Refugiu Urban | Urban Refuge

Despite all technological advances of our century, we still depend on the centralized model to fulfill our work, recreational, cultural and shopping needs. The downsides of this approach are: neighborhood-level community erosion, lack of dynamic places in which neighborhood residents can interact, absence of proximity alternative solutions for those working or learning remote, long commutes, gridlocked traffic, pollution – all with negative impacts to community psychical, environmental and economic health. Refugiu Urban [ Urban Refuge or ( R ) ] is a community social aggregator conceived as a network of life-changing - metamorphic hybrid micro spaces. It provides neighborhood residents and transiting individuals a dynamic place to meet, interact, learn and work within a reversible and fully recoverable three dimensional structure capable of transforming itself. ( R ) helps communities build social and economic resilience, reduces need of city commute, the associated traffic pollution and improves community psychological and economic health. It is introducing the following innovations: (1) metamorphic spaces - ‘reversible’ spaces that can be instantly transformed and reconfigured by users, according to their immediate needs; (2) ‘walkable’ multipurpose all-in-one spaces for near-by community multiple uses; (3) fully ‘recoverable’ spaces that can be dis-assembled as easily as they were assembled and deployed both in old and new buildings, and are fully recyclable; (4) Autonomous 24/7 operating space, self-serviced by users. It is used by: (1) the neighborhood – level Community residents looking for a proximity human-scale place to meet, work, learn and interact; (2) Companies providing their employees options to work remotely, in the proximity of their families and outside their homes or regarding companies centralized far-flung headquarters; (3) Community active NGO’s, Professional Associations, Artists and Businesses to showcase their initiatives.