The project takes on the difficult task to provide public amenities in refugee camps. The submitted proposal for a health center and school was specifically developed for the Mbera refugee camp in southeast Mauritania of more than 70,000 people, near the border with Mali.

Foldable and easily-erectable tent structures form the basic units for the school and health center facilities. Phase Change Material (PCM) accumulators are used for air-conditioning, taking advantage of the temperature differential between day and night for creating livable and safe conditions without additional energy requirements – the colder air at night cools the hot air during the day. The use of this simple but effective technology in semi-desert or desert areas helps to improve living conditions in the camps, upholding the human dignity of the refugees and enhancing their chances for stability and self-reliance.

Read project feature in 4th Holcim Awards 2014/2015 (flip-book)

Mónica Rácz from ArchSus Group, Hungary won a Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize for “White Canvas: Health center and school in refugee camp” in Bassikounou, Mauritania. The project uses only the energy from nature and diurnal temperature variations to improve living conditions in easily-erectable tent structures fitted with phase change material accumulators that provide air-conditioning across hot days and cold nights without additional energy requirements.

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The twelve winning projects of the Holcim Awards 2014 Africa Middle East focus mainly on enhancing social and environmental resilience, as well as the economy of construction. The winning submissions show how multi-disciplinary responses to the challenges facing design and building are being developed. A green building in Turkey, an urban forest rehabilitation in Lebanon, and a low-cost housing plan in Ethiopia received the top prizes.

The jury praised the basic premise of the design proposal that combines the intelligent deployment of technology with social objectives. Two technical aspects were specifically praised. First, the sophisticated light-weight system for the tent structures was considered a highly appropriate solution for satisfying the specific needs of instant construction. Second, the use of PCM accumulators as an environmental control system to cool or heat the air was deemed a brilliant answer for improving comfort levels. Here technology is put to work for enhancing the living conditions of uprooted political refugees.

The project takes on the difficult task to provide public amenities in refugee camps. The submitted proposal for a health center and school was specifically developed for the Mbera refugee camp in southeast Mauritania of more than 70,000 people, near the border with Mali. Foldable and easily-erectable tent structures form the basic units for the school and health center facilities. Phase Change Material (PCM) accumulators are used for air-conditioning, taking advantage of the temperature differential between day and night for creating livable and safe conditions without additional energy requirements – the colder air at night cools the hot air during the day.