Humanitarian architecture is architecture that seeks to improve a humanitarian issue – disaster relief, poverty, conflict, disease, etc.
Given the harsh realities and environments faced by many people in need, architecture in these situations must serve the all-important fundamental needs of shelter, warmth, access to clean water, and a place to build a family and community.
It’s a tall order, especially with limited resources.
Humanitarian architecture is more rewarding when you realize that the architecture goes far beyond the building’s walls. It becomes a mechanism to achieve positive change in the community and improve people’s lives – not only in times of crisis, but many years into the future. It becomes a catalyst to stimulate children’s education, economic development, and the health and well-being of the entire community.
But, it’s challenging. Resources are scarce. Locations are remote or hard to access. Climates are harsh.
So why do so many of us like to get involved in humanitarian architecture?
Because the potential to affect positive social change is so high.
From participating in 100+ hours of humanitarian work ourselves and supporting others who have done the same, we thought we’d share our opinion on the top 3 characteristics of successful humanitarian architecture projects.
1. Encourages Community Involvement
All successful humanitarian projects involve the local community throughout the entire creation process.
Bringing community members into the design process does many things.
- It empowers the community to feel like they’re partners and stakeholders in the project. It gives them the chance to invest in their own future. They feel like the success or failure of the project depends on their input and participation.
- It ensures the most important people – the end users – are part of the design process to provide valuable input, feedback, and comments. This can be achieved by conducting design charrettes, workshops, and public forums with the community.
- It encourages everyone to set goals and work together to meet them and develops better decision-making abilities within the community, something that’s helpful in future engagements.
- It creates a sense of pride, enthusiasm, and ownership amount the community – all of which are critical to the long-term success of the project.
- It creates a sense of communal responsibility, ensuring the building will be maintained and preserved for years to come.
During the construction process, community involvement is equally important.
- It further builds on the pride, ownership, and empowerment of each member of the community.
- It teaches unskilled people new construction techniques, which is investing in their future and giving them the ability to continue using those skills.
- It presents the chance for under presented groups, such as women, to learn new skills and shift the mindset of others in the community.
[Photo courtesy 
[Photo courtesy 
2. Uses Locally Sourced Materials & Labor
Another characteristic of successful humanitarian architecture is the use of local resources.
- It increases the community’s sense of ownership and pride.
- It’s a cost-effective and sustainable way to keep construction costs down.
- It’s a smart investment in the sustainable development of the community. It’s a good model for hands-on learning and knowledge transferring, making the return on investment is huge. Building locally with the community with a combination of traditional and innovative building techniques is a huge opportunity to improve their lives by teaching skills that can be used for years to come.
It’s like the old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Using local materials is equally as beneficial.
- It’s cost effective.
- It’s resourceful and sustainable. Materials are readily available and abundant nearby
- It provides opportunities for locals to learn how to use local materials to continue building future projects – whether using earth from the ground to make sun-baked bricks or harvesting timber and bamboo from around the site.
Related Article: Building Low-Cost Sustainable Bamboo Houses in Nepal
At the Library of Muyinga in Burundi they used good ‘ole mother earth to provide raw materials for the project. Compressed earth blocks, sourced from earth right on site shorten the supply chain dramatically. In the photos below, you can see how they created opportunities for locals to learn new techniques using readily available materials to construct a future inclusive school for deaf children.
[Library of Muyinga by BC Architects. Photos courtesy BC Architects.]
[Library of Muyinga by BC Architects. Photos courtesy BC Architects.]
3. Sustainable & Environmentally Responsive
Taking the local climate into consideration is also among the characteristics of successful humanitarian design projects. The design process is the best time to focus attention on simple ways to incorporate passive design strategies. During this time, ideas and strategies can be studied and changed easily – and at little to no cost.
Utilizing passive strategies or low-energy techniques has many benefits.
- It gives the community a chance to learn lessons in sustainable design that can carry forward to many more projects in the future.
- It’s economical. By using the natural (and free) resources available to the community they are saving money in operating costs and are still able to create spaces that are comfortable and enjoyable to inhabit.
- It’s a sustainable approach to building communities.
Designing a site-specific, sustainable building involves understanding the land, and reacting to the climate, solar orientation, and sun path to ensure the building is oriented properly.
For example, in hot humid climates, you can orient the building in such a way as to locate communal areas away from the direct sun and under roof overhangs to create comfortable spaces. You can utilize prevailing winds for natural ventilation through openings in the roof and the facade to remove hot air from the building interiors. Or, you can create dense exterior walls of masonry, earth, or concrete to regulate temperatures due to their thermal mass properties.
Here’s two examples.
In the Baan Nong Bua School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the intent was to create a thin and light pavilion building. (See images below.) The pavilion-like typology is characteristic of the local architecture and so is the use of locally sourced bamboo and cement boards. The design team took the pavilion concept a step further by creating a larg roof overhang to protect exterior spaces from rain and direct sun. At the same time, the roof is elevated in order to allow natural daylight and ventilation to penetrate through the classrooms during the day. Air is free to circulate and the humidity is reduced as a result. To mitigate the frequent floods during the rainy season, the pavilion’s floor level is raised above the ground. This also helps circulate air under the structure, further cooling the building.
[Baan Nong Bua School by Junsekino Architects & Design. Photos by Spaceshift Studio.]
At the Lycée Schorge Secondary School in Burkina Faso, the design team created a crescent shaped school with large roof overhangs, masonry walls and enclosed the structure in a wooden screen. The wooden screen provides protection from the harsh dust and winds of the area while creating a pleasant exterior space for informal gathering. The masonry walls provide thermal mass that regulates the indoor temperature while unique wind-catching towers funnel air down into the classrooms. The elevated large roof overhang keeps the spaces ventilated and the crescent shaped building layout provides a protected courtyard space for the students and local community.
[Lycée Schorge Secondary School By Kere Architecture. Photos courtesy Kere Architecture.]
Community involvement, local resources, and sustainable practices are not the only characteristics of humanitarian architecture projects.
It also takes a lot of creativity, determination, coordination, and hard work to make them happen. On such a limited budget (if there’s funding at all) and with limited other resources, it’s truly remarkable the positive and lasting impact humanitarian architecture can have on some of the poorest communities around the world.
If you have a social impact design project you’re working on that you’ d like to share with us, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear about it!
At the Lycée Schorge Secondary School in Burkina Faso, the design team created a crescent shaped school with large roof overhangs, masonry walls and enclosed the structure in a wooden screen. The wooden screen provides protection from the harsh dust and winds of the area while creating a pleasant exterior space for informal gathering. The masonry walls provide thermal mass that regulates the indoor temperature while unique wind-catching towers funnel air down into the classrooms. The elevated large roof overhang keeps the spaces ventilated and the crescent shaped building layout provides a protected courtyard space for the students and local community.
[Lycée Schorge Secondary School By Kere Architecture. Photos courtesy Kere Architecture.]
