Meanwhile, Airbnb appointed designer Cameron Sinclair to head its in-house humanitarian team, which will aim to provide temporary housing for 100,000 people within five years.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has mothballed 10,000 of IKEA’s award-winning refugee shelters over concerns about the product’s vulnerability to fire.
Only 5,000 of the 15,000 shelters that UNHCR bought in 2015 have been deployed, meaning that two thirds of them, worth a total of $12,5 million, have yet to be used.
The rest have remained in depots while it carried out an investigation into fire safety and other problems, UNCHR told Dezeen.
“In late 2015 the Swiss and German authorities raised concerns around the fire safety of the shelter,” said Tapio Vahtola, who leads the Strategic Partnerships department at the UNHCR.
“Safety is of course an absolute priority and following the concerns raised, UNHCR and Better Shelter engaged in a comprehensive process of analysing the results and ensuring the safety of the product through improving the panel design.”
The new version of the shelter will feature stronger, lighter and cheaper cladding panels while existing units would now be deployed according to stricter spacing guidelines.
“We are introducing guidelines in order to improve the safety distance between units in camp settings and to minimise the risk of fire spreading between shelters in the case of a fire starting in a settlement,” Vahtola said.
He added: “It is important to highlight that the shelter is not fire hazardous. It is fire retardant, but as with any other building or tent it will not withstand flames from an uncontrolled fire.”
The flat-pack shelter won the Design Museum’s design of the year award earlier this year and is part of the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The UNHCR’s admission came as humanitarian designer Cameron Sinclair claimed that design problems with the shelters were identified during field trials in 2014 but were left out of a report “for fear of losing funding”.
“A team of us in Ethiopia had done an independent analysis of the structures in 2014 and expressed our concerns to both Better Shelter and the IKEA Foundation,” wrote Sinclair, who is former co-founder of Architecture for Humanity and now heads Airbnb’s humanitarian team.
Sinclair said he was given a file of photos showing design and durability flaws, including some showing DIY repairs undertaken by refugees.
“We only learned of the issues late night when one of the NGO [non-governmental organisation] field engineers that was responsible for the pilot programme mentioned what they left out of the report, for fear of losing funding, and had a jump drive of images that weren’t shared.”
Sinclair posted one of the images alongside his comment. The photo shows a joint in the internal metal-tube frame of the shelter held together with plastic bags, which were applied by refugees in an attempt to stabilise the unit.
He said he passed on his concerns to IKEA Foundation in an email but did not get a reply.
This photo of DIY repairs to the frame of a Better Shelter was one of many handed to Cameron Sinclair by an anonymous field worker in 2014
“We were not aware of this, and neither are we aware of any involvement by NGO partners in reviewing the shelters when they were tested,” said Tapio Vahtola.
“No NGO has been responsible for any pilot programme. UNHCR has always had dedicated staff overseeing the testing and piloting the shelters.”
Vahtola added: “I believe this comment refers to the small scale pilot in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia [where] the ones providing crucial inputs to our testing and piloting were refugees themselves.”
Professor Tom Scott-Smith, who is heading the project, said he had heard reports of problems with the shelter.
“There are a variety of criticisms about the product and we’ve been researching its history and use for a while now,” he said.
The Better Shelter is designed to be assembled by four people in four hours without requiring specialist tools
Problems with the shelter first emerged when humanitarian expert Killian Klienschmidt told Dezeen about shortcomings he had heard from humanitarian workers in the field. These include problems with wheelchair access, ventilation and rigidity.
“It takes four hours to assemble, it doesn’t have a groundsheet and it’s not modular as it should be,” Kleinschmidt said. “There have been complaints about the wind going through. It doesn’t take into consideration that people like to adjust the space themselves and that is part of their dignity.”
Tapio Vahtola defended the UNHCR’s methodology in a statement sent to Dezeen.
“I believe that it is important that UNHCR continues to challenge itself, and the partners it is fortunate enough to work with, to constantly improve the products, services and process we employ to provide refugees with protection and assistance, and ultimately, to help them to live more dignified lives,” he wrote.
“One way that we do this is through innovation, and through partnerships, with among other organisations, Better Shelter. The very nature of innovation and new product development project implies improvements are required along the road, iterations based on experience, on end-user engagement, and on robust data, but underlined by a commitment to try to constantly improve.
The shelter was developed as a better alternative to tents for temporary refugee housing
“As an organisation, we encourage inputs, observations, and constructive criticisms and critiques, as in most cases, this helps us to improve how we work. In this case, the continued commitment to improving the product should be the real testimony of the value of the project, that is informed in part by for example, positive end user experience, as the one described by the refugee quoted in your story.”
Cameron Sinclair also praised Better Shelter and IKEA for their openness in the face of criticism of the shelter.
“Kudos to the Better Shelter team for being so open in the initial challenges with the housing design,” he wrote. “Better Shelter and IKEA were extremely receptive in receiving honest feedback and did an excellent job in following up. Given [Sinclair’s own architecture firm] Small Works was working on re-deployable housing at the time, they could have been dismissive.”
The 17.5-square-metre flat-pack shelter, which costs $1,250 (£968), was designed as a more comfortable and longer-lasting alternative to tents for rapid deployment in emergency situations. Constructed of a tubular metal frame and clad in flexible snap-together panels, it can be assembled by four people in four hours. Features include solar-powered lights and lockable doors.
Most of the 5,000 shelters deployed so far are in Iraq, where 3,500 are in use. There are 400 in Djibouti and 100 in Niger, with the rest in Serbia, Macedonia and Greece.
Le cabinet d’architecture tchèque Chybik + Kristof vient de réhabiliter un concessionaire automobile en une magnifique salle d’exposition pour une entreprise d’ameublement, et cela de façon originale. L’extérieur du bâtiment est recouvert de chaises classiques, en plastique noir.
Sur son blog Artfully Awear, Ariel Adkins s’inspire de l’histoire de l’art pour réaliser des créations colorées et graphiques. Des Tournesols de Van Gogh à l’expressionnisme abstrait en passant par les collages de Matisse, la créatrice américaine rend hommage à tous les courants et toutes les époques. Une façon originale de porter sa passion pour l’art sur ses vêtements.
The latest Home range from Swarovski includes bottle stoppers, polygonal paperweights, and marble trays decorated with slices of brightly coloured crystal.
Aldo Baker is one of the designers that has contributed to Atelier Swarovski Home’s second collection
The homeware collection, which was shown at Palazzo Crespi during Milan design week, includes several new pieces as well as additions to existing lines.
American designer Barbara Barry created a set of modular candle holders, which pair crystal bases in various colours with brass centrepieces that are designed to bring “intimate warmth” into the home.
Barbara Barry has paired crystal with brass to create a set of modular candle holders
Studio Brynjar & Veronika’s Currents paperweights are made from pure coloured crystal
Colour also features in Tomás Alonso‘s trays, which are an addition to his existing Atelier Swarovski Home Prism range. Pieces of marble are ringed with patterns made from chips of coloured crystal, or intersected by stripes in contrasting hues.
Tomás Alonso’s Prism trays are made from marble bases surrounded by chips of coloured crystal
Dutch designer Aldo Bakker has also expanded his Facet range, with a series of bottle stoppers in muted colours and a set of paperweights.
Aldo Bakker’s Facet range includes a series of muted crystal bottle stoppers
Architect Andre Kikoski paired Swarovksi’s trademark material with copper and nickel to create a collection of perforated and textured boxes topped with chunks of crystal.
Andre Kikoski has combined crystal with copper and nickel to create his Lustra collection of boxes, trays and modular candle holders
American designer Greg Lynn‘s set of trays and cups, which contrasted turned wood with gems made from cut crystal, are aimed at those lucky enough to have a bar at home.
Coronel is a collection of oak accessories for an at-home bar created by Greg Lynn
In this episode, John travels around the country as a manholer in search of Japan’s best designs. He also visits Nagashima Imono Casting Factory where manhole covers are made and finds out why they have designs and are painted. He also visits the Manhole Summit for the latest news and designs…(Read…)
US firm CCY Architects has divided this low-slung Colorado home into private and public zones, encasing the former within weathering-steel boxes that define the property’s layout.
Gambel Oaks Ranch is a three-bedroom residence that encompasses 5,687 square feet (528 square metres), nestled within the mountainous topography of Eagle County, Colorado.
“The property is a working ranch with horses, chickens, and goats,” said CCY Architects. “The client also has a riding arena and barn on site.”
“Located on broad sweeping ranchlands overlooking a lake, Gambel Oaks Ranch was designed to blend into its surroundings and is not visible from any public roadways,” the Colorado-based firm added.
Arriving at the home reveals a sequence of vistas that culminate with views of the landscape to the south.
“Entering the home, the view is released by a series of layers, building from interior to exterior space, pool terrace, pasture, distant lake, and mountain peaks,” said the architects.
The master suite, guest bedroom, and a yoga studio that could be converted to a third bedroom are contained in Corten steel volumes. The outlines of these help define the home’s public areas, which fit around these primary shapes.
“Program spaces were divided into private and public,” the architects said. “Private spaces are housed within Corten boxes; public spaces occupy the void between the Corten boxes.”
In the home’s living area, gabions filled with stones taken from the site form a hefty fireplace. This space looks towards the south, through an expansive floor-to-ceiling glazed wall that runs along the length of the living room.
Similar stone-filled cages can be found in other areas of the property, defining the home’s front entrance and used for landscaping purposes around the back.
These complement the home’s exterior cladding, which is also masonry. Oklahoma Blue Ledge Stone was colour-matched to the distant mountain peaks to the south, according to the firm.
Other materials used in the project include beetle-kill pine, a type of wood found in Colorado that displays a slightly blue patina – a chemical reaction triggered by local pine beetles.
Sustainability was an important factor for the design. “This high-altitude home at 8,500 feet (2,600 metres) above sea level has been optimised for passive solar and encourages cross-ventilation through a series of interconnected spaces,” said the architects.
The home’s expansive south-facing openings, overhanging roof, and thermal mass all contribute to lowering its environmental footprint.
Having been overwhelmed by the response after our pilot episode of Architreasure Weekly, here’s episode #2! Architreasure Weekly is our weekly dose of 10 inspiring buildings and tall structures to give you a visual and literal high! Drop by every Friday to check the series out, and to be wowed by the massive grandeur of architecture!
1. The Eight Tenth’s Garden by Wutopia Lab looks almost like a large white corrugated paper structure! Inspired by the folding fan, this building is an Arts and Crafts Museum in Shanghai.
2. Either Piet Mondrian inspired some great architecture, or was inspired by it… The Cefn Castell by Stephenson Studio is a simple yet serene building that overlooks Cardigan Bay. Look at how captivating the building looks, despite its “simple” geometric construction!
3. The houses we used to draw as children looked so symmetric, didn’t they? The base and the roof were always proportionate and aligned. Not the cabin in Chamonix by Pierre Marchand Architects. The roof is designed to be disproportionate and cantilever almost 25% outwards, creating a beautiful shaded porch/parking, while breaking the monotony of traditional cabin designs! Perfect weekend getaway!
4. Stained Glass art is old-school! This Double Duplex by Batay-Csorba Architects has a Matrix inspired front facade! The geometric swiss cheese style not only looks iconic from the outside, look at the way sunlight pours into the room in a dappled pattern! Beautiful!
5. The Smile by Alison Brooks Architects looks like a smile, and is intended to make you smile too! One enters the installation from the center of the “mouth”, moving to one of the two sides to get access to an elevated balcony. Either admire the sunset, or click some selfies… you’ll be smiling for sure!
6. We’ve actually covered the Kido Sushi Bar by DA Architects before, and we realized that it just had to be a part of this series! The sushi bar that isn’t famous for its food, but rather for its beautiful polygonal ceiling!
7. Architecture and grids go hand in hand, but the Wake Space Up! Urban Eco-Balcony by Farming Studio implements the grid in its architecture in a much more literal sense. The dynamic ceiling and walls don’t just liven up the place, they serve as lighting and wall-mounted storage too! Three birds with one stone!
8. The Mobile House absolutely dominated our website for months when we covered it first! This pre-assembled home designed by Ruzanna Andressa Oganesya comes completely ready to live in. It gets shipped to your location and fixed in place and voila! Instant housing!
9. Check this vertical garden out. It doesn’t use soil to grow the plants! Relying on hydroponics, this vertical ecosystem by Shanghai based firm Sasaki is designed to grow spinach, kale, and lettuce… essentials in the Shangainese diet.
10. This vertical waterfront holiday home by US based Lake Flato gives patrons on each floor a different and captivating view of the lakes and the countryside! Based in the Marble Falls, 50 miles from Austin, the Blue Lake Retreat is just the most ideal place to kick back this weekend! You’re welcome for the idea!
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
