Foldable, affordable, self-sufficient and recycled – Chiara Croci shows at the Ars Electronica Futurelab how emergency shelters can be rethought.
Chiara Croci’s Ori Shelter project combines origami and social innovation with digital fabrication to create affordable, flat-packable, and self-sufficient shelters made from recycled materials. The shape of Ori Shelter resembles a small house. It is meant to convey a sense of welcome, appreciation, empowerment, and perhaps even home in extreme situations. In doing so, Ori Shelter is designed to be sustainable: PVC covers from trucks and other recycled materials are reused in the process. In addition, the materials can be recycled at the end of their use.
Croci is a Research Assistant at the Ars Electronica Futurelab and works in origami and robotics research. The topic of her thesis at the University of Johannesburg is Computational Origami and Digital Fabrication. Croci originally developed Ori Shelter for the South African Reconstruction and Development Program – but the project has since broadened in scope: It could be a solution to the problem of homelessness caused by emergencies such as natural disasters and political conflicts all over the world.
More information about Ori Shelter is available on the Ars Electronica Futurelab project page.