SPP Architects
SLEEPING POD FOR THE HOMELESS
- A concept by SPPARC
Homelessness is a global problem, be it as a result of social, political and economic factors or caused by natural and man-made disasters.
Although shelter homes provide temporary protection to homeless, these have a limited capacity. Many homeless still have no choice but to sleep in the open, and are exposed to varying weather conditions. Inhabitants of shared temporary shelters, on the other hand, are often subject to harassment and abuse by inmates and, thus, many a times prefer sleeping on their own even if it might be in open public spaces.
Irrespective of the geographic location and economy, finding and implementing context-specific and sustainable permanent solutions to this ubiquitous problem usually is a time-consuming process. In the meantime, the homeless continue to suffer – often under harsh conditions. The Sleeping Pod project therefore proposes a temporary solution for housing the homeless, until they find a permanent place to settle in.
The Pod is collapsible module that can be transformed into a temporary shelter and returned to its original compact form within just a few seconds, without requiring any mechanical assistance.
The lightweight module serves as an easily transportable night shelter for homeless people. At the same time, during the day it doubles up as advertisement space that blends with the urban public space, thus contributing to the economic and aesthetic viability of the project.
Last, but not least, the Sleeping Pod design can easily be adjusted to adapt to varying geographic terrains as well as different weather conditions as per requirement. Pods that cannot be attached to a stable surface will be equipped with adjustable telescopic legs – to alter the height and level of bed – and wheels – to move.
Now, we are looking for like-minded individuals, academic institutions, citizen groups and governments – with experience of working with the homeless and/or expertise in material/prototype testing to collaborate with us in launching the alpha version of the Sleeping Pod. In addition, we welcome support from IT professionals as we aim to develop an app – for the homeless of cities such as New York and Tokyo – through which the availability of the Pods can be checked and they can subsequently be booked for the night.
