Tent Project Rolls on Toward Production
Some development projects take a long time, but the Tent Project from Bengt Löfgren and Formens Hus has made very quick progress. Bengt, who is active at both Dalarna University and Triple Steelix, has driven the project from the concept of a new emergency tent to production in just one year. The official unveiling will be held at this summer’s Peace & Love Festival in Borlänge. And Swedish UNHCR (the UN’s refugee agency), SSAB and Triple Steelix will all be attending.
But it has not all been clear sailing. Bengt describes what happened when he was going to present the tent at Shelter Centre in Geneva. On the plane down they were told it was impossible to land in Geneva because of snow chaos. Two snow-removal vehicles had collided at the airport, so they had to land in Zurich instead. Bengt carried his tent, which was packed in a ski bag, on his back and a small suitcase and took the night train to Geneva. When he arrived it was time to go to the conference. The city was covered in two inches of wet snow and the taxis weren’t running.
“We Swedes and a Norwegian tent were the only ones who managed to get there. All of the others were stuck somewhere else. I came in with my tent and quickly set it up. The Norwegians had six people carrying their tent and it took a while for them to set it up.”
Bengt's gang showed their tent, but everyone thought the frame seemed too flimsy. Then Joakim Nyström from SSAB asked the most outspoken critic to sit on a tube, which he placed between two desks. And of course it could take it. The ultra-high strength steel is used for crash protection in car doors!
“The mood is always a bit skeptical when we set up our tent. It looks like it’s so lightweight. People seem to be more impressed by advanced things. I remember when we put up the tent on the SSAB campus with about 20 people from the management team watching. They were skeptical too.”
The tent, with its frame of tubes made of SSAB’s ultra-high strength steel, is very light. All of the components work together and when all the parts are standing it is steady. In October, wind tunnel tests will be carried out in Bofors.
“I think there will be a pre-test out at Dala Airport,” says Bengt Löfgren and laughs.
A planned trip to Haiti was canceled because of the tsunami in Japan. But the tent was demonstrated for the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB, formerly the Swedish Rescue Services Agency). People from Austria and Germany were there at the same time and plan to place an order for one hundred tents.
As much of production as possible will be on the home front. But what a journey, from start to finish. The canvas is made in Domnarvet’s tarpaulin factory. Tubes and couplings are made of sheet from SSAB; the couplings, which have been granted legal protection for the design, areproduced at Hydroforming Design Light (HDL) in Vansbro; the steel goes to Denmark to be slit, and then it goes to Norway where it is roll-formed and welded. Next the tubes are sent to the Roll Forming Centre in Fagersta where they are cut and all sharp edges are removed. The next stop is Tuna Lackering for varnishing, and the final stop is Vansbro at HDL, which packs and stocks the finished packages. DST makes the finished ground mounts of rebar from Peab.
The end of an intensive journey with many people involved is approaching. No one knows how it will go, but the UNHCR (the UN’s refugee agency) has contacted Formens Hus and asked them to complete an open specifications form. The request shows a clear interest in the extremely lightweight, flexible tent.