PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Basically, the transitional house consists of two elements, the wooden frame and air inflated membrane, the wooden skeleton is to be constructed and raised by carpenters and the membrane by the inhabitants themselves ( having in mind that the assembling process is very simple and easy – see the details) the air inflated membrane is to be produced in a factory in the country or abroad and carried (in a package much smaller than its final volume) to the construction site, where it could be fixed to the previously constructed wooden frame and inflated, the wooden frame could be used after the period of transition- a new “shell” covering made of wood, prefabricated panels or some other material) could be mounted on the frame, the air-inflated structure is used for the following reasons:
It is easy to transport
Before the assembling process it occupies minimum of space
it can be dismantles, removed, repaired, or fixed to some other bearing structure
the membrane is protection from the water and humidity
the air inside is an excellent thermoisolation
criterion #1: shelter that lasts long enough to allow rebuilding of permanent homes.being well looked after, this shelter is sure to last at least five years, it even offers the base for the future permanent home
criterion #2: shelter that is inexpensive and criterion #4: shelter that can be built by the local builders.the wood is easy to provide in the region and is very cheap. The simplicity of the detailing allows the unskilled workers to raise the wooden construction assembling of the air-inflated structure is so simple that the adult inhabitants may fix it to the frame themselves.
criterion#3: shelter that can be built quickly.
the whole process takes a couple of days
criterion #5: shelter that can be built in many dispersed locations. the house is “free” from the ground and can be raised at the variety of locations. Its membrane provides good protection from the elements in all sorts of climate (notice that the roof cover is elevated above the roof membrane, which makes it suitable even for the warm climate.) due to the modular coordination it is possible to group homes into clusters.
criterion #6: shelter that keeps people healthy and strong. the house is equipped with all the necessary installations which are “compressed” to a single duct, making it easy to be constructed. If the unit is not equipped with the indoor plumbing, it is possible to tank the rain water beside the house. Ventilation is provided through the “tent zip window.”
zoning – the home consists of: the living area, the multifunctional stripe, and toilets and cooling facilities box. Multifunctional stripe is a transformable set of frames and horizontal plates that can be used as a supportive structure for beds, shelves, working tables, etc. it is a maximum flexibility within a minimum of space.
Architecture is supposed to provide shelter. In early 1999, nowhere was the need for shelter more critical than in the war-torn region of Kosovo. Hundreds of thousands were without a place to live. Their homes in ruins and the infrastructure of the region collapsed, the returning population needed immediate and highly-dispersed temporary housing.
Architecture for Humanity hosted an open competition to design five-year transitional housing for the returning people of Kosovo. The competition's goal was to foster the development of housing methods that would relieve suffering and speed the transition back to a normal way of life. Architects and designers from 30 different countries responded. We received more than 200 designs. From these, a jury selected 10 finalists and 20 notable entries. This proposal from Mrkonjic, Kordic, and Stefanovic was one of those notable entries. This entry in particular impressed the competition organizers not only for its design but that it came from 3 Yugoslavian architectural students based in Belgrade during the conflict.
