September 6, 2013. Copyright 2013, Graphic News. All rights reserved

IKEA develops ready-to-assemble shelters for refugees
By Liam Bolton

LONDON, September 6, Graphic News: The Ikea Foundation has joined forces with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Refugee Housing Unit to create prototype flatpack shelters for refugees. 

The Swedish furniture giant's range of ready-to-assemble TV stands and coffee tables have thwarted DIY enthusiasts for many years. Now their deconstructed design ethos has been used to tackle the global problem of refugee housing. 

The cottage-like tents have been deployed to crisis zones in the typical cardboard packs, allowing for easy construction. Ikea employs specially-made materials that endure the extreme climatic conditions of many crisis zones by deflecting heat during the day and retaining it at night. Flexible solar panels provide electricity and semi-hard plastic wall panels ensure they are durable. At 17.5 square metres each tent can house five people and is guaranteed to last three years in crisis zones.

The shelters have been tested in Ethiopia's Dollo Ado refugee camp and in the Domiz camp for displaced Syrians at the Iraqi border. Over two million people have fled Syria since the conflict began in 2011. A further 4.25 million have been displaced within Syria itself. However, the refugee crisis is one of global significance, with 15 million people reported living as refugees around the world last year. The current housing situation for people living in refugee camps is dire, and tents are rife with overcrowding and lack sufficient electricity.

The UNHCR has released 50 emergency shelter prototypes with the help of funding from the Ikea Foundation. Paul Spiegel, Chief of Public Health at UNHCR, reminds us: "We're not there yet, we're in the testing stage now, but this is already very huge, and we will be testing in a lot of different locations and gather data about changes. Then we (will) hopefully go full scale."
/ENDS