Arx Emergency Shelter System
IIT Institute of Design
IIT Institute of Design
2011
Arx is an Emergency Shelter designed to assist people who have displaced by conflict or natural disasters. It is built of commonly found materials, is durable, wind and water resistant and can last up to 5 years. It is deployed in an easy to build kit, and costs around $50 in materials. The design of the structure is based on the traditional Mongolian Yurt.
The secret to Arx is that the lattice frame that makes up the walls is held together with inexpensive nylon zip ties. This makes easy to assemble, expand and repair. The nylon ties also give the lattice some "give" to them making the lattice walls easier to assemble and more tolerant of twists that might break a pinned lattice wall. The outer walls and roof are covered in recycle billboards: a tough 3 ply vinyl which is extremely cheap to get. The kit is assembled into a bundle weighing less than 100lbs. It is designed to be dropped from military cargo aircraft. It is designed to be sold to aid agencies and the general public. Retail sales would help support the distribution to people in need.
This was a solo project for a Product Development Workshop at ID. The object of the workshop was to design something for social good that could also be profitable. I had to not only figure out the design and materials, but create the business model. The result: there is a potential buyer in Utah who would like 500 of them to sell to survivalists. Now I have to figure out how to scale and get it manufactured. Stay tuned.
The secret to Arx is that the lattice frame that makes up the walls is held together with inexpensive nylon zip ties. This makes easy to assemble, expand and repair. The nylon ties also give the lattice some "give" to them making the lattice walls easier to assemble and more tolerant of twists that might break a pinned lattice wall. The outer walls and roof are covered in recycle billboards: a tough 3 ply vinyl which is extremely cheap to get. The kit is assembled into a bundle weighing less than 100lbs. It is designed to be dropped from military cargo aircraft. It is designed to be sold to aid agencies and the general public. Retail sales would help support the distribution to people in need.
This was a solo project for a Product Development Workshop at ID. The object of the workshop was to design something for social good that could also be profitable. I had to not only figure out the design and materials, but create the business model. The result: there is a potential buyer in Utah who would like 500 of them to sell to survivalists. Now I have to figure out how to scale and get it manufactured. Stay tuned.
