Sphere shelters disaster victims

Felix Stark designs a circle of community for disaster victims.

When disaster strikes—be it fire, flood, hurricane or tornado—tents often provide temporary shelter for its displaced victims. German designer Felix Stark of Formstark designed the Sphere Refugee Tent to provide tent occupants with a sense of community and physical shelter.

“The concept behind ‘sphere’ not only considers taking shelter from extreme weather conditions but also reestablishes the feeling of security and companionship without losing privacy,” according to Formstark’s Web site.

The center of “sphere” is constructed to provide a circular area for tent occupants and their families to come together. The circle itself represents the idea that these people constitute a community, however temporary.

The sphere is comprised of 19 tent sections, each with room for three occupants. The partition walls can be unbuttoned to create bigger sections to accommodate larger families.

The inner tent, which is made of lightweight nylon, is permeable to air, while the outer tent consists of waterproof canvas. For information, visit www.formstark.com.