The establishment of refugee camps and shelters globally follows emergency handbooks that assume temporary universal human needs based on a standardized model. However, many camps transform into protracted settlements that endure for decades, becoming semi-permanent settlements where residents transform shelters to support a longer-term socio-spatial existence. Though the host organizations continue to regulate and redistribute shelter resources, typically, a more ad-hoc system and informal inventiveness are at play. Refugees encounter numerous life challenges related to socio-spatial use, such as privacy and growing families, so residents develop innovative solutions within the host country’s permitted framework.

Enhancing the creation of shelters involves considering socio-cultural and spatial needs while acknowledging the potential long-term existence of refugee camps. This paper examines the refugee-led adaptive redesign to illustrate unmet socio-spatial needs in existing planning operations.

This paper studies the Zaatari camp in Jordan to explore the lived experiences of refugees. It investigates how refugees adapt and modify spatial configurations to manage their changing needs and integrate daily social and cultural practices. The research highlights the active role of refugees in redesigning their living spaces, emphasizing their ability to influence and shape their environments. By employing a qualitative research approach, including semi-structured interviews, field documentation, and observation, the research captures how refugees engage with and transform the physical and social dimensions of the camp and vice versa.

The outcomes explain the evolving and adaptive nature of the built environment of refugee settlements influenced by the socio-cultural backgrounds of its inhabitants and contribute to the broader discourse on refugee camp design. The findings are expected to be helpful for humanitarian organizations, policymakers, and urban planners involved in designing refugee camps, advocating for more inclusive and culturally sensitive approaches to address the different needs of displaced populations.

The increasing frequency of natural hazards has resulted in a rising number of casualties each year. Despite the inevitability of such catastrophes, humans often find themselves with limited control over these events. This study proposes a novel emergency shelter based on scissor-deployable structures, which considers the basic architectural requirements, transportation and erection methods, disaster types, and climate in the disaster area.

Deployable structures present unique advantages for achieving dynamic design goals. However, the inherent complexity of the theoretical design and engineering analysis of deployable structures poses challenges for architects and designers in practice. Therefore, this interdisciplinary research, encompassing geometric design, kinematic study, and specific implementations, is essential for the exploration of novel shelter solutions.

The procedure and method to achieve the research objectives involve developing a prototype design for post-disaster emergency shelters, capitalizing on the advantages of the proposed scissor-deployable structure. The conceptual design adheres to guidelines provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with a primary focus on meeting basic functional requirements, such as area and volume. Simulations conducted in Grasshopper are used to efficiently explore geometric variations. Finally, the prototype design is presented, including key product specifications such as dimensions, weight, and materials.

By refining the functionality and adaptability of such shelters, the project enhances the resilience of security measures in disaster-prone areas, enabling quicker deployment and improved living conditions for displaced populations. This not only helps protect more lives in the immediate aftermath of natural hazards but also fosters long-term resilience by providing communities with robust, adaptable solutions that can be rapidly implemented in various environmental conditions. Ultimately, these innovations contribute to the broader field of architecture by integrating responsive design with humanitarian needs.

Middle-class and mixed-income informal settlements remain an understudied yet growing form of housing development in the Global South. Such settlements differ from encroachments since the communities own the land but do not have the right to develop housing due to violating state-defined land use, zoning, or other regulations. While many have looked at the infrastructural and environmental issues due to the development of such typology of informal settlements and the process and implications of formalization, few studies have focused on the stages of development of such settlements and the actors involved in the development process. This study examines the phases of development of unauthorized colonies in Delhi, focusing on their transformation over several decades. Through interviews in four colonies with colonizers, local builders, and other residents, the study identifies five phases of development. These include 1) initial land identification and planning, 2) land assembly and phased development, 3) infrastructure and housing development, 4) vertical growth and density increase, and finally, 5) formalization. In identifying these five stages, we counter the view that informal colonies evolve haphazardly and assert that informal colonies support their residents' needs in ways that formal housing does not. This study challenges traditional notions of informality, showing that settlements involve community-building throughout their development. The study offers a framework for municipal governments, NGOs, and policymakers to better understand the development process of informal settlements. Our findings can assist in the formalization process at various planning stages, with the goal of enhancing the quality of life and well-being in informal settlements.