We are pleased to announce the results of this past month's 1 Hour Design Challenge: Emergency Shelters. Pop-up shelters have been a favorite exploration of designers for a long time, and in light of the earthquake in Haiti and the necessity of creating short-term emergency shelters, this 1 Hour Design Challenge invited designers to create innovative and appropriate pop-up shelter solutions. Designs could be specific to Haiti or generalized to address emergency shelter needs across various contexts. We were looking for simple, effective and appropriate design interventions, and in the spirit of all Core77 1HDCs, designers were asked to work within the 60-minute design constraint.

Judging was based on inventiveness, utility and appropriateness, and Core77 has donated $500 to Architecture For Humanity's Haiti Earthquake Support Program in the name of the winner, Dan Ostrowski! Congratulations Dan!

The judges were impressed with the breadth of thinking, the speed of design iteration, and the novel uses of materials and geometries. We were particularly persuaded with design concepts that pushed portability and thrift. Commented Cameron Sinclair, "The backpack ideas are the most interesting to explore, as essentially you are looking for a 'better tent' that can be deployed in different places over time. Anything airdropped is like a bad scene from Spies Like Us—one wrong drop and your housing solution could end up destroying more homes." Cameron added, "The cost of an airdrop is the same as two maintained trucks with drivers, both supplied with a year's worth of gas. As for the communal solutions, we need to be aware of the issues of water-borne diseases; close proximity can contribute to the spread of potential epidemics."

Thanks to everyone who participated in this 1 Hour Design Challenge, and now to the TOP 10 DESIGNS:

WINNER

Lifetent Designer: Dan Ostrowski Based on the reports coming out of Haiti, I decided that a natural disaster refugee was a transient person that would migrate to new locations in search of safety, food, and/or medical help. I developed an inflatable tent because of its lightweight, easy transport, and minimal storage space when not in use. A GPS tracker was added so that rescue teams could know, before entering a ND zone, where they are most needed. The Lifestraws were added in an attempt to stave off water born pathogens and the use of mosquito repellent fabric was indented to stave off malaria.

NOTABLES

Pop-Out Shelter Designer: Michael Kilbane This pop out shelter is simple, cost-effective and is easily mass-produced. My design combines a number of cheap materials to form a flexible waterproof building sheet that is folded as shown below. This design provides ten (or more) shelters in one assembly. Assembly is easy just pin down one end and then pull out the other end, once the expansion of the compartments is complete, secure last end to the ground via pins. Many Haitians may suffer for Illiteracy, so I have added a color identity marker to the shelters design; this allows the user to identify there chosen shelter with ease. Shelters would be placed in a hexagonal plan layout and vital services are found at the center hub.

SOS Quick Shelter Designer: Derek Crenshaw I used 70D nylon instead of 30 or 40, because it's readily available and cheaper than the Cordura type. Backed it with TPU, which is safer than PVC and waterproof. Material is a translucent ripstop so you can see if people are moving inside and at night the light inside will show through. Size would be close to a mid to large mountaineering pack. Crank light on inside for obvious reasons. Bottom would be a thin tarpalin type material. I guess pack would wieght in under 10lbs, with a landed cost of around $20/$30 each pack.

Caterpillar Shelter Designer: Julian Grobe This shelter is made for being flexible to disaster's city conditions. The only cleared paths once the catastrophe has come are the streets, so this long tube is for passing through the city ruins and debris. Also, it can withstand aftershocks, because it's tensile and is anchored to a lot of surrounding buildings or ruins, so it doesn't need foundation. Because is a tube, it's isolated from top and above. It can be assembled by anyone because it doesn't have a "rigid shape." The tube can be rolled and packed as a circus tent. It also can be placed in squares anchored to trees, or among forests, adapting to ground and trees displacement. First thing of a big scale disaster as Haiti is that it has to be massive, flexible to conditions, and to be as near the city as possible. This is the purpose of this design. (In the graphic, the shelter is placed in the street among building debris and vehicles.)

Bellow refuge Designer: Julian Grobe This refuge can be easily packed and unpacked, being hard enough to be used for a long time. Easily transported, 6 or more refuges can be plugged one after another like shopping carts, and can be hauled by a common vehicle. Frames work with the same concept, expanding with the bellow. Interiors can be configured as necessary because of the modulation of slabs and mullions. Modulation is based on container dimensions. Spikes in the sides of the refuge act as pilotis of foundation that can be adjusted to level the refuge over irregular or sloped terrain, giving a perfectly dry and hard surface to stand and work.

Pop-Up Designer: Ryan Mather The main purpose of this design would be to create shelter for those in need immediately following the hectic/stressful hours following a crisis. This pop up, light weight nylon tent could be easily distributed and set up with minimal steps. Its folding aspect allows multiple tents to be flat-packed and shipped at a relatively low cost anywhere in the world. The entrance features a central zipper which allows both halves to be folded back to create a sun shade during the day. While not ideal for long periods of time, this could solve the problem of lack of shelter and overcrowding issues attributed to times of misfortune.

Devil in the Box Designer: Thomas Valcke I got inspired by the HESCO-system I posted earlier and the other container ideas I saw in this thread. Basic Idea: A big coiled wrapped in fabric (similar to the collapsible bins you find everywhere for putting your laundry in). So The coil is compressed in a container (regular shipping?) And the tube (shelter) will pop out as soon as the doors open. Like a devil in a box.

Tipi Designer: Steve Boynton Credit is given to the American Indians TEEPEE design for it's durability, portability, and responsible use of natural resources. In this concept the material (tarp, canvas, gore tex...) would be provided to skin the frame. The units cold be set up alone or combined to form multi-room living spaces.

[A couple more Notables. We like the economy of this sketch:]

Concept Oval Designer: skgiri Concept Oval is focused on ease of assembly. For relief efforts, time/speed will be crucial; logistics and availability of local resources to combat calamity. In case of earthquake, local resources will be destroyed or will be scarce. So OVAL is designed to be supplied by relief agencies . Features: Light weight construction; Low Cost of unit; Easy assembly; Easy deployment and Removal. Scaling up Possibilities: Emergency hospital, command posts etc.

[And we love this entry for its attitude:]

Shelterbox Designer: Slauer I would challenge everyone to try to beat this (or donate to the cause): http://shelterbox.org"

Thanks again to everyone for participating, and congrats Dan!

View past Core77 1 Hour Design Challenges:

1Hour Design Challenge: The Future of Digital Reading

1Hour Design Challenge LIVE: A Better World By Design Conference

1Hour Design Challenge: Laser-cut Grip Tape Inlay for a Longboard

1Hour Design Challenge: Business Card Hacks

1Hour Design Challenge: Ideation Sketches

1 Hour Design Challenge: Sick-Ass Car Rendering

1 Hour Design Challenge: Voting Booth

1 Hour Design Challenge: Back-to-School Bag

1 Hour Design Challenge: TheftProof Bike Seat Lock 1 Hour Design Challenge: Cycling Shoes

1 Hour Design Challenge: Audio Speakers

1 Hour Design Challenge: The Olympic Torch

1 Hour Design Challenge: Power Tools

1 Hour Design Challenge: eBook

1 Hour Design Challenge: Bag the Plastic Bag

1 Hour Design Challenge: Water Saving Devices for the Bathroom