IKEA Unveils Solar-Powered Flat Pack Shelters for Easily Deployable Emergency Housing IKEA Refugee Shelter - Gallery Page 7 We’ve all seen IKEA’s innate ability to transform any area into a cozy, homey space (just look at how comfortable their store displays are), and taking on disaster and refugee relief is a no brainer for the company. Until the IKEA collaboration, the UNCHR was only able to provide tents or converted mass-shelters for the influx of refugees into countries around the world. Prior to the IKEA collaboration, the UNCHR was only able to provide tents or converted mass-shelters for the influx of refugees into countries around the world. Now, with IKEA’s help, these displaced citizens will not only have privacy and comfort, but the dignity of having their own place. IKEA’s shelters come flat packed, making for the easy transport of lightweight plastic shelters at once. Assembly of the 188 square foot hut is easy and can be built in just four hours. The new IKEA/UNHCR shelters will make their first be deployed in Ethiopia next month. + IKEA Foundation Via Fast Company
Cut Feather Shadowboxes by Chris Maynard Using feathers acquired from zoos and private aviaries, artist Chris Maynard creates delicately constructed shadowboxes that play with aspects of light and negative space. The artist admits to being “feather obsessed” and is fascinated not only with birds and flight, but with the color and texture of their plumage which he explores through his small dioramas. You can see much more on his website and Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe will soon be showing some of Maynard’s larger work. (via Colossal Submissions) Hivehaus Inspired by the hexagonal honeycomb structures built by honey bees to store honey and pollen within a beehive – HIVEHAUS® has been designed by Barry Jackson to be an ultra compact but extremely comfortable living space suitable for a wide variety of applications. Identically proportioned hexagonal cells can be joined together at any time by any or all of their six sides to create a modular cluster of connected cells or ‘Hive’. Each cell has an internal floor area of 9.3 m2 and is designed to be used as a specific work/live space i.e. office cell, lounge cell, Kitchen cell, sleep cell or bathroom cell, uniform internal partition walls (with or without pocket doors) can be added or removed as required allowing airy open plan spaces to become cosy individual rooms and vice versa.The flexibility of the HIVEHAUS® modular system permits easy bespoke expansion of the ‘Hive’ allowing it to grow with the individual users requirements. Photos by Barry Jackson. More info. here.
The Bizarre Street Art of Daan Botlek Street artist and illustrator Daan Botlek is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands and is known for his strange form of character-driven street art. His generally simplistic, site-specific figures often interact with the space around them, passing in and out of unseen dimensions, shedding skin in the process. Kind of like morbid Keith Haring, no? You can see much more of his work over on Flickr. (via Lustik) Hivehaus » Modular Living Space An Aerial Kinetic Sculpture with 256 Helium Balloons Embedded with LEDs Cyclique was an aerial light and sound installation created by audiovisual artist Nohista and Collectif Coin for Nuit Blanche 2013 (previously). The array of 256 large white balloons was embedded with LEDs that blinked in sequence with various audio tracks and was further enhanced by the impact of wind which altered the layout and motion of the piece.
ÁPH80 A transportable 290 square feet home manufactured in Spain. Photos by Juan Baraja. Designed by Ábaton. Translucent Hermit Shell Crabs Adorned with Architectural Cityscapes by Aki Inomata NYC / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Bangkok / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Zaanse Schans / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Tokyo / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Santorini / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Honfleur / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Installation view at Ai Kowada Gallery / © Aki Inomata courtesy of Ai Kowada Gallery Created in 2009 by Japanese artist Aki Inomata, these fantastic little cityscapes atop hermit crab shells were part of a body of work titled “Why not hand over a shelter to hermit crabs?.” As hermit crabs outgrow their shells it becomes necessary to find a new, larger home.
Nomadic Resorts Portable Looper Home Prefabricated housing units have become all the rage all the design scene, but nothing has impressed us quite like the Nomadic Resorts Portable Looper Home. This 30 foot long structure has been built from a sustainably sourced wooden frame draped in a lightweight tensile fabric. Although the caterpillar inspired design allows for maximum ventilation, the solar canopy atop the unit helps to power an air conditioning unit if the outside temperatures are just too unbearable. In addition to powering the AC unit, the solar canopy also powers LED lights and the solar heater for the hot water, while the harvesting tank recycles waste water. Each pod includes a a changing room, sleeping area, bathroom, lounge with entertainment system, and even a small office with Wi-Fi to get some work done on the go.
Air Plant Jellyfish by ‘PetitBeast’ LA-based designer and art director Cathy Van Hoang had the novel idea of using sea urchin shells as upside down planters for air plants to create little aerial jellyfish. She sells them in her Etsy shop, PetitBeast. (via Steampunk Tendencies) Glamping in the Tree Tops with a RooMoon: Hanging Tents I’m excited to share these hanging tents with you because if you like tree houses and camping you’ll probably love this. Yes, camping in the trees would be awesome, but how? Check this out… it’s a tree tent called the RooMoon made by the Hanging Tent Company. It takes tent camping to the next level (literally). Handcrafted and designed by graduate student, Rufus Martin in Dorset, England. Since he presented this at Byrson School as a final project it has been his full-time business since. The outside material is a durable canvas that can stand any weather. The frame is made of steel rods that are strong and weather proof. The designer says, “the tent is capable of lifting over 1 ton with ease. Images © Hanging Tent Company Why You Might Want a RooMoon Hanging Tent If you are interested in getting a RooMoon of your own head over to their website, Hanging Tent Company. The starting price for one of these tree tents is roughly $5,888. Is this RooMoon something you could take camping? Resources:
2 brothers build green-roofed portable office in Lake Tahoe When brothers Tyler and Shaun Bratt began building a structure in their front yard they had plans for a sauna, but mid-build they decided they’d prefer something more practical. Hundreds of hours later, they finished a hand-crafted portable office for their construction company (Bratt Brothers). With hooks embedded in the living roof, the shelter can be moved by crane and flatbed. Though since it costs $1,000 per move, they try to leave it in one place. Right now, it’s parked on a bit of vacant space in Tahoe City, CA and after two years of permitting work, the Bratts hope to legally use it as an office soon. In the meantime, they’ve spent the odd night in the space (Shaun assures it would make a decent tiny home though at the moment it’s furnished with just a draftsman’s table and wine refrigerator). The living roof is automatically irrigated by sprinklers that turn on twice per day.
Green Architecture & Building | Projects in Green Architecture & Building Our BatchGeo world MAP shows the locations of green building and renewable energy projects featured on Solaripedia. Nomadic Mongolians, Turkomen, Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz wander and dwell in an area of the Asian steppe that stretches from the Caspian Sea to Mongolia. Living in tent-like dwellings called yurts, these people adapted to conditions of scarcity, using materials at-hand such as animal fur and willow saplings. These yurt structures have a single-room circular plan, created with a lattice frame of willow wands that expand to form the wall but which retract to a compact shape. Light-weight poles arc towards a ring at the crown to form a roof structure. A yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The original word for "nomad" came from a word for felt, making the nomads "felt people". We don't know exactly where the yurt originated. What is a Yurt? A Ger is really more than a tent.
Portable Geodesic Yurts that are Lightweight and Leakproof Shelter Systems Geodesic Yurts are our most popular portable Geotensic™ shelters. Known for their lightweight construction and strength as well as for the large amount of light they let in, they are made with a strong, tear-resistant fabric and non-puncturing tarp fasteners. They are truly portable and guaranteed to be leak proof. These Yurts have served as family living spaces, camping tents, emergency shelters, studios, playrooms, retreats, fair pavilions, expedition tents, research tents, and more. Our Geodesic Yurts are used as Greenhouses, Disaster Relief Shelters,Tents, Portable Classrooms, Cabin Tents, Hot Tub and Spa Covers, Pool Covers, Guest Houses, Ski Huts, Base Camps, Youth Camps, Eco tourism Cabins, Camping Tents, Mobile Offices, Shade and Solar Structures... This photo shows the 31' by 16' tall Yurt , two 30' 11' tall and our 20' by 10' tall. Easy Set Up Our 14', 18' and 20' Yurts can be set up by one person in 30 minutes without tools. Sturdy Design up in diameter.