Concept shelter would pop-up in an emergency

Turkish design practice Designnobis has produced an interesting concept for a pop-up shelter, dubbed Tentative, that features a fiberglass roof and floor, and tent-like weather-resistant fabric walls. Though still in the early stages of development and thus lacking in some hard details, the compact shelter shows promise thanks to its dramatically decreased size when in transportation.

Measuring 4 x 2 x 2.5 m (13 x 6.5 x 8 ft) when in use, Tentative's interior would sleep two adults and two children (though the renders only depict a single bunk bed). Besides a couple of plastic chairs there's not a whole lot else going on inside, and it's spartan even compared to similar shelters, like Ikea's Better Shelter for example.

Still, where it excels – or at least could potentially excel if it lives up to its promise – is in ease of transportation, which is arguably the major concern in emergency shelter design. Tentative's height is reduced from 2.5 m (8ft) to just 30 cm (1ft) when ready for transport, and this would enable up to 24 units to be delivered to a needed area by a single semi-trailer truck, according to Designnobis.

To fully expand Tentative from its transportation state, you would first open the fiberglass top, which serves as roof (the bottom is the floor). Then, you'd need to raise the aluminum framework and place the two doors correctly to aid stability. Tough fabric is then stretched between the roof and floor. Designnobis reports that with a few tools, the shelter could be assembled in just an hour (we've currently no information as to whether it's as easily dismantled too).

"The compact disaster shelter is made of a fiber and a durable weather resistant textile which is quilted sewed and consists thermally insulated perlite in between," explains the firm.

The shelter would be raised off the ground using small stilts, and an insulated floor would further help reduce heat loss. Natural light would come in via a small skylight and window.

Designnobis told Gizmag that it's aiming to produce a prototype of the design and is also working on a larger model too. More details on this larger model will be released later in the year, but it will feature a toilet and rainwater collection system on the roof. The firm also stated that it is seeking collaboration to commercialize the concepts.

Source Designnobis via Dezeen