Design for Humanity

Background

The loss of a house, due to inevitable or coercive situations, is not only a loss of shelter — but it also causes a loss of belonging, security, and permanency from our lives. The Refugee Crisis has been deemed as one of the biggest global problems of our times, affecting a record “65.6 million people in 2016. Population movements are predicted to increase still further in future, with climate change expected to become a major driver as rising seas, failing crops and extreme weather force tens of millions of people to move.”[i]Civil conflicts are also contributing to entire communities being displaced, left with nowhere to go. Many are also leaving on their own accord, to flee civil unrest in their hometowns and find asylum in other areas. Furthermore, there is a very negative narrative that surrounds the refugee crisis in the generic sense, arising largely due to lack of awareness and thus, compassion.

So what can we do? What role can design play in creating a better environment for the refugees, and thus, a hope for a better future?

As designers, we are proficient in coming up with solutions for prevalent issues. We are also the ‘thinkers’ of society, and we can help ignite social and political debates over worldwide crises like these. In this way, we can create a more positive narrative around refugees and their stories, and encourage mutual compassion and understanding.

The Design Solution

The refugee crisis has become an important topic for designers to discuss and create over. The ‘Better Shelter’, designed by a group of varied professionals, in partnership with IKEA Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency, is one example. It is a temporary flat-pack shelter offering an alternative to the commonplace tents used to house refugees. There are approximately 16,000 Better Shelters being used globally, which barely even scratches the surface of the problem.

The “Better Shelter”

 

Many architects have come up and executed various social housing models for refugees, aimed at being easy to build and maintain. These fast assembly structures are usually out of sync with the local architecture. Agora Architects took design understanding to a new level, through their Mae Tao Dormitories, for refugees arriving in Thailand from Myanmar. Each dormitory can house up to 25 people and is built from recycled timber which accounts for 70% of the overall cost and can be easily dismantled and re-assembled.

There is a sense of empathy arising among designers, which is being viewed better by students of design, starting their careers afresh. The younger generation of designers is rising magnificently to the challenge of creating innovative solutions. Denis Raj, a Bachelor’s in Architecture student of McGan’s Ooty School of Architecture in India conceptualized a transitional housing for the Rohingya refugees driven out of Myanmar. His primary objective was to ensure that the process and construction is simple for the refugees to construct. Denis designed the shelters around a series of courtyards that can be used by the community (both men and women) to work, play and interact. Each household has also been provided with agricultural land, giving them an opportunity of generating their own livelihood, and hence re-build their lives. This project won Denis the UnIATA competition, organized by UNI, which looked at the best and most innovative thesis projects that responded to global problems, designed by graduate and post-graduate students all over the world.[ii]

“Transitional housing for the Rohingya refugees”

 

Pim van der Mijl, a graduate of the Design Academy of Eindhoven, proposed a communal meeting space that breaks down barriers between refugees and local communities in Holland. Another graduate, Manon van Hoeckel, has conceptualized an In Limbo Embassy — ‘a traveling office that aims to facilitate open discussion around immigration, with immigrants themselves traveling around as their own ambassadors and inviting local residents to hear their stories.

Large-scale design is just one way of making the lives of the displaced easier. For example, students from Finland’s Lahti University of Applied Sciences designed a collection of essential furniture items that are easy to build, assemble and use. Another group of students from London’s Royal College of Arts has designed a prototype coat for Syrian refugees that can transform into a tent or sleeping bag. There are various digital applications as well, designed to help refugees in new cities with navigation, language, help centers, etc.*

 

“Rehome” by students of Lahti University

 

That is not all! Videographers and filmmakers can interview and share the stories of refugees’; Architects and designers can collaborate with NGOs and other foundations to help design and set up schools and dispensaries; and clothing designers can create endurable and affordable clothing, fit to be worn for a long period of time. Design is an all-encompassing field and every background can contribute something to create a bigger impact on the lives of millions.

The refugee crisis is expected to worsen over time. It is not only our duty as designers to come up with issue-sensitive solutions that benefit many at once; it is our responsibility as active citizens of the world to contribute something positive to the plight of our neighbors, even if it is just something as small as offering them a helping hand.

*All these designs can be checked out on Dezeen or on the respective university’s websites.

[i] From one of the panel discussions under ‘Good Design for a Bad World’, held by Dezeen at the Dutch Design Week 2017

[ii] “Home for the Escaped”, Denis Raj, published on UNI (www.uni.xyz), winner of UnIATA

Photograph sources:

1. “From shelters to first aid: MoMA exhibition looks at designs addressing the refugee crisis”, published on Design Week (www.designweek.co.uk), June 21

2. “Home for the Escaped”, Denis Raj, published on UNI (www.uni.xyz), winner of UnIATA

3. “Lahti University students design furniture for victims of displacement”, published on Dezeen (www.dezeen.com)