Disaster relief design has been brought to the forefront in the last few months and years through countless natural disasters. Katrina made us think about emergency housing, which has in turn made modular housing a focus at design schools and experimental firms. As a result of the most recent earthquake in Haiti, we are more aware of the need for transportable, quick emergency designs.

Rebar Bed. Designed by Nectar Design.

At the most basic level there is the need for a place to sleep. Cots are the standard quick fire bedding choice, but in a situation where supplies can’t be transported in mass, a solution containing immediately available materials is necessary. The Rebar Bed is one innovative solution to this issue. Rebar is a common building material that is cheap and sturdy, usually made from recycled steel or iron, and is found in most concrete construction. It can be recycled from old buildings, rail road ties, bridges and cars, which provides an opportunity for wreckage recycling after a disaster, that can be used to make more Rebar Beds in the future.

The rebar bed can be built with a total material cost of around $5 dollars by using two 8 foot rebar sections and around 20 feet of plastic wrap, in under 10 minutes. These materials are durable enough to be dropped from an airplane, but come together to create a simple design that is surprisingly elegant. The Rebar Bed reminds me of the recently covered Onda lounge by Diego Granese, but in a sleigh bed variation. They both have a sensual wave that expresses the strength and flexibility of the material in use. The Rebar Bed is built for disaster with design in mind, as well as a nod to sustainability, which takes it one step further into helping people and the planet.