The Haven Hood: Redefining Portable Units for Communities in Need

Abstract

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, over a 100 million people worldwide were forcibly
displaced from their homes, facing life-threatening poverty, suffering from overcrowding, lack of proper food and
water, lack of sanitary methods, mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress
disorder. This study provides a solution suitable for the temporary crisis: a shelter with essential units including
residential, educational, healthcare, and outdoor facilities; to increase refugees' self-reliance and improve their life
conditions. The best architectural solution for refugees follows transitional shelter typology, which has movable,
adaptable, transformable, and interactive features. A shipping container provides a unit that has the previous features
in addition to sustainable approaches and flexibility; this makes it the best choice to serve the study goal and to achieve
the three main elements of this study, shelter, flexibility, and sustainability, creating a prototype that can adapt
different needs.