The housing crisis is an urgent challenge we face worldwide. Millions of people struggle to find suitable and affordable housing due to rapid population growth, uncontrolled urbanization, and a lack of effective policies for its prompt resolution. Many people are forced to live in precarious conditions, informal settlements, or on the streets, without access to basic services such as clean water, sanitation, and electricity.

This crisis particularly affects vulnerable groups such as low-income families, homeless individuals, refugees, and migrants. The need to comprehensively address this crisis and seek sustainable solutions becomes increasingly urgent to ensure that everyone has access to decent and safe housing.

 

Under this premise, architect Shail Patel has sought innovative solutions. Through the use of artificial intelligence tools, Midjourney conceptualizes a series of pods specifically designed to tackle the issue of housing and homelessness. Patel offers a sustainable solution by activating overlooked urban spaces and utilizing modular design to create a safe and dignified environment for at-risk populations. In this way, the architect takes emerging technology to a new dimension to address a complex social problem.

Each of the proposed pods is designed to be a self-contained living space that provides residents with privacy and comfort regardless of the climate or time of year. They integrate ample natural light, ventilation, and heating and cooling systems, built with eco-friendly materials to maintain sustainable characteristics.

Series of floating Cápsulas. Images by Shail Patel

These modular pods, modeled under the principles of architectural mechanization, are designed for easy construction and assembly, allowing for project expansion and transformation as the number of users increases, providing a solution to as many people as possible. All these pods are designed to include energy-efficient features, such as solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems, ensuring their environmental impact is minimized and ensuring sustainability on all fronts.

 

The Capsules integrate natural light, ventilation, heating and cooling. Image by Shail Patel

All pods sites are to be equipped with state-of-the-art security systems, to ensure the maximum safety of all its residents. They will be staffed by social workers and healthcare professionals, providing constant and critical support services, such as counseling, job training, and healthcare for rehabilitation. Additionally, Shail Patel envisions that the design could be replicated in other cities and communities, offering a new approach to addressing homelessness across borders.

Shail Patel is an architect with several years of experience in the field. He worked in India, China, now currently based in the United States. Shail has worked for FlXBL Design (India), Plasma Studio (Beijing), Spectrum (Beijing), In:Flux Architecture (Beijing), and UN Studio (Shanghai). He has experience in designing large-scale public buildings, as well as institutional, commercial, and urban design projects. Currently, Shail works as a Project Designer/Architect at the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, an outreach center of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.

The Capsules are equipped with security systems. Image by Shail Patel

The capsules are built with durable and sustainable materials. Image by Shail Patel