IPFS News Link • Architecture
Ikea Develops a Smart Flat-Pack Shelter for Disaster Refugees
• Wired.comThe Ikea Foundation, the Swedish furniture maker’s philanthropic branch, is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a team of designers from the Refugee Housing Unit (RHU) to completely overhaul the current housing situation for millions of refugees. Much like your Hemnes bed or Expedit shelving unit, Ikea’s flat-pack shelter will come deconstructed in cardboard boxes. But unlike the furniture that fills your bedroom, these units will be shipped around the world when natural disasters and conflicts displace families from their homes. “From the start we knew two things,” said Johan Karlsson, a project manager from RHU who helped lead the design process.