Humanitarian building projects are built around human values and needs. This type of architecture typically includes housing or community projects built to rebuild or recover regions from disasters, but it is not limited to that. It includes any project that considers the people who will use the spaces and creates spaces that serve more than just infrastructure for them. Architecture plays a role in shaping our daily lives and cultural identity.
Here are 10 case studies that dive deep into different aspects of Humanitarian architecture. Each project below exhibits a great sensitivity towards human needs and aims to connect with its users at a deeper level.
1. Paper Log Houses
Paper Log Houses designed by Shigeru Ban have been used in Japan, Turkey and Rwanda. He had designed these small, affordable units which could be built extremely fast to accommodate as many people as possible. The aim was to provide when there was an immediate need to provide shelter for the survivors of natural disasters (Kosuge, 2000).
This basic module also offers scalability and customisation in terms of the size and climate of the location. For example – In Turkey, these modules were built bigger to accommodate bigger families and had newspaper stuffing in the paper tube to provide insulation from cold weather (Kosuge, 2000). This design ensures climatically comfortable spaces and faster construction while making a sustainable choice by using paper tubes as a primary material.
2. Gando Primary School
Gando Primary School was an innovative solution for the hot weather of Burkina Faso. Kere architects used clay bricks as it was a local material and easier to make. They designed it with familiar materials to solve the problem of ventilation and lighting rather than using different or new materials (Kere Architecture, n.d.).
A simple design change of creating a buffer of dry clay brick between the roof structure allowed the hot air to escape (Kere Architecture, n.d.) and kept the places cool while still allowing light inside. Making comfortable spaces is one of the primary goals of Humanitarian architecture, creative solutions like these can reduce ecological footprint, allowing for more habitable spaces for children to study.
3. Rwandan Women’s Opportunity Center
This community centre was built to empower women by training them with income-generating skills. The layout of 17 pavilions was very similar to the organization of the village itself to create a familiar and comfortable space for the women to learn, sell and connect with the community (Sharon Davis Design, n.d.).
The pavilions were designed with clay bricks which could be manually built by those women by themselves, also supporting them to build on their own. Further, the roofs were designed to serve as a source of collecting water and soak roofs had plantations (Sharon Davis Design, n.d.). Such projects are a reminder that architecture is not just building a space for functioning but serving the users as a whole, empowering and motivating them to form more ecological habits and help them sustain themselves.
4. Chilean Housing Projects
The Villa Verde Modular housing project was designed by the Elemental firm after the earthquake hit Chile. They created a unique design strategy to build more houses with a limited budget which was to build only half of the house. The built half covered all the basic amenities and the rest would be left to the residents to customise whenever they could (RTF | Rethinking The Future, 2022).
The house accounts for Chile’s heavy rainfalls by extending its roof in both directions to shade and protect the facade. The entire organisation of all these modules also make sure they are connected from both directions, enhancing community engagement. Building in a crisis shouldn’t result in a subpar space where people are not able to live.
5. Nakuru Children’s Home
This Children’s Home is built by Orkidstudio as a home for orphaned African children. It aims at creating communal spaces and nooks for studying and sleeping (Archinect, 2025). Due to fewer funds, it was getting impossible to completely build with local materials available like stone or concrete.
The thick walls were built with earth-filled grain sacks (Archinect, 2025) which provided insulation for both day and night, making comfortable spaces for children. Such creative initiatives for humanitarian building at low cost where it is impossible to build with expensive material, can help achieve so many more welfare projects.
6. Casas-Ruca
Casas-Ruca, Social Housing is designed by Undurraga Devés Arquitectos for the Mapuche Community of South America. The 25 modules were inspired by their vernacular houses – Ruca (architectureindevelopment.org, n.d.). This project was being constructed under a government scheme, and allotting a generic modular house wouldn’t have translated their tradition into their new homes.
Architects designed the layout and openings that aligned with their beliefs while ensuring they met housing standards. The structure is built with artisanal brick and reinforced concrete and added diagonal bracings to protect against earthquakes (architectureindevelopment.org, n.d.).
7. Social Housing Project
The Social Housing Project is done in Mexico for an indigenous community by the Comunal Taller de Arquitectura. They made sure to understand customs and how people live in that region (ArchDaily, 2019). They planned the project according to the local materials available and made construction as simple as possible.
They held workshops and empowered them with the skill to make their own homes (ArchDaily, 2019). Together they built the housing that responded to their climate and uses. Such design practices would enable architects to create more meaningful spaces for the users.
8. METI Handmade School
METI Handmade School was built by architect Anna Haringer in a village in Bangladesh. This school was built with the aim to help children take pride in and learn from their village rather than going to the cities. This development project was built with local materials like bamboo and earth but also with traditional practices.
The design includes a variety of different spaces to accommodate different learning and other activities of the school. The project also taught workers in the area how to work with these techniques, empowering and facilitating more humanitarian development of the village.
9. S House 3
This was a low-income house prototype by Vo Trong Nghia Architects. The design aimed to create affordable, lightweight and durable houses for low-income families or to fulfil the housing shortages in different parts of the world (Nghia, 2017). They have used durable materials like steel for the structure and concrete for the foundation, hence demanding no or low maintenance.
Providing permanent, low cost and most importantly lightweight which can be shipped easily is an important need at the time (Nghia, 2017). Many people aren’t able to afford to build a house and end up living in subpar houses. This project could solve the housing crisis in many cities across the world.
10. Arcadia Education Project
This project was done in Bangladesh by Saif Ul Haque. This school was designed around the changing surrounding climate that stands on the ground as well as stays afloat in case of floods. The architect has used local building materials like bamboo and recycled drums extensively for the entire structure (Arquitectura Viva, 2020).
While also being flood-resistant, it also ensures that it does not affect the river environment, thus building a harmonious relationship between architecture and nature. These kinds of community humanitarian building projects also aid in the education of children by acting and making schools available during bad weather.
References:
- Anon, (n.d.). METI School Handmade – ZRS. [online] Available at: https://www.zrs.berlin/en/project/meti-school-handmade/.
- ArchDaily. (2019). Social Housing Production: Exercise I / Inhabitants of Tepetzintan + Comunal Architecture Workshop. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/920082/social-housing-production-exercise-i-inhabitants-of-tepetzintan-plus-comunal-architecture-workshop.
- Archinect. (2025). Nakuru Children’s Home | Orkidstudio | Archinect. [online] Available at: https://archinect.com/orkidstudio/project/nakuru-children-s-home [Accessed 1 Feb. 2025].
- architectureindevelopment.org. (n.d.). A–D — Ruca Dwellings. [online] Available at: https://architectureindevelopment.org/project/406.
- Arquitectura Viva (2020). Arcadia Education Project, South Kanarchor – Saif Ul Haque Sthapati. [online] Arquitectura Viva. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/centro-de-educacion-arcadia- [Accessed 1 Feb. 2025].
- Kere Architecture (n.d.). Kéré | Work. [online] www.kerearchitecture.com. Available at: https://www.kerearchitecture.com/work/building/gando-primary-school-3.
- Kosuge, A. (2000). Paper Log House – Turkey. [online] Shigeru Ban. Available at: https://shigerubanarchitects.com/works/paper-tubes/paper-log-house-turkey/.
- Nghia, V.T. (2017). S House n. 3. The Plan Journal, 1(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.15274/tpj.2016.01.02.02.
- RTF | Rethinking The Future. (2022). Villa Verde Project by Alejandro Aravena: Low-Cost housing. [online] Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a7429-villa-verde-project-by-alejandro-aravena-low-cost-housing/.
- Sharon Davis Design. (n.d.). Women’s Opportunity Center. [online] Available at: https://sharondavisdesign.com/project/womens-opportunity-center-rwanda/.
Image References:
Image 1 – Shigeru Ban Architects (n.d.). Paper Log House – Kobe. Available at: https://shigerubanarchitects.com/works/paper-tubes/paper-log-house-kobe/ [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 2 – Duchoud, S. (n.d.). Gando Primary School. Available at: https://www.kerearchitecture.com/work/building/gando-primary-school-3 [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 3 – Felicella, E. (n.d.). Women’s Opportunity Center. Available at: https://sharondavisdesign.com/project/womens-opportunity-center-rwanda/ [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 4 – Chia, S. (n.d.). Villa Verde Housing / ELEMENTAL. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/447381/villa-verde-housing-elemental/52805149e8e44e5830000097-villa-verde-housing-elemental-photo [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 5 – Mourtzouchos, O. (n.d.). Nakuru Children’s Home. Available at: https://archinect.com/orkidstudio/project/nakuru-children-s-home [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 6 – Wenborne, G. (n.d.). Ruca Dwellings / Undurraga Devés Arquitectos. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/456299/ruca-dwellings-undurraga-deves-arquitectos/572994bae58ecef9640000e5-ruca-dwellings-undurraga-deves-arquitectos-photo?next_project=no [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 7 – Luque, O. (n.d.). Social Housing Production: Exercise I / Inhabitants of Tepetzintan + Comunal Architecture Workshop. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/920082/social-housing-production-exercise-i-inhabitants-of-tepetzintan-plus-comunal-architecture-workshop/5d167fd6284dd179af000108-social-housing-production-exercise-i-inhabitants-of-tepetzintan-plus-comunal-architecture-workshop-photo [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 8 – Hoerbst, K. (n.d.). Handmade School / Anna Heringer + Eike Roswag | ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/51664/handmade-school-anna-heringer-eike-roswag/5008954528ba0d50da001168-handmade-school-anna-heringer-eike-roswag-photo [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 9 – Oki, H. (n.d.). [S HOUSE 3] / VTN Architects. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/579593/s-house-3-vo-trong-nghia-architects/5493838ae58ece06f0000042-portada_2_front_facade2-jpg [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
Image 10 – Darsa, S. di C. (n.d.). Centro de educación Arcadia. Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/centro-de-educacion-arcadia-#lg=1&slide=2 [Accessed 2 Feb. 2025].
