Post-war architecture: Replacing temporary with progressive houses

The war in Syria has had severe impact on its people and the world. It has damaged a third of the total housing. Currently, The rebuilding process after war is vastly flawed which results in great financial losses. But what if we could come up with a method that not only could speed up the process but also offer a familiar atmosphere that would inspire hope.

There were four main ideas which shaped this project, with the objective of saving time and resources, flexibility in design and personalization, promoting interaction while respecting the privacy and culture. The idea of replacing temporary houses with progressive houses was proposed in order to speed up the process while saving resources . Without the need of constructing temporary houses, removing them and then replacing them with permanent ones, victims can avoid constant relocation and rebuild their life as soon as possible. We do need to realize that this is in fact a major concern for the victims who need to be worried about their young children, disable members or old members of their family. Another concept with the same goal was the “up-to-down construction” method in which the housing units will be placed away from the ground where it is not possible to build due to the rubble or other potential hazards. Moreover, understanding the target users and their vital needs was another concern which was covered by offering a familiar concept and design to the locals in the shape of courtyard houses. At the end, a structure was formed to comply with all the unique requirements of all these ideas. This structure was inspired by Shigeru Ban’s Tamedia building in Zurich. The special joint system allows for an efficient and flexible design, ideal for the purpose of this design. The proposed project was designed with the Syrian Civil war, Syrian people, culture and its architecture in mind. However, the general method and ideology can still be accomplished in other countries with their unique circumstances.