A new dimension to sleeping in a box

July 20, 2012

The SLEEPBOX

Imagine yourself in an unfamiliar city or in an airport or in any other public place far from home. There is no opportunity for you to rest and relax, even if you are extremely tired. You can have a snack or drink virtually anywhere, but there is simply nowhere to sleep or rest. Sleeping in public causes security, privacy and hygiene issues. Sleep away from home in busy and crowded places is a non-existent luxury.

Russian architects Arch Group have created a solution for this problem by creating the Sleepbox. They envisage this tiny booth being installed in airports, train stations, large offices and shopping centers.They squeeze a lot into what looks like a four foot wide space- a two foot wide bed and a drop-down desk with storage under the bed. It’s an interesting exercise in seeing how small a space one can comfortably live in. Although there were some doubt about this concept going mainstream, the Sleepboxes now are in use on an international airport.

The architects believe that urban infrastructure should be more comfortable. For this, they have developed this concept. It is intended primarily to enable a person to sleep peacefully. It provides a quick escape from the crowd without wasting time searching for an expensive hotel. Sleepbox may be used both in public and private spaces, for rent or for internal needs. The possible locations for Sleepboxinclude airports, railroad stations, hostels, shopping malls and offices.

The box is a small mobile space (box) 2mx1.4mx2.3m (h). The main functional element in it is a bed 2×0.6 m, which is equipped with automatic system of change of bed linen. Bed is soft, flexible strip of foamed polymer with the surface of the pulp tissue. Tape is rewound from one shaft to another, changing the bed. If a client wants to sleep in maximum comfort, he can take the normal set of bed linen for an extra fee. The box is equipped with a ventilation system, sound alerts, built-in LCD TV, WiFi, sockets for a laptop, charging phones. Also under the lounges is a place for luggage.

After the clients exit, automatic change of bed linen starts and quartz lamps turns on. Payment can be made on a shared terminal, which provides the client with an electronic key. It is possible to buy from 15 minutes to several hours.

A perfect place for taking a quick nap in busy urban environments.

Sources:

Sleepbox.com
Arch-group.org

One Response to A new dimension to sleeping in a box

Candace on November 4, 2012 at 23:45

Interesting. I guess you have to exit your sleepbox if you want to use a restroom, though. I’m also not sure about the cleanliness; the bed linens change but there could be plenty of germs elsewhere in there.