The primary goal of the Basic Shelter Kit was to design the minimum number of components that could be used to build a variety of shelters for disaster relief operations. With this in mind I developed a list of attributes to design towards.

1. Minimize the number of primary components. Ideally there should be three or fewer ‘building blocks’, and 10 or fewer auxiliary components.
2. None of the components should weigh more than 30 lbs. One person should be able to carry and install all components.
3. No components will be longer than 10′ or wider than 4′.
4. The components for an entire building of approximately 120 square feet should fit in a standard sized pickup.
5. The components for at least 12 buildings of approximately 120 square feet should fit in a standard 40′ container.
6. The buildings must withstand 100 mph winds and moderate earthquakes.
7. The roof must support 2′ of snow.
8. The building must be watertight, insulated, and wind-tight.
9. Few or no tools should be required to assemble a building, and no power tools should be required.
10. One person should be able to assemble a building of 120 square feet in one day.
11. There should be zero waste produced during the manufacturing and assembly of a building.
12. All materials must be recyclable and should have a high content of recycled material.
13. All components must be reusable. A building should disassemble quickly for shipping and  installation at a new location.
14. The same basic components must be capable of being used to build structures of various sizes and configurations.
15. All of the components for a 120 square foot building should cost less than $2,000 to manufacture.