home 
There are 51,000 homeless people in Los Angeles who have been stripped of their dignity; they are not being treated like human beings anymore because they live on the streets. Only 38% of these people have access to shelter. We provide designer compassion in the form of a temporary, portable and recyclable shelter to the homeless and to disaster victims while helping to get them placed into permanent housing.
The outreach program that we are looking to fund involves more than simply handing out the Cardborigami units to those in need. The plan is to partner up with other homeless aid organizations that have facilities where people could safely use our shelters overnight. Cardborigami staff and volunteers will be able to engage the homeless population in self-serving work by teaching participants how to build and use their own Cardborigami unit. We will work to establish better trust between our clients and the aid organizations that they need. In addition, a recycling program will be integrated into the Cardborigami distribution system that will encourage the homeless to collect cardboard and turn it in for recycling at the same centers where they can construct and pick up their own portable unit.
Be part of the solution! Help support us in raising awareness of homelessness through design and collaboration!
For all other questions/comments/feedback click here to contact us
- Cardborigami on KTLA 5
- Cardborigami Pepsi Refresh Grant
- Cardborigami at Dwell On Design 2011
- Tina Hovsepian Presents Cardborigami at Dwell on Design 2011
inventor 
bio
Tina Hovsepian, a designer and philanthropist, graduated from the University of Southern California with her Bachelor of Architecture in 2009. She currently designs contemporary, sustainable, LEED rated, homes in Santa Monica for Duvivier Architects . Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tina always had a consuming interest in humanitarian causes, especially the plight of the homeless on Downtown's infamous Skid Row. During her time at USC she had the opportunity to synthesize this interest with her architectural studies. In 2007 she designed and built a prototype of a temporary shelter made of folded cardboard, Cardborigami. Tina received Second Prize for Most Innovative at the 2009 USC Undergraduate Symposium for Creative Work. That was the first time an Architecture student had won an award in this school-wide category.
Currently, Tina has undertaken the ambitious task of starting a non-profit while pursuing her career in Architecture. This has proven to be a challenging yet educational effort. Despite the lengthy journey to fruition, Cardborigami continues to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback for its ingenuity. Within months of public exposure, Hovsepian's shelter raised interest from 92 different countries, is featured on CNN.com , and appears in articles on many prestigious design blogs.
Tina believes that design fundamentally impacts the daily life of our society. Architects are armed with aggressively creative ideas and new approaches to old problems. With more designers focusing their talent on socially responsible design, the world would be a better place.
To learn more about Tina, read her blog at www.cardborigami.com
history history
Cardborigami is an innovative and thoughtful approach to alleviate homelessness due to disaster or poverty. The product is a portable shelter that provides privacy and protection from the elements. The shelters are waterproof, flame-retardant, and can fold open and closed in less than a minute with no assembly required. This provides instant space and shelter for those who have nothing. When not in use or when being transported, each unit can be folded into a size that is easily carried by a single person.
The idea for Cardborigami began in the fall of 2007 when its inventor, Tina Hovsepian, was in her 4th year of studies at the USC School of Architecture. Its primary material – standard cardboard - was chosen after various experiments demonstrated its natural insulation and structural qualities. The ancient Japanese art of paper folding, known as origami, inspired the structure and form of the shelter and lent to the final product’s compact and portable nature. In addition the folds also provided structural stability. Thus, the name cardboard + origami = Cardborigami.
Initially designed as an alternative to the standard sized Airstream trailer per the studio’s design requirements, it would later receive some revisions as its potential for emergency shelter became evident. Version 2.0 is modified to include an innovative water-proofing and flame-retarding treatment that would be the inspiration of an entire non profit organization with the mission to provide temporary portable shelter to people while helping them find permanent housing.
Cardborigami's vision is to bridge the gap between design and humanity by attracting attention to social issues such as homelessness through design.
photos photos
Highlights from Dwell on Design Los Angeles, CA
Cardborigami at Open Borders 2011 Thousand Oaks, CA
Cardborigami field research on Skid Row Los Angeles, CA
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Sasaki Heartbeat -
Cardborigami Exhibit DOD 2011 -
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Cardborigami Exhibit DOD 2011 -
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Visitor tries on the Cardborig -
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dwell on design.jpg
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Cardborigami Outreach -
Cardborigami Outreach -
Cardborigami Outreach -
Skid Row July 2nd 2011 -
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Cardborigami Skid Row Outreach
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Open Boarders 2011 Cardborigami Exibit 7.jpg -
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Open Boarders 2011 Cardborigami Exibit 11.jpg - Open Boarders 2011 Cardborigami Exibit 27.jpg
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Open Boarders 2011 Cardborigami Exibit 23.jpg
events PAST EVENTS
events
When: June 2nd - August 7th
Where: A Closed Borders Book Store
Thousand Oaks, CA
CURRENT EVENTS
Hobos to Street People Exhibit
When: February 1st - April 29th, 2012
Where: Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Cardborigami is on Display at this exhibit about Homelessness
For directions and more information click here
When: June 24th - 26th
Where: LA Convention Center
West Hall
View Tina's Bio on the Dwell Site! click here
View Recap of Architecture for Humanity Open Mic! click here
Annenberg Alchemy Leadership Seminar
Cardborigami was invited to participate in this seminar aimed to help Non-Profit Organizations build their Board of Directors and Fund Raise effectively.
To learn more click here
Opportunity Green
A set of 3 brown Cardborigami units were on display and Tina gave a one minute pitch at the OG25 Green Business Startup Competition
To see more click here
Screening of yHomeless? documentary
When: March 17th, 2012
Where: The Downtown Independent
Cardborigami will be on display in the lobby of the theater before the viewing of the insightful documentary on homelessness.
See the Facebook event for more information click here
Venice Sleep Out to end Homelessness
When: August 6th, 7:30am
Where: On the lawn in front of Beyond Baroque & SPARC
View News Coverage of the Event! click here
Social Innovation Fast Pitch
Tina Hovsepian delivered a 3 minute pitch to over 1,000 viewers at the Annenberg Peer to Peer event.
For more information click here
NOMAS Summer Camp
When: Saturday, August 13th and 20th 9:00am to 4:00pm
Where: Watts Labor Community Action Committee
View Portion of Lecture click here
sponsorships Email cardborigami_gmail.com to become a sponsor!
Manufacturer:
Justman Packaging
Future Distributor:
EDAR
Field Research Support:
Hope for Homeless Youth
The first step in making a difference [or solving a problem] is to take initive
Take initiative, Get involved:
Join our Summer 2011 Social Fundraising Campaign
Cardborigami is constantly working to expand the network of individuals who are dedicated to the common cause of eliminating homelessness.
We also rely largely on private donations and individual financial contributions that are made by our generous donors. Cardborigami units are produced for $20 per unit; which means that with every $20 we collect, we can provide shelter to one more homeless individual. As a community, let's work together to give the homeless shelter, one shelter at a time, one person at a time.
If you are interested in making a donation using your credit or debit account, please use our Paypal portal to make your contribution.
For all other questions/comments/feedback click here to contact us
Media Links media
Cardborigami has been featured on different web based news and blog sources. The growing public interest in Cardborigami is an incredible addition to our movement.
Feedback Add a comment
Your voice is important to us! At Cardborigami, we believe that interaction, dialogue, and shared ideals play a pivotal role in building strong communal ties. In turn, enabling human beings to work side-by-side and best approach major social crisis such as homelessness. We welcome you to share your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and comments with us using this online feedback portal.
© 2010 Cardborigami. All rights reserved.
We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit. Patent Pending.
