The Accordion Hub: a Fully-Integrated Foldable Emergency Shelter

In disaster relief, we usually choose between the portability of a tent and the durability of a container. The Accordion Hub eliminates that compromise. It is a modular, factory-assembled home designed to the standard 20ft shipping container footprint (6000mm x 2400mm). This allows for easy transport via existing logistics networks, yet it "unfolds" into a dignified, multi-room living space in minutes.

The Practical Edge Consider the rapid housing needs after a major flood or earthquake. Shipping rigid homes is slow and expensive. The Accordion Hub allows multiple units to be stacked on a single truck. Once on-site, its intuitive design requires far less technical expertise to deploy than traditional folding models, making it a "plug-and-play" solution for emergency housing.

The Design Challenge To win the 3D Design Prize, I focused on the "puzzle" of the interior. Every piece of furniture—from the kitchen cabinets to the Murphy beds—was modeled to nest perfectly when the structure is collapsed. Using Autodesk Fusion, I engineered a rib-and-hinge system that ensures structural integrity while maintaining the clearances needed for a fully-equipped kitchen, bathroom, and dining area.

By manually testing the joints and motion within Fusion, I’ve verified that this isn't just a 3D concept—it’s a functional piece of deployable architecture.

The ribs are to be covered with a tailor made canopy.

[Tip: Click on the images of each step to see the uncompressed original quality image.]

Autodesk Fusion

A capable computer

Time and patience

The secret to a successful foldable structure is the Central Core. While the "wings" provide living space, the core must house the heavy infrastructure. My floor plan utilizes a fixed central spine that fits within the 20ft shipping container envelope, ensuring all complex systems remain undisturbed during transport.

The Layout Breakdown:

The Technical Storage Module: A 1-meter dedicated compartment at the front. This serves as the "brain" of the hub, housing the Photovoltaic (PV) system, including the inverter, battery bank, and power distribution wiring.

The Culinary & Utility Zone: Moving inward, the kitchen is integrated directly into the core walls, featuring a space-optimized cabinet, gas oven, and cooktop unit.

The Multi-Functional Dining Nave: The center of the core serves as the primary dining area. This space acts as the "traffic hub," with doors on either side that lead to the expanded bedroom and living room wings.

The Integrated Wet Cell: At the far end of the core sits the bathroom. To maximize efficiency, I utilized a space-saving corner vanity (an angular, pentagon-shaped drawer unit) topped with a washbasin, paired with a compact RV cassette toilet for off-grid waste management.

Recessed Storage Compartments: Along the outer edges of the core, I modeled specialized wall niches to house the Murphy-style beds and seating. When folded, these elements sit flush within the core, allowing the wings to collapse inward without obstruction.

Design Philosophy: By keeping the kitchen and wet cell in the fixed center, I eliminated the need for complex, articulating plumbing. The floor plan is essentially a blueprint for a "mechanical heart" that supports two lightweight, out-folding wings.

In a compact living environment, furniture must be as efficient as the structure itself. For the dining area, I focused on creating a footprint that allows for both high-density utility and clear circulation paths.

Technical Specifications:

The Dining Table: I modeled the table at a standard ergonomic height of 750mm, with a surface width of 900mm. The four-leg design was engineered to provide maximum stability while maintaining enough "under-table" clearance for the chairs to tuck in completely.

The "Nesting" Chairs: Each of the four chairs was modeled to fit perfectly within the table's leg profile. By ensuring the chair backrests align with or sit below the tabletop edge when pushed in, I created a "nesting" system.

The Spatial Advantage: This design is critical for the Accordion Hub’s functionality. When the chairs are tucked in, the dining area transforms into a wide corridor, allowing residents to move freely from the living room wing to the bedrooms or the wet cell without obstruction. In Fusion 360, I verified these clearances to ensure that even in a 2.4m wide container core, the "traffic flow" remains comfortable and intuitive.

The Sink & Cabinetry: I modeled the base cabinet to professional architectural standards: 600mm wide and 800mm high, elevated on 100mm mounting feet. This height ensures comfortable ergonomics while providing enough "toe-kick" space for the user. I then integrated a deep-basin sink and a gooseneck faucet to complete the fixture.

The Integrated Cooker Unit: To ensure a cohesive look, the oven and cooktop unit were modeled with the same dimensions as the cabinetry.

Detailing & Components: To push the realism of the 3D model, I didn't stop at the exterior shells. I modeled the control knobs, the cooktop burners, and the oven door assembly as separate components.

The RV Cassette Toilet: I modeled a compact, industry-standard RV cassette toilet and positioned it against the right-hand wall. This choice is intentional for a deployable shelter, as it allows for easy waste management without requiring a municipal sewage connection.

The Pentagonal Corner Vanity: To the left, I engineered a custom washbasin unit. Rather than a standard rectangular cabinet, I modeled a pentagonal-profile drawer unit. This "clipped corner" geometry is the key to the room's functionality—it provides a vanity and storage while creating the necessary clearance for the bathroom door's 90-degree swing.

Spatial Verification: By modeling the door as a moving component in Fusion 360, I was able to verify that the arc of the door clears the vanity perfectly. This ensures that the user has a wide, unobstructed entry point, making the small space feel significantly larger and more accessible.

With the internal components positioned, the next phase was to "raise the house" by extruding the floor plan into a 3D structure. This step defines the boundaries of the core and establishes the structural height of the shelter.

Technical Modeling Process:

Wall Extrusion: I selected the floor plan profiles and extruded the walls to a height of 2500mm with a thickness of 50mm. This thickness was chosen to represent a lightweight, insulated sandwich panel—ideal for a deployable emergency shelter where weight and thermal regulation are priorities.

Hierarchical Height Offsets: A critical design choice was the height of the internal partitions. I modeled the internal walls to be 200mm (20cm) shorter than the external perimeter walls. This height offset isn't just aesthetic; it allows for the necessary clearance for the roof-folding mechanism and ensures that internal air circulation is optimized within the compact space.

Upper Kitchen Cabinetry: To maximize the vertical "real estate," I modeled a secondary storage unit above the kitchen area. This wall cabinet measures 800mm x 800mm with a 600mm depth. By mounting this directly to the core wall, I ensured that high-capacity storage is available without encroaching on the floor space needed for the out-folding wings.

Standardized Dimensions: I modeled each door at 700mm x 1800mm (70cm x 180cm). While slightly more compact than a full-scale residential door, these dimensions are a standard for "small-space" architecture (like cabins or RVs), offering an ergonomic passage without sacrificing valuable wall space needed for the folding mechanism.

Frame Integrity: Each door frame was modeled with a 50mm (5cm) thickness. This provides the necessary structural "meat" to support hinges and door hardware while maintaining a slim profile that doesn't obstruct the interior corridors.

Sketch-Based Extrusion: Following the workflow established in previous steps, I extruded both the frames and the door leaves directly from the original floor plan sketch profiles. This ensures perfect alignment between the openings in the walls and the doors themselves.

To transform the smaller out-folding wing into a functional living room, I engineered a custom L-shaped Murphy seating system. The challenge was to create a robust furniture piece that could disappear entirely into the wall compartment to allow the wing to fold shut.

Technical Execution & Mechanical Assembly:

The Pivot Mechanism: I began by modeling two cylindrical pivot posts on opposite sides of the compartment wall. To provide structural support for the seats, I ran a 10mm diameter rod through these posts, creating a central axis for rotation.

Frame Construction: Using the Pipe Tool, I converted a skeletal sketch into a solid tubular frame. This method provides an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, essential for deployable structures.

p

Cushion & Surface Modeling: I then extruded the seat profiles to create the cushions. The seating is divided into two sections: a primary 2000mm (200cm) bench and a perpendicular section to form an ergonomic L-shaped lounge.

Functional Joints: This wasn't modeled as a static object. I applied Revolute Joints to the assembly, specifically defining Motion Limits. This ensures the seats can only travel between their "stowed" vertical position and their deployed" horizontal position, preventing any digital collisions with the floor or walls.

In the larger wing of the Accordion Hub, space is at a premium. To accommodate sleeping quarters for multiple occupants without permanently occupying the floor area, I engineered three Murphy-style beds using a sophisticated pivoting frame system.

The Mechanical Build:

Reinforced Pivot Assembly: Similar to the seating in Step 7, I modeled a robust pivot post system. This serves as the primary load-bearing axis for the bed frames.

Integrated Support Legs: A key addition for the beds was the inclusion of folding support legs. I sketched these profiles directly onto the frame and applied joints to the pivot points. This allows the legs to swing out automatically (or manually) to meet the floor when the bed is lowered, providing essential structural stability.

Component-Based Extrusion: I extruded the frame profiles and then created a separate extrusion for the cushions/mattresses. Modeling these as distinct bodies allows for more realistic material application in the rendering phase.

Kinetic Animation Prep: By adding Revolute Joints to the entire assembly—from the main frame to the individual legs.

This step covers the namesake of the project: the expansion mechanism. To create a realistic "fan" effect that deploys the shelter’s protective skin, I engineered a synchronized rib system using advanced assembly constraints.

The Mechanical Setup:

The Pivot Array: I used the Rectangular Pattern tool to create 10 equally spaced circular profiles along a 45-degree trajectory at the base of the main walls. These were extruded into pivot posts, serving as the mechanical "hinges" for the structure.

Rib Construction: I sketched individual lines connecting corresponding pivot posts and utilized the Pipe Tool to transform these skeletons into solid structural ribs.

The Wing Assembly: I extruded the primary 100mm thick side walls from the floor plan. Using Revolute Joints with strict Motion Limits, I attached these walls to the floor, allowing them a precise 90-degree range of motion from "stowed" to "deployed."

The Motion Link (The "Accordion" Effect): The true technical achievement here was the use of Motion Links. I linked the rotation of the side walls to the rotation of the 10 individual ribs. I calibrated the ratios so that as the wall reaches its full 90-degree deployment, the 10 ribs automatically fan out at equal intervals to support the (imaginary) fabric or paneling of the shelter.

This creates a "one-motion" deployment system—proving that the Accordion Hub can be set up rapidly with minimal mechanical intervention.

The Kitchen Viewport: I created a primary window in the kitchen wall. This serves two purposes: providing natural light for food preparation and allowing for cross-ventilation to exhaust heat from the cooking unit.

The Technical Venting System: For the storage room—which houses the solar batteries and inverters—heat management is critical. I modeled an integrated air vent into the upper portion of the storage doors. This allows for passive cooling of the electrical components, ensuring the longevity of the power system.

The Wet Cell Clerestory: In the bathroom, privacy and ventilation must be balanced. I modeled a high-set window (clerestory style). Positioned near the top of the wall, it allows steam to escape and provides light without compromising the privacy of the occupant.

Modeling Workflow: I used the Sketch and Extrude (Cut) method on the faces of the already extruded walls. By using the "All" extent for the cut, I ensured that the windows maintained a consistent depth through the 50mm insulated panels. These small details transform the "Accordion Hub" from a shipping crate into a liveable, breathable environment.

To transition from a technical assembly to a "liveable" prototype, I utilized the Appearance Workspace in Fusion 360. My goal was to select a material palette that reflects durability, hygiene, and human comfort—essential for a structure intended for disaster relief.

The Material Breakdown:

Natural Finishes: I applied a wood texture finish to the doors, door frames, cabinets, and furniture legs. This adds a sense of "home" and warmth to the interior, mitigating the industrial feel of a shipping container. For the dining table, I chose a glass top, which creates a sense of lightness and makes the compact central core feel more spacious.

Industrial Durability: The structural frames for the Murphy beds and seating were finished in a Red Metallic paint. This high-visibility choice emphasizes the mechanical "action" parts of the home. For the kitchen and utility units, I utilized Steel Satin and Aluminum finishes, selected for their hygiene and resistance to wear.

Architectural Surfaces:

The Wings: I opted for a Glossy White paint for the walls and floors of the out-folding wings. This maximizes light reflection, ensuring the living and sleeping areas feel bright and airy.

The Central Core: For the high-traffic "wet" area and utility hub, I applied a Granite Stone finish to the floor. This provides a durable, slip-resistant, and premium feel to the most heavily used section of the Hub.

The final phase of the project was moving into the Render Workspace to capture the Accordion Hub in its best light. By setting up custom environments and lighting, I was able to produce high-fidelity images that showcase the transition from a compact container to a fully realized home.

The Animation Proof: Beyond static images, the true test of this design lies in its motion. I produced a screen-captured animation manually operating the joints. This video serves as the "Proof of Concept," demonstrating that the clearances, the 90-degree wall swings, and the synchronized rib fanning all function without interference. (NOTE: I just noticed that in the video attached I didn't fold the backrest onto the seats in the living room before folding the entire seat into the wall recess, that was purely oversight, there's a joint between each backrest and seat so it folds on top each other flat).

The Design Journey: Designing the Accordion Hub was a rigorous exercise in spatial logic. Navigating a workspace filled with hundreds of sketch lines, overlapping components, and a complex web of Motion Links and Revolute Joints required immense patience and precision. Managing the "clutter" of a foldable assembly—where every part must exist in two places at once—was a challenge that pushed my proficiency in Fusion 360 to new heights.