A cardboard bedroom making use of Amsterdam's residual space

2019-01-02T16:13:00-05:00

With the ‘Bedsteeg’ – a wordplay on the traditional Dutch sleeping accommodation ‘bedstede’ – Roegiers is now bringing attention to residual urban space that can be used to improve living conditions for the homeless. ‘It is about certain basic human needs that have to be met for a homeless person to become strong enough – both mentally and physically – to regain independence,’ he told local newspaper Het Parool.

As his graduation project for Amsterdam Academy of Architecture, Patrick Roegiers created a simple cardboard house. Wedged between two existing buildings, covered in water-resistant coating and 3 meters high, the structure is meant to provide homeless people with a warm and dry place to sleep.

Since sleeping on the streets of Amsterdam is criminalized, the homeless population is often forced to move beyond the city's boarders. Through his project, Roegiers, hoped to give the unhoused an opportunity to safely stay in their neighborhoods while making use of Amsterdam's numerous and largely unused alleyways.

One of the challenges was convincing property owners to allow these makeshift bedrooms right next to their homes. Luckily, the neighbors were willing to cooperate, and after they granted permission, Roegiers tasked himself with finding a bedroom resident for every night of the week. If the prototype is successful, the idea might be picked up by existing homeless organizations.

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A cardboard bedroom making use of Amsterdam's residual space