An Introductory Research leading to the Thesis Proposal
SHELTER ‘in transition’ The journey of displaced communities from emergency to permanent shelters.
Aakanksha Hule | 10757801 Thematic Research Seminar
The Global Architect
Professors: Gaia Caramellino, Pierre-Alain Croset Assistants: Leonardo Zuccaro Nicole de Togni, Alberto Guena MSc in Architecture and Urban Design 2021-2022
“Ours [the twentieth century] has been the century of departure, of migration, of exodus of disappearance, the century of people helplessly seeing others, who were close to them, disappear over the horizon” (John Berger)
Fig. i: Refugee camps around the world (Humanity, 2006)
Table of Content
Table of Content
Abstract 1. Introduction
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2. Timeline of a Refugee (explains the transition of housing in camps)
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3. Trasitional or Temporary? (Research: State of the art)
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3.1 Design by refugee 3.1.1-UNHCR tents 3.1.2-Tents around world
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3.2 Design for refugee 3.2.1-Modular design 3.2.2-Transitional shelters
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4. Transition to what? (Research: State of the art)
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5. An attempt to move towards Stability
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5.1 Conclusion 5.2 Methodology 5.3 Design proposal 6. Bibliography 7. List of Figures
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Abstract
Abstract
“Homes are places which change all the time; we grow up in them, we leave them, create new ones, and sometimes lose and recreate them,” People have always been fleeing, escaping, or leaving their homes to re-establish themselves in new settlements. In the most recent years however due to factors like conflicts, climate change, natural disaster the number of people that have been re-settling has drastically increased. UNHCR over the years has developed a standard emergency shelter kit that is easy to build but doesn’t prove durable on the long run. A shelter made for displaced people usually go through various stages. This research aims to focus on the evolution from emergency shelter to transitional shelter as most of the camps that are aimed to be temporary can span decades. Such camps have the most influx of design interventions by architects who aim at making the shelters more efficient, durable, and comfortable. The importance of creating places for refugees to live in that are more than simply shelters against the weather has increasingly become a topic for designers and architects, and for humanitarian organizations like UNHCR and the UN migration agency. Although they must tackle the same problem of temporary housing there are various approaches taken based on the location, climate, materials, construction techniques, economy.
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Some focus more on vernacular design that includes building with the community itself and learning their techniques (e.g. Sand Shelter, Iraq funded by UNHCR) where as some focus more on the cost and the materials that are easily available (e.g.: RE:Built by Pilosio Building Peace org. in Jordan) and a few aim for a modular design that can be prefabricated (e.g.: HEX Housing model prototype). And most projects are developed because of support from various transnational organisations either in the form of
Abstract
This is the main interest of the study, a comparative study to try and understand the shelters through the various techniques used, the habitant’s reaction and adaptability to these structures, cost, efficiency, ease, along with trying to trace the global influences that affect the design thinking, etc. And figuring out if emergency shelters can be transformed into transitional ones by the inhabitants. This would hopefully lead to a design proposal that focus on detailing one such prototype shelter developed based on the understanding of this research from the point of view of circular economy and regenerative sustainability that can respond to natural or humanitarian disaster. A shelter which would over time be transformed into a more permanent shelter using the local materials available.
Fig ii. Formality and Informality in Calais Jungle refugee camp (alijazeera.com)
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Abstract
Introduction
What happens to the community once they are displaced? How do they cope with the uncertainties after arrival at a new place? What kind of shelter design options are available now? How did the international collaboration affect the design and execution of the project, and does that involvement go beyond simply providing funds for the project? At what stages were the UN agencies involved? Are the inhabitants involved on the design of their own shelter? Can emergency shelters be transformed into a permanent one? How does international collaboration reflect on materiality and approach taken by the architects? And when does a shelter become a ‘HOME’? There are many questions that come to mind, once we try to understand shelter used in camps. Hopefully through this research and critical analysis they can be answered. The starting point of which was understanding if the shelter was temporary or transitional. Further in the essay the first chapter tries to explain the timeline and terminologies of housing for refugee in camps. Then we move on to the question of whether the shelters are temporary or in transition and discuss case studies that explain these two terms. Lastly what happened to these shelters after their lifecycle is over, how are they dealt with? “All the camps I have seen were all horrible, all grey. With the same materials and the same budget, it is possible to design a place, not just a shelter. Simply by using colour, for example, designers can break the monotony. Colour has a deep impact in our subconscious.” Raul Pantaleo (MacGregor, 2017) 6
Introduction
Timeline of a Refugee
According to recent figures by the UNHCR(United Nations Higher Commission for Refugee) there are over 60 million displaced from their homes around the world with only 20.7m under the UNHCR mandate and 5.7 under UNRWA(United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine refugees in the near east) and over 48M IDP(Internally Displaced People ) (Figures at a Glance, 2021). Refugees need ‘shelter’ to survive until such time as they can return ‘home’. The UNHCR tent has become the first sign of relief work carried out in the time of a disaster or crisis. This tent has been irreplaceable as an emergency shelter for years and for obvious reasons. When they leave their home in case of an emergency refugees are forced to settle in a new environment away from the community in a new place with very little support starting from a tent and then slowly moving on to a temporary shelter, then temporary housing and hopefully returned to a permanent home. Often these shelters are in isolation from the local communities, clustered together in refugee camps where they depend upon aid assistance to sustain them. Most refugee camps are intended to be temporary but end up lasting for years. As the inhabitants make do with what material is available, improving shelter as much as possible while they wait for a better solution. Time is an important element which defines the living conditions in a camp, even though journey begins with a simple tarp tent overtime they move into a transitional shelter which can provide a little bit more stability and protection from the weather. Aid and relief provided in their host country also depends on the type of recipient, for example a displaced person does not just need a shelter but also needs assistance to re-establish his life. Apart from the immediate need for shelter reconstruction can only be offered once land rights are established. As a result, the affected people might not receive timely assistance, and end up liv-
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Timeline of a Refugee
ing in a tent far beyond the shelter’s life expectancy. One of the difficulties faced by relief organizations in areas of conflict is finding a balance between a host community’s desire to prevent refugee camps from becoming permanent communities and the needs of refugees for income generation and community building. (Humanity, 2006) Among the obstructions face by the displaced the lack of land and tenancy, leads to host countries unwillingness to let refugee camps last for long as camps are founded around a village close to the border with food and water supply on someone’s land (Browne, 1998). The constant loom of camp evacuation also keeps the housing option as temporary as possible. As here are comparatively fewer opportunists for design or implementing shelter or reconstruction, few agencies have shelter department or full-time specialists withing staff which leads to a lack of knowledge and aid capacity in shelter compared to other sectors. (Collins, Corsellis, & Vitale, 2010) “In our business it’s really difficult to say, ‘I have something new, and let’s replace [the old version].’ The tent we have now has been under surveillance for 20 years. This is a newborn baby.” (Ghassem Fardanesh, senior physical planner, UNHCR). Common perception for aid and relief is shelter is humanitarian and lifesaving, whereas reconstruction is linked to development and recovery. Hence the assistance to reconstruction begins months later whereas the affected population begin to recover material and stabilize shelter from day one with inconsistent support and insufficient consultation leading to inappropriate housing that can cause vulnerability of those affected. These structures deteriorate and turn into permanent poor-quality housing, creating slums. (Humanity, 2006)
Fig 2.1. Schematic representation of evolution of refugee shelter
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“We need buildings which fulfil their task today and will do so tomorrow, which, in other words, do not age in adhering to their forms and this becomes a drag upon the economy as well as the visual environment. But in order to build adaptably we must try to build as lightly, as movably, as possible and with the greatest perfection technically available”. Frei Otto and Peter Stromeyer, American Institute of Architects’ Journal, 1961
Timeline of a Refugee
Transitional or Temporary?
Quarantelli in 1982 noted the absence of specific vocabulary to describe shelter and housing. He defined four categories to define accommodation to be used after a disaster or a conflict: emergency shelter, temporary shelter, temporary housing, and permanent housing. The line between temporary shelter and temporary housing is quite blurred but the main distinction is the amount of time the accommodation will be used for and the kind of activities that are developed in it. He also distinguished shelter from housing in which he describes housing as a place to resume the household responsibilities and activities. So that implies temporary housing as temporary accommodation with better facilities then a tented shelter in which families resume activities and routines for days or years, but not intending it to be permanent. But there have been many conflicting opinions about temporary housing as it is expensive and attracts funding from permanent housing (Quarantelli, 1982). Since the early 1990s the term ‘transitional’ was increasingly used to signify shelter as an ongoing process, which is modified by the inhabitants as and when required. ‘Transitional shelter’ which was soon considered a more durable option was defined as ‘shelter which provides a habitable covered living space and a secure, healthy living environment, with privacy and dignity, to those within it, during the period between a conflict or a natural disaster and the achievement of a durable shelter solution’ (Corsellis, 2005). This interim stage can be eliminated if there is a strong pre and post disaster planning, but that rarely occurs in the case of those displaced by conflict. None the less, when people are displaced the camps that sprawl up the inhabitants add their own touch with their use as the time goes by, which reflects their culture and old home. Keeping this is mind the shelters and camp design that are further studies have been categorised in two
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Transitional or Temporary?
broad terms the shelters that grew out of necessity, which refugee made as a response to the new location ’Design by refugee”. Or the aid provided by various architects over time that has resulted in various design for what a shelter should look like ’Design for refugee’, to understand which design approach proves to be more useful. Design by Refugee Majority of refugee camps are still marked by the UNHCR tents as they are easily deployable, relatively durable, and effective against weather and can be set up in a matter of hours. Seen from the examples most of the shelters built by the inhabitants are a mixture of local building techniques as seen in ‘Tukul Shelter’ (UNHCR, 2016) and the materials provided by the joint effort of UN agencies and various NGO’s or at time the host government. These materials range from thatch cladding as seen in ‘Wooden gable frame shelter’ (Ashmore, Shelter Project, 2008) to canvas sheets and plastic tarps which are used as a waterproofing layer in ‘Tuareg tent’. (UNHCR, 2016) The interactive maps of ‘Refugee republic’ gives an idea of the life in refugee camps and how the temporary shelters are modified over time to fit the inhabitants needs. But these camps tend to be filled with same modules of shelters, which at times lack adequate community space and architecture required without the intervention of aid organisations. 3.1.1. UNHCR frame tent 3.1.2. UNHCR family tent 3.1.3. UNHCR self-standing family tent 3.1.4. Wooden gable frame shelter 3.1.5. Tuareg Shelter 3.1.6. Tukul Shelter 3.1.7. Eritrea - 1998 onwards – Conflict (shelter design 2008) 3.1.8. Sri Lanka - 2004 – Tsunami (shelter design 2008) 3.1.9. Afghanistan – 2009-12 - Conflict returnees 3.1.10.Somalia - 2008 – Conflict (shelter design 2008) 3.1.11.Burkina Faso – 2012 – Conflict (shelter design 2012) 3.1.12.Ethiopia – 2011 – Sudanese Conflict (shelter design2012) 3.1.13.Ethiopia – 2012 – Conflict and Drought (shelter design 2012,27) 3.1.14.Kenya (Dadaab) – 2011 – Famine / Conflict (shelter design 2012,48) 3.1.15.Somalia – 2011 – Famine / Conflict (shelter design 2012,89) 3.1.16.BOLD Darfur
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3.1.2.
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Transitional or Temporary?
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Transitional or Temporary? 12
Design for refugee In the field of post conflicts and post disaster reconstructions architects are not the first responders they are the teams of medics and relief workers. Architects have an established role, who’s job is reserved for reconstruction, to rebuild the housing, essential services that were disrupted and destroyed. Provided the funding from donors can be maintained, which is often not the case. (Charlesworth, 2006) The case studies that signify different approaches taken by architects will be studied in this chapter. The projects have been selected for ingenuity in resourcefulness and diversity displayed in the design process as well as the construction techniques. The focus was also on the collaboration between various international organisations that took place to make the shelters work. The case studies will be investigated for their positive qualities like concepts, application, strategies but also for the negative aspects. Each project will be studies within a common framework of categories like materials, cultural acceptance, durability, cost, construction, improvement aspects. Perhaps the most important and the most difficult to aspect of evaluation for case studies will be understanding the reaction that inhabitants have to these shelters. These case studies are not intended to describe every aspect of the project’s design, manufacture but to concentrate on specific features that will help improve the understanding of approach taken by the architect and the opportunities, benefits, responsibilities, and limitations to keep in mind while considering shelter design. Modular shelters: 3.2.1. Habi Hut 3.2.2. Life Cube 3.2.3. Shelter Box 3.2.4. IKEA Modular Shelter 3.2.5. Hex House 3.2.6.Abir Saykali’s – Wooven shelter 3.2.7. Suri Shelter 3.2.8.Fare studio – Deployable shelter 3.2.9. Beta module Transitional shelters:3.2.10. Paper log house, Shigeru ban 3.2.11. Sand Bag shelter 3.2.12. Toyo ito – Home for all 3.2.13. Re: Built Shelter Jordon. 3.2.14. Groovyyurts
product compe architecture socialize library shop jobs ons 11
3.2.1
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Transitional or Temporary?
home > architecture > shigeru ban constructs paper new log house in the philippines
shigeru ban constructs paper log house in the philippines architecture
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3.2.4.
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for adver sing, business proposals, cop
3.2.6.
shigeru ban constructs paper log house in the philippines all images courtesy of shigeru ban architects
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3.2.9. following the devasta on of typhoon haiyan (locally known as yolanda) which hit the philippines in november 2013, shigeru ban conceived a temporary ‘paper log house’ for vic ms of the natural disaster. the pritzker prize winner is known for his architectural prac ce that is strongly involved in humanitarian efforts, par cularly the development of affordable dwellings and other community structures that can be erected in short periods of me, to assist those who have been affected by adverse events as a result extreme weather condi ons.
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3.2.10. a community of paper log houses were built in cebu, philippines
ban’s previous ‘paper log house’ projects carried out in countries such as india and turkey, were complicated construc ons that were me-consuming to build at high volumes. for the scheme in the philippines, the japanese architect employed connec on techniques similar to those used in his paper par on system – developed for crea ng divisions and privacy within evacua on centers – to simplify the design’s overall framework, and ensure shorter fabrica on periods.
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Transition to what?
Transitional to what?
“Shelter is meant to be something temporary, but permanence is always relative – both materially and socially. It is materially relative because all permanent buildings decay and deteriorate, while so-called temporary shelters may in fact last for decades. It is socially relative because it is very difficult to declare when something has become permanent. How do any of us really know when we have found a permanent place to stay? When do we declare that we have found a place we can call home?” (Scott-Smith, 2020)
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Most of the shelters selected for the study, project a level of community involvement, and incremental modification over time when used by inhabitants to reflect their culture and needs. The physical characteristics of the house was an important factor responsible for making the change., these extensions at times are better than those of original house, and anyone who has a space to modify will do so as the duration of stay gets extended. (Tipple, Masters, & Garrod, 2000). These changes create a variety in the formal shelter provided in camps in terms of size of the shelter, occupancy, tenure, use. Its is an attempt to create a place to call home in this temporary situation that at times can last for decades. But what happens to these shelters once the temporary stay has come to an end? in a time when local governments are trying to limit the number of people occupying a camp to reduce the consumption of their natural resources. Some researchers have tried to find secondary purpose of these temporary shelters, that include passive measures like renting them out to other families or converting them to assume other community-based function, but long-term use can turn problematic as it could lead to illegal occupancy and be misused. Some of the active measures include the option of dismantling the shelters and reusing it
Transition to what?
during further disaster, but its inefficient from the standpoint of resources and reuse could incur additional costs (Johnson, 2007). Or the shelter can be dismantled, and raw materials can be sold to procure some if the initial cost incurred, which could provide a monetary advantage as the inhabitants are embarking on a new journey. In many cases the camp has been evolving for such a considerable amount of time, that even if the initial conflict is to subside it has become so permanent that it would be impossible to evacuate, in such cases the host community might gradually move in, or the entire city can be abandoned if the community s forced out. Although there is an open-ended question as to what happens after the lifecycle of the shelter has surpassed, it is evident that most of the shelter built at the beginning on the emergency tend to get extended for way beyond their limits as the camps which are considered temporary last for years. It is important to realize that these solutions fail to take into account the reality of refugee cities (Slater, 2014)
Fig 4.1. Interactive site represnets the lives in camp (Refugee Republic)
Fig 4.2. Interactive site represnets the lives in camp (Refugee Republic)
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An Attempt to move towards Stability
An attempt to move towards Stability
“The minimum standards of performance, for what can be referred to as an adequate emergency shelter, have not been determined. Until such time that standards are determined, the aid community will continue to respond either inadequately, or more likely too late, with expensive temporary and inappropriate homes.” (Browne, 1998) This research aims at understanding the current discourse on the solutions available for housing for displaced and try to analyse how international co-operations reflects on the different approaches taken by architects and the effects it has on the materiality and design. Should the design and construction of shelter, even in emergencies be based on local materials, indigenous technologies, or the careful adaptation of imported and non-traditional methods and materials? “Make sure not to ask yourself, has it got to be modern architecture or local architecture, because those who ask this question demonstrate that they have not understood the problem … Conversely you must not believe that solutions that would be mere imitations of the past would solve the problem” (Leconte, 1941, cited in Diefendorf, 1990: 43) (Charlesworth, 2006)
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As evident from the cases studied, one school of thought is that relief and aid should also plan for the longer term, which can lead to higher cost solution and higher technology. This leads to little involvement from the intended recipient, it usually arrives later than the emergency phase and requires relocation from the original tent shelters and leave little room for modification and personalisation. The second approach involves self help and minimal intervention. The main aim being to support and sustain life, and not to interfere too much to avoid dependency on re-
Methodology Further study will be carried out in understand the case studies in detail, if possible, by contacting the architecture firms and conducting interviews. With main emphasis on trying to understand their mindset during design, process of funding, their interactions with various agencies that led to shelter design and feedback that was received by the people finally inhabiting the shelter. Simultaneously more research will be carried out about design for disassembly, which will be used during design. Design proposal The design proposal intends to provide a solution, that can help improve the emergency shelter to a transition one with provision to grow. A shelter that is Upgradable, Reusable, Relocatable, Resalable, Recyclable and can be evolved from a framework of UNHCR tent. One that has the ability to adapt to another climate and not just function in the global south. The shelter will be designed using the principle of design for disassemble so that it can be disassembled and reused/sold once the need is fulfilled. As to the question of where this project will be materialised, there are three situations: In post conflict places, In places of ongoing conflict, or in place of a potential conflict.
An Attempt to move towards Stability
lief and change desire to return home.
Fig 5.1. Elemental’s Quinta Monroy Housing project (Before use)
Fig 5.1. Elemental’s Quinta Monroy Housing project (After use)
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Bibliography
Bibliography Cited Ashmore, J. (2008). Shelter Project. UN-HABITAT. Ashmore, J. (2012). Shelter Projects 2010. IFRC, UNHABITAT, UNHCR. Ashmore, J. (2013). Shelter Projects 2011–2012. IFRC, UN-HABITAT and UNHCR. Ban, S. (2014). Shigeru Ban: Humanitarian Architecture. Aspen: Aspen Art Museum. Browne, G. (1998). Shelter not Homes - Appropriate Emergency Relief. In R. Kronenburg, & T. Davies, Transportable Environments: Theory, Context, Design and Technology (pp. 83-87). London: E & FN Spon, Routledge. Charlesworth, E. (2006). ARCHITECTS WITHOUT FRONTIERS: War, Reconstruction and Design Responsibility. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. Collins, S., Corsellis, T., & Vitale, A. (2010, June). Transitional shelter: understanding shelter from the emergency through reconstruction and beyond. ALNAP Innovations. Corsellis, T. a. (2005). Transitional Settlement: Displaced Populations. Oxford: Oxfam GB. Figures at a Glance. (2021, June 18). Retrieved from UNHCR - The UN refugee Agency: https://www. unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html Gatrell, P. (2013). The Making of the Modern Refugee. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Humanity, A. f. (2006). Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural responses to Humanitarian crisis. (D. Murphy, Ed.) New York: Metropolis Books. Johnson, C. (2007, March 01). Impacts of Prefabricated Temporary Housing after Disasters: 1999 Earthquakes in Turkey. Habitat International, 31, 36-52. MacGregor, M. (2017, September 03). Design for refugees: When does a shelter become a home? Retrieved from InfoMigrants: https://www. infomigrants.net/en/post/17921/design-forrefugees-when-does-a-shelter-become-a-home Quarantelli, E. (1982). Sheltering and Housing after Major Community Disasters: Case Studies and General. Final Project Report No. 29., Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC. Scott-Smith, T. &. (2020). Structures of Protection?: Rethinking Refugee Shelter (1st ed ed., Vol. Vol. 39). Berghahn Books.
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architecture_tpreps Tipple, A., Masters, G., & Garrod, G. (2000, August). An assessment of the decision to extend government built houses in developing countries. Sage journals, 37(9). Retrieved from https://doi. org/10.1080/00420980020080281 UNHCR. (2016). SHELTER DESIGN CATALOGUE. Geneva: UNHCR Shelter and Settlement Section.
Bibliography Extended Alshoubaki, H. (2017, December). The Temporary City: the Transformation of Refugee Camps from fields of Tents to Permanent Cities. Housing Policies and Urban Economics, Vol.7, 5-15. Aquilino, M. (2010). Beyond Shelter: Architecture and Huan Dignity. New York: Metropolis Books. Corsellis, T. (2012). Transitional Shelter Guideline. Geneva: Shelter Center. de Muyser-Boucher, I., & Gherardi, C. (2010). Shelter after disaster: Stratergies for transitional settlement and reconstruction. UNOCHA, Shelter Centre. Retrieved from https://www. humanitarianlibrary.org/resource/shelter-afterdisaster-strategies-transitional-settlement-andreconstruction-0 (2014). Global Strategy for Settlement and Shelter:. Division of Programme Support and Management. Geneva: UNHCR. (2021). Housing for Migrants and Refugees in the UNECE Region Challenges and practices. Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission For Europe. Kennedy, J. (2004). Towards A Rationalisation of the Construction of Refugee Camps. Leuven: Katholieke Universitiet Leuven. Kim, C. (2007). Design for the Other 90%. New York: Cooper- Hewitt, National Design Museum. Kronenburg, R. (2000). Portable Architecture. Oxford: Architectural Press. Mercader-Moyano, P., Porras-Pereira, P., & Levinton, C. (2021). Circular Economy and Regenerative Sustainability in Emergency Housing: EcoEfficient Prototype Design for Suba¸si. Sustainibility. (2011). The Sphere Project: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. United Kingdom: The Sphere Project.
(2009). Shelter Projects 2009. UN-HABITAT, IFRC.
(n.d.). UNHCR Emergency Handbook. UNHCR. Retrieved from https://emergency.unhcr.org
Slater, J. (2014). Urban Systems of the Refugee Camp. Syracuse Unversity, School of Architeture Dissertation and theses. Architecture Thesis Prep. Retrieved from https://surface.syr.edu/
Vitale, A., & Corsellis, T. (2005). Transitional Settlement: Displaced population. Dorset: University of Cambridge.
