The Pods
Shelter With Dignity Designed In
Two modular units — a sleeping pod and a solar-powered bathroom pod — small enough to place gently in a park, sturdy enough to be someone's own door that locks.
Unit 01
The 8 × 8 × 8 Sleeping Pod
- Footprint
- 8 ft × 8 ft × 8 ft teardrop shell — one occupant, one lockable door.
- Hammock
- Suspended sleeping hammock on stainless anchor points; detachable so the floor stays clear by day.
- Storage
- Under-bench lockable lockers for documents, medication, and belongings that would otherwise be lost.
- Ventilation
- Louvered roof vent plus a sealed window for cross ventilation and moisture control.
Unit 02
The Solar Bathroom Pod
- Hexagon shell
- A compact hexagonal footprint shared between shower, basin, and toilet.
- Solar powered
- Rooftop panels and battery storage run the pump, LED lighting, and exhaust fan off-grid.
- Water
- On-board fresh water tank with multi-stage filtration; low-flow fixtures extend each refill.
- Sanitation
- Waterless composting toilet with humidity-sensing ventilation, serviced on the volunteer route.
Placement
Scattered, Not Concentrated
The Scattered model
A handful of pods distributed across many green spaces. Density stays low, the park stays a park, neighbors stay neighbors, and residents keep privacy and autonomy instead of being absorbed into an institution.
The Concentrated Camp model
Clustering many pods on one site is cheaper to service and easier to permit, but it recreates the dynamics of the encampments and shelters people already avoid. We treat it as a fallback, not the goal.
Our working preference: scattered placement across public green space, with volunteer routes — not fences — holding it together.
Materials
Built to Be Repaired
Recyclable shells
Composite and recycled polymer panels chosen for repairability and end-of-life recovery.
Low-cost and modular
Flat-packable, bolt-together assembly so a unit can be moved, repaired, or replaced by volunteers.
Off-grid power
Rooftop solar with battery storage runs lighting, ventilation, and the bathroom unit's pump.
Passive comfort
Cross ventilation, insulation, and shading tuned for Southern California heat.
Planned
Student Design Competition
We are organizing an open design competition for architecture students to refine both pods — pushing cost down, buildability up, and dignity into every detail. Invited programs include USC, UCLA, Woodbury University, and SCI-Arc. Winning entries are intended to be prototyped and placed.