Tag Archives: emergency shelter

This innovative emergency shelter prototype is sturdier, eco-friendly creation by designer Norman Foster

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When you think of emergency shelters in times of natural calamities or refugee camps, often we think of flimsy tents that might actually get blown away by a strong gust of wind. I often wonder about the people who stay there and whether they will remain safe in that kind of shelter and environment. Lately, we’re seeing better designs for these temporary housing since people who will be staying there really deserve to be in a space where they can take actual shelter and try to recover from whatever it is they’re trying to get away from.

Designer: Norman Foster

This new design for a fast-assembly emergency shelter is called the Essential Homes Research Project and is a collaboration between the Norman Foster Foundation and concrete company Holcim. They displayed the prototype at the Venice Architecture Biennale to show that these temporary (and sometimes not so temporary) housing can be well thought of and should also be something that can last for years. There are times when families have to stay there for a longer time so the structure should be something that can stand for a long time.

The prototype is a rapid-assembly building and can be easily be put up on the site itself instead of wasting time building it elsewhere and transporting to the area. It is also built to withstand strong elements as these camps can sometimes suffer from extreme weather conditions. You get an arch-shaped framework and a rollable outer shell that is made from mostly low-carbon concrete. Once assembled, you spray it with water and in just 24 hours, the structure is sturdy and rigid. It is waterproof to withstand rain and on the inside, there is insulation to keep the residents warm. The inside is also something that people will want to live in as the bunk beds and the shelves and furniture seem to be comfortable and practical.

The housing is also eco-friendly as the base itself is made from reused construction rubble. It says that the construction of the shelter uses 70% less carbon than the usual traditional housing. It has a lifespan of two decades but if needed, it can be easily demolished and recycled for other things. Hopefully things like these become the standard for emergency shelters eventually.

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This Japanese capsule hotel-inspired cardboard emergency shelter unfolds to two levels!

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Following a year filled with unprecedented, back-to-back global emergencies, designers and architects have responded with their own safety measures and shelter-in-place structures. Design office Atelier OPA based in Tokyo recently debuted their own emergency shelter system. Inspired by the work of Japanese master architect Kisho Kurokawa, Atelier OPA developed a two-story foldable emergency shelter called Cardboard Sleep Capsule modeled after the Japanese Metabolism movement.

The Cardboard Sleep Capsule was designed for those experiencing displacement from natural disasters like earthquakes or medical emergencies, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Atelier OPA constructed the Cardboard Sleep Capsule to unfold into two floors, containing two sleeping areas, a set of stairs, and a separate working space equipped with a desk and chair. The capsule shelter comes prefabricated with a foldable design, comprising a compact shipping size when folded, shrinking down to ¼ the size of its unfolded dimensions. Carrying such a small folded size, the Cardboard Sleep Capsule has been received positively by international governments, who have thought of storing the cardboard castles away before use in public gymnasiums and emergency arenas.

Easy and quick assembly is crucial for emergency shelters considering the short amount of time we do have when seeking refuge. Built with reinforced cardboard walls and high-density polyethylene flooring, the facades and corners of the Cardboard Sleep Capsule are fastened with sliding locks, requiring no tools or hardware for assembly. The two sleeping areas are stacked on top of one another, complete with circular entrances and windows for natural ventilation and sunlight. While the bottom bunk is accessible from the ground floor, cardboard stairs bring individuals to the top bunk for easy entry. Considering the private working spaces and bunk beds, the Cardboard Castle provides 3.5m2 of living space per person.

Designer: Atelier OPA

Two Cardboard Sleep Capsules can be joined together to form emergency shelter communities.

The bedroom spaces are large enough to comfortably fit one person and are built with pressure-resistant materials for ensured safety and stability.

Right next door to each sleeping area, Atelier OPA integrated a private working space complete with a desk and chair.

The barrier in front of each private working space partially conceals the bedrooms’ entryways.

These prefab cabins require zero assembly and unfold into shelters in case of emergencies!

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The modern world is overwhelmed with what feels like countless crises‒climate change, human displacement, and global pandemics begins a list that barely scrapes the surface. Architects and designers alike have been taking notice and utilizing their learned disciplines to provide relief. Entering the conversation around structural relief projects, Hariri & Hariri, a New York-based architecture firm founded by Iranian sisters Gisue and Mojgan Hariri, debuted their own solution: a prefabricated folding pod or cabin that doesn’t require hands-on assembly or the need for hardware or tools.

Modeled after the intricate paper folding art of Origami, the pod’s initial folded form can fit onto flatbed trucks for efficient and manageable shipping. Once positioned for assembly, the pod from Hariri & Hariri readily expands and unfolds to create a prefabricated and modular, single-story housing unit. Born out of a need for emergency shelter across the globe, the architects behind the pod note, “In the middle of a hurricane you don’t have time for a screwdriver.” With this in mind, the pod was designed to instantaneously unfold and build itself with the push of a button. Structured like a pop-up cardboard box, hinges and hidden panels strewn across the pod’s creases aid in the unit’s assembly process. Whether multiple emergency shelters are needed or if the pod is used as a luxury single home unit for a beachside vacation, the modular construction allows the pod to either be configured together with multiple pods to form community shelters or stand alone as a single prefabricated unit.

Hariri & Hariri developed the pod into one that leans on an affordable, transportable, and efficient design by giving it a lightweight and thin exterior build. Constructed with accessible building materials like glass and Equitone panels, the pod can be acquired and utilized by most countries across the globe in need of emergency shelters. The prefabricated pod boasts simple and speedy assembly and transportation processes, making it an ideal modular unit for any event from beachside couple retreats to crowded music events or even extreme emergencies that call for immediate shelter units.

Designer: Hariri & Hariri

When situated in clusters, the pod from Hariri & Hariri can create community-wide shelters in the case of emergencies.

Alternatively, the pod can make for the perfect beachside getaway, with an open-air layout and expansive windows.

The pod can also function as a luxury single-residency for longer vacations.

Inside, the pods are roomy and offer sweeping views of the outdoors.

This tiny convertible A-frame structure is a part kiosk + part shelter designed to aid Ecuador’s unhoused population

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Natura Futura Arquitectura, an architecture and design firm based in Babahoyo, Ecuador builds structural solutions that redefine community engagement. Committed to finding and bringing to life solutions for unhouse individuals who face societal challenges in everyday life, Natura Futura Arquitectura conceived The Ambulantito.

Conceptualized through the lens of those experiencing poverty in Ecuador, The Ambulantito was designed to be woven into the urban fabric of Latin American cities. The mobile kiosk provides privacy and a canopy with its A-frame structure for times when the weather requires shelter. Mounted on wheels, The Ambulantito is as much a stationary shelter as it is a traveling kiosk from which unhoused individuals can sell goods to generate income.

Designed to be protective, yet simple, The Ambulantito’s frame is built from welded metal rods, which are then overlaid with panels of locally sourced timber. The structure’s A-frame roof is complete with two eaves, one that unfolds to reveal The Abulantito’s storage shelf, where goods can be placed and sold, and the other fixed. The versatile frame of The Ambulantito at first provides a sort of mobile safebox, where folding lattice doors secure people’s belongings and goods intended for sale and then transform to become a traveling kiosk or bed with an overhead roof come night.

The changing personality of The Ambulantito was created by Natura Futura Arquitectura to adapt to the mobile lifestyle of unhoused individuals in Ecuador. With indigence rates steadily growing, the mobile shelter functions as a first step towards more permanent solutions for the societal struggles that overwhelm unhoused communities across Latin American cities.

Speaking on the design and its intended purpose, Natura Futura Arquitectura remarks, “The Ambulantito is a first small step towards raising awareness of urgent needs such as shelter, productivity, and human safety, seeking to be an engine of consciousness that opens up new possibilities and reflections on our role of responsibility regarding the realities of the city.”

Designer: Natura Futura Arquitectura

Mounted on wheels, The Ambulantito was designed to integrate the mobile lifestyle of unhoused individuals living in Ecuador.

Designed to be versatile and inconspicuous, The Ambulantito changes and blends in with the urban framework of Ecuador.

A foldable lattice wooden door provides protections for goods intended for sale and unhoused individuals’ personal belongings.

One eave folds up to reveal storage space that functions as a sales shelf for goods to purchase.

The Ambulantito comes complete with a chalkboard where the goods can be advertised for sale.

Come night, unhoused individuals can transform The Ambulantito into a sleeping space with coverage from the natural elements.

These solar-powered sleeping pods were designed to provide homeless people shelter in winter!

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There are an estimated 860,000 homeless people in Germany and it is a well-known fact that the winter there is brutal! No one should be suffering out in the cold and to help the circumstances, a German-based team of designers and developers called Ulmer Nest have created sleeping pods that are windproof + waterproof. These pods are to be installed across the German city of Ulm to provide the homeless with emergency shelter at night. What started as a local project is now getting attention from all over the world so that it can be scaled and replicated.

The sleeping pods are called Ulmer Nest and provide a safe, warm place to sleep in winter. The interdisciplinary design team did intensive research to get accurate insight and sentiment analysis about the audience who will be using the pod. They found that many people can’t stay in dedicated homeless shelters for various reasons like them not wanting to be separated from their dog or the fear of crime and violence. Keeping this in mind they worked on the first two Ulmer Nest prototypes.

These capsules are crafted from timber and steel which are resilient and protect against harsh weather. Ulmer Nest pods are fitted with solar panels and a set of sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, smoke, and carbon dioxide levels. It also has a heat exchanger to supply fresh air and maintain circulation. Motion sensors also replace the need for cameras while protecting privacy but also making sure that social workers can be alerted in case the situation demands it because overnight stays are not allowed. Two people can sleep in the pod at a time and take cover from rain, frost, and humidity. It is also connected to a radio network so the person using the pod can get in touch with the team managing it if needed. Ulmer volunteers clean the pod each day to make sure hygiene is maintained and also why powder-coated metal was used in the design to make it easy-to-clean. These pods take safety seriously and are protected against fire, it includes an electronic verification system that enables the person to lock it from inside.

Ulm saw its very first sleeping pods in the winter of 2020. Given how that year changed things, the design has been upgraded and testing continues to make sure it is efficient and reliable. Ulmer Nest is the last resort option for those who cannot find shelter anywhere else.

Designers: Patrick Kaczmarek, Florian Geiselhart, Falko Pross, Manuel Schall, Dirk Bayer, and Kathrin Uhlig.