Call it origami architecture. Entrepreneur-cum-designer Sanford Ponder has engineered a line of refugee shelters made of foldable materials. His Icosa structures (www.icosavillage.net) may consist of cardboard, corrugated plastic, or anything else you can die-cut, score, and fold. This flexibility is a critical factor for relief organizations, which are often required to support the local economy by using local materials and suppliers. "They can't just order a tent from New Jersey and ship it," says Ponder, whose design can be manufactured in almost any city. Cheaper, lighter, and easier to assemble than their competitors, the shelters - which range from 9 to 22 feet in diameter - are well insulated and waterproof and can withstand high winds. Now in the final design phase, the units should be in production by summer - less than one year after Ponder decided that if people must live in boxes, he was going to invent a better box.
ELECTRIC WORD
Racer's Edge
Dialup Blimp
Snow Job
Plug And Play
Field Research
Mobile Home
