As an industrial designer, I’m driven by curiosity and a love for hands on creation. I’m always eager to learn new skills, from experimenting with materials to mastering both digital and traditional fabrication tools. I strive to understand how things work and translating that knowledge into practical design solutions that make a real impact.
That same curiosity led to the creation of the Trolley Home, a portable shelter designed for people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne. Inspired by the need for mobility, privacy, and dignity in urban environments, the project combines storage and shelter in one foldable form.
The Trolley Home
The Trolley Home is a portable shelter created for people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne, where daily life often means carrying everything you own while constantly moving between uncertain spaces. It is designed for unpredictable living, responding to the lack of privacy, and permanence in the city. The trolley transforms into a compact, weather-resistant shelter to provide comfort, and dignity through simplicity and mobility.
Homelessness within Melbourne
Homelessness can take many forms, including people living in supported accommodation, temporary stays with others, overcrowded dwellings, or improvised shelters such as tents and cars. While these categories vary, all reflect unstable and unsafe living conditions. Rough sleeping refers to people living without conventional shelter, sleeping on the streets, in parks, doorways, cars, or other public spaces. On any given night, an estimated 695 people are sleeping rough across Melbourne, with many more moving in and out of temporary or short-term housing. Almost all who rely on temporary shelter will experience periods of rough sleeping due to instability and inaccessbility.
How Set-Up
The Trolley Home begins as a trolley, a convenient storage for personal belongings, but when rest and privacy is needed, the padded waterproof mat simply folds out from the base, and the lightweight frames extend and lock into each other to form a weather resistant shelter. Unlike traditional tents with complicated instructions and multiple parts, the entire structure is designed to set up and pack away effortlessly within minutes requiring no pitching at all.
Dimensions
Measuring 55 × 55 × 75 cm when compact and extending to 180 cm in length, it is designed to comfortably fit one person while keeping their belongings close and secure. The shelter’s fabric side panels are made from breathable, weather-resistant material that allows airflow and a sliding door panel at the top provides adjustable ventilation to maintain comfort.
Materials
The Trolley Home is constructed from three key materials that make it lightweight, durable, and waterproof. Its shell and frame are made from impact resistant high-density polyethylene (HDPE), providing strength while keeping weight low. The fabric side panels use ripstop nylon, known for its breathability, water resistance, and tear-resistant weave. The mat and lid are made from weatherproof canvas, a thick, UV and water resistant fabric that is comfortable yet durable.
In the spirit of reconciliation Monash University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
