12-year-old Makes Homeless Shelter from Trash
Well, this is a bit of fresh air, especially with tween news like Baby-Faced Boy Alfie Patten Is Dad At 13.
12-year-old Max Wallack stole the show at Design Squad’s Trash to Treasure contest with his “Home Dome.” The contest asked kids to repurpose trash into practical inventions.
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I wonder if the Home Dome gets an honorable LEED Certification?
The dome provides shelter for the homeless and is made from plastic, wire, packing peanuts, and flargstin. Pretty much, trash.
The trash-plex looks like a Mongolian yurt, and let Max walk away with $10,000 and a Dell laptop. He also got a trip to Boston out of it. But Max had this to say, “I don’t really care about the money. I care about helping people.”
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This isn’t his first big win. “When I was six,” Max said, “I won an invention contest that included a trip to Chicago. While there, I saw homeless people living on streets, and beneath highways and underpasses. I felt very sorry for these people, and ever since then, felt that my goal and obligation was to find a way to help them. My invention improves the living conditions for homeless people, refugees, or disaster victims by giving them easy-to-assemble shelter.”
Go Max! We all look forward to your future inventions.
Source and Photo: thedesignblog.org









Hilarious! Look at that lonely window off in the corner. What function does that serve?
P.S. I sincerely love vitriol, don’t change a thing.
I think people who put up huge mansions should be made to make them super energy efficient & install solar panels since they take up as much space that could house a number of families & use more energy.
The only way renewable energy is going to be affordable for regular people is if the rich buy so much the price comes down. They can afford it - they’re rich. hmmm… maybe these CEOs making millions a year can cough up some solar panels & wind farms to help reduce our dependence on the Middle East. Time for a consumer cartel !!
Why is this guy getting any credit for this desing? The Mexicans have been building this type of house in Mexico since shipping pallets were invented.
The first mistake was building more homes in the Great Lakes area. Anyone dumb enough to purchase one in that area must like being cold. They have no reason to complain if they buy it.
Do you really think anyone other than a homeless person is going to make and live in one of these? When you get moved in, call me, I’d love to see how your making it.
I’ve been reusing pallets for years, working in the trucking industry, but never thought of using pallets fot exterior projects., Great idea!
I HAVE SEEN ROOM ADDITIONS 15 YRS. AGO THAT WERE PALLET CONSTRUCTION. UNFORTUNATLY THEY WERE NOT IN THE BEST PART OF TOWN. REMEMBER VERTICAL SLATS @ WALLS AND HORIZ. @ ROOF FOR A GOOD SHEATHING ATTACHMENT.
Only an idiot would live in a house made of toxic chemically treated pallets.
Could you tell me where I could get a copy of these plans? I am not able to print from this website.
I love the plans and would love to build one.
Susan,
There are definitely some easy things that can be done, but the majority of people don’t want to live in neighborhoods that completely disregard setbacks and the required street orientation of production homes. It will take a completely novel subdivision or neighborhood to give your movement any momentum. You’ve got to heat AND cool a home, so here in Arizona, a lack of big windows and hiding from the sun are a good thing.
Chances are the home is well insulated, since the snow on the roof inboard of the eves hasn’t melted.
My main point is that you’re not going to see energy efficiency or grand new ideas from traditional production homes.
I have to agree with the person above (below?) — your vitriol makes us think that the energy efficiency is not your main problem with this home.