The Modern Yurk – A Possible Design for Relief Scenarios?

The Scottish company Trakke has redeveloped the nomadic yurt shelter and created the Jero Yurt. The temporary housing innovation is a lightweight dwelling that pops up and was designed to be used for events such as backyard parties or off-grid camping experiences with a modern twist. The Jero’s compact design even allows it to be […]

AIDF Asia: Aid & Response Summit 2015

AIDF Asia 2015

Date: 16-18 June 2015 Venue: United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok Registration: http://asia.aidforum.org/register Delivering aid and improving resilience through technological innovations Gathering 400+ senior representatives and advisors from regional governments, investors, UN agencies, NGOs, research institutes and the private sector, this unique summit looks at how technological innovations and best practice can improve aid and development work […]

IKEA Starts Producing Flat-Pack, Durable Shelters For Homeless Refugees

By Yap Yen, 25 Mar 2015 IKEA has started producing 10,000 of its flat-pack temporary shelters designed specially for refugees whose circumstance is due to conflict and natural disasters.Working together with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), IKEA will supply the ‘Better Shelter’ units that will be distributed globally later this year.The prototype for ‘Better […]

Noobags Challenge – get rid of plastic bags

Bags made of paper, bags made of cloth, bags made of virgin or partly recycled PE and bags made of bioplastic have huge environmental impact. Each solution has its own disadvantage regarding the environment. The production of a paper bag has the highest cumulative energy demand, due to material quantity and less re-use phases compared to […]

Life Cube

With the occurrences of disasters on the rise in recent years, there needs to be a product that provides a complete response solution in a single, easily deliverable, on-site mobile package. This is where the Life Cube comes in. The Life Cube is best described as a “multi-platform delivery system.” It begins with our core […]

United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) – Key Facts Infographic

This week is the United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR). The day is celebrated on the 13th October every year and this year’s theme is “Resilience for life”. The focus of this year is on older people as their needs are often ignored, despite being some of the most vulnerable people during disasters. IDDR encourages all citizens […]

Power-Cycle Provides Simple and Sustainable Energy in Africa

Nuru Energy was founded in 2008 with the central focus of solving global energy poverty.   Worldwide, more than 2 billion people currently lack a basic source of reliable energy. In response to this crisis, Nuru Energy developed a recharging platform that is simple, robust, off-grid and specifically designed for use in regions struggling to meet […]

Garrison Architects Releases its Self-Sustainaing Post-Disaster Housing Prototype

The Brooklyn building design firm Garrison Architects has developed a full-sized post-disaster housing prototype to secure safe and stable last-minute housing in the wake of natural disasters. This is just one example of their many architectural projects sustainably designed to help in disaster relief scenarios. The company believes that well designed environments support social cohesion, […]