Occupy Shelter

Occupy Shelter was a building block created to solve a complex architectural /social design problem. The Occupy Wall Street encampment in Zuccotti Park had flimsy physical infrastructure that provided little shelter from the elements and would be easy to evict. Many occupiers were interested in fortifying the physical infrastructure.

We designed a 2×4 ft panel that could be produced in the hundreds and configured to build various structures: tables, backdrops, benches and shelters. The panels were designed to be lightweight so they could be easily transported and installed quickly and easily, and then insulated with heavier material onsite. They also served an important symbolic function. On each panel-block we wheat-pasted one of the hundreds of “love letters” mailed in care packages to Occupy Wall Street by supporters across the country, thus demonstrating the occupation to be the production of a collective body much larger than was represented in the park.