A University of Virginia professor designed a shelter which could potentially be a temporary home for refugees.
Earl Mark, an associate professor of University of Virginia, started to research on a lightweight temporary shelter that is also environment-friendly in spring of 2015, reported Richmond Times-Dispatch. Mark said such a design could be helpful to disaster relief agencies while at the same time get the nod from environment crusaders.
The U.Va. professor traveled to Europe in 2015 to attend a conference. This was the time when the Syrian refugee crisis was at its height and some European countries were welcoming nationals from the Asian nation.
The living conditions for the refugees was uncomfortable and unsanitary. Mark revealed, "You could see families with children, obviously in a difficult situation, and it was very disheartening." This is what prompted the professor to do something to make living conditions for refugees a lot better.
There has always been limited housing for people every time a natural or a man-made disaster strikes. In most cases, tents are installed or trailer trucks from other areas are shipped for evacuees to use.
Mark's design wanted something which could be airdropped easily and could be assembled in just a few hours. The professor designed a shelter that is made mostly of tensile fabric, which with the right amount of tension can be durable. And because there is not much internal structure to the shelter, it could be assembled and disassembled easily.
Tom Martin, a Virginia Tech computer engineer, is working on the smart textile which will be used for the project. Martin's experience from previously working in NASA could be helpful when manufacturing the textile.
The engineer is looking to install sensors, which could determine humidity, wind and sunlight, to the textile. With this, the shelter user will know when to open a part of it.
Mark's plan, if successful, is a better alternative than the recent wearable shelter designed for Syrian refugees. Mark's usable prototype may be available to try in 18 months. The shelter designer wants the model to be revolutionary before making it available for use.
