Dagenham architect needs £15,000 to build homeless shelters
Architect James Furzer won a design competition for his plans for a series of homless shelters, and is now hoping to make his plans a reality - Credit: Archant
A talented student who won an international competition with his homeless shelter design is hoping to see his plans become a reality.
James Furzer's shelter for homless people could look like this - Credit: Archant
James Furzer, of Hardie Road, Dagenham, won critical acclaim for his “sleeping pods” – which give people sleeping rough a shelter off the ground – beating entrants from across the globe in the Space for new Visions competition.
After picking up significant interest from construction companies and media organisations, the 26-year-old is now hoping to attract investment for a prototype through crowd-sourcing.
He’ll need to reach his target of £15,000 within the next 50 days in order to gain the money
“It’s early stages at the moment, but I’m just trying to keep up the buzz and publicity,” he said.
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“I’ve had interest from companies from Germany and America so it’s definitely got the potential to go all the way. The attention it has already got has been pretty amazing, and although there will always be negative people, generally the feedback has all been really positive.”
The number of rough-sleepers in Barking and Dagenham has almost doubled over the past year, according to the Greater London Authority, with 27 seen between April 2014 and March 2015.
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It is estimated that about 750 people sleep rough every single night on the streets of the capital.
And although James didn’t enter the competition with any deep-rooted desire to help the homeless, he is becoming more and more concerned about the issue.
“The more I read, the more it’s becoming more of an interest,” he added.
“It’s nice to be working on something for those that wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise.”
For more information, visit indiegogo.com/projects/homes-for-the-homeless--8
