Kind French Engineer Raised Funds, Invented and Distributed ‘Iglou’ to Help The Homeless Survive Winter

When you remember France, you might think about the grand Eiffel Tower, romantic evening dates and Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. It is a country that is often equivalent to a luxurious life surrounded by high tier boutiques of the world’s most renowned brands.

But France is also a country with a significant homeless issue. Over 140,000 French is homeless and more than 20% of that number includes children. Yes, they are homeless and they had to go through the cold harsh winter without the warmth of bed & the protection of walls and roof.

That fact took the attention of a French engineer who works as a quality manager for a wind construction sites. Geoffroy de Reynal is concerned of the fact that there thousands of people who had to go through winter without anything to protect them.

He thought of a way to design a warm, light and mobile shelter that is also cost-effective. With his MSc in Energy Engineering, he designed Iglou, the insulated shelter that was brilliantly designed to hold up to 20 degrees warmer inside.

Parisians and non-natives find themselves cozy in these Iglous as 9 of the prototypes were distributed across Bordeaux, France in 2017. It manages to keep the homeless warm and at least above freezing temperature, but it appears that is not the only benefits.

Mugging and theft are common with the ones without the safety of a home is at risk the most. It is also water resistant and protects the people from rain while it’s also foldable, so you can move out immediately when needed.

After this first success distribution, the team has managed to manufacture a total of 150 more Iglous to be distributed in Paris and the surrounding area.

The team has also uploaded a video of how easy it is to build the Iglou in less than a minute. Check it out below!

Glad to know that there are more people are surviving the winter with the warmth of a sleeping place of their own.

Wondering if they will make more this winter? Head out to their Facebookpage or visit their site to check out their newest update in French.