In the heart of Los Angeles’s Skid Row, where survival is the primary occupation, one resident has redefined shelter through sheer inventiveness. Using discarded materials most would overlook, he has constructed a private domain from cardboard and adhesive, challenging perceptions of what a home requires.
Sourcing Materials from the Urban Landscape
The construction began not with a purchase, but with a scavenger’s eye. The builder, whose name is often withheld for privacy, collected corrugated cardboard boxes from behind businesses and dumpsters throughout downtown Los Angeles. He specifically sought out larger, sturdier pieces from appliance stores, knowing their double-walled construction would provide critical structural integrity. This process of gathering materials was a daily endeavor, turning the city’s waste stream into a personal lumberyard. By 2023, he had amassed enough for his project, relying on industrial-strength glue, also found or donated, as his primary fastener.