Individual Designs

Top: Andrew Elias, Bottom: Abby Schukei
In addition to working together on group designs, students developed their own individual designs and presented them with schematic drawings and budgets. 

Above: Abigail Schukei

Above: Sara Tonjes

Team 1 - Final Design

Team 1's final design is a tent-like shelter that is expandable from a backpack.
The shelter expands from the backpack and is supported inside by gauged wire. The material is a water resistant nylon. 
The opening of the shelter is two layers, one waterproof nylon and one mesh for ventilation. It fastens with snaps. The entire structure is 7ft by 1.5ft. Inside of the structure there is a small pillow built into the back of the backpack. There are also two windows on the side reinforced with mesh and plastic flaps. 

Team 2 - Final Design

Team 2's final design takes the form of a suitcase. 
A weather proof tarp covers the exterior of the shelter that is supported inside by PVC pipes. This structure was the fastest to set up and store. 
The structure leaves extra room inside the suitcase for additional bedding and belongings.

Team 3 - Final Design

Team 3's final design was a triangular shaped tent-like structure created out of waterproof tarp and a PVC pipe frame.
Here the tarp is laid flat before slipping PVC pipe into sleeves that reinforced the structure. The shelter included pockets on the inside for belongings.
The team used kitchen knives as stakes to keep the structure stable.

Team 4 - Final Design

Team 4's final shelter design consisted of four plastic barrel rings and a tunnel created from inflatable pool floats. 

The entrance to the structure is covered with mesh for ventilation. A pool float on the inside acts as an inflatable bed for the inhabitant. A separate feature the team devised was a shade umbrella that attaches to a stake in the ground and is weighted to provide an extra area of sun protection in warm weather.

Shelters in Progress - 4/7

Team 1 added small windows for airflow to their shelter. The tent-like tube collapses into a backpack.


Team 3 working on their triangular tent-like structure. 

Team 4 taking their shelter for a test run outside.

Team 2 revisited their design and decided on pvc arches that collapse into an old suitcase. They found the suitcase at Good Will for $7. 

Shelters in Progress - 4/2

Team 1 creating their camouflage sleeping structure reinforced with wire. The sleeping area collapses into a backpack.

Team 4 working on their collapsible sleeping tunnel made of inflatable pool floats. The rings are made from a found plastic barrel. 

Team 2 spent most of the class period in the wood shop working on the wooden base of their shelter. They also wrapped these pieces of wood in a waterproof tarp to see how it would work as a base.
Team 3 created two triangular side panels out of a vinyl tarp and cut mosquito netting for the windows. 
The students have one week left to complete their shelters.

Team 1 - 3/31

Team Members: Abby Schukei, Andrew Elias, Abigail Powers, Spencer McCoy

Rationale:

Our creation is a tent-like structure that is expandable from a backpack. The backpack will unzip and the shelter will expand with the support of strong gauged wire. The material used will be a water resistant nylon. The opening to enter will be a double layer. One layer will be mesh for ventilation and the door will fasten with snaps. The entire structure will be 7 ft by 1.5ft and will be able to house an adult male.

Team 2 - 3/31

Team Members: Emma Drews, Caitlin Huggins, Brandon Volf, Michaela Bridger

Rationale: Our collapsible portable house takes the shape of a shopping cart. The hinged sides fold down to make an 8 foot long by 2.5 foot wide bed. The wheels on the bottom make it easy to move and also protect the bottom if the ground is wet. It is covered with weather proof material to keep them dry, warm, and cool if need be. The sides open like a tent window to provide ventilation. This structure also doubles as a storage device. 

Team 3 - 3/31

Team Members: Courtney Petersen, Chris DeLusso, Sara Tonjes, DJ Jones, Maurice Wegulo

Rationale:

Our shelter, called The Trifecta, consists of three PVC pipes, two stakes, and a large tarp. It includes two large ventilation windows, three pouches for storage, numerous snaps at the base of the structure to keep out the wind, and two ropes staked into the ground for extra support. The PCV pipes are collapsible and it can all be rolled up easily for transportation. The Trifecta is only suitable in grassy areas such as a park or field.

Team 4 - 3/31

Team 4's rough moquette produced from initial exploration of materials

Team Members:

Rachel Van Boening, Jared Sabin, Morgan Breing, Christopher Rhodes, Ben LaGrange

Rationale:

This portable homeless shelter is geared to an average sized male student. It contains two main elements: an expandable sleep tunnel and a collapsable study space. The shelter folds into a bag for easy transport. Key elements to the shelter include plastic rings, an umbrella, and an inflatable mattress. 

Experimenting with Materials - 3/31

Over the weekend, the students worked independently on schematic drawings and researched materials. In today's class the four teams compared notes and worked together to create a rough moquette structure that incorporated the strongest elements of the team members' designs. 

The Assignment

Image: www.edar.org
Portable Homeless Shelter Team Project
The University of Nebraska Lincoln
Visual Literacy
Speculative Drawing Sec 965
Instructor: Anne Burton

Objective: Teams will build one-person homeless shelters from recycled materials found in and around campus.

Teams will consist of four to five students and will be selected by the instructor. Each team will create one full-scale prototype of their one-person portable homeless shelter. Teams have two weeks to complete their full-scale shelter.

Students may spend no more than $50 on their project. New materials can be purchased but the structures must consist of some recycled materials.

The shelter must be unobtrusive, collapsible and portable. (The shelter must fit into a shopping cart or roll on wheels.)

The shelter must protect its inhabitant from the elements, provide warmth in winter and ventilation in the summer.

Individual Presentation: Before teams decide on their final designs, each student in the class will create an individual solution and present their idea to the team. These individual presentations will include schematic drawings and research into materials and pricing.

Sturdy Watertight Wind-Resistant Collapsible Portable Affordable Weather Time Safety Health Family Solution Education Understanding

The main cause of homelessness in America is poverty. There are roughly 1600 homeless people living in Lincoln. Many of Lincoln’s homeless are women with small children.
In a study of homeless in the Midwest by the US Department of Health and Human Services, single men comprise 44 percent of the homeless, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent.
United States Homeless Statistics from the LAHSC
* 3.5 million people (1.35 million of which are children) will experience homelessness in a given year.
* Children under the age of 18 account for 39% of the homeless population. 42% of these are under the age of 5.
* 43% of the homeless population are women; 40% of these women are unaccompanied. 22% of homeless women claim domestic abuse as reason for homelessness. 25% of these claim to have been abused within the past year.
* Families with children comprise 33% of the homeless population.
* Vets constitute 40% of the homeless population.
* 1 in every 5 homeless persons has a severe or persistent mental illness.
* 25% of the homeless nationwide are employed.


This assignment was inspired by a project designed by Professor Jan Wampler and lecturer Alan Joslin at MIT School of Architecture and a project named Everyone Deserves a Roof developed by movie producer Peter Samuelson at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles - EDAR.