top of page

Survival Architecture in an Era of Climate Emergency

Gradient Ocean

Al Rezoski

Mar 29, 2022

Canada, United States of America, Italy, Australia

Categories:

Climate Change, Architecture, Resiliency, Innovation

OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design) University is an arts-based university in downtown Toronto, Canada. I was intrigued to visit a special exhibition called Survival Architecture and the Art of Resilience. Randy Jayne Rosenburg from Oakland, California, USA, curated the exhibition, which addresses climate change and the need to plan for environmental catastrophes. An article summarizing the show was posted in the OCAD newsletter on September 13, 2021, at:

https://www.ocadu.ca/news/new-onsite-gallery-exhibition-presents-survival-architecture-environmental-catastrophe

The program for the exhibit is at:
https://www.ocadu.ca//sites/default/files/assets/files/Survival%20Architecture%20Publication_1.pdf

The exhibit included a variety of clothing, structures, and objects suitable for use as temporary shelter.

I decided to look further and am amazed at the variety of innovative solutions in development. Let's look at a few of them.

The Empowerment Plan is a non-profit organization based in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that manufactures the EMPWR Coat from upcycled, durable cloth produced by various companies such as GM and Patagonia. During the day, the clothing is a coat, and at night it converts into a sleeping bag. See their website at:

https://www.empowermentplan.org/the-coat

Mary Mattingly is a designer based in New York City. Her Wearable Portable Architecture shows us how to combine her weatherproof coats to create large tarps for shelter. See:

https://marymattingly.com/html/MATTINGLYWearablePortableArchitecture6.html

What if you could live in a shelter that produces inexpensive food? Mitchell Joachim and Terreform ONE (based in New York City, USA) have an exciting idea. Their concept is Cricket Shelter: Modular Edible Insect Farm. The shelter addresses an urgent need for both food and shelter worldwide. Built with inexpensive milled plywood and plastic containers, and has modular walls for containers to grow crickets. It takes 300 times less water to harvest insects than livestock for the same amount of protein. Their website is at:

https://terreform.org/cricket-shelter

Portable shelters for climate migrants, refugees, and homeless people may be a partial remedy in a time of disaster. Tina Hovsepian from Los Angeles has developed the Cardborigami shelter. The shelters are small enough to carry and fold-out large enough to shelter two people. These cardboard-constructed shelters are inexpensive, lightweight, sustainable, and insulated. See:

https://venturablvd.goldenstate.is/architect-for-change/

ZO-loft Architecture and Design in Rome, Italy, designed a new product called the Weebly. It is a rolling aluminum frame with two expandable tents made from polyester, and it has a dual function. During the day, it provides portable storage that is easy to push around, and at night it is folded out and provides an insulated tent. See:

https://inhabitat.com/wheelly-sustainable-homeless-shelter/

AirDrop House is a concept developed by Andrew Maynard Architects in Melbourne. The one-meter square wide house has a sponge-like material for its frame. The house could be airdropped into the water by plane in flooded areas. They would be weighted to land upright, then soak up and filter polluted water. Eventually, they would be set and take root in the ground, and they would expand seven times their size and dry into a rigid material. See:

https://inhabitat.com/airdrop-house-emergency-shelter-for-flood-afflicted-areas/

These inexpensive and temporary shelter solutions are suitable for use throughout the world, and they are innovative solutions to address the climate emergency and temporary housing crises.

Communities worldwide plan for a future to mitigate the effects of climate change, whether it be sea-level rise, increased wildfire risk, more frequent and violent storms, dangerous heatwaves, or parched landscapes, among many threats. Disaster and post-disaster redevelopment planning are essential if climate change events impact a community. The resiliency of a community and the community's future success to recover may hinge upon its ability to deploy innovative solutions to save lives, feed, and house people and recover. What is your community doing today to be ready for tomorrow? Ask your local legislators and get involved.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Source:

Source:

Where_in_the_world_is_Syria_.png

Catalog #:

1121.103.01.032922

bottom of page