Project Description

Through Lens 1 — Design Ingenuity and Lens 3 — Future Resilience, HAVENFOLD transforms the 10m³ constraint into an adaptable, spatially intelligent shelter. Its foldable geometry and integrated systems maximize efficiency while ensuring portability, durability, and climate responsiveness. The project merges inventive micro-architecture with a resilient, replicable framework for dignified transitional living.

In response to the growing visibility of homelessness in dense urban environments, HAVENFOLD proposes a micro-housing pop shelter designed for the unhoused community. Rather than positioning itself as a permanent solution, the structure provides immediate refuge as a transitional space, restoring privacy, safety, and stability during a critical period of uncertainty.

Compact in transport yet highly efficient in deployment, the unit expresses adaptability through integrated, transformable components that expand functionality within minimal square footage. Heating, secure storage, bedding, and access to clean water reestablish essential daily rituals often disrupted by unsheltered conditions. More than a physical enclosure, HAVENFOLD reframes micro-housing as responsive, flexible architecture by enabling individuals to remain connected to vital urban resources while maintaining autonomy over their immediate environment, and ultimately supporting a dignified transition toward permanent housing.

Materially, the project prioritizes durability, insulation, and ease of maintenance. The outer shell is constructed from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), creating a lightweight yet impact-resistant primary structure designed to withstand repeated transport, folding, and prolonged exposure to urban conditions. The floor system incorporates Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam boards to enhance thermal performance, improving interior comfort while minimizing heat loss.