12-Year-Old Wiz Kid Fashions Trash into Shelter for Homeless
by Desmond Williams, 03/02/09
We suppose reality TV is good for something… especially on PBS. 12-year-old Max Wallack was awarded $10,000 and a Dell laptop computer for his use of ‘recycled’ materials to create a portable igloo called the ‘Home Dome.’ Wallack’s structure, made of discarded plastic bags filled with Styrofoam packing peanuts won Design Squad’s Trash to Treasure Competition.
About the prize Max says, “I don’t really care about the money. I care about helping people.” Max elaborates, “When I was six, I won an invention contest that included a trip to Chicago. While there, I saw homeless people living on streets, and beneath highways and underpasses. I felt very sorry for these people, and ever since then, felt that my goal and obligation was to find a way to help them. My invention improves the living conditions for homeless people, refugees, or disaster victims by giving them an easy-to-assemble shelter.”
To call the hexagonal sheets of plastic used in the construction of Max’s prize-winning homeless shelter ‘trash’ is a bit of a stretch, but its flat-pack features, use of minimal materials and obvious Buckminster Fuller inspiration make the ‘Home Dome’ a viable green structure.
Sorry I don’t get it. Why is this good? What it appears as seems to be non recycled hexagon sheets filled with packaging. Whilst the reuse of packaging might be green overall it would appear as a massive plastic shelter.
There didn’t appear to be any ventilation and if the plastic is cheap then if anyone smoked near it, it would be a death trap. And it’s not very inconspicuous which would be a major issue for lots of homeless people. Plus it shape doesn’t lend itself to packing efficiency if you need access.
So how Is this better than a standard shanty town style home made out of plastic? I think this is one of those very nice looking things that may have a part in a scifi film at best.