Construction and materials group Holcim has announced a collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation at the 2023 Venice Biennale to develop a model for essential housing. Titled the Essential Homes Research Project, the model is intended to “provide safety, comfort, and well-being for displaced communities.”

The project is to be unveiled at the Time Space Existence exhibition organized by the European Cultural Center during the biennale, which will include the display of a real-size prototype in the Marinaressa Gardens. The prototype will be supported by an exhibition hosted in the Palazzo Mora, reflecting on the Biennale’s overall theme “The Laboratory of the Future.”

“Natural and manmade disasters create a continuous exodus of people seeking instant shelter,” said Norman Foster in a statement. “Traditionally tents or variations on them are the primary response, offering scant protection from the elements. How can we do better? During the Venice Biennale, we show our work-in-progress on this idea — it is the outcome of a few months of intensive activity in collaboration with Holcim.”

The Essential Homes Research Project prototype will also contain a series of building solutions developed by Holcim, including low-carbon concrete providing a primary structure, and permeable concrete to allow rain flow to soil and groundwater.

News of the collaboration comes weeks after Foster + Partners completed Apple’s first flagship store in India. The firm has also recently revealed a vertical take-off and landing terminal concept for Dubai, and a station for the California High-Speed Rail infrastructure project.