Dec 12

Dec 12 IGLOU: French Engineer Designs Special Shelters That Retain Heat For Homeless During Winter

By Fino Menezes

A French engineer has designed a waterproof shelter for the homeless — the body temperature of its occupant heats the space up to 15° warmer than outside.

POP-UP IGLOO KEEPS OCCUPANT SAFE FROM FREEZING CONDITIONS — UP TO 15° ABOVE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES

This simple to erect pop-up igloo is made from polyethylene foam and lined with aluminium foil on the inside to keep the occupant safe from the freezing conditions. A person’s body temperature can heat the inside upwards of 15°C warmer than the outside.

IGLOU: AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION DESIGNED FOR ITS USERS

The number of people sleeping rough on the streets has dramatically increased in every country in Europe, except Finland. The streets are wild at night, and so are homeless shelters. Violence and theft are a common occurrence. Packed in shelters or exposed in the streets, homeless people experience neither intimacy nor privacy.

Enter the Iglou. Designed by Geoffroy de Reynal, Msc. (Energy Engineering), who had recently been working abroad on wind turbine construction sites as a quality manager. When he got back, he realised the critical homeless situation in France. This project is a way to use his technical knowledge to meet a social challenge.

In December, nine Iglous were distributed to homeless people in squats around Bordeaux. Médecins du Monde, a French NGO helped with the logistics. The first feedback is very positive — the users are satisfied and those who couldn't get one are asking for their own. The design is waterproof, washable, repairable and recyclable, the "Iglou" is compact and assembles easily.