The earthquake that killed thousands of people in Nepal and destroyed priceless heritage sites also flattened hundreds of thousands of normal homes and buildings. Now, the rubble from those structures is being put to use by an architect who is designing permanent shelters for those who lost their homes.
A few years ago, Ikea announced it had designed a better refugee shelter, using its flatpack furniture as a basis for engineering. As great an idea as it was, it wasn't clear how the concept would ever find its way to reality. Now, these Ikea refugee shelters will be deployed—by the thousands.
The threat of a tsunami is a very real thing for much of the Pacific coastline, yet many cities in the U.S. haven't taken specific infrastructural measures to ensure their residents are safe when they happen. A new building in Washington will have the first purpose-built tsunami shelter in the country, offering…
Hyperlite Mountain Gear makes packs and shelters with a new, Space Age material called Cuben Fiber. It's 15 times stronger than steel and lighter than anything that's come before. How do they do it?
More than eight million people live in NYC. And when a natural or human-made disaster strikes, there's a good chance it'll leave some New Yorkers without homes. That's why this summer, NYC's Office of Emergency Management is testing out a fast, cheap, and comfortable solution: Meet the Prototype.
In disaster-relief situations, every minute matters—as does every pound and inch. Because when thousands of people have been suddenly left homeless, you can't just build new houses overnight. You can, however, set up one of these origami-like shelters in less than two minutes.
As China designs a roadmap to bring 100 million rural citizens into cities over the next five years, it and other booming east Asian countries will confront a problem that's been around since the 1980s: The massive housing shortage and the illegal dwellings that result. Two architects think they've found a temporary…
The tremors will probably still wake you up in the middle of the night, but falling asleep in an earthquake prone part of the world would be a little easier with this reinforced bed that can support up to 65 tons of debris.
The shipping container-sized EDV-01 is designed to be delivered to a disaster area and automatically transform into an emergency shelter. When deployed, two persons can live in the temporary structure for up to a month, complete with amenities like running water and electricity.
When explosives begin raining from the sky, it's generally recommended that one find a sturdy, preferably covered, area to wait. Our friends at Oobject.com have some great examples.
Concrete Cloth makes the perfect addition to your apocalyptic shopping list. The flexible cloth is easily transported, but transforms into a sturdy concrete shelter after it gets wet.
