Artist Michael Rakowitz’s ongoing ParaSITE project provides portable inflatable shelters for homeless people. ParaSITE shelters utilize the vents and ventilation systems from buildings for both temperature and warmth.
When warm air leaves the building, it inflates the shelter’s double membrane and simultaneously heats it. ParaSITE inflatable homes have been built and used by over 30 homeless people in Boston and Cambridge, MA and New York City.
The temporary owners of these homes got a lot of questions from confused police officers who weren’t sure whether the ParaSITE inflatable shelters were breaking the law. The structures were designed to be more like a sleeping bag or a body extension than a tent, however, and were thereby deemed legal. What a lucky loophole!
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Inflatable Portable Homes
- The ParaSITE project offers a new solution to homelessness by providing portable inflatable homes that utilize the vents and ventilation systems from buildings for temperature and warmth.
- Alternative Homeless Shelters
- Rakowitz's ParaSITE project shows how alternative shelters can be created for the homeless using materials and resources from urban environments.
- Eco-friendly Homeless Solutions
- The ParaSITE project displays how using available resources in urban areas can be an eco-friendly way of providing shelter for the homeless.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Homelessness Services
- Organizations that provide services for the homeless can innovate by looking into alternative solutions like inflatable shelters to help those in need.
- Architecture
- Architecture firms can explore innovative designs for portable shelters that can be used by the homeless, using recycled materials from the surrounding environment.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Companies focused on environmental sustainability can team up with initiatives like the ParaSITE project to create eco-friendly solutions that provide shelter for the homeless.
