The Emergency Cabin

The Emergency Cabin is a modular system with which a temporary (emergency) shelter facility can be created quickly, effectively and cheaply in different types of buildings and spaces. The units can be used to create individual sleeping facilities in, for example, a hall, office building or on a vacant lot. The design is cost-effective, space-efficient and multifunctional. The units offer a dignified, comfortable and safe space for people who need a bed temporarily in various reception situations and for different target groups.There is no other product that is specifically designed as a temporary accommodation facility for use in vacant (office) buildings.

Providing the basics

A priority in the design was to humanize the experience of people staying in temporary shelters. When organizations or governments are faced with an emergency, they often do not think beyond the urgent needs of the immediate situation. The Emergency Cabins prevent energy and (financial) resources from being used once to realize disposable furniture and one-off facilities. The cabins can be set up and taken down quickly and effectively, basic facilities can be provided in many different locations and the materials can easily be stored in anticipation of subsequent peaks.

Cost, space efficiency and functionality

We focused the design on cost, space efficiency and plenty of functionality. The design combines the essential furniture found in reception facilities, such as a (bunk) bed with storage space underneath, a (lockable) (wardrobe) cupboard, partitioning walls, powersocket(s), lighting and a coat rack. The Emergency Cabin creates privacy and a place to safely store belongings. Within the Emergency Cabin there is room to stand, sit and move. Optionally, a chair with a fold-out wall table can also be placed for working or eating.

A cabin offers guests a higher degree of privacy than a bed in a dormitory, with all the positive mental benefits that entails. A cabin returns autonomy to the user, provides the basic amenities of a place to stay, and effectively and easily creates a stimulus-free environment where personal belongings can be safely stored. Ideally, the stay is short-term, but the cabin offers the possibility of providing 24-hour care for several months. It has been shown that stays in shelter facilities can be significantly shortened if a private room is offered within them.

The cabins are designed as furniture. By not developing them as individual home-separating units, but making them part of the interior within a communal space, costs can be kept low. Fire safety installations and detection materials are realized in the compartmentalized, central space. Fire safety interventions are carried out, such as impregnating the building materials and the way in which the units are connected together is taken into account, so that there is a guarantee of two escape routes. To go beyond the applicable safety requirements in most countries, you could also choose to use additional fire safety equipment, such as installing individual smoke detectors in the units themselves. The units are not equipped with expensive individual mechanical ventilation, but there is central climate control in the space in which the units are placed (tent, industrial hall or vacant office building). By indirectly providing the units with a desired climate in this way, costs can be kept low.

The system must survive in an environment with a high volume of use and a low prospect of structural maintenance. By not investing in expensive materials, but building with simple wooden plates that are easily available everywhere, parts can be replaced quickly and without specialist knowledge. The design must also give organizations the flexibility to adapt to peaks and valleys, changing locations and environments. The six surfaces that make up the design can be taken apart, transported flat and stored. Installation costs are therefore permanently low, parts can be replaced cheaply without specialist knowledge and the design can withstand a blow without the need for regular maintenance.

Kitchens, lockers and sanitary units can also be added. The design provides the flexibility to add or remove additional units during times of peaks and troughs. The modular units can also be built up in height to make optimal use of a space. Blocks can be realized from eight connected units in, for example, a hall, to 48 units with two floors on a piece of vacant land.

Goals

1. Individual sleeping arrangements
2. Cost-effective
3. Possibilities for shared sanitary and kitchen facilities
4. Quick to assemble in an empty office building, hall or vacant lot
5. Modular: side by side and stackable
6. Cheap, safe and durable
7. Easy to transport, store and assemble
8. For sale, rent or build yourself