Homeless Shelter Exemplar // Michael Rakowitz paraSITE

I found this mobile example of parasitic architecture to be an interesting response to the increasing need to provide shelter for the homeless in urban environments. The pneumatic double membrane structure, which is completely portable, is attached to the external HVAC vents of a building, and is then inflated and heated by the warm air leaving the building. The collapsable structure can then be packed up during the day.

I like the parasitic relationship that this example has with it's surrounding urban fabric, exploiting and feeding off something such as a building's "waste" in order to benefit the underprivileged groups of society.