THE PROJECT
winter temperatures of -10°C
115,000 refugees in Zaatari and Azraq camps, Jordan.
summer temperatures of 45°C
According to UNHCR the world is currently witnessing the highest level of human displacement ever recorded. Around the globe encampment has been a central element of the humanitarian response to this mass movement of refugees. In Jordan two camps have been established to address the Syrian crisis, currently housing around 115,000 refugees. Zaatari and Azraq camps, like the Palestinian camps in Jordan, are sited in barren locales with a harsh climate. With the passage of time the dwellings initially provided by humanitarian agencies, such as tents or shacks made from lightweight un-insulated materials, have revealed their inherent limitations. Such basic dwellings inhibit domestic life, educational delivery to the young and the development of the social relations needed for community cohesion. They also fail to protect against the harsh climate. Ineffective against summer temperatures of 45°C, they require heating in the desert winters when temperatures can plunge to -10°C. The impacts upon health of exposure to such extremes of temperature are debilitating for all and life-threatening for some, particularly the disproportionate number of children and elderly amongst the camp population. Moreover, providing the fuel required for heating is a major burden for humanitarian agencies and may give rise to fire or toxic fumes.
THE HARD TRUTH
Changing
cabins
for homes
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In numerous refugee-hosting ODA countries efforts are being made to create shelter that addresses the challenges of residence in extreme climates. In Ethiopia, for example, UNHCR has been working to develop robust housing units for the 200,000 refugees in the remote Dollo Ado camp complex. Yet such efforts have not attended to the crucial issue of thermal protection that would render the dwellings comfortable in all climates while eliminating reliance on polluting and unsustainable energy sources to moderate temperature.
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The team at Bath hopes to use technical, socio-cultural and regional expertise to develop a new response to the challenges of refugee shelter in Jordan and globally.
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Overall Aims and Objectives: The long-term aim is to improve living conditions in refugee camps through the creation of low-cost, easy to construct housing that moderates extremes of temperature while providing space that enables dignified living, and customary domestic and intra-community relations. The immediate aims of this eight-month project are to:
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Obtain a clear understanding of the thermal and social conditions in two refugee camps in Jordan and the ways that these are mediated by current shelter provision.
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Develop detailed knowledge of the opportunities and constraints for alternative housing in light of local ecological, political and economic conditions.
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Produce at least three possible design solutions.
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Model the designs in light of thermal conditions revealed through the fieldwork in Jordan.
Planned Activities and Methodology
The project has been split into three workpackages.
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WP1: Field-based research in Jordan.
Thermal surveys and semi-structured interviews will be undertaken in Zaatari and Azraq camps in August 2016 (summer conditions) and January 2017 (winter conditions). Should research in either camp prove impossible we shall work instead in an UNRWA-run Palestinian camp. The thermal surveys will use a mix of spot measurements and week-long data logging in refugee dwellings. Twenty families in each location will be interviewed about (a) their experience of camp housing, (b) the fit of this with their physical and social needs. Humanitarian actors involved in the provision / maintenance of housing will be interviewed in order to (a) capture their experience of current housing provision, and (b) explore opportunities for local production and supply of alternative dwellings.
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WP2: Production of a series of possible material palates and designs
Thermal conditions are normally moderated by a combination of thermal mass and insulation. A series of possibilities for both will be studied including low-cost recyclable local materials (such as earth/rock/sand) for thermal mass, but concrete is an alternative; for insulation both modern lightweight materials and local bio-materials (e.g. straw) will be included. Although the thermal performance of a material is key, equally important are buildability and structural safety, hence three possible solutions will be worked up into detailed drawings.
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WP3: Thermal modelling
Dynamic simulation will be used to discover the likely internal conditions in the possible solutions. The starting point will be to model the current housing in the two camps in Jordan, and validate this with the measured summer and, subsequently, winter conditions. However the performance of the designs will also be modelled in other climates from hot/dry to extreme cold (one site in each of the seven Koppen climate classifications), thereby ensuring any proto-standard is applicable worldwide.
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