Fortress House

[Roguish Lawyer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giEfpV8hUwk

I thought I had seen a thread here about this house, but can't find it. This video shows some details about the construction that suggest it may not be as difficult to penetrate as it looks when closed. Thoughts?

[The Reaper]

Visually intimidating, but looks tougher than it is, to me.

Scaling ladders, chop or chainsaw, or demo, maybe even an axe would open it up pretty quickly.

TR

[CSB]

Years ago (mid-late 1970's) I remember a test of various barriers by a Special Forces A Detachment. They were presented with a number of barriers, from triple standard concertina, to apron barbed wire, to high fences with outriggers, wooden walls leaning outward, etc. Most bariers were penetrated with very little delay, especially if the A Team had chance to practice.

They were allowed, at various points in the test, some equipment.: A single iron pipe about 15' long, and/or an army issue wool blanket (to cover the barbed wire), and/or a short length of hemp rope, and/or up to a 10 foot section of aluminum ladder, etc.

Sometime the technique was as simple as "grab the smallest member of the A team and have the two biggest member of the team toss him over the wall, holding onto the rope. The small guy then anchored the rope while the others climbed up and over.

I wouldn't be surprised if some members of this board were on that test team.

When I saw the video I thought: "That would take less than 20 seconds for the entire A team to clear the wall and be in the house." In fact, a Humvee could pull up, the team could lay a plank from the roof to the top of the wall and run over.

The house armor would be more plausible if it was concrete or at least steel, but wood over insulation? Yes, an axe would do it.

[Sonofagunny]

That thing belongs in Soviet era Russia. NOBODY wants to live in that.

Also, it looks intimidating to someone who's never broken into a building. Everyone else sees plenty of opportunity to enter.

[SF_BHT]

Either through the street door and over the side wall.

As they try to retract it you can block the track and you Ae in through the glass and in. The retracting feature is too slow to take cover when the house is in the open mode.

Ladder up the side walls to the chain driven pivot point for the windows. The chain is exposed when shut. Cut the chain, attach a anchor point on the window with a rope and the guys on the ground pull open the window. Breached!!!!

I bet the roof is very vulnerable as it has sun roof from the video. Let them lockup, scale up to the roof and enter and clear downward.

Breaching charge on the door and you are in also...

Just a few thoughts from the video...

[mojaveman]

The moveable parts of the "fortress" house are covered with plywood?

Ok. :D :p

[Mills]

Im not worried about that one.

This one however..........would require some thought, ingenuity, and lots and lots of goodies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensmore

The conspiracy theories crack me up with this one............however, this day in age..........who knows.

Maybe we should do a CARVER matrix on it just in case..........

:D

27115

Seriously.........its an effing castle in the middle of Missouri.

[Golf1echo]

I get the impression this is a concept house by someone with only a defensive perspective. Consideration of offensive capabilities is critical for a protective design.
The house sits openly without obstacles impeding approaches. I did not see any firing, or observation positions, obstacles not covered by firing positions, no stand offs, large mass elevations, egress? Fall back positions? Overhead protection for building itself, courtyard? Utilities ? Security and warning perimeter? Lastly but not least posted on youtube? Seems more like target transitioning to a coffin ...Just some thoughts...

Edit: Pemsmore from the above post; https://www.google.com/search?q=chateau+pensmore&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kTrRUpXlIuLcyQHh7IE4&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=599

Seems to be a variation of the Biltmore design: https://www.google.com/search?q=chateau+pensmore&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=kTrRUpXlIuLcyQHh7IE4&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=599

[Trapper John]

Too big, therefore, heavy reliance on passive defenses that can always be defeated. As Golf1Echo says- active defenses (offense) is the key.

I have been thinking about this with a new home we are purchasing. I am opting for good surveillance, early warning, identification of threat location, and good shot placement. :D

[MR2]

Too big, therefore, heavy reliance on passive defenses that can always be defeated. As Golf1Echo says- active defenses (offense) is the key.

I have been thinking about this with a new home we are purchasing. I am opting for good surveillance, early warning, identification of threat location, and good shot placement. :D

Don't forget the foo gas!

[Trapper John]

Don't forget the foo gas!

Aaah, the nuclear option. A small C4 charge with remote detonator on the buried LPG tank should work nicely. Just need to draw the enemy into the back yard. Should work nicely. :D

[Five-O]

Visually intimidating, but looks tougher than it is, to me.

Scaling ladders, chop or chainsaw, or demo, maybe even an axe would open it up pretty quickly.

TR
100% agree however; it appears the structure is designed to keep out the common criminal and or secure children not defeat an a determined assault force. Unless I missed something it looks very effective in delaying or deterring the common burglar.

[Golf1echo]

I don't get why he says it's made with wood because it's in the country...:confused: I mean sure, if it LOOKS like wood, it might fit the scenery better (though that thing looking like it's made out of wood still would be an eyesore IMO). But they have made the wood to look like concrete. They should make it out of concrete designed to look like wood. They do have armoring that looks like wood. I saw this when watching something on safe rooms in homes, how if you want the doors and/or walls to look like nice wood but it really being armor.


Consider Alvar Aalto (1898-1976)an influential Finnish Architect known for Gesamtkunstwerk or "total work of art" philosophy among his many other influences on Architecture...He was a warrior by the way fighting in the White Army in the Finnish Liberation. One of my takeaways from studying him was his elegant use of concrete however he believed it was not an appropriate material to expose man to so he used wood at the levels of interaction ( I generalize ), imagine those cold winters in Finland and Northern Europe, wood would be far more appropriate than the cold hard surface of concrete. Alvar went on to impact the Modernist movement etc...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

As a side note another Finnish / American Architect of note was Eero Saarinen who designed the Gateway Arch, he worked in the OSS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eero_Saarinen

The building in the initial post looks to me to be of the Modernist, International style with out it's moving enclosures. Typically these were expressions of few ornate details and can be very open in nature I think the fellow above has used these influences among others ( soviet interpretations of the Architectural movements that emanated out of such places as the Bauhause and others) in his basic design and has looked at ways to reduce the vulnerabilities. The house appears to be more of a mock up, building moving parts in steel and concrete let alone the house are expensive.

To me the Swiss beginning with their basic building codes , there geographic placement, and societal beliefs have much to offer on this subject. :lifter

Some references on recent Western Architectural history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Style_(architecture) Broken Link: Search International Style, special emphasis on Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye...Le Corbusier had a gift for spacial design, forward thinking and perhaps can be thought of as the father to Ergonomics or the human factor and ineractions with space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus