I was wondering if anyone had a thoughts on the shape of a house for defense. What shape would facilite a good defensive position with the fewest number of defenders?
If there was a tower in the middle of the house that would be great. But who can really do that?
I started thinking about this when I read an article on round houses. Apparently, a round surface deflects a bullet better than a flat surface. Also, rounded edges do better in high winds.
But I thought that a diamond shaped home with two opposite corners elongated out. This would give good coverage with just two people in the elongated corners.
Any other ideas for consideration?
scrounge meister
Stay alert, stay alive.
Col. Jeff Cooper addresses this subject in his ecclectic book _To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth_ (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0873649737/auxanoA). Page 47 of my paperback edition starts the chapter titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture"
Quoting from page 50:
"Any house which is properly designed ...must permit its entire perimeter to be visible from inside it. This is the "Vauban Principle" [derived from the "Vauban Star" which affords observation and fire cover for every inch of perimeter] and you must start from scratch to achieve it completely, but even if stuck with a blind rectangle, a single added bastion on one corner will give you coverage of two of four walls, and two diagonally placed bastions will cover all but their own backsides."
Later in the chapter he states:
"For those who wish to build a strongpoint in the boondocks -- as opposed to a house in which to spend extended periods in comfort -- the Army Department has a nifty field manual on the subject. This is FM 5-15, Field Fortifications. It is not classified."
The entire chapter of Col. Cooper's book is well worth a read. It comes with a number of diagrams to clarify his points.
That's exactly what I looking to find out. Thanks.
BTW, what shape is a Vauban Star?
scrounge meister
Stay alert, stay alive.
There is a diagram in Col. Cooper's book.
Basically, it's a star (could be triangle or rectangle too) with an additional diamond-shaped "bulge" at the tip of each outward facing corner.
This is exactly the architectural-geometrical problem I have been wrestling with lately. I've read Col. Cooper's book, and I paid special attention to that chapter. What's got me stumped is how a *solo* defender could manage. I can't work out a way to observe and cover the whole perimeter from *one* point. And suppose the lone defender has to make do with low- (or *no*-) firepower weapons?
One obvious thing that occured to me was to build *up*, so as to shrink the perimeter that has to be manned -- somewhat along the lines of a chimney-like Iron Age Scottish "broch" tower.
I've played around with other ideas as well, such as a sort of gatehouse or barbican over a relatively long passage -- with porthole-like openings in the floor of the gatehouse through which people moving through the long, almost tunnel-like passage could be observed or have bowling balls and what-not cascaded down onto them -- into a an enclosed courtyard, with the main living quarters in the upper floor of the gatehouse, itself accessible only by a stairway inside *another*, smaller, asymmetrically located enclosed courtyard -- a courtyard within a courtyard -- but some blind spots always remain. I've never been to Gunsite so I've never seen Col. Cooper's house there (the Sconce, he calls it). I wish I had. I'd like to see how he solved this problem.
I regret to say that cost would most likely be an issue for me. I don't have anything like a million to spend, and I doubt if I could put any of my ideas into practice for less.
Ozymandias312
For a single defender... I think the best bet would be to stay hidden. After all, you can't be awake 24 hours a day.
Excellent discussion question. I've considered this myself many times. Here's my latest thoughts:
Build a simple one level log cabin, the kind with a full length porch on the front and back side. This kind of home looks normal and would not attract any attention. Under the home build a completely secure, hidden basement. Joel's books refer to this in "Secure Home". As part of the basement, put one window well under both the front and rear porch. Install windows that are easy to open and climb through. The window well will effectively be completely hidden from view since it is in the deep shadow under the porch. As long as you build the heights of the porch and the top lip of the window well right, you should be able to peek over the edge of the window well and have a near 180 degree view around the front of your house. Two people could effectively cover a simple house like this (make sure there are no unprotected windows on the porchless sides). If you had four people, you could install two window wells under each porch. If the basement was hidden well enough, you would always have the option of staying hidden and listening through the porch floor. The window wells could also act as escape hatches, if necessary.
I really like this plan because it gives you a house with the main level completely normal looking. Yet gives you a hidden lower level with all the storage and protection you need (I would poor a 12 inch concrete basement cover to provide fallout protection as well). Day to day, you could use the hidden basement as a way of pretending to not be home and listening to what people say on the porch when they think you are not home!
I think this plan is simple and affordable (if you are planning to build a basement anyways).
Suggestions? Comments?
Rookie
I also have a book called "Defending Your Retreat". I suspect you could find it for sale with an internet search. I'm sure it's still available from the alternate publishing houses like Paladin Press.
But this book applies to a normal stick built house with square sides. The author, former army type, recommends building sandbag foxholes inside your house, kind of a brute force method. I think Joel Skousen's ideas are much more evolved. But the book does have some good ideas if you are backed into a corner left with only one option, defend yourself. Of course, a prepared person would have other options.
An American Ingenuity, Inc. dome can have a Cupola on the top.
http://www.aidomes.com/specifications.htm
This would allow a single person a 360 degree view of the building and area, 19' to 29' high, with overhead cover and sheltered from the elements.