When 12-year-old Max Wallack of Natick heard of WGBH’s Design Squad “Trash to Treasure” design contest, he was ready to give his best shot. The kid stole the show with his “Home Dome” innovation, which is primarily a shelter for the homeless made from plastic, wire and packing peanuts. With his project, he has shown his care for the people in need of shelter and on the other hand, it deals with the problem of increasing landfills. The makeshift dwelling is in the form of a Mongolian yurt and features a built-in bed. For this innovative design, Max won $10,000, a Dell laptop powered by Intel and a trip to Boston to see his design meet realism. Brenda Musilli, President of the Intel Foundation, cited:
Max’s ‘Home Dome’ truly embodies the spirit of innovation and demonstrates how engineering can change the world.
Nate Ball, Design Squad host and fellow inventor, said:
Engineering is about helping people, and Max’s out-of-the-box idea does that in two ways: It offers a way to provide shelter to those in need, and presents a creative option for protecting our environment.
The Home Dome was selected as the winner innovation out of more than 1,000 contest submissions.
Via: WickedLocal
cool idea, but a pop-up tent is great too...
Right, and that would be airborne in 60 seconds in most cities.
yes its a wonderfull invention for the homeless .they need cover
Very Good Job and Good intention for people in need in various occasions.
Great Job Max.
Be critical if you want to - but this kid has got a bright future! Your body would generate enough heat would warm the space, and the foam peanut bed keeps you up off the cold ground. There’s a little more design development that needs to take place, but this is a great concept - and this 12 year old will someday be very wealthy, and help a lot of people in the process! Way to go!
I like that the winner used materials to make this. This could be a new business for the preteen. It’s designed beautifully and it keeps cold air out.
New preteen business? Where would the revenue come from? Wouldn’t you usually just give shelter to the homeless rather than charging them? :P
We had a great time hosting Max in our studio! We wish him the best of luck in the future!
- The Continuum Team
One of the coolest things about this idea is that any resourceful homeless person could build a reasonable faxsimile of this right now, and enjoy immediate benefits for little or no cost. That’s a win right there.
I think I’m going to print out copies of this article to hand out to the homeless around here.
This is defiantly a positive step in the right direction and it’s great to see young minds interested in helping those that need it. Design for me is truly about helping the world, designing for purpose and not just beauty or commodity. Max’s dome is a great step forward, especially for a young and promising individual yet it’s only a small part of what is truly needed to make these great idea’s something you actually see working and contributing in the real world. In the past there have been many concepts addressing ideas of reusable materials used to create homes for the homeless and disaster victims. Yet, when we walk through cities we still see homeless and when there is a disaster the victims are still herded into stadiums or similar locations. As a designer myself I have seen to many great ideas used purely for promotional reasons (i.e. the electric car) or lost in voids of politics and logistics. There are two fronts in which we as responsible designers and inventors must battle, inspiring the masses to care and rally behind great and humanitarian ideas is one of them. Challenging antiquated Corporate and Governmental politics that often times put profit and economics above the greater good of man and the environment is another. We all have to make a buck in this world to provide for our families and ourselves but no great thing in this world comes without a sacrifice of some sort. The time has come to act and to stop hiding behind the dollar bill. So I challenge Max and others like him to not only design or invent great things for there fellow humans but to understand the context and politics that are required to make these great ideas a reality.
Scavenge all those mylar sheets/blankets at Copley Sq. after the Marathon. Interleaved with newspaper, a half inch thickness is an amazing insulator. Mylar top and bottom, sealed with duct tape and you have building panels,floorboards for the dome.
The problem of fireproofing, inside AND out needs addressing. As we all know Boston has its share of assh8les who love to abuse the homeless. Inside the shelter, even a candle can, if the shelter is well insulated, provide a surprising amount of warmth.
Anchorage to the ground is also important. Bostonians well know how windy the city can be.
But, obviously, a long term solution must be found to get people off the streets, into safe shelters, even single room occupancy ”hotel” rooms with a hotplate and a bathroom down the hall always beats homelessness. With a permanent address, social services become easier to get, as does medical and psychiatric care, alcohol/drug rehab, job training, etc.
Still and all, kudos to this 12 year old. If can imagine a shelter like this for the homeless this at 12, imagine what he could do as an MIT graduate 10 years from now.
There are a few setbacks with the material used (high winds would blow this home away in no time!), but its still very resourceful on all other levels. It creates a use for otherwise indisposable trash and the material itself is very wind-resistant. Way to go kiddo! I can only imagine what that wonderful mind of yours will think of next!
GO MAX! i’m in the Go Max fan club...don’t be a friggin downer and look for problems with his design...for god’s sake he’s 13 and altruistic! how much more do you want? and his design rocks. I’m the first Go Max Fan Club! president.
What a great kid!!! That is just an outstanding idea and the video of making the dome into a reality is very inspirational for everyone!
”So I challenge Max and others like him...to understand the context and politics that are required to make these great ideas a reality. ”
I have a magical flying pony mine that needs a few million people to believe in before it can start making mfps. I challenge you and others to perform that work for me.
I think the idea is pretty good, but instead of the labor intensive expensive metal frame, I would suggest a couple of pieces of cardboard cut to the right shape. Since the frame and the peanuts are sealed in the plastic the cardboard should be fine. Also it might make sense to use smaller hexagons so you could use a standard plastic bag as the cover instead of sheets of virgin plastic.
Some things I am not clear on: are these meant to be built on site? or manufactured and distributed? and where do the materials come from? If they are recycled materials, transporting the peanuts uses a lot of space in a shipping container.
The more I think about it, the more problems I see.
If I were going to make these I would use plastic bags for the covers, cardboard for the frames and crushed up newspaper instead of the peanuts (paper is much cheaper to transport because it takes up much less space when it is flat, and when balled up it is a pretty good insulator).
Even with all these modifications, I am pretty sure it would be easier and faster to just make a tent, and that can be folded up and easily carried if needed.
I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but what about rain and wind?
Sorry to be a little harsh, but I cant help feeling the kids original design doesnt have the same sophistication as the final design. it looks somewhat like a pile of diapers. Still i guess it was a good idea...
wow. the final design was nothing like the original design. the final design certainly wasn’t trash to treasure. I really like his first design though.
How is the original idea any different then sleeping in a dumpster? As far as the final design, one only needs watch half the video to realize the construction methods are beyond the resources of the homeless. The venerable cardboard box has earned its place in hobo history.
Whoa!!!
That IS a great design...
And all those who are just good at criticising I would suggest you would all bugger of....
For a twelve year old this design is THE BEST and there is argument for that...
For those who say that the design cannot be made reality, I say a design, especially one by a student is not supposed to be reality, its a chance for them to broaden their minds....
For the designer - MAX YOU ARE THE BEST....
HOPE TO SEE YOU AS WORLDS BEST AND YOUNGEST DESIGNER VERY SOON...
ALL THE BEST!!!
Hey Max nice job!! i have been on the streets for awhile, and its a great design. Keep going...!
Hey Max nice job!! i have been on the streets for awhile, and its a great design. Keep going...!
