Months into the Ukraine Crisis, a Ukrainian architecture firm has started to think about the people who flee from Ukraine as a result of the war and are in urgent need of housing. As per the sources, around 6.5 million people have been internally displaced within the country and around 4 million people have fled and reached the border into Poland and other countries. Hence, the Kyiv-based architecture firm Slava Balbek Bureau has designed modular houses to offer refugees temporary shelters. These modular homes can be scaled to the size of a town and accommodate up to 8,000 people. Read SURFACES REPORTER (SR)’s complete report below:
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The modular homes have not been constructed yet, but the planning is to set them quickly and with whatever resources are available at hand. This is an important point to note, as it means that the reality of living in a war zone or the supply-chain shocks won’t affect the building work.
What does it Contain?
The project called RE: UKRAINE is a set of modular homes that can be scaled up into a town and can house around 8,000 refugees." The name came from the word 'refugee houses,' and we knew we needed to restyle, rebuild, and renovate Ukraine," the CEO said.
The modules measuring 21 feet by 11 feet each, will be grouped into independent residential parts that will have shared kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, and communal areas as required, as per the press release. The main intent was to offer shelters to the people who now don’t have any houses to live in.
Affordable and Quick Refugee Shelters
The team unveiled a design for modular shelters that can be built quickly and at a low cost but that prioritizes comfort and dignity. As per the plan, small building units can be combined and arranged in configurations to accommodate as few as 50 people, or 100, with some blocks used as communal bathrooms and kitchens.
Further, these homes will have dedicated green space, playgrounds, and sports fields. The firm says that others can also use the open-source design, but it also asks everyone to maintain the sense of some spaciousness.
Also Read: K&B Partners Designs A Mussel-Shaped Modern Family Recreation Center in Koblevo, Ukraine
Where The First Shelters Will Be Built?
The first refugee shelters will most probably be built in Western Ukraine. This is the place where maximum Ukrainians have fled because of their relative safety. Even within a day of sharing, dozens of architects had reached out for volunteering and to help quickly modify the plans. A Lithuania-based firm offered to donate building materials. These building supplies can also be obtained within Ukraine as most lumber in the Country is harvested in Western Ukraine.
The firm has also designed the pans so that they can easily be adapted for new locations. As it’s an urgent need, builders are also bypassing the usual long permitting processes.
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