Right to Dwell: Rethinking Refugees’ Shelter Design, the Case of Al-Zaatari Camp

Global issue:
At the end of June 2023, an estimated 110 million people remained forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, and events seriously disturbing public order, 1% more than at the end of 2022. (UNHCR, 2023)
A refugee may stay in refugee camps constructed as an emergency response. However, they have become more than a temporary solution, with refugees spending significantly longer than they should. Refugee camps are being seen as a temporary city and refugees as passive objects of relief. This approach tends to dehumanize and victimize refugees who survived war and persecution to a safer space.

Operationally, UNHCR’s framework for constructing and managing camp space is structured by standards and regulations that form a 50m by 40m “square-shaped” master plan. This planning method considers the smallest and most important unit of planning the family unit -that consists of five persons- and not the individual; it alienates those individuals who do not fit the family model by calling them “persons of concern.” In addition, it leads to the standardization type of design according to elements and biological needs. Cultural and social differences are essential values that should be considered when designing. For instance, a European citizen differs in social and cultural background from an African citizen. Thus, a standardization model suitable for all ethnicities and continents doesn’t work correctly and can not give the exact solutions to different problems.

Many refugee camps worldwide have evolved into fully-fledged communities full of active markets, government organizations, and public structures. This reflects a disjuncture between the camp's operational needs and the refugees' lived experience on the one hand and the camp design's theories and practices on the other.

One of these refugee camps is Al-Za’tari camp in the north of Jordan. Za’tari is considered the largest camp for Syrian refugees, both in terms of size and population. It was mainly chosen as an intervention site because it reached its 10th anniversary in 2022. so the refugee camp life span exceeded the planned and expected, resulting in many problems that negatively affected the lives of the refugees, especially the caravans, which replaced tents in 2013; they have a lifespan of six to eight years, requiring urgent repair. Also, the UNHCR’s latest return intention survey conducted in early 2023 indicated that while 56% of Syrians wished to return one day, only 1.1% planned on doing so in the next 12 months. (UNHCR 2023)

Refugees navigate the imposed institutionalized top-down spatial organization by utilizing collective bottom-up approaches. This enables them to produce socially and culturally responsive patterns of urban living. These patterns reflect their recent housing experiences and allow them to find dignity, opportunity, and a sense of place through collaborative efforts. Learning from and building on what the refugees have been producing since the opening of the camp in 2012 was the main factor that shaped the design criteria and strategies, either on the macro or micro scale. This will later support the design by challenging the top-down approaches implemented and forcing the camp into a new approach based on longer-term participatory solutions. Reflecting on these collective acts will not only empower the refugees but also unify them under a single collective identity, with each refugee playing an active role in designing their built surroundings, and each inhabitant plays a central role in any decision that affects the organization of the space.

The camp is divided into 12 districts based on the UNHCR division. The intervention takes place in District 7 mainly because it’s one of the least developed areas in the camp and, therefore, contains a mix of caravan and tent shelters.

So, a new camp model based on three dimensions will be implemented.
1. Space dimension, providing privacy and prioritizing it was the main goal in designing spaces, such as creating an external courtyard between two houses (madafeh space) with openings facing the court, a private bathroom for each home, and a water tank. Expandable spaces house that grows over time are suitable for Arabic extended families. Units contain built-in furniture so that each space can be used for multiple functions. For example, foldable beds can be used for sleeping at night, and during the day, beds are folded back, and mattresses can be used as sofas in the living room. It also has customizable openings and wardrobes for each unit and a foldable table for the kitchen or study. From an environmental point of view, they can use and fill the materials available in their geographical area to cover up the panels to obtain thermal comfort. Also, recycled plastic bottles were used in the ceiling for additional insulation.

2. Resource dimension: A shop unit was provided for each family to start and establish their own business or start-up, benefiting from their previous experiences or skills for economic independence.

3. Time dimension: shelters were designed to sustain for an extended period so that if the war ends, they can be folded and transported to the original country for a family to dwell in until a permanent house is built, or parts of it can be sold for money. In this way, the refugee returns to their country psychologically and economically stable.
Note: Folded shelters can be placed anywhere in the world for any refugee and are fully funded by the UN.

The shelters comprise mass-produced units that form the house and grow over time. Families of up to 6 persons could have a plot-sized land of 100m², while families of more than six could share two plots, resulting in 200m² land. A typical UNHCR caravan is 15m² with no services, while my proposal for the couple's family once they occupy land is 16.6m² with bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. So, in that way, units saved up space and, at the same time, provided comfort for the family. When time passes, a refugee can get the rest of the units from the existing UNHCR warehouse at the site, near their district, so they can place their shop unit or any other units previously agreed on. Another way to expand their houses is by using the recycled tents and caravans in the district as complementary or shading elements. The leftover space can function as a planting area or raising domestic animals like they used to.

Utilizing creek water
Floods frequently affect the camp in the winter, causing tent collapses and other health problems. Because the responsible institutions do not consider the design according to environmental and climatic conditions, providing water for every family throughout the year must be necessary.
The rainwater creeks that reach the camp were tracked through the analysis of the camp maps; the idea was to collect as much rainwater as possible through underwater wells that reach water tanks connected to the infrastructure wall and houses.
In the summer, when there's no rainwater, water comes from a large tank raised from the earth's surface by the UN; it goes through PVC pipelines, then to the underground wells, and from there to the water tanks and the infrastructure walls.

The infrastructure wall
A gabion wall which is 3m in height and 10m in width, through which water pipes from tanks, grey water pipes, and dry toilets extend.

The dry toilet
A dry bathroom system is available for every house. This system does not require a connection to a sewage system. It brings waste to a specific area between the infrastructure walls and converts it into natural fertilizer for agriculture.