In an emergency situation where the city experiences a power outage and Josh’s Farm utilizes its 10,000 sq ft of living area and the 10,000 sq ft farm (with movable plant stacks and a venue space designed for flexibility), the capacity for sheltering individuals could significantly increase, albeit temporarily. Given the need for safety, comfort, and accessibility, let’s estimate how many people the farm could accommodate:
Emergency Shelter Capacity:
- Maximizing Space with Mobility in Mind: Assuming that during an emergency, the farm’s stacks and venue setup can be reconfigured or compacted to create additional open space, and given the priority is providing shelter rather than maintaining normal farm operations or event activities.
- Sleeping Arrangements: In such scenarios, the standard spacing for cots could be slightly reduced to accommodate more individuals, provided it still maintains basic comfort and access to aisles for safety. If each individual requires approximately 20 sq ft (down from the more comfortable 30 sq ft due to the emergency situation), the combined area could potentially accommodate:
- 10,000 sq ft (Farm) + 10,000 sq ft (Living Area) = 20,000 sq ft total usable space.
- Total Emergency Capacity: Assuming a temporary reduction in personal space to 20 sq ft per person, the facility could accommodate up to 1,000 individuals in a severe emergency, utilizing both the farming area and the living area.
Evaporative Cooling: This cooling method can provide relief in hot conditions, especially if power is out but water is available. The system would need to be robust enough to handle the increased heat load from a large number of occupants.