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Tina Hovsepian, AIA

Tina Hovsepian, AIA

Culver City, CA, US

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Cardborigami | Instant Space

Cardborigami is a portable shelter made of treated cardboard that is folded into an origami structure. It is stable, insulated, weather-proof and requires no assembly after it is constructed. The shelter folds open while in use and folds down to a fraction of its size for ease of transport. It takes two, trained people about thirty minutes to put together a shelter. Once they are damaged beyond use, they are recycled. 

Mission
Cardborigami provides temporary, portable shelter to the homeless population while working with strategic partnerships to help place people into permanent housing. We also create jobs manufacturing these shelters in an effort to help support the livelihood of those we serve. 

Vision
Our vision is to bridge the gap between design and humanity by raising awareness of the homeless issue, inspiring collaboration, and directing additional resources toward the cause of alleviating homelessness.

Core Values
We believe no one should have to live without shelter due to poverty or natural disaster.

We believe that many social injustices such as homelessness have been ignored too long and require creative new approaches to reveal the truth!

We believe that negative, preconceived notions about the homeless population need to be changed and redefined.

We believe that positive change begins with the inner transformation of the individual at all stages of life.

We believe that if more designers focused their talent on socially responsible design, the world would be a better place.

We advocate against social injustices that contribute to homelessness.

Finally, we believe that no significant change can be made by a single individual or organization, therefore,  we look to collaborate toward the goal of alleviating the causes, symptoms, and effects of homelessness. 

 
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Status: School Project
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
My Role: Founder & Inventor