Crisis is an Opportunity
“As architects, we are not working for the benefit of the society, rather we are working for the rich people and the government with power & wealth” quoted by the renowned Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban. There is no one working in the disaster area for temporary housing thus, Shigeru Ban introduced an eco-friendly temporary structure leaving no waste in the future. He is the only architect in the world making buildings out of paper and cardboard tubes. This innovative technique was developed in the 1980s. The cardboard tubes are strong, rigid, and lightweight. To devise a simple solution for an emergency area is the hardest task as shipping and transportation facilities get affected and it is difficult to get to the remote or tough terrain regions, material pricing gets increased, etc. making it hard to get concrete and steel whereas, on the other hand, paper is much more often readily available. For example, in a disaster relief project in Ahmedabad, India, paper tubes were supplied by textile manufacturers.
Design For Humanity
After a natural disaster hits an area, those affected take shelter in public buildings, stadiums, malls, etc. To address the problem of privacy and overcrowding the Paper Partition System (PPS) delimits spaces for each family with paper tube frames and textile divisions. This system had already been tested in temporary housing in Turkey in 1999 and Sri Lanka in 2004, the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011, the New Zealand Canterbury earthquake in 2011, etc. A certificate of permanent architecture was given to Shigeru Ban in 1995 for Paper Tube Structure development which indicated the authenticity of the material in emergency architecture as well.
The tube’s modular organisation allows them to adapt to different-sized families, thanks to open or closed-curtain divisions. The structure, built by the Voluntary Architects’ Network with the collaboration of the evacuated families themselves, consists of two-metre-long paper tubes. The vertical supports are punctured at the top to be able to cross by horizontal pieces that are connected by a transition cylinder and fixed with adhesive tape.
A recent usage of this system can be seen at refugee camps in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. In Chelm, a Polish city Shigeru Ban Architects with Voluntary Architects’s Network, a refugee camp was built using a Paper Partition System for Ukrainian people affected by the war. A team was assembled at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology where a mock of a single unit was done considering dimensions as 2.3 mt. x 2.0 mt. Overall 319 cardboard shelters were created with the help of the students from the university under Weronika Abramczyk and then the refugees were moved to the camps on March 12th, 2022.
At Wroclaw main railway station on March 12th 2022, 60 units of the paper partition system were installed. They were also erected by the students under the supervision of architect Agata Jasiolek. The Ukraine refugee assistance project was done under the cooperation of a group led by Polish architect Hubert Trammer and Jerzy Latka from Wroclaw University and Shigeru Ban Architects & VAN.
Explore
A lot of people have questions about the paper’s sustainability, fire resistance, weatherproofing, etc. Shigeru Ban has always experimented with paper and came up with such a wonderful technique of cardboard tubes for the rescue of people in crisis. He believes that everything is connected on this planet. It’s only to use the right knowledge at the right time, thus, he launched his NGO Voluntary Architects Network in 1995 to create a community of like-minded people to make the world a better place. Shigeru Ban was awarded with the Pritzker Prize in 2014 for his great contribution to the conventional field of architecture.
Once concrete, steel, wood, etc. materials came into existence architects and designers have forgotten about the root materials from where we started. Paper is one such material that is overlooked when we talk about architectural structures. It is considered a weak material but Shigeru Ban continued to amaze everybody with his experiments related to paper, an unconventional material to make buildings. He is trying to expand his humanitarian efforts beyond temporary structures and has just begun working with the southeast Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to develop housing for its new capital, Amaravati where paper will not be a promising material thus, he is exploring more options. He stated that designing is not just related to the user but designers should also consider the afterlife of the product. A solution should give hope to a person without compromising the environment. He inspired a lot of young designers and architects not to give up the hope of playing with materials and exploring something different. Initially, you may face criticism, trolling, etc. but in the end, if your intention is to do good for the society and planet, people will see it and embrace your efforts.
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Citations for websites:
Shigeru Ban Architects (2022). Ukraine Refugee Assistance Project. [online]. (Last updated 2022). Available at: https://shigerubanarchitects.com/news/ukraine-refugee-assistance-project/ [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Arquitectura Viva (2023). Sistema De Partición De Papel. [online]. (Last updated 3 June 2023). Available at: https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/sistema-de-particion-de-papel-4 [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Pen Pilkington (2022). Article. [online]. (Last updated 09 Dec 2022). Available at: https://www.azobuild.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8583 [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Designboom (2022). Shigeru Ban VAN Ppaer Partition Shelters Ukranian Refugees. [online]. (Last updated 22 March 2022). Available at: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/shigeru-ban-van-paper-partition-shelters-ukranian-refugees-03-22-2022/ [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Nikil Saval (2019). Shigeru Ban. [online]. (Last updated 18 Oct 2019). Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/15/t-magazine/shigeru-ban.html [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Pritzker Prize. Biography Shigeru Ban. [online]. Available at: https://www.pritzkerprize.com/biography-shigeru-ban#:~:text=Ban%20excelled%20at%20arts%20and,was%20his%20love%20of%20rugby. [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
Furahamuss (2013). Shigeru Ban Paper Power. [online]. (Last updated 17 April 2013). Available at: https://kreativebutterfly.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/shigeru-ban-paper-power/ [Accessed 09 Sep 2024].
