Quality of life is a big topic and with growing cities and increased travelling, it becomes an always bigger challenge. Urban oases, hubs to where to escape, are an important component to find balance in our hectic lives.

This aspect led to the SLEEP BOX created by Russian architecture firm Arch Group. This is a unit of seven-feet-deep and nine-feet-high made for people on the go to sleep in. Beds (a maximum of three), bedside tables, electrical outlets, and reading lamps come standard in the Sleepboxes, but they can also be outfitted to include WiFi, televisions, and an alarm clock. In all, they’re cosy little temporary homes to use until you reach your real home. The first Sleepbox is now up and running in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

There are a lot of ways to create a 21^st century oasis, it can involve architecture with a roof terrace and swimming pool overlooking the skyline or it can be group-specific as done by IKEA by offering a crèche for men to escape a shopping tour. This “sacred space” makes the difference of living and working in big environments. One can even here apply the Pareto principle, the law of the vital few, as the comparable small amount of urban oases increases the quality of life inappropriately compared to the huge area of urban infrastructure.

Oases are vital not only in the desert but also in the city with the function to care for, repair and regenerate our strength. Forward thinking people understand the profit of it.