Our project aims to improve the living conditions in refugee camps. We're doing this by designing low-cost and easy-to-construct housing. It will both moderate extremes of temperature as well as ensure the privacy, comfort, and dignity of residents. We are working with Princess Sumaya University for Technology (Jordon), German Jordanian University (Jordan) and Mersin University (Turkey) to achieve this.

This is the largest global study into thermal, air quality, and social conditions in camps housing displaced people. We will record the views of camp occupants and aid agencies such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on key social issues and housing enhancement.

Aid agencies provide invaluable support and resources for large numbers of displaced people in camps. Yet, our recent pilot study revealed that shelter design can create specific problems for inhabitants. This results in increasing demands upon humanitarian organisations. Occupants' health can be seriously undermined by bad design. Poorly-insulated shelters will fail to mediate extreme temperatures. And design that doesn't meet basic needs for privacy and security can harm psycho-social wellbeing.

Our project will use building physics to inform shelter design. We'll use novel combinations of conventional and non-conventional materials to make sure that shelters stay naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. We will create 20 shelter designs and construct six of these at the University of Bath's Building Research Park. Here we will test construction times and use a climate chamber to perform thermal tests. We'll transport our best designs to Jordan to test in local conditions. We will also get feedback from camp occupants and aid agencies.

Research objectives

1. Complete the largest uniform linked thermal, air quality, and social study in five camps. Collect the views of camp occupants and aid agencies on possible shelter improvements and limitations.
2. Create an optimisation process to improve living conditions in displacement camps. Create low-cost, easy-to-construct housing that moderates temperature while providing dignified living and customary domestic and intracommunity relations.
3. Prototype, measure, and develop shelter solutions using novel combinations of conventional and non-conventional materials appropriate for a range of climatic, social, political, and economic conditions.
4. Create a methodology for the future creation of new designs as technologies change, new disasters occur and further data is collected by all actors.
5. Develop a two-way process of architectural design suitable for working with displaced people who may have suffered personal and societal breakdown.

Work packages

Work package 1: field-based measurements

Led by Professor Jason Hart

WP1 gathered data by measuring indoor environmental quality and undertaking social surveys. This was done across four different climatic zones in summer and winter conditions and by engaging government and NGO actors.

Work package 2: modelled solutions

Led by Professor Sukumar Natarajan

WP2 developed the science behind thermal modelling of lightweight buildings in extreme environments. It also considered their effects on humans, validated by data from WP1.

Work package 3: physical solutions

Led by Professor John Orr

WP3 created physical buildings, using novel combinations of conventional and non-conventional materials. They were prototyped in a range of climatic conditions.

Work package 4: a displaced-person-led science of shelter design

Led by Dr Kemi Adeyeye

WP4 initiated a new science of shelter design. It investigated new methods to exchange design information between researchers and camp residents.

Research outputs

• Publications
• Datasets
• Shelter Assessment Matrix (SAM)
• Sheltherm
• Wind tool

Our team

Professor David Coley is the Principle Investigator for this project. For full details of who is involved with Healthy Housing for the Displaced, view our project team.

Partners

• Allies and Morrison
• Buro Happold
• Century Façades
• Claytec EK
• Design West
• Earth Systems
• Extremis Technology
• Interface Façade Engineering
• MIB Façades
• Mott Macdonald
• Operations and Policy Centre
• Project Entity
• PROTOMAX
• Sheltair
• Singleton Birch
• Structure Mode
• The UN Refugee Agency
• Universidad de Lima
• Wintech