SCISSORS house: NOMADIC homes

The concept of the house is defined architecturally as a physical structure projected along a three-dimensional geometric plane but the home, the home is a different concept in its entirety. The home resonates psychologically as its boundaries are not delimited by any physical structure or material components. To a different sect of people, the concept of home comes in different dimensions. The refugees owing to their nomadic nature tend to be more mobile with their belongings. Their home is not rooted in a single place but rather embedded in concepts of their socio-cultural associations, social values and norms as well as social units of association such as family, community, tribe etc to mention a few. It is therefore imperative that the house for the refugees is not just conceived as a place for rest after an activity or routine but rather as an abode to accommodate diverse activities under various climatic conditions and within different locations and contexts.

Approaching the brief and design proposal was strictly done on a functional basis with the consideration for proper liveability of the spaces being considered first. The guiding principle behind the design proposal of the folding house model is to proactively adapt the tent architecture for the refugees. Put simply, designing an all-inclusive home on the go. The design was conceived bearing in mind the mobile nature of the proposed inhabitants and as such have its components made compressible to ease demountability and mobility as necessitated by their lifestyle. A creative interplay of materials and components is exemplified by the design proposal to produce a functional architecture that not just satisfies the venustas (aesthetic) and utilitas (functional) tradition but also the structural (firmitas) tradition in a similarly Vitruvian nature.

The design is simple with the spaces arranged linearly but not so differentiated. The internal spaces are largely opened to allow for partitioning as suited by the users.

Materials

The choice of materials is influenced by quite a host of decisions largely durability, cost, ease of operation but most importantly is ease of mobility. The structural frames are hollow Aluminium sections produced to stable sizes for rigidity but made hollow to ease transport. These aluminium sections are made to be both the vertical and horizontal ribs and also form the compressible scissors sections. Upon need to demount, the ribbed frames fold into one another as facilitated by the different widths of the aluminium frame. To further aid this process, the scissors members in a scissors-like character fold together collapsing the once big frame into a movable piece.

Fig 1: Hollow Aluminium frame with their different widths to facilitate folding

Each of the frame links with the next frame by the scissors compressible members that can be compressed together when demounting.

The frame is sheathed by a ‘skin’ material. This skin material forms the layered protection and acts as an intermediary between the external and the interior. A polycotton material has been carefully selected for this purpose. Of the many considerations that influence this choice of material, the ability to harness both properties of polyester and cotton creating a balance between both characteristics. Due to its cotton content, it is durable and water-resistant and invariably lightweight. Owing to its polyester content, the polycotton displays a low shrinkage property and exhibits a considerable amount of resistance against the sun’s U.V rays (a very important property). The polycotton requires minimum care and maintenance. The polycotton Is also a durable material and can function effectively for a long period of time.

Mechanism of Operation

As mentioned earlier, the system operates under a collapsible frame system. The ribs are compressed into one another following movements by the compressible scissors’ member. 

Fig 2: Compressed form of the structural frame along the scissors’ members.

Upon proper compression of the frame members, the members could still assume a smaller form making it easier to be carried. This is made possible by the folding along the vertical as the frame members fit into the different widths.

Fig 3: Compressed frame made possible by the different widths of the frame members

To better improve the functionality of the interior spaces and introduce more lighting and ventilation, a high-level opening was made available to facilitate ventilation by stack air movement and also introduce more natural light into the interior spaces.

Fig 4: Opening along the structural frame to improve lighting and ventilation

Expansion of the model in case of spanning wider spaces could be achieved along the longer side of the proposed design. Thus, no openings were situated along the longer side to allow for stacking up of the tents side by side.

Planning services such as sanitary spaces (toilet and bathrooms) were quite challenging as it is difficult to fit their services into the nomadic lifestyle. As such, mobile sanitary components were introduced such as mobile toilet component. These sanitary components are to be serviced periodically by the users

Fig 5: Portable WC to be serviced periodically

In order to fulfil one of the functional requirements of the design which is expandability, the components have been carefully selected to allow for future expansion in the basic model. The method of assemblage allowed this as the joints are flexible enough to allow the introduction of other members.

In the end, the folding house model is not just a design alien to its users’ context but rather a carefully adapted piece of architecture tailored to the nomadic life of the refugee and a home for the people to live in.