blue tarpaulin houses by stéphane orsolini from germany

“Shelter in a cart”

In Tokyo, Japan and elsewhere, blue tarpaulins are the signature item of Homelessness. Someone said blue tarps are very often used to “wrap all the things that are passing into or out of existence.” In general, they cover up the things you are not supposed to “see,” like construction sites, excavations or crime scenes. It goes without saying that homelessness could simply be added to that list. Where once easy to ignore, the blue tarps are now turning up in nearly all of Tokyo’s larger parks and along its riverbanks. The tarps have become the homeless’ preferred choice, because of its strength, value and ease of use.

It is the very powerful “shelter in a cart” logo ( a big black cart and a small blue house ) that first attracted me to take part in this DESIGNBOOM competition. Everything in it was said and directions were given. I decided to, literally, transform it into an architectural proposition. The proposed blue tarpaulin houses in the carts mark out their particular combination of displacement and dwelling. The homes of the homeless will be made of such an identical material and of such a uniform shape, a square box with a peaked roof, that the temporary settlements are likely to resemble modern campgrounds, “metropolitan campgrounds” with stubbornly “present” structures.

Please review the attached information, thank you and best regards.