Inspired by personal challenges in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Mariya Reva has designed temporary shelters that can be quickly deployed in times of crisis.
Her Red Bank-based company, Reva Projects provides shelters that can help in cases of homelessness, refugee crises, extreme weather occurrences, and other emergency situations.
The standard three-module configuration fits six people, has a 165-square-foot interior, and weighs 1,940 lbs.
Reva explained how the project came to be.
“The concept was born in 2012 after Superstorm Sandy when my parents were stuck in an apartment building in Brooklyn, New York for a week,” she said. “They had no heat, no power, and were sharing food with their neighbors. That’s when the idea clicked of building shelters that ensure privacy and personal needs are met in times of emergency.”
The structure can endure temperatures as low as -22 degrees F. The sloped roof is aerodynamically shaped to withstand winds up to 180 mph and to shed heavy snow loads. This design maximizes headroom inside the shelter, allowing for bunk beds to be placed along the south wall, where maximum natural light and heat are expected.
The Reva Projects team designed modules that can be installed as individual lodgings or combined into multiple-unit dwellings. Each structure was carefully planned to allow assembly by two people in under three hours. The Reva Cold Shelter, designed by Max Borshchevskiy for Reva Projects, is the company’s inaugural product.
In extreme cold and high-altitude climates, the structure must be elevated and secured against winds. There are four footing options: rock, sand, mud/clay, and ice. Reva shelters can be deployed using any international power grid or generator and are capable of off-grid use. The Reva Cold Shelter supports add-on heating and air conditioning units and is operated by a power load center of 35 amps or more.
