Designing and developing sustainable housing for refugee and disaster communities

Typhoons, earthquakes, and war displace millions of people. Typhoon Haiyan left 1.9 million homeless [1]. There are over 2 million homeless Syrian refugees [2]. Housing these people is a challenge because these rapidly created emergency communities may last 12 years. Tents are the solution; they deploy fast and provide immediate shelter. However, they only last 6 months [3]. Colorado based Humanitarian House International [4] created the HHi House© (pronounced “high house”) to solve this long-term housing and community creation challenge. Victims of these terrible events need housing to cover their heads, protect their families, and provide security. The HHi House elevates the family off the wet and cold ground and gives them a drier living space. It accommodates up to eleven adults and withstands strong winds, rain, and offers a dry, easily cleaned durable, raised floor. The rigged wall version of the house provides for improved security and privacy. The vision has the house as the cornerstone of a larger integrated, culturally sensitive, planned community that integrates with affordable water, waste, and energy systems. Unlike a tent, the HHi House is a durable, long-term housing solution that revitalizes communities and empowers the families in these communities. This technical paper will describe the team´s experience designing, engineering, manufacturing, and funding the HHi House. It includes a description of the five prototypes created to date, the learning from each phase, and a description of the structure and its components.