EMI has been invited to partner with The Fuller Center in Cluj, Romania where they are on a "faith-driven quest to provide adequate shelter to all people in need worldwide". On one of their developing housing sites, there is an unstable slope, which if built upon, could experience a landslide and cause harm to the residents. EMI has been asked to design infrastructure to stabilize the slope so that the Fuller Center can continue to grow their facilities and reach more families in need.
Project Scope
The Fuller Center has a unique and beautiful model for their work. Instead of providing, they partner. Every home built thorugh the Fuller Center is done so by collaborating with a Romanian family who helps with the construction and the financing process in order to increase the sustainability of the home and the dignity of the family who will occupy it.
Most of the parents of these families work very hard to provide for themselves and their children and are very skilled, but due to an unbalanced national economy and an inflated housing market they are unable to afford decent living. In the most extreme cases both parents will be working full time and yet the family will still be living in temporary and inadequate shelters.
Through this restoration of dignity to people and the stewardship of creation, The Fuller Center is proclaiming the gospel to Romanians as they boldly go about all their work in the name of Jesus.
EMI has formed a small team a geotechnical engineers, including collaboration with a local Romanian engineer, to adress an issue that The Fuller Center has at a particular housing site. The site rests on an unstable slope that is prone to landslides and ersosion, especially during heavy rains. While this factor does not pose any threat to existing development, it is preventing the Fuller Center from continuing to develop the site and thereby create for housing opportunities for families.
An industry geotechnical firm was contracted to design slope stabilization infrastructure for the site, and while the design was robust it was unfortunately unaffordable. EMI has been requested to do a feasibility study on the project to see if their might be more affordable alternatives. If any alternatives are found, the EMI team will go to visit the site in Romania and develop a detailed design alongside a local Romanian engineer to provide to the Fuller Center for its consideration along with the original design.
The scope of the project also includes drainage management as the site receives a lot of runoff from impermeable surfaces above the site.
— Scott Sammons, EMI USA trip leader
Needs
Civil Engineering: Position filled
Structural Engineering: Position filled