By Timon Singh, Source: Inhabitat

lifebox
Life Box is an air-droppable, rapid-response emergency shelter that can be quickly inflated to provide housing for four people. The Red Dot Award-winning shelter contains supplies to provide relief to victims of natural disasters such as floods, tsunamis, or earthquakes.
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Adem Onalan conceived of the Life Box as a holistic solution that can be quickly deployed after natural disasters when relief providers are unable to reach the disaster zone due to distance, weather conditions, and the destruction of roads.

The air-droppable, foldable polyethylene box houses two cardboard boxes that contain relief goods such as food, water and sleeping bags. When it is unfolded, it turns into an inflatable shelter. The outer layer of the shelter functions as a parachute during the airdrop, while the polyethylene foam interior provides insulation.

The Life Box is available in three different classes: ‘air’, ‘land’ and ‘water’. The ‘air’ type is for disaster areas that can be only reached by aircraft. The ‘land’ type is for disaster areas that can be reached by road. The ‘water’ type is for flood-affected areas. All of the boxes provide shelter on water and land thanks to two inflatable rings around the base of the shelter. The Life Box can be set up in less than one minute, and multiple units can be combined to accommodate large families. They can also be used to create temporary hospitals or offices.