In light of recent refugee crises, Belgium-based architecture and engineering firm DMOA has become involved with The Maggie Program, an initiative to improve refugee shelter, education, and health through a new building concept.
Because most countries only allow for temporary settlements for refugees, the project centers around the Maggie Shelter, a temporary tent-like structure, that functions as a more substantial, fixed building.
Starting with a large canvas, the Shelter features a solid inner structure and a double jacket, which can then be filled with locally and readily available materials like sand, organic materials, or plastic wastes, for insulation and stability. Thus, the structure itself is efficient, easily transportable, and low-cost.
Furthermore, the insulation of the Maggie Shelter helps reduce the need for extra heating or cooling, as would be needed in an ordinary tent, which in turn reduces the long-term cost of upkeep.
The Shelter is designed to serve for several critical activities: medical wards and health posts, schools, community centers, and temperature-controlled warehouses. In these uses, the Shelter can help to promote health and hygiene, foster educational environments, and provide clean and safe spaces for medical treatment and supply storage.
The Maggie Shelter is currently in the development process, and needs financial support to get off the ground. Learn more about the project, and donate here.
News via The Maggie Program.
