Why A Refugees Camp? Essay Sample

Designing removable and easy to assemble shelter houses is a great idea itself, especially nowadays. However, this is not a strong thesis, it needs to be more specific and clear. I believe that every architect should think about their responsibility before designing any project, for this reason, my attention was attracted by your essay. Generally, I agree with a part of your statements, but there are things which could make your thesis stronger. I will discuss a number of points which make your thesis weak and suggestions for improvement.
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing”, and I completely agree with your main idea. Nevertheless, a quick google search enables us to find a plenty of projects similar to yours. They may differ in material, designs and locations, nevertheless, there are million similar ideas. It is vital to mention what makes this design different and what is its innovation.
For example, you stated that, “The best example I found is IKEA’s shelter; which is a 57-square-foot tent which can house a family of five. The entire structure ships in two boxes and takes only four to eight hours to assemble.” In my opinion, it is a fascinating idea to build a house from just 2 boxes. Nonetheless, it is vital to mention how IKEA’s ideas will be improved and which innovations are going to be used.
Furthermore, it is mentioned that, “The main idea of the project is that anyone can build their shelter and keep it in their home afterwards, and maybe use it in the future since anyone can assemble them easily.” This implies that if the refugees return back to their countries, the project is still valuable for them. Another great idea is engaging refugees to work at the factories designing and manufacturing those shelters, which is a great idea. However, such factories will not be built in one day, around one year or more are necessary to study and build those factories.
Next, talking about the location for those shelters, it is mentioned that they are removable, so could be placed either in the south or the north. However, there are different climate conditions. It is necessary to mention how the project will adapt to such totally different conditions. It is necessary to study both parts of the country or, at least, find a specific place for the shelters. This could be problematical due to a large number of approvals required to use any site.
Another question is how the removable shelters will be supplied with water and electricity. Nowadays according to the country’s strategy regarding refugees, they are engaged with the community. In my opinion, such approach has both advantages and disadvantages, but it is much more advisable than to send those people outside the cities and normal life. It is completely understandable that governments always choose the easiest solution to any problem, but it is the architect’s duty to find the most appropriate solution considering the county’s strategy. The location is the most important thing to find, though not the easiest one. For this reason, this has to be considered in the design process and studied carefully.
In addition, the idea should explain how the culture affects the design of a shelter unit and how it will be applied in the design. Evidently, the culture in the south and in the north are different, so this is not easy to apply that in the design. However, I agree that it will be great to create a convenient environment for refugees and make the camp similar to their countries.
Since you are an interior architect, I would bring into question your thesis about designing a shelter unit. I could give an example how to improve the idea of designing movable furniture for the shelter unit or how to fit the furniture into any shelter unit. It is possible to design multifunction furniture that is easy to assemble and ship. It is advisable to study the average sizes for the most usable shelters around the world and to find out the most useful dimensions for the furniture. Thinking about the interior, it is preferable to remember that the furniture is important, but there should not be extra pieces.
Similarly, it is necessary to think more about multifunction furniture and its usage elsewhere. Furthermore, the important thing is to consider who could adapt the project. For instance, IKEA could ship your furniture in one extra box to make their shelters more convenient for standard living according to the UN Refugee Agency statistics.
Finally, the main thing to be considered is to be specific and not to describe the idea as a totally new one or as a completely new invention. In contrast, other ideas could be studied first and improved afterwards. It is advisable to read and see many examples that will help to improve the idea and create a clear vision of it. Additionally, keep thinking about things that will make your idea different, as well as about the target audience, and who might adapt the project. Be as much specific as possible when choosing the topic.