It seems that a pair of engineers in London who are persuing their master’s degree have come up with an idea for a building-in-a-bag. The article over at wired.com explains that the idea is to have “a sack of cement-impregnated fabric. To erect the structure, all you have to do is add water to the bag and inflate it with air. Twelve hours later the Nissen-shaped shelter is dried out and ready for use. ”

This idea has huge potential for any situation where sturdy shelter is needed and needed soon. Such as war zones and areas ravaged by a natural disaster.

Aid agency chiefs have been impressed by the simplicity and economy of the idea. A bag weighing 230 kilograms (approximately 500 pounds) inflates into a shelter with 16 square meters (172 square feet) of floor space. Cost is estimated at £1,100 ($2,100), while an equivalent-size Portakabin (a type of portable building widely used in the United Kingdom) costs about £4,000 ($7,700). The same-size tent costs about £600 ($1,150).

The comparative cost and ease of use are substantial. This is one inovation in the area of concrete use that has great potential to help out in a lot of ways all over the world.