^ might very well be, hippos are very dangerous. part of the problem is that many rural Africans have superstitious beliefs regarding the crocodile and many fatalities go reported as people just disappearing.
My point was that some places have inherent dangers that need to be taken into account.
@Volunteer - you tell me how does your history and culture matters when you're between life and death crossing different political boarders and natural territories seeking survival? it is FIRST AID unit and should be flexible to move with movement of the population fleeing away from danger and seeking a safe place to hide, it is also used in construction sites rather that building an uneffecient units of brick and then destroy it, or in summer camps... this unit has many advantages.. it allow a sense of ownership, it is flexible and can be carried easily to anywhere and then deployed in the desired configuration in relation with the desired use, it cost less than transitional shelters and definitely less than construction/ reconstruction a structures that would be demolished at later time (like in case of the construction site or the displaced population camp).. it is efficient and it react to human needs...etc
@z1111- thank you, on the contrary I appreciate the suggestions ... I would say NO to local materials because the unit is to be prefabricated and distributed as a first aid unit.. again , there is difference between transitional shelter and first aid deployable shelter.. I understand that this kind of projects is not common, that's why most of you imagine it as a transitional shelter.. just imagine it as an industrial design engineered project.. as for the portable water, sanitary, energy, micro climate etc.. I'm considering that.. and on the contrary of what you thought, form is really not my goal though geometry is (mathematical geometrical studies to achieve the optimum deplyment and the different the flexibility of this small space ...
@curtkram- architecture is to design buildings? well I don't know about that, it can be your point of view, but for me .. I can't quite describe it in few words, but it certainly not limited to buildings design.. it is everything.. it is the problem and the solution! .. now I feel like this profession need to be re-defined, today's architecture doesn't quite work for the future...
The type of shelter necessary is going to be quite different if the refugees are from a disaster in the Aleutians, the South Pacific, or the Middle East. If you are designing a camp that will be permanent to house a turnover in population it is even more imperative that you relate to the place where the camp is constructed. If you are designing shelters to be moved with the refugees it seems like tents are the only practical solution and those are pretty much limited by the climate that is expected to be encountered. You are going to reinvent the tent? if roads exist to move anything else why not go with the travel trailers? FEMA has about ten thousand sitting around unused in storage lots.
z1111- it is not a "what if" it is something happening that the camp lasts for decades and become part of the city or a city of itself.. I saw that a lot in Jordan..
Non,
sorry, I'll not be able to directly express my thoughts and ideas on a forum.. .. but a promise I'll share here the final results... so if they were bad, and if it don't add anything to what already exist, then I'd be the most horrible student in the world... anyways, I have the entire coming semester :p
Those examples are still very much "tent" like. Some are just more designed than others. The real question is how you justify spending money on new, prefab, un-tested structures when the cost of one unit will probably serve thousands if spent on existing methods (ie regular tents)
I've done a roughly financial study.. you might not believe but the cost of these units reach $ 30 k, and it starts with a $ 500 for cheap tents that need to be changed every couple of weeks and can't take harsh climatic conditions..not even a rain.. . what's really happening in camps is that they start slowly to replace the tents with more permanent dwellings.. a transitional shelter that can be dismantled.. to a brick construction etc... this unit is more durable, not to mention it's more human... it saves all the money of replacing the tents, transitional shelters (which hell will cost more that this unit) until the reconstruction/construction phase of their permanent dwellings is finished or until the country would have decided where this refugees must go.. the units will still be usable.. a family can pack their unit and store it or give it away to another homeless or refugee people .. which actually give a message to host governments "don't hush us and keep us in this camp, we have our units, it is strong as your cheap brick and we can move them anywhere, you need to give us a real permanent houses and integrate us with your people" ... noting that in Jordan, Palestinian camps in the 67 are still camps today built as permanent slums..
that's a very good question.. need to think carefully of it
The Wall Street Journal has an article today on one of the camps in Jordan with a photo. The family units looks like the metal garden storage structures you see at Lowes and Home Depot except they were all white (including the roofs). There seems to be a larger community place for serving meals and another community place for bathing. The units were not lined up in absolutely even rows so it was not visually overpowering. My sense in reading the article was the refugees were no doubt psychologically traumatized but their physical needs were being cared for. It was at half full of it's 29,000 capacity.
I need to reach out for refugees or displaced people to interview and survey
"Crocodiles kill more people in Africa than any other animal"
National Geographic says it's the chubby hippo.
^ might very well be, hippos are very dangerous. part of the problem is that many rural Africans have superstitious beliefs regarding the crocodile and many fatalities go reported as people just disappearing.
My point was that some places have inherent dangers that need to be taken into account.
@Volunteer - you tell me how does your history and culture matters when you're between life and death crossing different political boarders and natural territories seeking survival? it is FIRST AID unit and should be flexible to move with movement of the population fleeing away from danger and seeking a safe place to hide, it is also used in construction sites rather that building an uneffecient units of brick and then destroy it, or in summer camps... this unit has many advantages.. it allow a sense of ownership, it is flexible and can be carried easily to anywhere and then deployed in the desired configuration in relation with the desired use, it cost less than transitional shelters and definitely less than construction/ reconstruction a structures that would be demolished at later time (like in case of the construction site or the displaced population camp).. it is efficient and it react to human needs...etc
@z1111- thank you, on the contrary I appreciate the suggestions ... I would say NO to local materials because the unit is to be prefabricated and distributed as a first aid unit.. again , there is difference between transitional shelter and first aid deployable shelter.. I understand that this kind of projects is not common, that's why most of you imagine it as a transitional shelter.. just imagine it as an industrial design engineered project.. as for the portable water, sanitary, energy, micro climate etc.. I'm considering that.. and on the contrary of what you thought, form is really not my goal though geometry is (mathematical geometrical studies to achieve the optimum deplyment and the different the flexibility of this small space ...
@curtkram- architecture is to design buildings? well I don't know about that, it can be your point of view, but for me .. I can't quite describe it in few words, but it certainly not limited to buildings design.. it is everything.. it is the problem and the solution! .. now I feel like this profession need to be re-defined, today's architecture doesn't quite work for the future...
sorry for the long talk..
The type of shelter necessary is going to be quite different if the refugees are from a disaster in the Aleutians, the South Pacific, or the Middle East. If you are designing a camp that will be permanent to house a turnover in population it is even more imperative that you relate to the place where the camp is constructed. If you are designing shelters to be moved with the refugees it seems like tents are the only practical solution and those are pretty much limited by the climate that is expected to be encountered. You are going to reinvent the tent? if roads exist to move anything else why not go with the travel trailers? FEMA has about ten thousand sitting around unused in storage lots.
"You are going to reinvent the tent?" YES! .. trust me
"if roads exist to move anything else why not go with the travel trailers? FEMA has about ten thousand sitting around unused in storage lots." ..
then why the roads just can't take these people with it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubGhzVdnhQw
The tent has not changed much in the last few thousand years... hard to see how you think you can reinvent it.
Zaina,
One other thing to reflect on.
What if this camp doesn't last a few months or even three years, but decades, and becomes a permanent settlement?
Non,
it is not true, they've been trying..
http://inhabitat.com/reaction-housing-system-a-rapid-response-flat-pak-emergency-shelter/exo-reaction-housing-system-easy-to-assemble-flat-pack-emergency-shelter-14/
http://www.tuvie.com/lifelink-modular-shelter-for-various-disaster-situations/
http://www.tuvie.com/haven-rapid-deployment-temporary-shelter-system/
http://molodesign.com/
http://www.dezeen.com/2008/09/19/swas-tent-by-tie-fan/
http://www.abeerseikaly.com/weavinghome.php
and hundreds of other examples.. (those are the simplest) I've also looked into deplyable structures applications in aerospace, military.. etc
z1111- it is not a "what if" it is something happening that the camp lasts for decades and become part of the city or a city of itself.. I saw that a lot in Jordan..
Non,
sorry, I'll not be able to directly express my thoughts and ideas on a forum.. .. but a promise I'll share here the final results... so if they were bad, and if it don't add anything to what already exist, then I'd be the most horrible student in the world... anyways, I have the entire coming semester :p
Zaina,
Those examples are still very much "tent" like. Some are just more designed than others. The real question is how you justify spending money on new, prefab, un-tested structures when the cost of one unit will probably serve thousands if spent on existing methods (ie regular tents)
Non,
I've done a roughly financial study.. you might not believe but the cost of these units reach $ 30 k, and it starts with a $ 500 for cheap tents that need to be changed every couple of weeks and can't take harsh climatic conditions..not even a rain.. . what's really happening in camps is that they start slowly to replace the tents with more permanent dwellings.. a transitional shelter that can be dismantled.. to a brick construction etc... this unit is more durable, not to mention it's more human... it saves all the money of replacing the tents, transitional shelters (which hell will cost more that this unit) until the reconstruction/construction phase of their permanent dwellings is finished or until the country would have decided where this refugees must go.. the units will still be usable.. a family can pack their unit and store it or give it away to another homeless or refugee people .. which actually give a message to host governments "don't hush us and keep us in this camp, we have our units, it is strong as your cheap brick and we can move them anywhere, you need to give us a real permanent houses and integrate us with your people" ... noting that in Jordan, Palestinian camps in the 67 are still camps today built as permanent slums..
that's a very good question.. need to think carefully of it
^ a good answer that defines your scope.
The Wall Street Journal has an article today on one of the camps in Jordan with a photo. The family units looks like the metal garden storage structures you see at Lowes and Home Depot except they were all white (including the roofs). There seems to be a larger community place for serving meals and another community place for bathing. The units were not lined up in absolutely even rows so it was not visually overpowering. My sense in reading the article was the refugees were no doubt psychologically traumatized but their physical needs were being cared for. It was at half full of it's 29,000 capacity.
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