Innovative, Humane, and Evolving Shelters

When I think of Ikea, I immediately think of awesome duvet patterns, my bookshelf from my undergraduate days, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer. When I think of refugee shelters, I immediately think of tents made of tarps or plastic, small tents that have to fit whole families, and the film District 9. These are two very different places and thoughts. After reading the article, “A New Ingeniously Designed Shelter for Refugees-Made By Ikea,” my thoughts combined Ikea and shelters. I thought of three themes that captures this article: innovative, humane and evolving. 

Innovative

World-wide there are over 43 million people in the world who are refugees for various reasons. They live in a variety of housing, but the United Nation offers one option: a tent. These tents do not protect well from the elements and make it difficult for families to live as normal life as possible. Shelters made by Ikea are manufactured with a hard plastic, will last ten times as long as tents, and can fit up to five people comfortably. The Ikea Foundation has teamed up with the United Nationals High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to mass produce these shelters.  What I find to be respectable about this situation is the UN realizes the products (tents) they supply can be improved, and Ikea is the expert in building these shelters. Not only is the product innovative, but the relationship between UNHCR and Ikea is too.   This partnership allows the experts (Ikea) to creatively explore building shelters and provides UNHCR the products to supply to people they serve.

Humane

Ikea and UNCHR are providing people with a place where they can create a home and attempt to begin to live as stable a life as possible. There are features built into the shelter like a light and a USB outlet that can make a family feel like they have a home. This shelter will allow displaced families have access to things that society has access to. Ikea and UNHCR are providing families a safe and protective shelters that allows people be people, children to feel safe, and re-brand the way society looks at refugee camps and shelter.

Evolving

I can see these types of shelter evolving in two ways: on the production/design level and adaptability. Currently, these shelters can be made for $10,000, but once created in mass production is they can be made at less than $1,000. As the design improves (becomes more like mini-houses with running water and rooms) and production becomes less expensive, there will be more access world-wide in camps.  Thinking on the adaptability level, these shelters can be adapted for other situations. They could be placed in homeless camps for harsh winter months or be shelters for people effected by natural disasters.  As these shelters develop into mini-houses, there also comes the development of uses which could change how we look at housing.  With Ikea and UNHCR working together to begin to safely house 43 million refugees world-wide, their process and methods will evolve to serve as many people as possible.