Designers reshaping disaster aid via architectural approaches
In the face of natural disasters and crises, the world of architecture has stepped up to provide not just temporary fixes, but holistic, community-centered, and resilient solutions. Here are some inspiring examples of disaster relief architecture that are making a difference.
Shigeru Ban, a renowned architect, unveiled a new shelter design in 2023 to support victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. His Paper Partition System, previously used in evacuation centers following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016, and the Hokkaido Earthquake in 2018, offers privacy, modularity, and rapid deployment, emphasizing dignity for disaster victims.
Fernanda Canales, another architect, designed a house for a family who lost their home during an earthquake in Mexico in 2017. Using simple, locally sourced materials like concrete blocks and wood, the project focuses on affordability and quick rebuilding for marginalized communities affected by disasters.
The Norman Foster Foundation, in collaboration with Swiss building materials giant Holcim, launched the Essential Homes Research Project in 2023. The initiative resulted in a quick-build, design-led concrete cabin for displaced populations, offering displaced people more dignified, safe, and long-lasting shelter alternatives beyond typical temporary tents or shacks.
In response to the LA wildfires, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, pledged to waive or accelerate slow regulatory processes to speed up the rebuilding effort. Post-wildfire recovery architecture emphasizes fire-resilient yet characterful homes that help survivors recover emotionally and retain neighborhood identity.
Beyond shelter, disaster relief architecture also addresses the psychological trauma of displacement. The Maidan Tent, a social hub, was installed as a make-shift community center at a refugee camp in Greece in 2018, in collaboration with the UN International Organisation for Migration.
Innovative strategies in disaster relief architecture include using locally available, sustainable materials for quick and affordable reconstruction, designing modular, easily transported shelters to respond rapidly to disasters, incorporating psychosocial support functions as part of shelter design, and combining resilience with dignified, long-term living conditions.
Examples of immediate solutions include easily transportable emergency shelters, such as those designed by Shigeru Ban, which are quick to assemble, safe, and sustainable. In southern Turkey, a 30km masterplan is being developed to reenvision the region and build back 'on safe land.'
Yasmeen Lari promotes a philosophy of Barefoot Social Architecture, which emphasizes community empowerment, sustainability, and cultural relevance over high-tech solutions. Marina Tabassum Architects designed the Khundi Bari structures, flood-resistant bamboo architecture and steel modular shelters, for the marginalized population of Bangladesh in 2020.
Government responses to disasters have also resulted in architecture focused on future mitigation, such as the Bjarke Ingels Group-designed BIG U barrier and flood defense system in New York, designed to protect the city from future severe weather events.
New Clark City, a development north of Manila, will become the new home of The National Government Administrative Centre and a back-up HQ for The Philippines, due to its unique topography and altitude shifts making it less prone to flooding and more resilient to earthquakes.
These illustrate how contemporary disaster relief architecture moves beyond temporary fixes towards holistic, community-centered, resilient solutions, offering hope and dignity to those affected by disasters.
Technology plays a crucial role in modern disaster relief architecture, as exemplified by the Paper Partition System designed by Shigeru Ban, which leverages papered partitions for privacy, modularity, and rapid deployment. Moreover, the Norman Foster Foundation's Essential Homes Research Project harnessed design-led technology to create quick-build, safe, and dignified concrete cabins for displaced populations.
