A large structure stands out on the exhibition floor at the World Conference on Disaster Management, enticing virtually every attendee wandering around to poke his or her head inside. Directly next to it is the same structure in different form, this one a 5′ x 5′ x 5′ Lego-looking cube on wheels that draws people over to give it a roll.
Half-disaster shelter, half-Transformer, they call it the Life Cube.
And given its design it is one of the more innovative, comfortable and convenient temporary dwellings that anyone arriving on the scene of a disaster could hope to call home. It’s waterproof, fire-resistant, able to stand up to 70 mph winds and comes equipped with a hard plastic floor (which is a true luxury), bedding, a portable toilet and a solar panel-powered master console/table that has a stove, AM/FM radio, CB and a phone charger. And it goes from its cube state (which can fit into the bed of a normal pickup or be stacked on a flatbed or carried by a forklift) to its fully inflated command center state in under five minutes.
Nice digs if you can get it.
This tricked-out model starts at around $14,000, I’m told, although a more basic version can be purchased for as low as $9,000 and custom orders with even more gadgets could get as expensive as your imagination allows.
Heck, throw in a flat screen and it might be nicer than my New York apartment.
Easy as one, two, three.