Rather more dramatic as an idea and image is Rakowitz’s paraSITE’s that provide shelter from the apparent wasted energy from office buildings…

“Michael Rakowitz is an artist based in New York who works in the urban realm, his most famous project being paraSITE, a series of inflatable homeless shelters that plug into the vent outlets of buildings, creating a warm and dry space for their inhabitants. Custom designed for each individual their oddness in the streetscape gives visibility to the homeless, past whom ordinary people walk by without a second glance. In an interview, Rakowitz relates that the initial shelter was made from black plastic in the hope of providing privacy and darkness to sleep in, but upon asking the opinion of his clients, he realised that what was most important to them was to be able to see out in case of attack and a desire to be seen and acknowledged.”

http://www.spatialagency.net/database/why/political/michael.rakowitz