Open Architecture Network

The UNDP is committing $15 millions to remove rubble and to train masons proper building techniques throughout the Kashmir region. Rather than wasting precious funds to remove building material, gabions can be used to form sturdy walls and....

THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN DEVASTATED THE HOMES AND LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. THE NEED FOR SIMPLE,INSULATED, AND STRUCTRUALLY SOUND HOMES IS URGENT CONSIDERING THE SEVERE HIMALAYAN WINTER. THESE PROPOSED....

The Design model incorporates traditional materials which are locally available and friendly to local masons, The new materials, steel and cement, are used as replacement for wood and also for strengthening critical points of failure during....

The design addresses potential improvement for existing problems found in many rural Pakistani homes, including primitive construction techniques and substandard use of materials. For instance, some existing homes are built from walls....

In the response to major earthquake activity in the Himalayan region of Pakistan, our team has devised a shelter more resistant to earthquake forces for the indigenous population of the region. The people of the region use wood, stone,....

The guest room is for more formal visitors doubling up as a sleeping quadrant during winters. The sleeping spaces provide some degree of privacy which can be more private with the inclusion of a door. The courtyard is a space for multiple....

To create a small housing unit that is more earthquake resistant than previous houses in the Kashmir area utilizing human proportions as a guide to the size and structure of the unit. Materials used to construct the unit are resources already....

Commonly imported and local materials perform in combination to propose an earthquake resistant housing scheme for the inhabitants of Kashmir currently without adequate shelter.

The scheme considers phasing construction where immediate....

This proposal comprises two parts: suggestions for the Pakistanis’ use of rubble and tents to provide shelter over the short term, and ideas for a new way of thinking about their shelter over the long term, that would be resistant to....