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Basic House fits in your pocket

By | January 24, 2012, 4:55 AM PST

Designed by Martin Azua, Basic House is a foldable, inflatable, and reversible quasi-tent that provides instant shelter. The material is a metallicized polyester that, once unfolded, self inflates with body heat or from the heat of the sun. On the inside, the material reflects body heat to protect from cold. When reversed, the material reflects solar heat to provide a cool interior.

The Basic House can be used in any situations where temporary shelter is needed. The concept is especially relevant in light of the increased need for immediate shelter after emergencies.

Martin Azua is a Barcelona based designer whose designs explore using a minimal amount of material and rely on natural processes or forms of energy to complete the work. The Basic House prototype has been part of collections at MoMA and Vitra Design Museum.

Casa Básica / Basic House from martinazua on Vimeo.

Images: Martin Azua

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Sun Joo Kim

About Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim was a contributing editor for SmartPlanet from 2011 to 2012.

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim

Contributing Editor

Sun Joo Kim is an architect and creative consultant based in Boston. Her projects include design and master planning of museums, public institutions, hospitals, and university buildings across the U.S. She holds a degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Follow her on Twitter.

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo Kim

Sun Joo is an independent architectural designer who contracts with design firms. She does not hold any investments in the companies she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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26
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+1 Vote
+ -
Nice, but...
Can they be purchased? If so, where and for how much? If these questions are not answerable, can we expect a followup anytime soon? Not picking on you in particular, Kim. Too often we see promising ideas in this forum that are never seen again, let alone that bloom into real-life, available products.
Posted by jhaksch
Updated - 24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
point taken
Some of the most innovative ideas in design right now are concepts and some never see the light of day. They are still worth looking at and discussing.
The Basic House, I think, is two steps past just a concept and one step past prototype. It's an idea that has been 'constructed' and shown to work, even if just in the controlled environment of museum exhibits.
I don't know how far the designer is in getting the working prototype to mass--or limited--market but it is something I'd like to ask him in a future Q+A.
Posted by SunJoo
25th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Air tight?
If it's inflatable then it must be air tight. Don't think I'd want to seal myself into an air tight container.
Posted by doubleganger
24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
air tight ?
Since it uses body heat etc., probably has to be a certain temp inside to stay 'up'. Not totally air tight. However my French(?) isn't good enough to understand the voice-over.
Posted by pghogan3@...
24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Depends on the type of inflation
Airblown decorative inflatables, as used in holiday lawn decor, are anything but airtight. They only stay up with the support of fans.
Posted by P.F. Bruns
24th Jan 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
Collapse?
How does it not collapse?
Posted by johnkes
24th Jan 2012
-1 Votes
+ -
BUMP
bump
Posted by Thomasten
Updated - 24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
I have my doubts.
What if it's windy? And, just like doubleganger said, if it's air tight you can choke in it...
Posted by wompai
24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Holding back...
I reserve judgement this shelter until I see it deployed in a real world situation. I would love to see these passed out to bunch of refuges or people displaced from some type of natural disaster. Just to observe the interaction see what evolves from it.
Posted by hornkt@...
24th Jan 2012
+2 Votes
+ -
House in your pocket {?}
Absolute garbage. With over twenty years in SAR I think this is absoutely a death trap., and a real false sense of security for those who might carry one. Obviously the "designer" has never been in a "real need" situation., or an emergency. However, I might test one - just to have that much mylar avaible in a prepackaged unit. Then a shelter might be possible - depending on the thickness of the material.
Posted by dlynnor
24th Jan 2012
+5 Votes
+ -
And your experience lets you dismiss designs...
without actually seeing them tested? Impressive.
Posted by P.F. Bruns
24th Jan 2012
-1 Votes
+ -
house
whats sar
Posted by sarai1313@...
24th Jan 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
all caps
Search And Rescue
Posted by hoodedswan
24th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Search And Rescue
what's bar
Posted by tonyruiz
24th Dec
+3 Votes
+ -
I liked it better...
I liked it better when we called it a "tent"! wink
Posted by omb00900@...
24th Jan 2012
+2 Votes
+ -
eh, I think you're taking this too seriously guys
I don't think this design was meant as a viable replacement for real emergency shelter.

But I would rather have one of those than be freezing to death some place, or cooking in the sun.
Posted by zanthal
24th Jan 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
It's a beach-chick magnet
It's gold and shiny. With a little wind it gets bigger.

'nough said.
Posted by GuntherGump
24th Jan 2012
-3 Votes
+ -
137 WORDS???
Is an article? Even at Short Attention Span theater here that's hardly COMMUNICATING.
the PRODUCT DOES look dangerous, and just HOW is this so radically DIFFERENT from the 'space blanket' shelters that have been around since the 60's???
Looks to me like generational groupthink...
Posted by bookmanpc
24th Jan 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
Counting words? This isn't high school English class
This is a blog... not a newspaper or magazine.
Posted by drew8mc
27th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Test
Testing
Posted by StanislavF
24th Jan 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
Basic House
I could have used one of these years ago, when on a 20 mile hike in the mountains we got trapped by a flash flood and had to spend the night out in the middle of nowhere, and it was too cold to sleep.
Posted by bb_apptix
25th Jan 2012
0 Votes
+ -
More inquiry about the product.
How flammable is this product? I mean I see it working for camping however if it's highly flammable then possibly look resolving that..
Posted by Moonienm
4th Feb 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Looks like non-collapsible vents would be needed ...
Be a good emergency tarp ... Or part of a hammock setup.
Posted by SparkySantos
4th Feb 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
This is....
I'm sory but this is utterly rubbish. I don't understand how can this be more useful or practical then a tent, in those "emergency situations".
This is another well intentioned design "concept" with few practical aspects besides serving as an emergency blanket.
Seeing him like a ballerina dancing in the sunset by the sea, with "his" house floating...is rather pathetic I must add.
This a good example of another "brilliant conceptual" idea that will be the watermark of the XXI century together with the consumist/sell competition/effortless /nocraftwork/"brilliant concept" New Art wave where witnessing.
Where is the real value?

I apologize for being so blunt.
Posted by ivoferin@...
7th Feb 2012
0 Votes
+ -
Medicinal porpoises
You're just a pill
Posted by tonyruiz
24th Dec
0 Votes
+ -
Where's the kitchen? And for that matter, where's the bathroom?
It's a good start, but he also needs blow-up cabinets, sink, refrigerator, range, toilet, tub all under development by the obama administration...he's gonna blow up all our homes
Posted by tonyruiz
24th Dec
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