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Solar powered pods are offering rough sleepers an overnight sanctuary, as efforts to ‘start contact’ with the homeless community are boosted in the German city of Ulm.
The German city Ulm, located about 75 miles west of Munich, has built a series of state-of-the-art pods for its homeless community to sleep in.
Scattered throughout local parks and other areas known to be frequented by the city’s homeless population, the aptly named ‘Ulmer Nest’ is not only providing a place for rough sleepers to bed down in the cold winter months, but is also connecting its occupants with charities to establish solutions for the long term.
While the principle of the capsule is to shield the homeless from the wind and cold, as you can see from the pictures, the sophisticated structure of the unit goes far beyond just four walls and a roof.
Made from a combination of wood and steel, the Ulmer Nest is big enough to accommodate two people, and even has extra room for luggage, or a dog companion. To provide instant respite from the cold, the interior insulation is designed to minimise humidity and maximise warmth, and the bed is heated too.
In Ulm gibt es in der kalten Jahreszeit (mobile) Schlafkapseln für Obdachlose, neuerdings mit Solarpanels & Anbindung an ein freies W-LAN, die Ulmer Nester. Die Idee finde ich super, aber die Teile sehen schon ein wenig wie Sarkopharge aus. https://t.co/RACmDsP3mZ pic.twitter.com/B3QL8WMjbT
— Michael Bach (@ElCobra) January 9, 2021
The power to keep the capsule warm around the clock is generated by a solar panel on the exterior, which also controls a light to show whether or not the unit is occupied. On that front, a mechanism lock is used to fix the door in place, so whoever is inside will not have to contend with unwanted visitors either.
