What would happen if 3.5 million people suddenly lost their houses? How can one provide shelter all at once to as many people as the population of Berlin?

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It could be the start of a science fiction, but truth is that we are facing a real number: 3,5 million are those who lost their houses when a devastating earthquake hit the northern areas of Pakistan in 2005.

 

Freeconstruction is a strategy for user led evolutionary reconstruction where the simplicity and flexibility of the built system allows the local population to take control over the reconstruction process. It is based on  a modular system which can be applied from the set up of an emergency shelter up to a permanent house. The structure is composed of hinged timber beams, the interpretation of a local building tradition. The lightness of the elements and the simple joints compose a system that can be handled by everyone, from a child to a craftsman.

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The project is based on the principle that tools and knowledge are far more valuable than materials: for this reason the structural elements were sized in a way to allow the use of salvaged timber, while the outsourced material is minimized to metal joinery and waterproof canvas.

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In a region challenged by inadequate infrastructure and extreme climate conditions, it is a matter of life or death to rescue the affected population in a quick and efficient way. But first-aid is not enough: reconstruction shouldn’t only rescue but also teach, prepare and build a community. A shelter can be more than just a roof over one's head. What if the shelter could evolve into a permanent house, or even a public building?

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The project shows how reconstruction can be a smooth transition where the keys to development are the resources of a local community: culture, traditions, materials, people.

 

The design is aware of factors as improvisation, uncertainty, freedom. Freeconstruction is not a finished house imposed on people and landscape: it is a strategy to be taught, eventually to be refined and evolved.

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The project was developed as a master thesis at the University of Aalborg, Denmark.