LAU Architecture Students Build Emergency Shelter Using Plastic Crates And Zip Ties: ECS-p1 [Video]

Project Designer: Shady Waked, Abdelkader Ghazzawi, Sandra El HajjArea: 9 m²Photography: Richard DouzjianProject Instructor: Richard DouzjianProject Team: Dalia Choucair, Rola Kaba El Halabi, Louay Soubra, Eliane Azkul, Farouk Zouia, Alaa Kiwane, Pauline Zakarian, Saif Ayad Abdul Sattar, Mohammad Al Shmaitilly, Nadim Hallit, Jose Manuel Pages MadrigalInstitute: Architecture Faculty of Lebanese American UniversityCity: ByblosCountry: Lebanon

LAU architecture students designed and assembled the ‘Emergency Plastic Crates Shelter’ at the Byblos campus using plastic crates and zip ties. This project embodies a ‘consumerist vernacular architecture’ approach, offering a practical alternative to traditional tents in hot climates by integrating storage solutions and enhancing natural lighting and ventilation.

Guided by studio instructor Richard Douzjian, the third-year architecture students at Lebanese American University built the shelter as a full-scale prototype. The project emphasized the use of common, easily accessible materials, reflecting the conditions often faced by refugees who must rely on similar …