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KOSOVO KIT: EMERGENCY HOUSING COMPETITION

• Project Sponsor: Architecture for Humanity
• SystemArchitects: Douglas Gauthier and Jeremy Edmiston; Henry Grosman, Tony Su

Architecture for Humanity seeks proposals for transitional housing - providing shelter through the winter - for Albanians in Kosovo. Architecture here is not simply a passive background for the political action, but affects the social realities of a country. As the struggle for survival and reconstruction fills the daily existence of the survivors, this instrumental space shelters experience and allows private moments.
The Kosovo KIT takes advantage of newly developed building materials and techniques to create shelter that is easy to transport and simple to construct, yet sturdy and inexpensive. The Kosovo KIT uses Stres-skin panel, of polystyrene foam between two sheets of corrugated metal decking that are counter-positioned to provide high-strength and structural integrity. The material has incredible insulation qualities of R35 or better. In the factory the panels are cut into precise shapes using cutting machines that read computer-generated drawings and models. Each kit, which comes in a crate of 12m x 3m x 2.5m, sized to fit into standard shipping containers, cargo planes, trains and trucks, contains all the panels needed to create a shelter. It also includes adhesives for putting the house together, as well as panels of 2cm thick Lexan, a lightweight transparent poly-carbonate with a high thermal capacity for windows. A KIT can be constructed in less than a day, either on the ground, the roof or any damaged portion of an existing building.

All content © 2011 GAuthier Architect P.C.