Emergency Shelter Exhibition

eme r g en c y s h e lt e r exhibition project team here studio Ammon Beyerle Michelle Emma James

visionary design development Mary Ann Jackson Nick Shearman Kamil Muhammad

collaborators

Soledad Maldonado Katherine Sampson Nicole Mechkaroff Marjan Sangari

introduction In our research on emergency shelters, we found that there are plenty of designs for relief housing by architects, yet the vast majority of relief housing are none of these designs. We saw more and more examples of self-sufficiency and the hard work of existing NGOs in the field. We asked ourselves: what can an architect contribute to this system?

Our answer was to think social, to think holistically, and to do it with space.

We have decided to design a shelter that provides emotional preparation, relief and recovery through the greatest social interaction: play!

We want to introduce a simple architecture that is a scaffold to build community resilience, not just relief.

In our research we learnt that through resilience, “disasters” can be transformed into manageable “extreme events”. Instead of only thinking relief, we would think about the before, during and after of an extreme event - and think then of our architecture in this cyclic process, as a potential place for resilient community, practiced through the everyday play of children. Gather, prepare, relieve, recover. Fun! Beyond the needs of housing, food and water, some of the more fuzzy aspects of emergencies still remain under-considered. Extreme events can be extremely distressing, sad, and destabilising; they are often associated with real and felt loss and separation - days, months and years after. Our proposal is that the missing need is psychological support - a shelter that provides community comfort, reassurance and love.

For us, the positivity and social connections of fun, children’s play, community gathering and events are some of the best catalysts to do this and provide shelter.

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concept

Our concept of

an emergency shelter is:

cat + social + scaffold

cat (play, icon, comfort, pat, pet) social (meeting point, place, communication, people) scaffold (system, framework, enabler, facilitator, structure)

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the approach

Disaster strikes. NGOs, the UN, and the government provide emergency shelter and basic needs (water, food, medical supplies, sanitary items)

But something is missing...something to bring the laughter back.. to soften the emotional impact.. something beyond just basic necessities for the children and the adults...

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aha, by working together on a little project for the children, we could help to bring the community together in a positive way.

This is our emotional scaffold cat! We can pat it, we can hide in it, we can slide on it, we can orate on it, run around it, and it provides a great spot for kids and adults to gather to talk and share things with each other. Yippeee!

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cycle of resilience Thinking about the before, during and after of an extreme event in a cyclic process, the emotional scaffold becomes a potential place to build community resilience, practiced through the everyday play of children.

AFTER it’s time to get and work together let’s get on with our lives

bad event happens people are scared finally we have rebuilt! our cat has been repatched, reworked repainted and renamed (!) by the kids

BEFORE

DURING

uh oh, disaster again...

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role of children Children can play a very important role in helping a community to be resilient before, during and after extreme events

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resilience Being resilient is about being resourceful and adapting to the condition to make a positive out of the negative.

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inspiration studies We looked at the following precedents to explore the key themes of: cat + play + scaffold

cat as icon, playful, comforting easy to build, re-use of materials dedicated play space, kids space inspiring spaces for emotional shelter colourful, fun spaces for kids and adults lighting to be used as a beacon

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meowww..!

Cats as a positive icon in extreme events.

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cat study Cats as an icon of playfulness, nurturing, comfort and love.

strolling

looking out

scared

tip toeing

“where are we?�

playful

looking at food on the top shelf

lazy

lazier

itchy

angry

content

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construction sequence

1. Delivery

2. Unpacking

3. Base construction

The construction materials can be delivered on pallets. They can be air dropped or delivered by vehicle.

The construction materials are divided and sorted into individual units for assembly.

The pallets and materials are delivered and become the base structure for construction of the shelter.

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4. Frame construction

5. Skin

The frame can be constructed by the community as there are no fixings required. The beams slot into notches on the curved portals to create a rigid self supporting structure.

The supplied metal sheet is unrolled and laid over the frame structure. Simple fixings and tie downs can be used to secure it in place. The feet remain unfixed to allow for appropriation.

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6. Community Adaptation Components can be added by the community depending on the use of the shelter and the availability of materials. Traditional materials can be used to supplement the shelter along with found objects to suit the community’s needs.

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the multi purpose cat

as a playground...

for a stage performance...

as a notice board...

a public cinema...

night camp...

...or simply as a rallying point

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Before an extreme event happens, the cat shelter has a presence in the community playground. It is used as a place for learning about extreme weather events. Kids have an active role in the talks about these events and can provide valuable insight into ideas about how they can be involved in these events.

Community events such as BBQ’s are held around the cat shelter, and it becomes a place where people get to know each other and skills are developed and shared.

Resilience is built which will really help this community if an extreme weather event is to occur here.

community playground .16.

Many years after an extreme event, the cat shelter is an ever present icon in the community.

Children come to play around the cat while their parents gather and chat. Today, the cat shelter is a symbol of recovery and resilience.

rural context .17.

As the community comes to terms with their temporary accommodation in a community refuge directly after an extreme event, the cat shelter provides some relief by being the platform for a movie screen.

community refuge hall .18.

Immediately after an extreme event in a dense urban setting, the cat shelter provides an icon for the community to go to, to gather, connect with neighbours and loved ones and for the kids to play.

urban context .19.

In a refugee camp, the cat shelter provides some relief from the homogenous sea of tents. It is located in several places marking community gathering points.

The cat shelter gives children a place to play together in a central location , and act as markers and communal places to gather.

Notice boards become a place where people can find one another, leave messages and come to meet. The cat shelter provides something that the NGO’s do not.

refugee camp .20.

In Federation Square, the cat shelter is a platform for awareness, fund-raising and playing.

It prompts unplanned busking and performing, and has become a place for people to learn about community resilience in extreme events. Awareness grows about the importance of community resilience in the recovery process following an extreme event.

The cat shelter is a reminder about the cyclic nature of these events and how communities can begin to prepare and plan for for them on an emotional level.

federation square .21.