Architecture

Concertina-like disaster shelter envisioned for Nepal

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The concept shelter was designed for a disaster housing competition and is dubbed Just a Minute
Barberio Colella ARC
Getting a shelter in the hands of the people who need it most is an expensive and time-consuming task, so obviously an easily-transportable shelter could be a benefit
Barberio Colella ARC
Thanks to its concertina-like unfolding structure, Just a Minute would measure 4 x 11.7 m (13 x 38 ft) when occupied, but only 2.5 x 4 (8.2 x 13 ft) when being transported
Barberio Colella ARC
Materials intended for the project include oriented strand board (OSB), bamboo, burlap, recycled wool, and a waterproof membrane
Barberio Colella ARC
The concept shelter was designed for a disaster housing competition and is dubbed Just a Minute
Barberio Colella ARC
Architectural drawing of the shelter
Barberio Colella ARC
Just a Minute also sports some sustainable technology, including photovoltaic panels and a basic rainwater catchment system
Barberio Colella ARC
Architectural drawing of the shelter
Barberio Colella ARC
View gallery - 7 images

Following the severe earthquake that struck Nepal earlier this year, Italian firm Barberio Colella ARC has designed a disaster shelter dubbed Just a Minute for displaced Nepalese people. Though likely to remain on the drawing board, the shelter features some interesting ideas, including a concertina-like expandable structure that facilitates transportation.

Designing a viable disaster shelter is one thing, but getting it into the hands of the people who need it most can often prove expensive and time-consuming, so an easily-transportable shelter offers obvious benefits. Like Designobis' Tentative shelter, Just a Minute aims to address this with an expandable structure.

The shelter comprises a solid oriented strand board center section that houses the bathroom and kitchen areas, with the living and sleeping areas located to either side. These latter areas are housed within a bamboo framework and covered by a waterproof membrane.

Thanks to its concertina-like unfolding structure, Just a Minute would measure 4 x 11.7 m (13 x 38 ft) when occupied, but only 2.5 x 4 (8.2 x 13 ft) when being transported
Barberio Colella ARC

The shelter would measure only 2.5 x 4 m (8.2 x 13 ft) while being transported, but once safely in place, a pivoting bamboo framework would allow volunteers to pull out its side sections to expand it, concertina-like, to 4 x 11.7 m (13 x 38 ft). Barberio Colella ARC says that in this guise, it could shelter up to 10 people.

Insulation would come in the form of layers of burlap stuffed with donated woolen clothing, while roof-based solar panels would offer juice for small devices, or perhaps lighting. A basic roof-based rainwater catchment system is also envisioned to offer water for kitchen and bathroom use.

A few obvious concerns spring to mind though, including the durability of the bamboo expanding framework, and whether such a structure would provide adequate protection from the Himalayan country's changeable climate. Perhaps it would be better suited to temperate climes.

Sources: Archinect, Ikuku via Arch Daily

View gallery - 7 images
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1 comment
andysuth
Very similar to a fully collapsable shelter I designed for sending Flatpack to disaster areas when I was at RCA in 2000.
Mine was hexagonal based to allow interlocking, maximum floor space for minimum walls and was easily deployed and repacked.
Good luck with your designs.