Easily constructed, the innovative design can resist strong winds, costs less than 700 yuan (US$102) and can provide shelter for up to 12 people for a year.

Through a network of passionate and supportive Shanghai residents, the I Bought a Shelter organization was born and has raised more than 150,000 yuan towards providing earthquake shelter.

Cardew says he hopes the organization can adapt the design to local conditions so it can provide fast, effective, practical shelter for victims of natural disasters.

Resplendent in a pair of big white wellington boots and wielding a vintage camera to capture various city scenes, Cardew cuts a striking figure.

Sitting on a sidewalk and discussing his creations over a bowl of lamian (noodles), Cardew delights at the weird and wonderful sights passing by on the road.

"I get my ideas from different and unexpected places. Sometimes I just sit on a street corner and an idea will come to me from watching people," he says.

Cardew arrived in Shanghai in 2006 after being offered a job designing for a premium corporate gift company.

Prior to coming to Shanghai, Cardew was trained as a product designer at Central St Martins.

His decision to study at the prestigious London college of art came after a stint teaching ceramic pot making at a historic Greek villa and museum in Southern France. He had previously studied ceramics for a year.

Making things runs in the family, says Cardew, who at the age of 15 designed a "giraffe unicycle" - a 1.83-meter-tall unicycle in which the rider is hoisted onto the seat.