"ATM HOTEL - A five star shelter for a cold Winter" addresses issues of housing and homelessness in the city of Lisbon, by making us reflect on the use of public spaces. By ironically proposing a special card for homeless people, we are faced with the urgency of pursuing creative solutions for social issues.

According to recent news, there are around 900 homeless in Lisbon. On winter’s coldest days, to sleep on the streets is to take the chance of suffering of hypothermia. Several entities seek to re-enforce the distribution of blankets and clothes, hot food and drinks, an effort that reveals to be insufficient. But, in the city, there are indoor spaces likely to be used by the homeless on the cold nights. Those spaces are the ATM booths. These money containers, during the night, have hardly any movement, are constantly warm and can represent an almost luxurious shelter for the homeless. Consequently, CabraCega.org, a creative studio based in Lisbon, has created a golden ATM Hotel to be developed in partnership with banks, allowing homeless to access the ATM indoor spaces. 

The main goal of this project is to rise multiple questions regarding the homeless conditions and needs, the way we share space with these people evoking public and private space, and also the possibility to have institutional spaces playing more active social roles, even if only temporarily.