| There are over 27 million people who have been forced from their homes because of either a natural or a human-caused disaster. Some of these people have been forced into camps in which they are to live for perhaps many years. Most of these camps are devoid of any mechanisms that allow for proper human social interactions. A placeless site with placeless huts, the refugee camp is a dinosaur in the repertoire of aid and relief agencies. Yet, there are very few alternatives that can relieve the immediate pressures of a mass population that suddenly finds itself homeless.This thesis is an exploration of how architecture can provide a sense of community and place in the instant and temporary situations of the camp at both the community and shelter scales. It proposes that the solution be flexible and expandable, changing with the needs of the inhabitants, with spaces that are left for the user to define.A kit-of-parts has been adopted to provide the most flexible and expedient building method possible.In order to root this thesis to a specific event, so that it may be tested, the scenario of Vancouver, British Columbia, in a post-earthquake disaster was used. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
