Energy efficient shelter for displaced persons: towards sustainable camps

Abstract

AbstractThe presented research addresses shortcomings in refugee camps in Jordan where humanitarian needs cannot be fully met. It provides an overview of significance of sustainability in shelter design and aims to rethink the future design process by giving more consideration to site factors of the camp area. It also describes the use of simulation programmes to create a well‐designed shelter module. The study focuses on the construction of energy‐efficient shelters for displaced persons in the region, with an emphasis on improving the indoor climate and reducing energy consumption. To answer the research question, hybrid data systems were used for two purposes: first, to identify the design factors associated with refugee shelter design, and second, to categorise these factors and incorporate them into the simulation to get the ideal module design. The simulation software SIM VICUS was used. As a result, basalt is proposed to be used for the design of new refugee shelters in Jordan. The basalt fibre panel as a construction material gives very good results for achieving sufficient indoor thermal comfort for the shelters. With the proposed design, the maximum indoor temperature in the hot season can be limited to 29.2 °C, with a difference of 10.8 K. In the cold season, the indoor temperature was low. In the cold season, the lowest indoor temperatures were 11.4 °C with a difference of 12.7 K.