Lastly, our third design proposal is the folding cardboard shelter.
​
This simple design is combined with amazing ease of assembly and compact size which makes it convenient and practical. The shelter can be folded and moved. The cardboard already has some of its own structural properties, but folding it gives it even more structural support and transforms it into a cardboard tent. Cardborigami also features a floor so inhabitants of the shelter are not resting directly on the ground.
​
People who want to use the shelter can be involved in creating it hands-on, because it’s so easy to do the initial construction. We believe this actually gives them the sense of doing something for themselves, probably for the first time in a long time for someone in that situation. It would definitely be a big psychological boost for the homeless instead of just giving out already-built shelters freely.
In short, the cardboard origami homeless shelter is designed to be portable, lightweight, sustainable, naturally insulated and inexpensive.
​
​
Week 05 / Change of Site
​
We were advised to change our site to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR). This was due to the reason Jalan TAR is also our Design Studio site for this semester, we already had a basic understanding of the site and its conditions. Hence we willingly accepted the change.
​
​
Week 06 / Site Visit + Interviews
​
We conducted a site visit to Jalan TAR. Through our observation on site, the homeless usually seeks shelter in the five foot walkway. As for those who’re unable to secure a sheltered spot, they would be exposed to the weather in the plaza nearby.
During the site visit, we managed to interview some of the homeless people. Most of them refused to start conversations, but a few were willing to share their stories. Through the interviews, I have come to realize that the majority of the homeless on Jalan TAR are either mentally ill or are immigrants that were bullied by their fellows, causing them to have no working opportunity in our country.
​
In addition, we've mapped out the active sites of homeless people around Jalan TAR. The location of soup kitchen, food distribution spots and public toilet are extremely important for the homeless people as these are where they solved their hygiene and hungry issues.
​
​
Week 08 / Idea Refinement + Prototype Testing
​
After consultation with the lecturer, we had chosen the folding cardboard shelter, the "Cardborigami" as our finalized design. We started to experiment with different types of folding methods by learning from some tutorial videos. We needed to find out what was the best way to folding structure that suited our design proposal the best.
Community Service Initiative / E-Journal
"You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give."
Man is primarily a member of a social community. He should not only be concerned about himself but also for the welfare and development of society as a whole.
Community service refers to a donated service or activity performed by an individual or a group of people for the well being and benefit of the public or public institutions. Getting involved in our community makes it not only healthier, but also livelier.
Contrary to what many people believe, community service is not something that is reserved exclusively for wealthy adults, charity workers or penalized celebrities. It is something that even school-going youngsters like us can go about doing.
The community-based services in Community Service Initiative (CSI) module are therefore, to expose students to the real community living in real life situation. We students are to work together as a team for architectural, culture and environmental enhancing activities in the communities of different socio-economic status and social groups.
Week 01 / Module Briefing + Group Formation
​
In a group of 8-9, we are to conduct a thorough analysis to identify and evaluate the needs in a community. We then are to propose an architectural related charity activity as potential solution in order to solve the target problems critically. For our group, we are given the opportunity to develop holistic solutions to tackling the issue of homelessness.
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular, safe, and fixed dwelling. Adequate shelter has always been one of man‘s basic needs; it is a significant component for
human survival and a useful barometer for gauging societal development.
Of course, homelessness is not a poor design problem in terms of aesthetics and functionality of the architecture of the built environment, but is in part poor design in terms of the failure to address the impact of the built environment on the soviet. That is what makes homelessness an architectural problem.
For all our past semesters, students and the curriculum focused on abstract formal exercises. We treated architecture as a product rather than a tool to aid humanity. Shelter should be a human right, not a luxury reserved for those who can afford it.
But what could we, as an individual and an architecture student, can actually do to make a difference?
It is here where architecture may be able to provide some assistance. Our goal is to explore how architecture can help address homelessness. Thus, this CSI project does not only create innovative homes for the city’s most vulnerable, it also interrogates the architect's role in alleviating the crisis.
​
​
Week 03 / Discussion on Choice of Site + Proposed Solutions
​
Initially, our group had chosen Jalan Pudu as our site as we heard that there is a problem of homeless community along that road. We had decided to help and benefit the homeless community at our ability through architectural theory that we had learnt for the past semesters.
Before we design a shelter for the homeless people, we had to look into the behaviors and needs of the homeless people. Besides, to hone our skills, we did not just study homelessness and attend talks from experts in the field, we also met with homeless people from around the site to understand more about their needs. Through our observations, their behaviors are:
- Mostly sleeping or resting
- Place with shades will be their shelter
- Use public toilet in the shopping mall or public building for hygiene purpose
- Go to the food distribution spots by the soup kitchens
- Nomadic
​
For us, the most important aspect of the designs should be function. If we make it work first, then we can make the function look beautiful; our top priority is the user. We asked ourselves, “If I put myself in those shoes, would I want to live in it? Is it a glorified tent? If I can’t pick it up and carry it, then I failed completely.”
Shelters are designed to be discreet, compact and efficient structures. Our proposal was thus to create a portable shelter for the homeless so they are not exposed to the weather and to have them live with dignity. After discussing with the group, we came up with 3 main features to be achieved on this shelter project: lightweight, portable, and cost effective.
​
​
Week 04 / Submission: Sample Proposal
​
After some brainstorming sessions, we've come out with a few ideas that might suit the needs of homeless people.
PROPOSAL #1
The first one is a detachable wall shelter can be attached easily onto any wall or supported plane to be sheltered from external weather.
​
It is also a collapsible shelter attaching to the wall, allowing it to be constructed and set up against a wall easily. One side of the shelter can be pinned or attached to the wall. The shelter can be opened and closed easily from the inside for more privacy.
One of the cons of this design is the shelter might be attached to a shop's wall and the shop owner might dislike this idea, thus, affect the shop owner negatively.
After we had figured out the best way of folding the shelter, we started to film a video documenting the model making of our design proposal.
​
We included the folding process of cardboard shelter, step-by-step, so that other people could learn from it.
​
​
Week 09 / Final Prototype Construction + User Satisfaction Survey
​
We went for a second site visit to Jalan TAR. We approached the homeless and the members of the other communities such as some shop owners, pedestrians, and tourists on their opinions of our design proposal, along with our final prototype.
​
We were so excited to show our proposal to the homeless. They gave us a big thumbs up for our intentions on helping them. The design idea of Cardborigami demonstrates the creative way of providing cheap shelters for homeless people and slowly returning them a normal life. These shelters are great for those who are willing to change lifestyle.
The adjacent communities were indeed very supportive towards our project. They too voiced their concerns of having the homeless taking over the five foot walkway, which were supposed to serve as a path for transversing through the streets.
We recorded the interviews and have gotten some pretty useful comments through this visit.
After coming back from the site, we had to compile the video clips taken during the interview. The entire proposal and folding demonstration videos were also added into the video. The final A0 poster was updated with survey results, too.
​
​
Week 10 / Final Submission: A0 Presentation Board + Video + E-Journal
​
​
​
Through this project, we've gotten firsthand experience showing that architecture isn’t just for those who can afford it, it can be something that creates social good and changes the way people live their lives.
Architects are armed with aggressively creative ideas and new approaches to old problems. With more designers focusing their talent on socially responsible design, the world would surely be a better place.
“He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.” - Confucius
This is Yi Qin, signing off.
