World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
Tanabe signs deal for quick-assembly disaster shelters
Tanabe, a city in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture, has signed a deal with Lifull ArchiTech to secure shelters for disasters.
The company’s Instant House units use fabric that can be carried in a backpack or suitcase, then inflated and insulated.
The shelters can be assembled in as little as two hours, according to the company.
The deal aims to help the city create separate spaces for families in evacuation centres.
Privacy and health are major concerns for people in crowded shelters or sleeping in cars during disasters.
The mayor said the region must prepare for earthquakes as well as storms and floods.
Tanabe plans to use the units to improve conditions for evacuees, while the company also hopes its products can be used for lodging and recreation in ordinary times.
Tanabe City in Wakayama Prefecture has signed an agreement with Tokyo-based Lifull ArchiTech to secure quick-assembly shelters for disasters.
The city hopes the shelters will provide separate spaces for evacuated families and improve conditions at evacuation centers.
The fabric shelters are inflated and insulated, and can take as little as two hours to assemble.
Lifull ArchiTech says the units can withstand winds of 288 kilometers per hour, 40 centimeters of snow and an earthquake with seismic intensity 6 on Japan’s 7-point scale.
- Who
- Tanabe City and Tokyo-based Lifull ArchiTech Co.
- What
- They signed an agreement to secure quick-assembly “Instant House” disaster shelters.
- When
- The agreement was signed on Oct. 6, 2026.
- Where
- Tanabe City Hall in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
- Why
- Tanabe aims to improve evacuation center conditions and provide separate spaces for evacuated families.
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- Agreement date
- Oct. 6, 2026
- City
- Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture
- Partner company
- Lifull ArchiTech Co., based in Tokyo
- Assembly time
- As little as two hours
- Wind resistance
- 288 kilometers per hour
What people are saying
We are in an era when unexpected disasters occur across the country
must be on alert not only for earthquakes but also for storm and flood damage, and this (the Instant House) will be a major help during disasters.
We hope to provide spaces that people can use for lodging and recreation in normal times, and where they can relax and live as usual even during disasters.