1st Place at the 2009-2010 IIDA Student Competition

1. The Neighborhood: Refugee Housing for the 21st Century: Concept
A decade into the 21st Century and we as a global interconnected human civilization
stand on the brink of disaster. We have strained our resources and pushed the limits of this
planet’s atmospheric capacity to the edge, creating climate fluxes unprecedented in human
history. In addition, growing overpopulation is leading to climbing rates of social conflicts
around the globe. Coupled together these phenomena result in hundreds of thousands of
people displaced from their homes, given to vagrant wandering, hungry and isolated. In order
to meet the impending global influx of refugees, I have come up with a system of prefabricated
interlocking shelters. These shelters will not be limited to disaster zones and refugee camps,
but can be expanded to fit the needs of slum and shanty town dwellers from South‐East Asia to
South America.
I kept four main principles in mind when designing these housing units: Utility, Energy
Efficiency, Community, and Moral. Each one of these words encompasses a broader concept
which helped guide me through every step of the design process. Early on in the conceptual
design stage I realized that the needs of a slum dweller in Mumbai, and a Katrina survivor in
Louisiana (though having in common certain basic necessities), are very different. That is why
the overall design goal was to give the occupants of these housing units the ability to customize
their own environment and tailor it to their own unique requirements.
One of the main reasons situations where thousands of people are drawn together by
misfortune are so tense is that there is a large number of people with nothing to do. So to
address this problem; instead of bringing in crews of outside contractors to assemble refugee
shelters, I propose that these idle people be put to work building their own houses. That is the
reason why these shelters are made of a prefabricated and an easy‐to‐assemble set of parts.
Idling masses will be able to construct their own living environments and this will give them a
sense of ownership and belonging in a situation where they have lost everything, or never
owned anything at all.
The sleeping unit is designed to hold a family of four, but flexibility of space and
furniture allows for additional sleeping space if need be. Four sleeping units are attached to a
single living unit which includes 2 private bathrooms, a kitchen, a reading loft, and flexible
furniture. The furniture is designed to accommodate everything from large multifamily dinners
to work and relaxation. The living units can link together to tailor to the specific needs of the
communities which occupy the shelters. There is the possibility to create neighborhoods with
plazas, squares, enclosures, etc. Since the occupants better understand their own needs, the
idea is that the people will become their own city planners.
Another issue I made imperative as I designed these shelters was the need to be energy
independent. Each living unit is equipped with a solar panel, and all the living units have green
roofs. Also large windows provide natural light and ventilation throughout the living and
sleeping areas. My goal is to keep heating and cooling costs to a minimum, lower the cost of
lighting the space, and maybe get a viable agricultural output a few years into the building’s
deployment.

2. For many key parameters, the climate
system is already moving beyond the patterns of
natural variability within which our society and
economy have developed and thrived.
Recent observations show that societies are
highly vulnerable to even modest levels of climate
change, with poor nations and communities
particularly at risk.
An effective, well-funded adaptation safety
net is required for those people least capable of
coping with climate change impacts, and a
common but differentiated mitigation strategy is
needed to protect the poor and most vulnerable.
- Copenhagen Climate Change Summit 2009
COMMUNITY
Understanding that a basic human instinct is
the need for community and a sense of
belonging, these shelters can be arranged in
a plethora of configurations highlighting
exterior as well as interior gathering spaces.
HEALTH & MORAL
Carefully selected elements and colors are
designed to alleviate the stresses and tensions
that come with living in extremely close quarters
and abhorrent conditions such as are found in
refugee camps and slums around the world.
UTILITY
Efficient transportation, quick assembly,
and easy-to-use furniture and amenities
will make the deployment and use of these
shelters trivially simple without sacrificing
living standards.
ENERGY EFICIENCY
These structures are designed to require little to
no input from external energy sources.

3. BEDROOM UNIT
Floor to ceiling
windows allow
occupants to enjoy
natural lighting for
the majority of the
day.

4. Bedroom furniture is flexible
and able to accommodate
the day to day needs of the
occupants.
Compartmentalized sleeping
quarters allow for a degree of
privacy within the confines of a
small space.
Manufactured with
a pre-fabricated set
of parts for easy
transport, easy
assembly, and easy
transformation.

5. Living unit designed to
fold in on itself for easy
transport.
LIVING UNIT

6. Versatile furniture in the living unit
adapts to varying social as well as
practical situations.
Rotating kitchen inspired by Original
Circle Designes occupies a relatively
small space but includes everything one
would need undertake any cooking task.

7. Green roofs and PV panels allow the
structure to harvest the energy of the
sun in the form of physical sustenance
as well as raw electricity.
Pastel color scheme chosen to calm
the tense atmosphere that is
common when thousands of people
live in close quarters.
Doors fold as well as lift on both sides
allowing for a myriad of configurations
depending on the weather, occasion, and
personal preference.
Half-height second floor
serves as a go between
from the living unit to the
roof garden, and can be
used for many different
purposes such as reading
and relaxing as well as
ventilation.

8. CONNECTION
TO
Four bedroom units connect to one living
unit and can be configured into different
positions depending on the needs of the
occupants, terrain, orientation of the sun,
etc.

9. These emergency housing units
will allow thousands of people to
live in close proximity yet relative
comfort while keeping them more
or less energy independent, aiding
the global humanitarian effort
which we must undertake in the
coming years to avert suffering by
millions of people around the
world.
The units can be configured in a plethora of different
patterns and are able to adapt perfectly to many different
disaster situations.