maawa X expands from a suitcase to a pop-up house for emergency, eco-friendly shelter

Maawa X: Waterproof & solar-powered emergency shelter

Modular, reusable, and recyclable, Maawa X poses an efficient pop-up shelter solution for emergency stricken areas. Innovated by Abdallah Al Raggad, founder of London-based design firm Maawa, the patent-pending ‘suitcase’ house is compact and easily portable, able to easily be checked in on a flight as baggage. For rapid support in disaster relief efforts such as refugee camps and urban homelessness, the pop-up can instantly expand 16 times to create over 3.5 cubed meters of volume on site without the need for tools or specialized assembly.

The solid-structure units are centred on practicality and reducing environmental impact, constructed from cardboard and integrated with solar panels, connected devices, and weather protection for an eco-friendly structure. At the end of its use, the unit can either be reused, or given new life and recycled. 

all images courtesy of Abdallah Al Raggad

from suitcase to housing unit

Architectural engineer Abdallah Al Raggad’s Maawa seeks to resolve four key challenges faced by rapid housing: portability, protection, sustainability, and cost. In order to be efficiently transported across the world for emergency relief in cases such as areas affected by natural disaster, the patent-pending Maawa X weighs only 13.7kg and can be easily folded to fit inside a suitcase. It can instantly be expanded to the size of a one or two person unit without the need for any tools or setup. Further, the structure also aims to reduce plastic waste by posing an eco-friendly alternative to tents that is longer lasting and recyclable and biodegradable.

Additionally, it provides a digital infrastructure that facilitates communication between shelter and shelter administration. This empowers organizations with the tools to oversee, control, and analyze Maawa units across their various sites. The group has partnered with financial technology specialists MadfooatCom and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to deploy its pop-up shelter in refugee camps in Jordan. The partnership will enable Maawa to better understand the user experience and create a solution that will have a positive impact on millions of people worldwide.

Maawa emergency shelter expands from a suitcase to an emergency shelter for one or two people

the structure weighs only 13.7 kg and is constructed out of cardboard

Maawa X poses a waterproof and solar-powered emergency shelter

the structure can be deployed without the need for tools, setup, or specialized assembly

designed for rapid relief in situations such as refugee camps and urban homelessness

project info:

name: Maawa X
designer: Abdallah Al Raggad

brand: Maawa

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom