"We had a vision, a vision of helping thousands of people caught in the ebb and flow of life (and of the sea) ..."

In the first story, many folks in and around Nashville have done exactly what the author is talking about, but the difficulty is not so much in finding the materials and constructing the houses. Rather, it's finding a location to construct the "houses" that won't bring down an army of police, building and codes inspectors, and/or opportunistic thieves. The second story here brings up a decent solution - manufacture cheap, easy to assemble small dwellings that will protect a person from the elements while giving them a place to call their own. Who wouldn't want to live in that bitchin little cottage, eh? Of course, we could do it much cheaper and it seems to me I once saw little pods that were being touted as homeless shelters.... The paraSITE is....well, actually it's a pretty cool idea, although I'm not sure how well it would go over with many folks.... The last time I was homeless, I lived in a handmade teepee tucked away in a grove of Firs and Cedars high up in the Sierras but just a mile from a small California town. I had a warming pit, a nearby stream for water and plenty of accouterments to make my place "homey." Hell, I even had bookshelves and a "refrigerator" that utilized the flow of stream water to keep my food cold. There are plenty of folks who might think it the idyllic existence frankly; although after living there for several months certainly colored my perception differently. Of course, my addiction and subsequent "cold turkey" withdrawals while residing there during a vicious winter might have exerted a bit of influence in the way I remember living my last days there.... My point is that for a lot of folks who have no immediate prospects for improving their lot in life, they've got to make do where - and with what - they can. Criminalizing them doesn't work and we know the impact they have on city streets. Why not allow them some freedom in areas that aren't necessarily "high traffic" urban spots? There is already a stretch of the Cumberland's shores that folks camp on - why can't we expand it or find a place that is out of the way yet close to services, provide patrols and protection to the folks who choose to live there and let them reside there until they are able to get their act together? Having social and outreach workers available to begin referrals to wraparound services would be a wonderful and it would be a great way to develop trust and credibility with the folks who want services but are tired of receiving nothing but "empty promises." The problem is so big and so complex that we've got to start thinking outside the box here, folks.

Consider a row of homeless peoples’ houses built on an urban street in Japan. If we look at these houses from an architectural perspective, we can discover many of the capabilities and elements in their architecture. These houses are built on a shoestring budget by diverting and recycling the rubbish thrown away on the street. In this respect, these houses are built out of the resourcefulness of human nature, not by purchasing power. I call them “Zero Yen Houses.”

At the present day, one may say that self-constructed houses do not exist in the dwelling area of the city. Almost all houses are commodities to be bought and sold. Moreover, from an ecological point of view, once a typical house is constructed its use does not change with time yet its building materials transform into garbage for the landfill. Under these condition as such, "Zero Yen House" gives some indication of the possibilities of future architecture.

"Zero Yen House" is constructed with the materials mostly collected from the street. In other words, it gives a different perspective on discarded items thrown away as surplus materials of urban living. In addition, relative to the fact that current home-purchases generally cost millions of dollars, "Zero Yen House" costs just a few hundred dollars at most. The importance is that they are made by one’s own hand. This does not mean the dwelling is simply a box to live in. Instead, the dwelling is built as an extension of one’s own body. Therefore, the house shapes are each respectively different. No universal prototype exists for these houses, and this differentiation from typical architecture is important. In the nature of things, I think that each dwelling is different spontaneously.

"Solar Zero Yen House" is a dwelling I found built by an elderly man living along the Sumida River bank. Its construction inspired me as an architect to think about energy use for our future. A small solar panel, about the size of one mat, is installed in the roof of the dwelling, so energy is completely provided for. This demonstrates the possibilities for new architecture and new types of construction.

Zero Yen House is a primal (archetype) urban architecture, which is different from vernacular settlement construction we see around the world, and is it different from modern and contemporary architecture designed by architects.

kyohei sakaguchi www.0yenhouse.com

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Homelessness

By Bruce Sterling May 17, 2008 | 8:04:10 AM

Link: The Martin House Company, LLC - About Us.

"About us...O! where to begin!

"After Hurricane Katrina swept everything we own out to sea, a funny thing happened on the way to homelessness.

"We had a vision, a vision of helping thousands of people caught in the ebb and flow of life (and of the sea) who need portable, affordable, well-built, well-designed housing. A vision of things to come – on wheels.

"And we liked what we saw. And pronounced it good.

"And called it Fresh Start.

"Prior to Katrina we specialized in restoring beautiful historic homes. In fact, we lived in the oldest house on the entire Gulf Coast. It was called The Old Spanish Customs House, c. 1787. A great historical loss.

"But we have resurrected our building and home restoration skills to bring to you the most adorable little cottage-on-wheels. You might call it the ultimate “cottage industry.”

Thank you. Please contact us so we can help you with a Fresh Start."

paraSITE concept homeless shelter feeds on AC systems

by Marc Perton, posted Aug 19th 2005 at 12:40PM

Want to help the homeless and make a political statement at the same time? Just give your local destitute individual a paraSITE, an inflatable shelter that gets its juice from the output of "host" building ventilation systems. (Parasite feeds on the host. Get it? Oh, never mind.) The paraSITE is actually a concept inspired by Bedouin desert shelters and created by artist Michael Rakowitz to call attention to the plight of the homeless. Rakowitz has built about 20 of them over the past few years using mostly found materials. So, don't expect to ever be able to buy one — but feel free to use the cash you would've spent on it to give a derelict friend a few bucks for their next meal.