The Sahara Refuge

THE SAHARA REFUGE “ Translating fine grain desert sand into a viable building material opens up the possibility for a contemporary settlement dedicated to displaced peoples of the Sahara Desert. ”

Austin J. Landrette Spring ‘19

INDEX

The Sahara Refuge_

Using Sand_

Sand and Lime Bricks

Finite

Material Experimentation

Robotics in Construction_

Introduction

Relative Scale

Program

Arch Types

Enriqo Dini

Behrokh Khoshnevis

Construction

ETH Zurich

Economics

CLS Architetti and Arup

Wind Catchers

Winsun

Air Wells

Adapting to the Sahara_

Hand built Structures

Store Frontage

Interiors

Pottery and Natural Dye

Hand Crafts

Art + Social Gathering

Wind Catchers

Air Wells + MIT Material

Darkling Beetle

CNC Textures

HTL Affordacity + Affordable Phnom

Shared Gardens

When combining efforts in global aid, advancement in technologies, methods of construction, and thoughtful planning there is an opportunity to change the way we perceive solutions for a growing global poverty and refugee crisis. Today there are over 71.44 million people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide (UNHCR, 2017).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) defines five categories of displaced peoples:

1. Refugees 2. Asylum-Seekers 3. Internally Displaced People 4. Returnees 5. Stateless Person

More than half of these displaced peoples are coming from South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria (UNHCR 2017). The conflicts found around the globe have had a profound impact on the innocent caught in the middle. Syria, Afghanistan, and regions all over Africa have had outbreaks of war and violence that leave the native people looking for safe places to live and support their families. In most cases the whole country will be at high risk and people are forced to emigrate, looking for refuge in more developed nations. For example, in 2018 of the 286,000 people welcomed into Canada, over 44,000 were displaced peoples (CAN Report, 2018). Canada maintains a positive outlook on welcoming displaced people, but this is not the case everywhere in the world.

While there are efforts in some nations to welcome people in need, they are often met with closed doors and discrimination. The nations with the most resources and wealth seem to be taking in less people every year and deporting more. Just in 2018 Germany deported over 9,000 refugees and the year before that 7,000 (Zeitung, 2019). Surprisingly poorer countries seem to host the most people who have been forcibly misplaced.

Of the 3.2 million people displaced in the first six months of 2016 more than half of those people found refuge in lower to middle income nations (UNHCR 2017).

Looking at a more local reference, refugees fleeing poverty and hostile environments from Central America are showing up at the Mexican and U.S border and being met with met with extreme opposition.

According to Amnesty International, a program dedicated to providing aid to asylum seekers and data on refugee trends, on average the Mexican government only approves 24.7% of the asylum applications received. In the U.S. a mere 3.7% are approved (Amnesty, 2019).

Those that do find asylum in the developed world, while grateful, are exposed to conditions that are far from the standards taken for granted in the developed world. All people deserve a clean, safe, and inspiring environment to live and come home to. Imagining a small settlement, it is inherent that the basic functions of a community must be present. A place for people to Live, Work, Learn, and Play.

What a settlement dedicated to those in need of a safe haven provides is a practically border-less oasis. There needs to be an unimpeded opportunity for people to grow into their new environment. A chance for people to be in charge of the direction their city and lives will take, and an opportunity for true ownership of the benefits this growth could generate.

On a positive note, there is progress being made globally. In the past few decades the world has seen and unprecedented decline in global poverty. Most of that progress has happened in China and India. In 1990 South and South East Asia had almost one and a half billion people living in extreme poverty. As of 2013 that reduced to under a third of a billion (Ramirez, 2018). Obviously, something productive has happened here and is worth a careful overview of how this progress has been made.

If you want to recreate this effect in other harshly impoverished

regions you must first understand what it is China and India were able to accomplish and how. China was able to relocate the majority of their rural population to cities. China went from 88% of its population living in poverty to 2% in a relatively brief 32-year span. As for India, 54% to 21% and for the same underlying reason (Ramirez, 2018).

So, what about this transition from rural living to a denser urban environment is so important? Opportunities in the blue-collar sector were exploding at the time, and the people took full advantage. Factories were hiring hundreds of millions of workers, and manufacturing to this day has yet to slow down. A focus also began to grow on the children of this new blue-collar force; they were brought up with a world-class education.

Today as young adults and professionals they are raising the bar for their country as a whole. Not all countries however have the same momentum China and India were having; even still today.

In a rural environment the focus rests in daily routine, one that often consists of getting water, food, and supplies for the day. There are reports of hour-long walks with 40-pound jugs of water every day, that responsibility often falls on the women of the community (Hallet, 2016).

When a majority of time is spent maintaining the basic necessities there is little time left over for education and development of new skills.

Without proper infrastructure, establishing sources of income is nearly impossible. There are plenty of programs in place to try and help combat this side effect of poverty. BRAC is one of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the world and currently have programs in place that are trying to take on poverty by teaching modern life and work skills (HuffPost, 2012). These skills can then be translated into not only improving the lives they have in their respective rural environments, but also giving them potential to find blue collar positions in more developed cities.

What seems to be lacking are proposals that help advance the

potential of maintaining a rural lifestyle for those that do not wish to sacrifice their way of life. There must be a way for the quality of life in the rural environment themselves to be improved. Often peoples who have been forcibly displaced from rural environments will often seek out similar communities before finding their way to more developed cities or nations.

This leaves most of these peoples defined by the UNCHR as Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs); and according to their database some of the world’s most densely grouped populations of IDPs exists in the South Sahara Desert and Central Africa. The causes for this displacement are primarily extreme poverty and violence (UNHCvR, 2018).

The Sahara Desert is a notoriously harsh environment, sparse on water, abundant in fine grain sand and intense sun exposure. Life there is often nomadic in nature because people are in constant search of essential resources. There is little in terms of development and infrastructure in the nations of the Sahara, still though, there are strong ties with foreign trade partners: China, France, Spain, Japan, and UAE. China already is reported to be investing billions into Africa. One can speculate that more of these trade partners would be willing to provide aid. As of 2017, there are of the 71.44 million people who have been forcibly displaced, 11.3 million are in the Sahara Desert (UNHCR, 2018). The conditions these people are exposed to in the refugee settlements are far from what those in the developed world would be able to bear. Still though, a sense of perseverance and determination to restore their lifestyles is ever-present.

The question arises then, how do you develop a sustainable, responsible, and safe refuge for refugees and internally displaced peoples of the rural African environments? This proposal will begin to address this by first seeking out a sustainable building material and method of construction; followed by programing a contemporary building model to follow for all new settlements in the region.

10 million 5 million 1 million

Global Map of Peoples of Concern.

Internally Displaced Persons

Refugees

Stateless Persons

5 million 1 million

Sahara Map of Peoples of Concern.

Accepted refugees (2017)

United States

Canada

33 , 000

26 , 500

Germany

United Kingdom

3 , 000

6 , 250

Germany 118 , 100

United States

103 , 700

United Kingdom

17 , 000

Applications for Asylum (2018)

25 , 800

Refugee settlement, South Sudan.

[Getty Images]

Children playing in refugee camp, Western Sahara.

[Getty Images]

USING SAND

Primitive Sand + Lime Bricks_

Humans have been making bricks for thousands of years, starting out as a mixture of mud and straw, and used to build primitive structures.

Some of these primitive techniques are still used today in rural areas all over the world. Mud and some sands work well for this process and are relatively sustainable to source if executed in that primitive style.

Shown to the left is primitive technique for making bricks out of Sand, Lime, and Water. A video found expands on this image and shows the young man return to the bricks after they had dried, or cured; and began to build a small hut with a cozy rooftop deck. Small enough to only fit himself and maybe another friend, these efficient structures have been providing shelter for humans since the times of early man.

These bricks are a successful building material in the places the right mud and sand is available and when the structures being built are kept compact and simple. Scaling up this process though proves to be difficult; at least if you’re trying to maintain a sustainable approach.

Sand and Lime brick production. Primitive.

[Primitive Technologies]

Industrial Sand + Lime Bricks_

The same materials produced in a controlled, industrial environment proves to be a common building material used all over the globe.

Sand and Lime bricks have the benefit of their compressive strength, uniformity, and reduction in solar heat gain. However these bricks are not as economical as clay bricks for example, and due to their material properties they can not be exposed to water for a long period of time. This limits their potential as a foundation in most regions, but proves irrelevant in the Sahara Desert.

The sand used in these bricks is not sourced sustainably and evidence suggests that the worlds supply of usable sand is running low, and is in no way a renewable source of material.

The idea of bricks made of sand seems like an obvious choice for a building material in the desert. Unfortunately though the sand found in the Sahara for example is far to fine grained to be used in a mixture for these bricks. So the challenge arises of how to produce a structural building material using this abundance of fine grained desert sand.

Sand and Lime brick production. Industrial.

[German Sand + Lime Bricks]

Finite, RCA_

Finite is a new composite material made from desert sand. It’s as strong as concrete, but unlike concrete, it’s biodegradable, simple to make with abundant materials and easy to reuse.

From Finites website: “There is a common misconception that sand is an abundant resource.

Sand worldwide is in high demand and heavily used in many products and industries, especially construction. Desert sand however has little use, as its grains are too smooth and fine to bind together.

Finite, a newly developed material composite, opens new opportunities to make use of desert sand and other abundant fine powders that traditionally have no use. Finite can form these fine powders into structures that have the same strength as traditional housing bricks and residential concrete.

Finite is environmentally friendly, with less than half the carbon footprint of concrete. Most impressively, thanks to its material properties, Finite can be re-molded for multiple life cycle uses. Finite is versatile and able to perform many functions and build many intricate forms and finishes. The team is currently developing Finite to bring it to market with some exciting initial opportunities.”

Sahara Desert [Getty Images]

Finite material experimentation.

[Finite]

Core Samples_

Recreating these experiments I can now begin to understand for myself how this fine grain sand is going to behave. A series of mixtures and additives will be tested; starting with combinations of fine grain sand, lime, water, and cement. A collection of cores will be cast and used to test the strength of these mixtures; you can then begin to choose the right option to move forward with based on their respective specific strengths, or in other words, their strength to weight ratio.

The goal is to find how successful a mixture based on fine grain sand can be using the least amount of imported materials as possible.

Core III

Core formwork. Made from recycled paper tubes.

Core Samples_

The first experiment was to establish an efficient form-work for the cores I will be testing; as well as start testing mixtures based on lime.

The first core was made up of four parts sand, one part lime, and one part water. The result to the left was surprisingly solid, though with too firm a grip the core broke.

The next core was just four parts sand and one part lime; excluding the water only made the core more brittle. The next step was to try equal parts sand and lime, this time with 1.5 parts water; this core was the strongest so far.

Core I

Core II

Core III

Core III

Strength Tests_

Moving on to the hydrolic press, I was able to begin testing the compressive strength of these cores. Though after testing it was quickly discovered that the cylindrical core was not going to work best for this experiment. This press tests the tonnage supported on a 3� diameter; with the core being less than that you cannot get an accurate reading.

However, even though these test did not provide me with the strength of the mixture, I was still able to observe how material behaves when under compressive stresses. You see similar shear cracks when testing concrete and reinforced concrete.

Crush Test I

Strength Tests_

Turning the core on its side provided me with a clearer view of the shear cracks, and with less than a ton of pressure the critical cracking shown to the right began to appear.

Then next step from here was to establish a more effective sample to test these mixtures. After consulting with the schools structures professor it was made clear that a more rectangular brick would provide me with better results.

Detail of core after crush test.

Critical shear crack.

Palm Tree Fibers_

Besides the abundance of fine grain sand the Sahara desert has little in terms of available resources. However, there is one that holds some potential. Palm Trees trunks and palm fronds contain fibers that could add some much needed stability to desert sand.

Brick samples with and without palm fibers.

Samples in the formwork.

Without water, the sand and lime are almost completely unstable.

Brick sample spectrum.

Brick 3 : under 0 lbs of pressure

Brick 3 : under 750 lbs of pressure

Brick 7 : under 0 lbs of pressure

Brick 7 : under 750 lbs of pressure

Strength Tests_

To establish the effectiveness of this fine grain sand as an aggregate to cement, there were several bricks produced with small amounts of cement. With as little as half a part cement to three parts sand the bricks were able to support up to 1.5 tons.

The most important factor cement plays in the success of these samples is the curing process. If the material does not cure like cement than with too much exposure to water the material will begin to break down.

Gauge on hydrolic press.

Brick 6 : under 1.2 tons of pressure

WEIGHT SUPPORTED

2 tons

1.5 tons

1 ton

.5 tons

Brick 1

Brick strength bar graph.

Brick 2

Brick 3

Brick 4

Brick 5

Brick 6

Brick 7

Fine Grain Based Sand Brick Tests

SAND

LIME

CEMENT PALM

H20

PROS

CONS

BRICK 1

4 pts

1 pt

-

-

1 pt

Less lime

BRICK 2

4 pts

1 pt

-

-

-

No water

BRICK 3

2 pts

2 pts

-

-

1 pt

Stronger

Too brittle, No curing Too brittle, No curing No curing

BRICK 4

2 pts

1 pt

1 pt

-

1 pt

Cures, Strong

Uses cement

1.5 tons

BRICK 5

3 pts

.5 pt

.5 pt

-

1 pt

Uses cement

1.2 tons

BRICK 6

3 pts

.5 pt

.5 pt

1 pt

1pt

Unable to extrude

1.2 tons

BRICK 7

3 pts

1 pt

-

1 pt

1 pt

Cures, Strong, Less lime + cem Cures, Palm aids in binding, Strong, Less lime + cem Palm aids in binding, Strong, No cement

Not as strong

800 lbs

Breakdown of bricks tested.

Weight Supported < 1 ton < 1 ton 700 lbs *

ROBOTICS IN CONSTRUCTION

D-Shape_

D-Shape is a large 3-dimensional printer that uses binder-jetting, a layer by layer printing process, to bind sand with an inorganic seawater and a magnesium-based binder in order to create stone-like sculptures and objects.

Invented by Enrico Dini, the D-Shape printer uses a magnesium-based binding agent. The printing process begins when a layer of sand, mixed with solid Magnesium Oxide (MgO) is evenly distributed by the printer head in the area defined by the frame. Starting with the bottom slice, the head moves across the base and deposits an inorganic binding liquid made up of a solution that includes Magnesium Chloride. The binder and sand chemically react to form a sandstone material.

A small portion of the 3D File of Villa Roccia.

[D-Shape]

3D Printing of the first one-shot-printed house ever.

Contracted military project, for temporary shelters.

[D-Shape]

Fig. 7 [D-Shape]

Contour Crafting_

Contour Crafting Corporation is an early stage company with the mission to commercialize computational construction technologies. CC Corp, was founded by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis, the inventor of the Contour Crafting and his other large scale 3D printing technologies.

While there are numerous applications for these technologies, CC Corp is initially focusing its efforts on transforming and revolutionizing home-building. The vision is that when fully developed it could enable the building of a house in as little as few hours and at far lower costs than traditional methods. How long that development could take is up for speculation, but nevertheless these technologies are emerging at rapid rates and will soon be available as a feasible solution to construction.

Full scale 3D printed structures. Visualization by Khoshnevis team.

[CC Corp]

Full scale wall printed using contour crafting technologies.

Proposal of contour craftings potential for infastructural projects.

[CC Corp]

[CC Corp]

Smart Slabs_

Shown to the right is a lightweight concrete ceiling with formwork 3D-printed from sand; and was among the innovations featured in an experimental robot-made house built by the university of ETH Zurich, led by Bemjamin Dellenburger.

The structure has been computationally designed to use only the minimal amount of material necessary to make it load-bearing, and is less than half the weight of standard concrete slabs. However there are more conservative solutions in circulation that are similar in weight.

The light weight form was fabricated using 3D sand printing to make the slabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underlying formwork. With 3D printing, highly complex structures are as easy to produce as a solid block â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meaning extraneous material can be cut out of a design before it is sent to the printer. Again providing a more sustainable approach to construction.

Inspiration for Smart Slab.

[ETH Zurich]

Prefabricated Smart Slab being craned into place.

Detail of Smart Slab.

[ETH Zurich]

[ETH Zurich]

3D Printed House, Milan_

CLS Architetti and Arup used portable robotic 3D printing techniques to build a house in Milan. The 100 sq m house was formed in only a week. Made up of 35 prefabricated modules, the house features curved walls, a living area, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

This structure while just a prototype is foreshadowing the potential robotics has in the world of construction and architecture. You can imagine the perfect mixture of desert sand with some new age bonding agent being used in a 3D printer the same way CLS and Arup were able to.

The printer could be based on site, collecting the sand, mixing the solution, and printing the structure as one continuous system.

Prefabrication of CLS Architetti and Arup prototype.

[Dezeen]

CLS Architetti and Arup 3D printed house prototype.

[Dezeen]

WINSUN_

Yingchuang Building Technique or Winsun, aims to revolutionize 3D printing technology in large scale construction. Having developed the first continuous 3D printer for construction, the company had already printed 10 houses in 2013. Using a special mixture made of cement, sand and fiber, together with a proprietary additive; the printer adds layer by layer to print walls and other components in its factory in Suzhou, China.

The walls are then assembled on site.

Using up to 50% demolition waste or mine tailings for its ink and producing zero waste, the technology is extremely sustainable. More impressive even is the impact on delivery time: construction of a two-story 1,100 square meter mansion took one day of printing, two days of assembly, with internal bar structures erected in advance, requiring three workmen only. Being a pioneer of 3D printing technology in construction, Winsun faces several barriers to scaling up its solution including skepticism from designers, project developers and owners, and lack of regulation.

However, this technology proves to be one of the most applicable solutions to the issues faced in my proposed settlement. If the mixture used to print can incorporate fine grain desert sand than the only setback is the production of off site prefabricated elements. Logistics in the Sahara desert are extremely underdeveloped and transporting these structural elements would prove to be difficult.

Winsunsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first 3D printed - prefabricated house.

[Winsun]

Constructed from 3D printed - prefabricated elements by Winsun.

[Winsun]

PLAN A_ Shelters erected on site using industrial scale extruders.

PLAN B_ Prefabricated elements brought to sites and assembled robotically.

Potential of Robotic Construction_

Robotics is going to continue to rapidly change the way construction operates around the globe. In many ways building with robotic technology proves to be far more sustainable and efficient. At the moment there seems to be two options when 3D printing structures; either a robotic extruder will be brought on site and erect the structure in place, or building elements will be prefabricated off site and then transported to the building location and assembled.

In the case of a settlement in the Sahara Desert both options pose their own challenges, however either route will provide a more rapid and sustainable solution to the existing methods.

ADAPTING TO THE SAHARA

Hand-built Structures_

In the Sahara Desert you find a variety of adaptations to the desert environment vernacular. Mud and sandstone are a staple in terms of building materials and often structures are built by hand. Scale and function are important, passive strategies are often incorporated for ventilation and cooling. To the left you can see a clever method of adding breeze blocks to the exterior facade.

Breeze blocks. Hand built structures.

[Getty Images]

Desert settlement. Hand build structures.

[Getty Images]

Desert Storefront_

Even in the harshest regions of the Sahara have populations with needs for resources and goods. Small scale structures are found throughout small settlements and communities; they are built with sandstone, mud, and wood frames and reinforcements.

These shops have thick walls for protection from the intense desert sun, and on the facades will often be colorful sign-age and some product display. In these small communities there is no need for cars to get around, so you find these storefronts lie adjacent to sand pathways and alleys.

Dessert storefront.

[Getty Images]

Dessert storefront.

[Getty Images]

Interiors_

Inside these small structures you find all the expected programs.

However, in these cases the interiors finish, furnishings, and details are all hand formed from mud and sandstone. While sustainable in their use of local materials and passive cooling strategies, these structures are inefficient in terms of constructibility and repeatability.

Ancient text stored in private libraries.

[Getty Images]

Ancient text stored in private libraries.

[Getty Images]

Hand Crafts_

Within these communities there is a need to produce and fabricate functional pieces; there is no supermarket to run to when you need a bigger pot to cook in. This self reliance and skills with craft often carries itself into creative representations of these basic functional elements.

Members of the community will find a niche in the local market and find ways to profit off these skills.

Pottery painted with natural dye from West Africa.

[Getty Images]

Natural dye production in West Africa.

[Getty Images]

Hand Crafts_

In some cases these creative outlets are discovered by the developed world and attract the attention of people willing to buy. These sculptures are hand carved out of recycled flip flops. The beaches of South Africa and Kenya have thousands of washed up flip flops that are collected

by Ocean Sole Africa and then molded and carved into these incredible sculptures.

This program began as a small time craftsman making art and extra money; now it employs people from the community to help collect the flip flops and make the art. This idea if properly implemented can help the people housed in emergency settlements earn an income begin to rebuild a strong foundation for their livelihoods.

Hand carved “Flip-Flop Sculptures” by South African artists. [ Bernie’s African Odyssey]

Hand carved “Flip-Flop Sculptures” by Nairobi artists.

[Ocean Sole Africa]

Art and Social Gathering_

Art for Change is a program looking to raise money and awareness for the impoverished peoples of the Sahara Desert and neighboring regions. Murals of incredible portraits pop up in the desert and attract those in the community to gather; creating these rare moments of excitement for the youth and appreciators of art.

A reoccurring theme in the murals is the character seeming to be wincing at the sun. Speaking to the harsh environment and the daily struggles found there.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art for Changeâ&#x20AC;?

[Art for Change]

“Art for Change” [Art for Change]

Wind Catchers_

Wind towers have held a presence in desert climates since their invention. Passive strategies in ventilation are a must in the desert for many reasons; including a lack of infastructure and a dire need to escape the intense heat.

A combination of standard cross ventilation and an underground quinat is what makes these wind towers so successful. A quinat takes in hot air from the surface, that air is cooled and brought up into cooled basements.

Passive ventilation strategies in desert climate.

Wind towers [Getty Images]

Air Wells_

In the Sahara Desert it is imperative that there is some system in place to help collect as much fresh water as possible. An ancient and passive technique is shown to the right; Air Wells are able to pull moisture out of the air through condensation as well as collection from passing fog.

Fogs only form for brief moments and only in the vicinity of an oasis; however contrary to initial assumptions there is moisture in the Sahara air; and there is potential to harvest it.

A new relatively new material developed at MIT, shown to the left, is able to extract moisture from the air in even the most arid regions of the world. They claim that with further development this material could be applied to relief efforts in extremely dry regions.

Moisture grabbing material developed by MIT. [MIT, 2017]

Ancient air well.

[Getty Images]

Darkling Beetle_

The Darkling beetle is one of the most resilient inhabitants of the Sahara. It has an adaptation of its exoskeleton that enables the beetle to collect water vapor out of the air. The moisture is held on the beetles body keeping it cool and maintains a constant source of water for the beetle.

The exoskeleton has adapted a unique texture that grips water molecules without allowing them to run off the body of the beetle. If this could be applied to a material then it could prove to be a sustainable source of fresh water.

Darkling Beetle microscopic detail of exoskeleton.

[Getty Images]

Water harvesting Darkling Beetle.

[Getty Images]

Robotic Textures_

I wanted to experiment with a robots potential to incorporate texture into an object. Using a CNC mill, I carved out of high density foam a form-work for a meta-ball sculpture. Based on which logic you designate the CNC to follow you are able to produce a multitude of different textures.

If developed further there may be potential to recreate the texture and logic behind a Darkling beetles exoskeleton, and incorporate it into a passive fresh water collection system.

Metaball sculpture.

AffordaCity_

HTL is an afro-centric architecture office that deploys a commitment to simultaneously think, research and build at different scales and typologies.

Their latest body of work, affordacity: a future African city envisioned around enterprise and sustainability. Their work is organized around two hubs in Lagos and Johannesburg.

The offices head of design, James Georgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; current interests revolve around the multi-layering of city space and how infrastructure of the city can be invaded and interrupted with architecture. His ongoing series of lectures: Towards A New Core will deal with the creation of a tabula rasa in his native Africa that can serve as a springboard for the creation of a new African architecture.

AffordaCity.

[HTL]

AffordaCity.

[HTL]

Study of scale and proportions. Affordable Phnom, Cambodia.

[HTL]

Affordable Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

[HTL]

Sahara Gardens_

Small gardens dedicated to growing food for this small village in the Sahara are growing more common in the region. Previous attempts at larger scale cultivation has proven difficult due to the constant shifting of the desert sands. However, in a smaller more controlled setting it is more managable for people to care for and tend to their crops.

With simple drip irrigation systems and carefull placement of the gardens, these small interventions could produce a sustainable source of food for those living in the Sahara.

Small gardens for community in Mauritania.

[Getty Images]

Small gardens in Refugee settlement.

[Getty Images]

THE SAHARA REFUGE

As previously mentioned the population of displaced peoples in the Sahara Desert and its neighboring regions has been increasing steadily for the past decade. With a total count of more than 11 million people as of 2017 (UNHCR, 2018). As this population increases, the amount of available space and refuge for these groups declines. Many people and families find refuge in the developed world. While this prospect is usually a dream come true for refugees from this region, the conditions found in refugee camps and housing dedicated to those who have been displaced often do not meet basic living standards.

For those that do not find refuge abroad, and are either by choice or by lack of opportunity still in their native countries, are classified by the UNHCR as Internally Displaced People (IDP). Their seems to be a disproportionate number of IDPs in the Sahara Desert; this comes at a surprise because of the extremely harsh nature of the region. Developing a settlement in this context there are several key elements that must be present.

The basic functions of a community, a place to live, earn, learn and play.

There are is also a need for passive strategies in cooling, water collection, and water storage.

There is potential for wealthier for developed nations to provide aid to the region and fund these settlements. The basic framework for the flow of monies would be as follows:

Foreign aid will be provided, proportionally related to the dis

placed population. The governments of the Sahara that have

received the aid will distribute the funds to relief organizations

that help organize the construction and placement of the settle

ments. Organizations like The UNHCR, and UNICEF will then

manage the development of their respective settlements, ensur

ing all money is distributed responsibly. Finally refugees in

neighboring regions of the settlement will begin to fill in the shel

ters. With help from their sponsor organization, inhabitants will

be able to start growing crops and crafting functionally pottery, jewelry, and sculptures. Any profits from the crops and crafts will be able to start paying back the loan received from the govern ment. Educational institutions will have dedicated spaces, with times dedicated to both school children and adults looking to learn new skills.

Constructing these settlements requires continued development of the Saharaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine grain sand as a valid building material. With the right add-mixtures there is potential to create strong structures capable of supporting their own weight; however itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only a matter of strength. The material would have to withstand intense wind erosion. Also, even though it rains very little in the Sahara, it still happens; without the mixture being able to cure the same way concrete would, too much rain could start to break down the shelters.

Sand and lime bricks have been used as a primitive building material for hundreds of years and remain a common vernacular in the developing world. Mixing sand with lime promotes a binding process similar to that of cement. With the right consistency then there is potential for this mixture to extruded by large scale 3D printers, rather than constructing with the bricks in a traditional capacity.

Robotics in construction is growing rapidly and will soon take over the industry as it exists today. Corporations like WINSUN based in China has already constructed projects as large as apartment buildings. As the technology exists today it provides a potential to generate a far more sustainable, efficient, and rapid building model for these emergency settlements.

Building scale is essential when considering ventilation and functional living space. Wind catchers traditionally reach as tall as 18 meters to ventilate larger scale buildings. They draw air in and down the tower, passing over a small pool of water, and pushing through the rest of the structure. This passively cools the shelters, especially at night. Maintaining the proper opening size and diameter of the tower the effect is easily recreated.

A functional living space provides the inhabitants with all the space needed to live and work. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have too little space; and too much space leaves open issues of constructibility and in a semi shared environment like this questions of ownership and responsibility come into play. There must be a clear definition of who is responsible for which space.

14 meters

6.4 meters

7.5 meters

3.5 meters

6.4 meters

4.2 meters

3.5 meters

6.5 meters

1.2 m

4.0 meters

1.2 m

Shelters_ Count : 9

Site Border_ 60m x 60m

Community Gathering + Place of Worship 126 sq m (1,363 sq ft)

Dedicated to Education [9am - 2pm] Dedicated to Training [2pm - 8pm] 316 sq m (3,415 sq ft)

Living + Sleeping 1012 sq m (5,487 sq ft)

10 m

Dedicated to Agriculture 10 m

383 sq m (4,128 sq ft)

Shelters_ Count : 30

Site Border_ 120m x 120m

Community Gathering + Place of Worship 675 sq m (7,265 sq ft)

Dedicated to Education [9am - 2pm] Dedicated to Training [2pm - 8pm] 1100 sq m (11,840 sq ft)

Living + Sleeping 5,500 sq m (59,176 sq ft)

Dedicated to Agriculture 2,330 sq m (25,080 sq ft)

20 m

20 m

FLAT ARCH

ROUND ARCH

SEGMENTAL ARCH

HORSESHOE ARCH

POINTED HORSESHOE ARCH

THREE CENTERED ARCH

TRIANGULAR ARCH

ROUNDED HORSESHOE ARCH

THREE POINTED ARCH *

POINTED SEGMENTAL ARCH

PARABOLIC ARCH *

INFLEXED ARCH

ROUND RAMPANT ARCH *

RAMPANT ARCH

FOUR CENTERED ARCH

KEYHOLE ARCH

OGEE FOUR CENTERED ARCH

ORIENTAL ARCH

ROUND TREFOIL ARCH

SHOULDERED ARCH

POINTED TREFOIL ARCH

DRAPED ARCH

CINQUEFOIL ARCH

POINTED CINQUEFOIL ARCH

Parabolic Arch

9 Shelters @ [10 hours]

24 Shelters @ [3 Days]

9 Shelters @ [48 hours]

24 Shelters @ [7 Days]

9 Shelters @ [68 hours]

24 Shelters @ [10 Days]

FOREIGN AID China United States Germany United Kingdom

GOVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TS

RELEIF FOUNDATIONS

Sudan Mauritania Chad Niger

UNHCR UNICEF HACP ICR

REFUGEE SETTLEMENT 9 SHELTERS 24 SHELTERS 60 SHELTERS 100 SHELTERS

Percentage of income from crop and/or craft production

Maintaining a focus on trade in the community will strengthen the sense of ownership. By paying back a portion of the money that funded the settlement there is potential for it to transition into an independent settlement able to grow and expand naturally.

TRADE

RENDER

When the wind catchers are constructed MIT’s “Metal-Organic Framework” which has proved to be able to extract water from the air; even in extremely dry conditions. Wind catchers already require a pool at their base in order to better cool the air moving into the rest of the structure. In this case these pools can be used as reserve fresh water storage.

HIGH

LOW ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE

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