Small,
heat-retaining shelters were built by a French engineer to be used by the
homeless during winter.
If your
festive spirit is awakened by the arrival of winter and reminds you of
holidays, Christmas, presents, decorations, cookies, and relatives, you are a
truly lucky person.
Sadly,
for others, winter can be a total nightmare. In a safe and warm place, many
people cannot spend their nights and shield themselves from the biting cold.
Therefore,
for those freezing out on the streets, a French engineer wanted to do
something!
The Iglou
is the invention of Geoffrey De Reynal, a holder of an M.Eng in Energy
Engineering.
His
lightweight, heat-retaining, and portable shelters can protect individuals from
outdoor hazards and cold weather. The initial variables that Reynal had in mind
while designing the project were warmth and heat retention.
After
completing it, in the streets of Bordeaux and Paris, where the low temperatures
can often dip to life-threatening levels, Reynal handed out the first package
to the homeless.
Although
the Iglous are very small and can only accommodate two individuals at once,
they are constructed on the outside of layered polyethylene and on the inside
of aluminium foil. They keep the temperature inside the dome about 15 percent
higher (or 60oF higher) than outside, being synthetic insulators.