If you’ve ever driven down an expressway, you’ve probably encountered more than a few billboard advertisements. Everything from nightlife to retail stores and national treasures are highlighted on your way towards your destination.
But one architectural design firm in Slovakia is taking billboards to the next level and catering to a different demographic. And it’s a move that we think should be replicated here in the United States.
Design Develop has created The Gregory Project — an initiative to turn these common billboard advertisements into shelters for the homeless.
These roadside billboards will almost look like studio apartments — containing one room with an entrance hall, kitchen with a small desk and a raised bed with room for storage underneath. The second room will be a bathroom for residents. According to ADWEEK, darkness won’t be a problem because these homes will already be wired for electricity, given that lights illuminate billboards at night.
The ad space will also help offset the cost of construction. According to Gregory Project’s website, “Such an object would need just a minimal maintenance cost which could be partially paid through the rental of its advert space.”
In a country where 610,042 people are experiencing homelessness on any given night (according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness), such a project could help those without a roof over their head receive the shelter they need. And while we typically think that the country should have less advertising — not more — this is one ad campaign that we can certainly get behind.
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