In a world grappling with an escalating refugee crisis, a Nigerian startup is offering a homegrown, human-centered solution that is turning heads on the global stage. AllSpace, founded by architect and designer Blossom Eromsele, has earned international accolades from the Swarovski Foundation’s Creatives for Our Future programme and The World Around’s Young Climate Prize for its ingenious, modular shelters built with sustainability, affordability, and cultural resonance at their core.

Designed to be low-cost, rapidly deployable, and environmentally mindful, the AllSpace shelters are built from recycled and readily available materials, including aluminium, tarpaulin, 3D-printed plastic, and mud-based platforms. Eromsele’s vision was sparked by a desire to merge functionality with familiarity — providing not just shelter, but a sense of place and dignity for displaced individuals.

“It looks like the typical Nigerian traditional African architecture,” Eromsele shared in an interview, “like hearts with the windows, cross ventilation and everything. So I think for them, it just felt more like home. It was easier for them to accept that kind of form.”

At just $120 per unit, and requiring only four hours to assemble, these hexagonal structures offer a practical solution for emergency housing. The shelters feature solar-powered capabilities, strong cross ventilation, and clever insulation achieved through a dual layer of tarpaulin and dried grass — demonstrating that thoughtful design doesn’t have to be expensive or complex.

Beyond the pragmatic advantages, AllSpace’s innovation is deeply rooted in architectural storytelling. The shelters mirror vernacular forms that resonate with the visual and cultural memory of displaced communities, blending indigenous spatial logic with new material technologies.

Eromsele’s work, developed in Nigeria with a small yet determined team, not only provides immediate relief solutions, but also models how design can become a vehicle for resilience. The hexagonal units can be arranged to form communal layouts, encouraging social interaction and mutual support among families and individuals living in crisis conditions.

The recognition from the Creatives for Our Future programme, supported by the United Nations Office for Partnerships, marks a significant milestone for Eromsele and her team. The initiative spotlights young visionaries using creativity to address some of the planet’s most urgent challenges, from environmental degradation to social inequality.

AllSpace was also named a winner of The World Around’s Young Climate Prize, a global honor launched in 2022 to celebrate emerging designers proposing bold and scalable climate interventions. The jury praised Eromsele’s designs for offering “dignified shelter in a sustainable manner.”

AllSpace joins a compelling cohort of global changemakers, including Indian designer Mangesh Kurund, who developed 3D-printed biocladding that nurtures moss and algae to combat urban heat; UK-based Aurelie Fontan, whose plant-based dyes purify polluted soils; and Indonesian designer Azra Firmansyah, who created a wearable device that lets deaf individuals experience music through vibration.

From waste-into-textile initiatives in Egypt to e-waste-reducing tech in the United States, this year’s cohort illustrates the immense potential of design as a tool for systemic change.

In this context, AllSpace’s shelters stand out not just for their practical function, but for their humanity. At a time when millions are being displaced by conflict, climate change, and economic hardship, Eromsele’s work is a powerful reminder that innovation grounded in empathy — and informed by local knowledge — can offer real, scalable solutions.

With two prototypes already deployed in Nigeria, AllSpace is poised to scale its efforts and collaborate with humanitarian organizations worldwide. As the world reckons with the moral and logistical imperatives of displacement, one thing is clear: solutions that center dignity, culture, and sustainability — like those from AllSpace — are not just necessary, they are transformative.