An Explorative Study on Material Feasibility for Relief Shelter for Refugees

There has been an unprecedented growth in the refugees’ crisis due to humanitarian emergencies like countries’ political situation, climate change, and related natural disasters. The report of United Nations High Commissioner for refugees 2018 stated that there has been a rapid increase in the displaced population from 43.3 million to 70.8 million between 2009 and 2018. In this regard, the role of refugee shelters plays a salient role in providing housing to these homeless. International discourse has increasingly focused on the unique way in which displaced people live in refugee shelters. The material for construction is the major challenge to accommodate the number of people with varied weather conditions. Hence, it is imperative to explore different kinds of materials that can be appropriate in the process of designing sustainable refugee shelters. The aim of the paper is to explore different kinds of materials that are competent in designing a viable shelter without compromising with the comfort and aspirations of the users. The various materials were selected based on diverse parameters; a model was developed utilizing the material which was simulated (using Sefaira software) to test how effectively the material would serve in the given region. The results aided in interpreting the optimum ranges within the dwelling for adequate thermal comfort of the users. This study, therefore, suggests recommendations to support the design of spatial and architectural solutions for shelter design for refugees with suitable material selection during the emergency approach.