Emergency Units in Gaza

Given the situation of conflict and the urgent need for international humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Gaza that we witnessed during the 2024/25 academic year, it was essential to raise students’ awareness and encourage them to develop and apply their skills in order to propose forms of assistance.

We also took advantage of the visit of Arlindo Silva, a visiting professor from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and his expertise in industrial design to work within a hybrid field between design and architecture.

The challenge is to create, in collaborative groups, emergency housing units for the Gaza Strip. These must be demountable, capable of being assembled on site either fully or partially, and easy to transport. They must also be versatile enough to accommodate families of different sizes. The research phase—focusing on materials, transport, and climate—is fundamental.

In addition, from a graphic perspective and to improve understanding of materials and assembly, students are required to produce instructions similar to those of IKEA products for their units. These units must be demountable and therefore recyclable and reusable.