Cross Laminated Timber furniture providing shelter during earthquakes. Lifeshell public domain release

An earthquake is an unpredictable and potentially deadly phenomena. Building with anti-seismic technology can effectively reduce the risk of injuries; however, the adoption of this technology on a large scale is difficult because of funds, logistics, and bureaucracy. As a result, there are critically seismic zones where residential and nonresidential buildings are not safe. The concept of wooden-based furniture used as an anti-seismic shelter is released here under the Creative Commons licence as a low-cost, natural-based, open-source, copyright-free solution. The so-called “Life in Shell”, or Lifeshell, concept has been independently funded and developed, and it is presented here in its engineering characteristics. Lifeshell depicts an alive human-being protected by wood during an earthquake. Lifeshell is furniture in the shape of a school desk, wardrobe, table, or bed made of cross-laminated timber panels. A school desk prototype was tested. The desk was to resist a total impact energy of 40,000 joules without collapsing. Lifeshell concept comprehends various types, sizes, weights, finishings, and accessories. Cost-effective solutions are foreseen for being assembled and finished by the final user; they also include a basic survival kit. On the other end, top-range versions can be aesthetically pleasant and enriched with high-end accessories. Lifeshell concept is ready to be adopted by the industry for further development. By this publication, authors release this potential life-saving technology using the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 License (public domain), which allows the engineering, production, and selling of this furniture without any royalty fee for the authors.