Influenced by the recent popularity of amateur photography in China, People’s Architecture Office conceived the Pop-Up Habitat, a modular and lightweight multi-purpose structure that re-purposes reflective panels commonly used in photography. The Pop-Up Habitat makes use of and exaggerates the inherent qualities of these reflective panels: rigidity, flexibility and collapsibility. Pop-Up modules are attached to each other with just velcro and are easily assembled.
The Pop-up Habitat features an innovative use of structure. The design uses flexible spring steel rings combined with soft fabric to produce a rigid collapsible structure that is extremely light. The soft structure allows the Pop-up Habitat to fold into a fraction of its expanded size while its geometry allows it to be used as a free-standing structure able to span large spaces.
The design is instantly deployable, and goes from flat panels to enclosed space in just minutes. The Pop-Up Habitat is customizable and can be formed into arches and rooms, linear spaces or stacked vertically to create multi-story free-standing structures. It has been exhibited in a variety of forms including auditorium, gallery, and canopy in diverse locations: historic, commercial, suburban and city center, inside and outside. In one exhibition, the Pop-up Habitat became an unintended but apt backdrop for selfies.
A consumer version of the Pop-up Habitat is available as a weatherproof modular tent. Portable and quickly deployable, the tent offers the possibility of living just about anywhere. The individual modules can attach to each other to create multi-room structures and covered leisure spaces. These shimmering modules offer an infinitely expandable temporary city. Playful and visually appealing, the simplicity of constructing the Pop-Up Habitat allows even children to be architects, constructing their own spaces for play and discovery. Anyone can construct their own building, customizing the shape to fit their own needs.
all images courtesy of PEOPLE’s ARCHITECTURE OFFICE