Rush: A Revolutionary Mobile Shelter

John Cruz's Innovative Solution to the Refugee Housing Crisis

John Cruz was inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis to design Rush, a mobile shelter that is easy to deploy and assemble, and can accommodate a small family. The shelter's name stands for Refugee, Urgency, Survival, Homeless, reflecting its purpose. Unlike traditional tents and makeshift shelters, Rush is designed to be durable, secure, and modular, allowing for the creation of larger structures such as schools or emergency field hospitals.

Rush's unique design features a lightweight, rigid aluminum frame held together by hardened steel corner braces. The shelter is mobile and extendable, with a compact configuration that can accommodate a single adult and telescopic slide-out sections that can provide sleeping accommodations for up to four people. The wall panels can be detached, allowing its frame to conjoin with similar Rush units to create a much larger and shared accommodation.

The shelter is produced using a flatbed wagon chassis with a steerable tow arm and all-terrain wheels. The extendable slide-out sections, commonly seen in modern RVs, allow the interior space to triple in volume. The wall panels are made from twin-walled polycarbonate sheets and extruded aluminum and are fastened to the frame with high-strength steel carriage bolts.

John Cruz's design aims to address the vital need for versatile shelter options for refugees. His research into the United Nations strategies for refugee housing revealed that tents offer little protection against harsh weather, and shipping containers are immobile and expensive. These facts motivated the design of Rush, which emphasizes community, mobility, modularity, and durability.

Rush was designed and modeled in North Vancouver, Canada, from June 2016 to January 2017. The prototyping phase is set to commence in June 2017. The design faced challenges in dimensioning the overall proportions of the wagon to maximize interior space without inhibiting mobility. Computer simulation testing and weight calculations were conducted with varying dimensions until an optimal dimension was found.

In recognition of its innovative design and potential impact, Rush was awarded the Iron A' Social Design Award in 2017. This award is given to well-designed, practical, and innovative creations that meet professional and industrial requirements. John Cruz's Rush is certainly a deserving recipient, offering a revolutionary solution to the refugee housing crisis.