Dive Brief:
- Peter Goergen, a retired German engineer and refugee expert and worker, has proposed pre-fabricated concrete houses as a solution to Germany’s refugee crisis, the Associated Press reported. According to Goergen, the houses can be manufactured and erected in a few days and will alleviate the need for housing as winter approaches. German authorities have reportedly ordered more than 2,000 units already.
- Each shelter costs between $10,590-$15,880 and, at 161 square feet, could house six people comfortably, or up to eight if the situation required it, according to Goergen. A trial site made up of 54 shelters is being constructed south of Bonn.
- German authorities have tried to house the approximately 938,000 asylum seekers in special shipping containers but can’t keep up with the demand. Refugees in some areas of Germany have been forced to take shelter in tents, gymnasiums and warehouses, the AP reported.
Dive Insight:
Goergen said the idea for concrete shelters came to him during a previous refugee crisis in the 1990s during the Balkan wars.
"Concrete can preserve heat," Goergen told the AP. "The other advantage of concrete is that it can absorb a lot of humidity, so the breathing air of the people in this container will be absorbed and released again during daytime, when the windows are opened."
Goergen told the AP the design could be used for other climates as well. "Concrete shelters without insulation could very easily be erected in Africa, North Africa or southern European countries even easier than here," he said.
Goergen hasn't discussed exactly what method he is using to manufacture the shelters, but CoopHimmelb(l)au architect Wolf D. Prix recently said that the refugee housing crisis could be solved economically using robots to assemble 3-D-printed prefabricated parts. Additionally, the Apis Cor printer, which can create 1,000 square feet of structure a day, has also been recently touted as a possible emergency housing solution.
Prefabrication construction methods have been gaining popularity recently, as companies look for ways to build structures faster at a higher quality and lower price tag.