Abstract

Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by natural disasters, catastrophes and armed conflicts that cause every day the emergence of refugee camps. The ordinary emergency solutions try to create camping with tents or with thoroughly equipped containers. Both solutions hardly allow participation of the affected people and fail to adapt to the place and to the social reality in most cases. When these temporary and ephemeral settlements become long-term solutions, populations suffer strong uprooting and stable group structures break down giving rise to insecurity and crime problems. Most of the areas where these emergency solutions become necessary belong to the Third World. Any solution to be proposed should consider the existing life conditions without breaking with their cultural and social bonds encouraging a participatory and sustainable response to contribute to their coming out of underdevelopment [ReLocate + ReVive], (United Nations millennium development objectives for 2015: Objective 7). The strategy proposed to achieve a medium-term participatory permanent room ReUsable and ReAdaptable [sustainable home] covers: 1. Introduction of the concept “first things first “ in order to optimize native participation into self-development and production processes. provide drinking water, compost to enrich the soils and power supplies with easy and sustainable energy, specifically adapted to each real case. 3. Simplification of constructive solutions, non-skilled labour needed for performance [ReBuild + ReAdapt]. All solutions introduce structural elements and indications to provide an easy and needed construction of the local housing models. 4. Dimensioning of prototypes and real study of their technical conditions based on the ease of building and assembly at the place where they are needed ( lightweight architecture, with the possibility of being recoverable ).