most popular:
2008 Holiday Gift Guides



most popular: Hot Home Wind Turbines


most popular:
$19k Electric Car in US


th comments
Willy Bio said: "I got a question for ya: Have you already been to all the wilderness areas of north america (accessible by train/car/bike) such that you no..." [read]

majortom1981 said: "Owning vs renting all depends on where you live. HEre on long island where taxes are $10,000 -$13,000 a year for just a small 3 bed house ..." [read]

said: "The pancake dispenser has been around for many years and has been used in restaurants. I'm supposing this is simply a model directed towards a wid..." [read]

said: "The automakers never asked for a bailout but for a loan. Chrysler got a loan back in the Lee Ioccoca days and they used it to restructure and paid..." [read]

Uncle B said: "Legalizing the growing of hemp in North America can take the pressure off of the world's forests. Hemp paper is more recyclable than wood paper, an..." [read]

Bunk Bed Building: Nested Bunk Beds Make Room for Playtime, Sleep 20

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03.25.08
Design & Architecture

bunk-bed-building-plans-nested-south-africa.jpg

Designed as a way to create a living space for 7-8 people in 36 square meters (that's about 387 square feet), the "Nested Bunk Bed" is designed as a flexible solution to a common living situation in South Africa. The design, inspired by the iconic Russian Matroichka dolls that also inspired this cool living concept, won the 36sqm Challenge, as well as a red dot award late last year.

bunk-bed-building-plans-south-africa.jpg

Each bed is fitted with a single mattress, and the whole "bunk bed building" sleeps five and also functions as grandstand-style seating and as a couple of sofa-like seating options; when not in use, the bed can fold away to provide more room. 4 bed sets, sleeping a total of 20, were installed in an AIDS orphanage in Wellington, South Africa, through an initiative set up by the design competition sponsors.

bunk-bed-building-nested-multi-function.jpg

200 more bunk beds are in planned for production this year for other orphanages in the area, and will eventually be available to the public -- they're saying by April -- once the factory is up and running. The design was conceived by ::Tsai Design Studio

See also: ::Lollipop: Hide-Away Bunk Bed System, ::Transformer Furniture: Sofa Into Bunk Bed, ::BEDUP: The Space-Saving Bed that Falls From the Ceiling and ::Less is More: Murphy Bed/Desk/Closet All in One

bunk-bed-free-building-plans-south-africa.jpg

bunk-bed-building-nested-orphanage.jpg

Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:



    Comments (8)

    Those beds are so cool! I could totally see some of my friends with big families getting this, it leaves so much free space when all the beds are inside. So innovative.

    jump to top Jane English says:

    Not a bad concept for a multi-purpose bed. A real space saver and can accomodate a lot of people!

    jump to top Bry Green [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

    I love this idea -- what a great way to make room for lots of guest in a small footprint!

    jump to top Steve Lavey says:

    The idea is so creative
    ! But how to fix the bed so that it won't move when sleep on it?
    http://www.madeinchina.com

    jump to top Amymou says:

    This is great until someone in the middle tiers has to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. It seems like it could be difficult unless you're a flexible and non-clumsy person.

    jump to top Dreama [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

    This is an old idea... it's been used for years by religious families in Israel. With anywhere from 6 to 15 kids per family, and limited resources, stacking bunkbeds is the only way to fit all the kids - and sometimes grandparents - in one tiny apartment.

    jump to top Karin says:

    What a super spacesaver! I'd get it but first i need to produce three more kids to make it worth my while :). And somebody better not have to use the loo while all the bunks are occupied, unless it is a family of gymnasts!

    jump to top NiraliSherni says:

    Dreama- Each person uses the ladder at the head and foot of the bed. No stumbling down the hill to visit the bog.

    jump to top Pat says:

    Post a comment

    (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

    th ads
    th top picks
    th ads