So, I'm going to start off with kind of the buzzkill a little bit.

4200 萬人

Forty-two million people

在 2010 年發生的自然災害中流離失所

were displaced by natural disasters in 2010.

但 2010 年並沒有特別倒楣

Now, there was nothing particularly special about 2010,

因為每年平均有 3150 萬人

because, on average, 31 and a half million people

在自然災害中流離失所

are displaced by natural disasters every single year.

人們聽到這樣的統計資料

Now, usually when people hear statistics or stats like that,

通常會想到像海地這樣的外國

you start thinking about places like Haiti or other kind of

或者是更遙遠、更貧困的地區

exotic or maybe even impoverished areas, but it happens

然而這卻是每年發生在美國境內的數量

right here in the United States every single year.

僅去年一年，聯邦應急管理署 (FEMA) 認定

Last year alone, 99 federally declared disasters

並登記在案的天災有 99 件

were on file with FEMA,

從密蘇里州的喬普林 阿拉巴馬州的塔斯卡羅薩的龍捲風

from Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama,

到最近發生在德州中部的野火

to the Central Texas wildfires that just happened recently.

這個全世界最強勢的國家

Now, how does the most powerful country in the world

又是怎樣安置災民的呢？

handle these displaced people?

他們讓災民塞在簡易窄床上，把你所有的東西

They cram them onto cots, put all your personal belongings

裝進一個塑膠垃圾袋，塞在床下

in a plastic garbage bag, stick it underneath,

然後讓你住在體育場

and put you on the floor of an entire sports arena,

或者體育館的地板上

or a gymnasium.

顯然，這是一個很大的居住匱乏問題

So obviously there's a massive housing gap,

這讓我非常痛心，因為學術界告訴我們

and this really upset me, because academia tells you

在重大災害發生後，一般來說

after a major disaster, there's typically about

大概經過 18 個月後，我們才開始恢復

an 18-month time frame to -- we kinda recover,

開始重建過程

start the recovery process,

但大多數人都不知道

but what most people don't realize is that on average

惡名昭彰的聯邦應急管理署平均要花

it takes 45 to 60 days or more

45 到 60 天或更多的時間，才會派拖車到現場

for the infamous FEMA trailers to even begin to show up.

在這之前，災民只能自己想辦法

Before that time, people are left to their own devices.

因此我沉迷於找出一個好辦法

So I became obsessed with trying to figure out a way

來填補這個缺口

to actually fill this gap.

這件事讓我成為了創意狂熱者

This actually became my creative obsession.

我推掉了所有的兼職工作

I put aside all my freelance work after hours and started

開始專心研究這個問題

just focusing particularly on this problem.

我開始畫草圖

So I started sketching.

在卡崔娜颶風發生的兩天後， 我開始整日畫著草圖

Two days after Katrina, I started sketching and sketching

試著腦力激盪出解決方案

and trying to brainstorm up ideas or solutions for this,

當想法開始成形

and as things started to congeal or ideas started to form,

我開始用電腦來繪圖

I started sketching digitally on the computer,

我沉迷其中，無法就此停手

but it was an obsession, so I couldn't just stop there.

我開始做實驗、做模型

I started experimenting, making models,

諮詢這個領域的專家， 接受他們的反饋意見

talking to experts in the field, taking their feedback,

去蕪存菁，不斷改善

and refining, and I kept on refining and refining

利用晚上和週末的時間，研究了五年多

for nights and weekends for over five years.

最終，我的狂熱導致

Now, my obsession ended up driving me to create

我在自家後院裡製造了等比例的樣品模型 （笑聲）

full-size prototypes in my own backyard — (Laughter) —

花的是我自己的儲蓄

and actually spending my own personal savings on

來購買工具、申請專利

everything from tooling to patents

以及負擔其他的各種成本

and a variety of other costs,

最終我完成了這個組合式的房屋系統

but in the end I ended up with this modular housing system

可以對任何情形或災害做出緊急應變

that can react to any situation or disaster.

它適用於任何環境

It can be put up in any environment,

包括柏油路面的停車場，或是草地、田野

from an asphalt parking lot to pastures or fields,

因為它無需任何特殊搭建

because it doesn't require any special setup

或者特殊工具

or specialty tools.

整個系統的基礎與核心

Now, at the foundation and kind of the core

是 Exo 居住小屋

of this whole system is the Exo Housing Unit,

是獨立的避難模組

which is just the individual shelter module.

它的重量非常輕

And though it's light, light enough that you can actually

可以徒手舉起、搬動

lift it by hand and move it around,

還能住進四個人

and it actually sleeps four people.

你可以將這些居住小屋

And you can arrange these things as kind of more

安排成營地或是市景街道的棋盤式格局

for encampments and more of a city grid type layout,

也可以圍成一圈

or you can circle the wagons, essentially,

可以如圖所示排列

and form these circular pods out of them,

這樣就能形成一個半私密的公共區域

which give you this semi-private communal area

人們可以在這裡透透氣

for people to actually spill out into so they're not actually

而不必把自己關在小屋裡

trapped inside these units.

這個發明從根本上

Now this fundamentally changes

改變了我們應對災害的方式

the way we respond to disasters,

因為體育場館裡的

because gone are the horrid conditions

混亂狀況將不復存在

inside a sports arena or a gymnasium, where people

人們不再需要擠在那些簡易窄床上

are crammed on these cots inside.

我們在室外就有現成的社區

Now we have instant neighborhoods outside.

Exo 小屋基本上被設計成

So the Exo is designed to be simply, basically

咖啡杯的樣子，能夠逐個疊起來

like a coffee cup. They can actually stack together

所以運輸和儲存

so we get extremely efficient transportation

就變得效率非凡

and storage out of them.

事實上，1.5 輛卡車就可以 裝下 15 個 Exo 小屋

In fact, 15 Exos can fit on a single semi truck by itself.

這就意味著運輸和組裝 Exo 小屋

This means the Exo can actually be transported and set up

比現有的任何一種組合屋都要快速

faster than any other housing option available today.

但是我已深陷其中，無法就此罷手

But I'm obsessive, so I couldn't just stop there,

所以我開始調整床舖的位置

so I actually started modifying the bunks where you could

以便能把床鋪方便地 替換成桌子和擱架

actually slide out the bunks and slide in desks or shelving,

這樣一來同樣的小屋就能

so the same unit can now be used

作為辦公室或儲藏室了

for an office or storage location.

門板也可以輕易拆卸

The doors can actually swap out, so you can actually put on

所以你可以換成有窗戶的硬板 來配合天氣做變化

a rigid panel with a window unit in it for climate control,

或者換成一種連接模組

or a connector module that would allow you to actually

讓你可以組合這些小屋

connect multiple units together, which gives you

形成更大且可劃分的生活空間

larger and kind of compartmentalized living spaces,

如此一來，同樣的組件，同樣的小屋

so now this same kit of parts, this same unit

可以作為客廳、臥房、浴室

can actually serve as a living room, bedroom or bathroom,

或是辦公室 可以是居住的空間和安全的倉庫

or an office, a living space and secure storage.

聽起來是很好的想法，但如何實現呢？

Sounds like a great idea, but how do you make it real?

我的第一個想法

So the first idea I had, initially, was just

就是去聯邦政府和州政府遊說

to go the federal and state governments and go,

「免費拿去用吧！」

"Here, take it, for free."

但很快我就被告知：「小夥子，我們的政府

But I was quickly told that, "Boy, our government

可不能這樣辦事。」 （笑聲）

doesn't really work like that." (Laughter)

好吧……我也許能設立一個非營利性組織

Okay. Okay. So maybe I would start a nonprofit

向政府推廣這個想法，提供諮詢服務

to kind of help consult and get this idea going

但我又被告知

along with the government, but then I was told,

「小夥子，我們的政府只會向私營部門

"Son, our government looks to private sector

進行這種採購。」

for things like this."

好吧……也許我該把我的想法

Okay. So maybe I would take this whole idea and go

分享給能夠創造雙贏局面的私營部門

to private corporations that would have this mutually shared

但很快我就聽一些公司說

benefit to it, but I was quickly told by some corporations

我個人的熱血計畫 不符合他們的品牌訴求

that my personal passion project was not a brand fit

因為他們不想讓自己的商標

because they didn't want their logos stamped

遍佈海地的貧民區

across the ghettos of Haiti.

這下我就不只是被迷惑了，我被激怒了！ （笑聲）

Now, I wasn't just obsessed. I was outraged. (Laughter.)

我暗自下定決心

So I decided, kind of told myself,

「哦，是嗎？走著瞧吧，我自己來！」 （笑聲）

"Oh yeah? Watch this. I'll do it myself." (Laughter)

不久之後，我的全職工作讓我

Now, this quickly, my day job sent me to work out of

離開米蘭的辦公室工作幾個月

our Milan office for a few months, so I was like,

我問自己，能不能做點什麼？ 於是我在日曆列上睡眠的行程

what will I do? So I actually scheduled sleep on my calendar,

然後利用 8 小時的時差進行電話會議

and spent the 8-hour time difference on conference calls

聯繫原料供應商、製造商和潛在客戶

with material suppliers, manufacturers and potential customers.

經過這段努力的過程

And we found through this whole process, we found

我們找到了這家位在維吉尼亞州的優秀小廠商

this great little manufacturer in Virginia,

從這個人的動作可以看出

and if his body language is any indication,

他就是老闆 （笑聲）

that's the owner — (Laughter) — of what it's like

這就是建築商與設計師直接共事的情形

for a manufacturer to work directly with a designer,

你們一定要看看這裡發生什麼事 （笑聲）

you've got to see what happens here. (Laughter)

G.S 工業是一家了不起的企業

But G.S. Industries was fantastic.

他們用手工做出了三個樣品模型

They actually built three prototypes for us by hand.

因此，我們現在擁有了展示模型

So now we have prototypes that can show that four people

顯示小屋可以安全地容納四個人生活

can actually sleep securely and much more comfortably

這種生活也比以往 住帳篷的方式要舒服得多

than a tent could ever provide.

他們把模型運來德州

And they actually shipped them here to Texas for us.

這時，一件有趣的事情發生了

Now, a funny thing started happening.

別人開始相信我們所做的事

Other people started to believe in what we were doing,

有人捐了一個停機棚給我們

and actually offered us hangar space, donated hangar

喬治城機場管理局 也不遺餘力地幫助我們

space to us. And then the Georgetown Airport Authority

提供我們需要的一切

was bent over backwards to help us with anything we needed.

現在我們能在停機棚裡工作

So now we had a hangar space to work in,

也有展示模型

and prototypes to demo with.

不出一年，我們談妥生產合約

So in one year, we've negotiated manufacturing agreements,

獲得一項專利，申請了第二項專利

been awarded one patent, filed our second patent,

與各種各樣的人交流 向聯邦應急管理署展示模型

talked to multiple people, demoed this to FEMA

該署的諮詢師（對模型） 給予很高的評價

and its consultants to rave reviews,

還把我們介紹給前來諮詢

and then started talking to some other people who requested

稱為聯合國的小團體

information, this little group called the United Nations.

除此之外

And on top of that, now we have

還有無數的個人找到我們談合作

a whole plethora of other individuals that have come up

包括採礦基地

and started to talk to us from doing it for mining camps,

流動的青年旅館，供給世界盃

mobile youth hostels, right down to the World Cup

和奧運會使用

and the Olympics.

總而言之，至今為止發生的一切

So, in closing, on this whole thing here

讓我們很可能不用再苦苦應付那些

is hopefully very soon we will not have to

災後充滿痛苦的來電

respond to these painful phone calls that we get

而拿不出任何可供銷售或捐贈的東西

after disasters where we don't really have anything

來應對災難

to sell or give you yet.

我希望不久之後 我們就能趕赴現場

Hopefully very soon we will be there,

因為我們註定

because we are destined,

且狂熱地要讓夢想成真

obsessed with making it real.

謝謝大家 （掌聲）

Thank you. (Applause)