Project+Proposal

CCT 333 Final Project Proposal
We would like to design a product for the “other 90%” for our final project. Particularly, we will focus on communities in Africa that have been displaced due to civil unrest.

Target Communities
Our research has revealed alarming numbers of displaced peoples in Africa, especially. The International Displacement Monitoring Centre examined rates of displacement in 2008 within 19 countries in Africa, and found an estimated 11.6 million people forced to flee their hometowns and live in hazardous, open environments ("Internal Displacement in Africa"). Displaced people are more vulnerable to multiple outside factors, including injuries, robberies, assault, as well as environmental factors like intense heat, flooding, windstorms, and local wildlife (Seager & Tamasane, 2010, p. 69).

Displacement is often caused by civil conflicts. Regional groups often dispute over territory, and these disputes frequently grow into riots and genocides, forcing thousands to flee their hometowns. Failed peace talks and renewed fighting in a recent conflict in the central Somalian region of Galgadud forced over 80,000 people to abandon their homes in the city. The UN Refugee Agency reported, “Many [displaced] people are reported to be sleeping in the open with dwindling shelter and little water,” in respect to this conflict ("Somalia: 'Dwindling shelter and little water", 2010).

**Problem**
We would like to design a shelter that addresses some basic issues that displaced communities face. While homelessness leaves families susceptible to many outside dangers, as mentioned, we will focus our design on specifically addressing Maslow’s most elemental needs—basic and survival needs. They are vulnerable to smothering heat, vicious winds, torrential rain and treacherous terrain. In addition, when moving from location to location, displaced families need to be able to easily move their possessions and build shelters. At the moment, most build shelters out of scrap aluminum, soiled cloths, cardboard, and other discarded materials (Warah, 2003).

**Intended Solution**
To alleviate the aforementioned basic shelter and survival needs, as well as allow them to travel easily and efficiently, we would like to design a lightweight, portable cubic shelter. Some portable shelter solutions already exist, such as the African prefab houses, disaster relief shelters, and TurboShelters. Most of these shelters were designed to help people displaced by natural disasters, such as in New Orleans after Katrina. Others were designed as simple housing solutions in a variety of environments. Our shelter, however, would be more portable than these current solutions--- easier to assemble, and easier to carry. Our shelter would also be produced at a more affordable rate, as it is a simpler design.

The shelter would consist of four 10 ft X 7ft walls, and a 10ft x 10ft roof. It would be in the shape of a cube. Each wall would be vertically collapsible- it would be made of three large pieces of durable but lightweight plastic, hinged together like giant vertical blinds. Once extended, the wall will maintain its rigidity with a rebar-like pin inserted horizontally through the wall. The walls will connect together to form a large plastic cube.

Each wall would collapse down to a third of its size. The user would collapse down all the walls, individually, and insert them into a large, cylindrical heavy-duty bag. The bag would have removable wheels, allowing families to drag it with minimal force through a variety of terrains.

**Design Inspirations**
1. __African Prefab Houses__

Inhabitat. @http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/14/abod-prefab-for-africa-from-bsb-design/

2. __Disaster Relief Shelter__

IADDIC. @http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87977

3. __TurboShelter__

NOMADiQ. []


 * Works Cited**

"Internal Displacement in Africa." Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre (IDMC). []

Seager, John R. & Tamasane, Tsiliso. (March 2010). "Health and well-being of the homeless in South African cities and towns." //Routledge//. Vol. 27, No. 1.

"Somalia: 'Dwindling shelter and little water.'" (2010). IRIN. []

Warah, Rasna. (2003). "Slums and Housing in Africa." //UN Chronicle Online Edition//. []