Posted: May 2nd, 2015

How are contemporary designers and architects addressing the short and medium term needs of people requiring emergency and refugee shelter? What are the key considerations for designing these kinds of dwellings for the short and medium-terms? Compare and

How are contemporary designers and architects addressing the short and medium term needs of people requiring emergency and refugee shelter? What are the key considerations for designing these kinds of dwellings for the short and medium-terms? Compare and

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How are contemporary designers and architects addressing the short and medium term needs of people requiring emergency and refugee shelter? What are the key considerations for designing these kinds of dwellings for the short and medium-terms? Compare and contrast three different designs for emergency or refugee shelter that have been used in the field. At least one example should be a short term solution for the first weeks of displacement and at least one should be accommodation for a period of one to five years or longer.
[Used ‘in the field’ means that they have been inhabited by real users.]

Set reading (compulsory)
– Antonelli, P. (2005). Safe: Design Takes on Risk. New York: MOMA, New York.
– Architecture for Humanity (Eds.) (2006) Design like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises. London: Thames & Hudson.
– Bell, B. & Wakeford, K. (Eds.) (2008). Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism. New York: Metropolis.
– http://inhabitat.com/ (This site has a number of useful sources located through search terms ‘refugee’ and ‘emergency shelter’.)
– Fitrianto, A. (2011). Learning from Aceh, in M. Aquilino (Ed.) Beyond Shelter: Architecture for Crisis. London: Thames & Hudson.
– Quinejure, P. Director). (2010). Shigeru Ban: An Architect for Emergencies [DVD]. New York.
– UNHCR. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646cf2.html

Recommended
McQuaid, M. (2003). Shigeru Ban. London: Phaidon. [Especially chapter on ‘Paper’, pp.28-47.]

You are required to;
-Read all the set readings (compulsory) and refer to them in your discussion.
-Research independently, finding your own texts (at least 2) including relevant scholarly journal articles, online sources and books.
-Find relevant examples of design or media to discuss the topic/answer the question.
-Structure a coherent argument with an introduction, a discussion referring to your chosen examples and a conclusion.
-Express your own ideas on the topic.
-Use in-text references to acknowledge the source of researched ideas and significant information. These must relate to the texts in your reference list (bibliography).
-Provide illustrations with a one-sentence caption and the source in a bracket.
-Practice good sentence and paragraph construction and use proper punctuation. (Spellcheck and Grammarcheck make this easier.)