Midwest has a nice thick layer under it
No... we need to make our own tornado's to fight the other tornado's!
No wall could ever neutralize the rotation of a supercell thunderstorm.
you just aren't thinking bold enough then! actually any wall big enough to affect weather will just cause bad stuff to happen
[QUOTE=OvB;44172023][IMG_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Aczlvc6.jpg[/IMG_thumb] Because we can't all fit in the desert of Nevada or the Rocky Mountains.[/QUOTE] dont have to, the Appalachians are enough to keep me safe in VA :^)
Why not plant trees and start a forest? I heard Forest reduce the probablilty of a tornado occuring by 50%
Tornado cut a path through a forest near my town once. There's a road intersecting it, was pretty surreal. [editline]9th March 2014[/editline] Was weird hearing reports of a tornado somewhere near your town in the middle of the night during a huge storm, only to realize the next day that it was just a few miles away and crossed a road you drive on often. [editline]9th March 2014[/editline] Such is life in Texas I suppose.
[QUOTE=Mbbird;44171766]Isn't it not even to a certain degree, more like 99%? There's nothing for any strong winds to grip onto here. Houses are large sails by comparison.[/QUOTE] Exactly why I wish to build a house like that. I live in the northern part of Tornado Alley, and those houses, while aesthetically pleasing, would serve a far more practical purpose as a partially submerged dewlling.
Too bad it wont work. And damn, really wanted to do the first Pacific Rim reference. Oh well, it will be as effective as the Kaiju wall. Seriously, do you not know how weather works? Building a wall against a tornado won't do shit.
/[QUOTE=ForcedDj;44177529]Too bad it wont work. And damn, really wanted to do the first Pacific Rim reference. Oh well, it will be as effective as the Kaiju wall. Seriously, do you not know how weather works? Building a wall against a tornado won't do shit.[/QUOTE] Well, they want to build a thousand foot wall a hundred miles as a barrier against the [B]currents[/B] that generate a tornado, the idea is sound, but realistically it would have to be much much larger.
hmm, maybe there were so little earthquakes in china because of the great wall of china???
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