The winning “Shelter 48” results for emergency life-support design

Participants in Eleven Magazine's Shelter 48 competition were challenged to design an emergency life-support system that can be immediately deployed after a natural disaster. Following feedback and votes from the jury and the online community, one winner, a runner-up, and people's choice award were selected. Six honorable mentions were also announced. Take a look at the top entries below.

WINNER: RUBBLE BUBBLE by Wang Ding, Zhou Songzi & Chen Shiyan (China) 

Project summary: “The winner of this challenge takes the concept of disaster relief to a whole new level. Instead of designing a system of shelter for survivors, it actually facilitates survival itself. More so, it does this through a simple yet powerful format: large airbag-like bubbles which can be retrofitted to any existing celling. The design encases and protects the survivor in the event of building collapse. Within the protecting bubbles, we find several functions such as water and food provisions, lighting, and even a radio beacon directing aid to you. An extremely simple, yet innovative concept which could inform a profound change in the way we deal with new seismic architecture and old building stock in danger zones throughout the world.”

Runner-up: ARK OF TRIANGLE by Eunji Jeon, Naeun Kim, Jujin Kim & Wooyoung Jung (South Korea) 

“This airborne strategy turns the nature of survival upside down. Instead of struggling for help and survival, it comes directly to you as the disaster is striking. How? Through the use of Drones naturally! A very 21st century concept which, if explored more deeply, could become the benchmark for the next generation of life-saving design in the event of natural disasters. This visionary strategy is designed to immediately seek out potential victims as a disaster – in this case a tsunami – strikes and, in doing so, saving lives by acting quickly and directly on the vulnerable who need instant support. It is not only a life changer, but a life saver.”

People’s Choice Award Project: 434 by Deepak Reddy (India) 

“This project – selected by the public as their favorite online – is inspired by snakes slithering around objects. Two types of modular pods – alpha and beta – can link up in a series of configurations to inhabit post-disaster contexts. The pods can be connected and exist in a series of different formations, which in turn are designed to adapt to their climatic and environmental surroundings. The lightweight nature of the individual units and their versatility in creating modular forms, creates an interesting design proposal with biomimetic roots.”

Don't forget about the honorable mentions in the gallery below! You can read more about the top entries on Eleven Magazine's website.