Believing that “home is a human right,” architects and sisters Gisue Hariri and Mojgan Hariri of Hariri & Hariri Architecture have developed an innovative alternative emergency shelter designed to save lives. The FOLDING POD can replace 18th century-tents currently used by armies for disaster relief due to climate-change devastations, wars, and other conflicts. Modest, modular, and prefabricated with recyclable materials, the FOLDING POD is inspired by origami and features a hinged frame and lightweight, sustainable panels. Its flexible design facilitates easy shipping, fitting right on a flatbed truck, and assembly, unfolding with the simple push of a button and a solar-powered portable generator. Furthermore, it can be reconfigured and expanded with additional pods into a variety of habitable combinations. The Hariri & Hariri Architecture practice, which focuses on large-scale architecture, has devoted years to the Disaster Relief FOLDING POD. The Breakout Grant will enable the project to move to the next phase of its development and production, ensuring it can be utilized for crises around the world such as the pandemic, homelessness, and disaster relief.
