Weaving a home. That’s the name of a project headed up by Abeer Seikaly, an award-winning architect and designer, and the name she’s chosen could not suit it better.
These days there is widespread human suffering, and for a variety of reasons like war and natural disasters, to name just a couple. Events like these leave millions of people worldwide with no home, clean water, or shelter. But Ms. Seikaly is making a difference. An emergency shelter that helps get you back on your feet? That’s exactly what’s coming down the pike, thanks to her genius design.
The Syrian Civil War of many years and the resulting refugee situation touched Ms. Seikaly’s heart on a deep level. She knew she needed to do something to help, so she got down to business. The Jordanian-Canadian designer and architect came up with a refugee tent that meets some of the most basic needs we have for survival. When put into production, this innovative design will be flat-pack and shippable, making it the total package for helping victims of disaster get back on their feet.
One of the challenges with traditional tarpaulin tents is that they simply can’t bear extreme conditions, and it seems that where disaster zones are concerned, all we find are extreme conditions. High winds, powerful sun, and heavy rain at times to worry about too. The world needed a tent design that could not only withstand conditions like these but work with them too.
Refugee Tents That Work Smarter, Not Harder
Drawing on ancient basket weaving techniques, the domed design of the building has a unique beauty to it. Something like a yurt, it’s made of an innovative material that bends and flexes in unique ways, sewn together in a special pattern, making for controllable airflow. Drawn tight over flexible plastic tubing, the fabric tent instantly provides shelter, shade and airflow, while being completely transportable. (1)
The futuristic and clever design doesn’t stop there. Since this project was borne of her concern for the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the harsh desert sun was at the top of the list in her mind. It was necessary to find ways to harness all of that heat into electricity and warm water, so this tent’s design can also take what Mother Nature brutally dishes out and make magic out of it. It can help sustain life, harnessing the power that would certainly snuff it out. How awesome is that? (2)
The whole thing is one giant rain catchment system too, with the snakeskin-like curves and folds of the tent being water filters. As the rainwater cascades down the sides of the tent, it is made clean, then stored in containers for cooking and drinking.
The tent is still in the concept stage for now. With so many innovative features, each one as groundbreaking and important as the last, creating a functioning shelter will take a little time. But it will be so worth it. This is the kind of thing that will help people in a variety of tough situations, all over the world. When the tent is made available for distribution, it will be capable of addressing the most basic human needs for survival, which is pretty incredible. It’s unclear what is needed to get the tents to those who need them, as the design was put forth in 2013.
