IKEA’s Flat Packed Solar-Powered Housing Shelter

IKEA is renowned for it’s flat pack furniture, but now turning it’s flare for minimalistic design to emergency shelters. The IKEA Foundation worked alongside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to produce the solar-powered shelter.

The emergency unit will be deployed to provide a means of temporary housing for victims of natural disasters and refugees. Prior to IKEA’s involvement, UNCHR was only able to provide people with tents or converted mass-shelters, but now, with IKEA’s input, victims will be able to recover in a much more comfortable, private and permanent form of shelter.

The shelters are also mostly composed of lightweight plastic parts, and will be flat packed for transportation. Once at the site, a unit can be assembled in under four hours. A single shelter comprises of 188-square-feet (twice the size of a regulation refugee tent) and is capable of comfortably accommodating 5 people.

The solar panels mounted on the roof allow the users to generate their own electricity for lighting. The roof is also designed to reflect up to 70% solar radiation, helping to create a cooler interior during the day, and a warmer one at night.

The first IKEA/UNCHR emergency shelters are due to be deployed in Ethiopia this month. For more emergency shelters, or similar dwellings, have a look at the Liina Transitional Shelter by Aalto University, or Kristofer Nonn’s Eco Cabanas in Venezuela.

Via Inhabitat