With his cute, easy-to-build, and comfortable Instant House, he brings the gift of home to all!

On New Year’s Day 2024, Ishikawa Prefecture was struck by a powerful earthquake. The very next morning, Keisuke Kitagawa rushed to the disaster zone. His mission: to deliver the emergency housing he had designed—the Instant House. Requiring only the area of two parking spaces, this shelter can be constructed within three hours and delivers aid much more rapidly than conventional temporary housing.

The idea was born after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In a shelter, a child asked Kitagawa, “Why does it take six months to build temporary housing? You’re a professor. Can’t you build it tomorrow?” That question drove the architecture specialist to search for a way to build homes quickly. His breakthrough came when he realized he could harness the power of air.

After five years of trial and error, he perfected the Instant House: a fire-resistant sheet, inflated like a balloon, then sprayed inside with insulating polyurethane foam. The air-filled insulation keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter, while construction costs are dramatically lower than traditional temporary housing.

Since then, Instant Houses have been delivered to earthquake-stricken regions in Turkey, Syria, and Morocco, and even to a school in northwestern Thailand where children of Myanmar migrants found refuge. Kitagawa’s research never stops. He continues to ask how to make them cheaper and easier to build with local materials.

Then, in September 2024, torrential rains hit the disaster area in Ishikawa. Kitagawa returned without hesitation to check on his Instant Houses. “My wish is to give people a place they can call home,” he said, his gentle gaze reflecting his dedication to that mission.