To maximize the strength of our model shelter, Austin and I used equilateral triangles and squares, resulting in 60 and 90 degree angles in our structure. After brainstorming a few ideas, we chose a triangular prism shape for our shelter. Our total surface area was 36.9 square inches; this measurement would be scaled up depending on the requirements of the real shelter. We estimated that the shelter, when scaled, will hold about 4 people, presumably in a disaster situation.
The shelter is designed to stay intact, not necessarily to bear weight. We 'tested' our model by throwing it around outside, and it was basically undamaged despite all the abuse. Later, as we took apart our model, we found that the inner layer could support a textbook.
We considered "form follows function" in our shelter in that our first priority was to make a sturdy model. We didn't worry too much about the aesthetics.
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