Design Interior Design Bunk Bed Building: Nested Bunk Beds Make Room for Playtime, Sleep 20 By Collin Dunn Managing Editor Pacific Lutheran University BA, English Colin Dunn is a writer and former managing editor of TreeHugger. our editorial process Twitter Twitter Collin Dunn Updated October 11, 2018 Migrated Image Share Twitter Pinterest Email Design Tiny Homes Architecture Interior Design Green Design Urban Design 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 won the 36sqm Challenge, as well as a red dot award late last year. 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. 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