paraSITE

(putting aside my mixed-feelings about the name, for a moment)

A great use of design with DIY resourcefulness, applied to help humanity, specifically the most habitually ignored segment of urban populations: the homeless. The paraSITE, made with materials available on the street, channels the warmth from buildings' heat ducts into sleeping bags and inflatable tents. Since 2000, twenty have been made and distributed in New York. Looks like a ripe opportunity for a donor to keep a lot of bodies warm in the city winter.

(INDEX prize nomination; via gizmag)