Just because you need an emergency tent it doesn't mean that you have to live in an unstylish one. Here's the Accordion reCover Shelter, by designers Matthew Malone, Amanda Goldberg, Jennifer Metcalf and Grant Meacham:
There’s nothing flimsy about the intricate folds of the reCover Shelter, which can sustain a family of four following a disaster for up to a month. As you may suspect, the oversized origami structure can be entirely collapsed into not one, but two different shapes (either horse-shoe or flat) depending on which is easier to transport. Plus, it’s composed of polypropylene, meaning no harmful gases go into the production of the shelter and it is 100% recyclable after use. Set-up takes minutes and only requires one person on deck.
The Accordion reCover Shelter was designed as a first response shelter - “something that could be transported to the site when infrastructures such as roads were unusable”. Once the temporary residence is unfolded, the functional ridges can be used to collect drinking water, and local materials or even ground cover can be used to better insulate the structure and keep harsh weather at bay. As a sustainable and inexpensive solution to an unfortunate situation that seems to arise more and more often these days, the Accordion Shelter provides a quick roof over victim’s heads and lets them start planning immediately for better days to come.
Not exactly... It was a 3-week class project in an Industrial Design class. We got stuff like this all the time.