By Kimberley Mok, Source: Treehugger
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Tiny homes are easy to move and set up, but what about a mobile dwelling that you can fold and pack away? In response to creating a private space in a public area, design school graduate Tanya Shukstelinsky of Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design crafted Cocoon, a thin, multi-storey shelter nestled between two layers of fabric.
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Featuring cozy nooks for seating, eating and even bathing — all stitched spaces — Shukstelinsky describes the design as “temporary living spaces for urban nomads” which can be hung up in residual spaces between buildings. Access and movement is facilitated by hand-holds that are sewn in; ditto for the sleeping area, which provides a very tight, cocoon-like fit.
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Beyond the conceptual, Shukstelinsky also envisions it as a way to create affordable housing:

I came up with an idea for a space between two stitched layers of fabric. A person who lives in the space can move upon the stitches. The stitches are dividing the fabric into different areas – dining area, sleeping area and bath.

This concept of a vertical and narrow dwelling can be used in dense urban spaces with expensive real estate. Also, integration with modern technologies and smart textiles can provide the minimum we need for temporary accommodation.

While it may be a stretch to apply this ephemeral structure to the problem of affordable housing, Cocoon is a clever concept that almost completely dematerializes the idea of shelter into something that is ultra-portable and has a light footprint. More over at Dezeen.