Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

ADVANTAGES OF THE CONCEPT:

i. ABUNDANCE OF MATERIAL
These containers are readily available worldwide and available in standard sizes and specifications. There is no shortage of these relatively cheap raw material.

ii. TIME SAVING
There is no need to build the kit of parts from scratch. The units need only to be fitted with windows, doors and necessary openings as well as the necessary insulation. Some repainting may be necessary for aesthetic purposes only.
There is no need for beams and columns since they can be stacked together. Only minimal bracing for stability may be required and these would be handled by nuts and bolts connections.

iii. EASY ASSEMBLE AND DISMANTLE
Since these containers are designed for shipping, they can be easily transported via land, sea, air or combinations of. Small hoisting cranes will reduce the need for huge manpower as in ordinary construction. Since there is no column and beams assembly is even faster. Bolting connections make dismantling job easier as well.

iv. INEXPENSIVE
Used containers are rather inexpensive making it easier even for corporations and groups of individuals to donate them.

v. LONG LASTING
These containers as they are meant for shipping are sturdy and weather-proof. These units can last much longer than the anticipated five year duration of temporary stay for the dwellers. In fact these housing could become a semi-permanent housing as the duration of stay may exceed beyond that.

vi. DESIGN VARIETY
The concept of kit-of-parts allow for many variations of design. Very much like LEGO there are countless variations or combination of designs that can be employed. A larger density such as for urban areas up to four (even five) can be used while for village areas two story variant can be adapted. These vast variations allow many different groups of architects and engineers to contribute their talents and ideas. Such flexibility would mean these transitional housing would be adaptable and applicable anywhere on earth where there is and would be a need for temporary housing or transitional housing be it in Kosovo, Istanbul, Kobe or L.A.

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 Baharin Bin Mohammed was one of those notable entries.