In an article which appeared in The Guardian, Laura C. Mallonee wrote that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), UN's Refugee Agency, reported in June that, for the first time since World War II, the number of displaced people have already reached more than 50 million. This led to an immense increase in the need of transitional shelters, preferably something more lasting than tents but less permanent than a house. Recently, eight companies came up with their designs for semi -permanent conflict housing and below are the descriptions of these models:
1. Refugee housing by IKEA
This 88 square -foot shelter can accommodate up to 5 persons. It has a flat packed solar panel, a roof screen that reflects the rays of the sun and which traps heat overnight, plus a USB outlet. The units were tested by UNHCR in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Iraq and Jordan. Initially, each costs $10,000, but IKEA claims it may drop to $1,000 once mass production begins.
2. Exo shelter by Reaction Housing
It provides an 85-square-foot space with four bunk beds which are secured on the wall and can be lowered when needed. The units are durable and can last for up to 10 years and all it needs is cleaning during deployment.
Inspired by the stackable styrofoam coffee cup, the Exo units can be piled up for it to be transported in large quantities, 30,000 units , which can house more than a million people, can be loaded to a cargo ship. 10 units will be sent for the relief efforts in Syria this October. Once full production has been reached, each shelter will cost about $5,000.
3. U-Dome by World Shelters
The 200 square foot unit was created after Hurricane Katrina, with each costing as little as $1,500. 190 of these will be sent to Haiti to accommodate 800 people this November.
4. QuickHab by Green Horizon Manufacturing
Developed just last year through a $25m deal between Green Horizon and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, the shelter hopes to bring back the refugees' lost sense of security as it comes with locks and keys. Each unit also comes with a kitchenette, shower, toilet and runs between $35 and $50 per square foot. Since then, 300 units have been sold to India, Peru and Trinidad.
5. Global Village Shelter by Global Village Shelter, LLC
From the unit price of $2,500, it was tagged down to $1000. Thousands of these flat-packed and durable units have been sent to Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, New Orleans and Pakistan. What makes them cool is that a modular factory could also be shipped for an on-site production,
6. HuSH2 by Extremis Technology
The wooden unit need to be unfolded and bolted together to house a family of five in hurricane-prone areas. It can also be reconfigured into a triangle as it is capable of withstanding Category 5 winds. Each costs $5,000 with its first deployment set for early next year.
7. Intershelter by Intershelter
Before it is assembled, the shelter looks like a stack of Pringles Potato chips. When placed together, the circular shingles form a 196-square-foot dome which can stand 40 feet of snow and 200-mile-per-hour winds. The units, each costing around $7,000, have been sent to Japan for the 2011 earthquake victims and to downtown Los Angeles for the homeless.
8. Rapid Deployment Module by Visible Good
Five of this insulated and lightweight shelters were set up in Oklahoma after a tornado wiped in 2013. Aside from putting disaster stricken areas as its primary beneficiaries, a version for the US military is also currently being developed. The manufacturer got a 1million Small Business Innovation Research grant and an additional $100,000 grant from MassVentures. If things will go well, the units will be available by next year.
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