A Shigeru Ban shelter design has been unveiled to support the victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. The Pritzker Prize-winning architect's studio worked with the Voluntary Architects’ Network to provide a Paper Partition System to evacuation centres. The simple system has already been used in the past, having offered privacy to those in evacuation centres set up to aid victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016 and the Hokkaido Earthquake in 2018.
A Styrofoam Housing System in Ukraine
The Shigeru Ban shelter design
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who founded his practice in 1985, builds on his previous work with timber, paper, and bamboo structures for the temporary accommodation. His work with the Voluntary Architects’ Network, which he founded in 1995, also encompasses disaster relief for Ukraine. Paper Partition Systems have been provided to 16 locations in all – in Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, and Paris.
The architect’s initiative also offers temporary housing and Japanese wood stoves. The stoves, shipped to Ukraine in collaboration with the Solidarity Fund PL in Poland and Ordinary People in Kharkiv, Ukraine, are destined for areas suffering with long-term power outages, including Kharkiv in the east and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west.
Paper Partition Systems in Ukraine
Styrofoam Housing Systems, set to be produced by Ukrainian refugees at a local factory, will also offer some temporary relief. The shelters are crafted from lightweight panels made of fibre-reinforced plastic that is then wrapped around Styrofoam, which acts as insulation; the project aims to avoid the uptick in prices for building materials.
Shigeru Ban is well known for his temporary, lightweight solutions. Past examples include the Aspen Art Museum in the USA, and his renowned Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand – originally built from paper tubes, timber, polycarbonate and stained glass to temporarily replace the 19th-century cathedral destroyed in the country's 2011 earthquake.
-
Ora-ïto transforms the Renault 17 into a futuristic yet retro-tinged visionThe R17 electric restomod x Ora-ïto is the fourth in Renault's series of designer-led reimaginings of iconic models from its past. We think it's the best of the lot
-
First Look: a domestic idyll by Lucy Stark and Fabien Cappello at the Blunk SpaceInspired by the life and times at JB Blunk's haven of a house in Inverness, a new exhibition of paintings and objects has us dreaming of California
-
Food writer, Tamar Adler on her perfect restaurant experienceGuest editor Laila Gohar has asked friends and creatives to share their perfect restaurant experience. Here, chef and food writer, Tamar Adler recounts a momentous meal for a happy occasion
-
Shigeru Ban has perfected the art of enclosureTaschen’s new XXL monograph, Shigeru Ban. Complete Works 1985 – Today, brings out the sheer diversity of the Japanese architect’s work
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
-
Rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses launch at the architect’s Simose Art Museum in HiroshimaA series of rebuilt Shigeru Ban houses become available to experience and rent at the Simose Art Museum, designed by the same architect, in Hiroshima, Japan
-
On the road: these nomadic homes could set you free -
Powered by solar panels, La Seine Musicale is a new icon for Paris -
Support act: Shigeru Ban’s impermanent designs leave a lasting impression in Sydney -
Domestic dynasty: the Japanese house since 1945 -
Big winner: Alejandro Aravena scoops the prestigious 2016 Pritzker Prize
