200 | thinking with type36
100 Y
ears of Humanitarian DesignDesig n Like YouGive a Dam
nadvConvances in 5,000 yentional “handcrears,” Fafted” homes had underuller argued. They wer e poorlgone “no sy lit, tructural^37
required much maintenance, and did not make effi cient use of raw
matstr ength. But what if a building cerials. Most conventional buildings depended on grould be suspended, as a sail fravity for their om a
mast, allowing for greater str ength and the use of fewer materials?
Fuller’s thinking led to the design of the Dymaxion House,
Field’a small-scs department sal e model of which was fitor e in Chicago in 1929. His r rs t exhibited at a Maradical scheme shall
embraced the principle of tension and aimed to do “more with less.”
It was spherical, to make effi cient use of materials, and clad in
maintenance-free aluminum. It was naturally climate controlled and
dimmercould be lit by a singls. All the mechanice light sourals, wiring, and appliancce through a system of mirres wer e built intor s and o
the walls and mast t o allow for easy replacement. The house was
also one of the fi rs t examples of self-suffi cient (or “autonomous,”
as Fuller put it) green design. Wind turbines produced energy. The
(including peoplroof collected rainwate), and Fer. Wullat er-saving “fer’s “package tog guns” handloilet” composed washing ted waste
and recov er ed methane gas.^13
While the Dymaxion House was unabashedly ahead of its time
(it wa full-scould be twal e prot otype), the co decades befor e Foncept of building with tuller could fi nd backing tension ro build ather
than compression would become central to Fuller’s work and
would eventually l ead to his most lasting contribution to the fi eld
of humanitarian design: the geodesic dome. Fuller’s principle
of emertensegrity becgency sheltame a ser, that endurtaple of tes tent design, and by eo this day. xt ension,
Like the Dymaxion House, few of these early designs for “factory-
built” housing achieved widespread commercial viability. For
examplnear Bore, Le Corbusier’deaux, France, ws low-cent unocost housing fcupied for eight yor worker s in Pears afteser it was sac,
built. Howev er, this concept of mass-produced housing would have
a number of lasting implications for low-cost shelter. It prefi gured
a move away from the craft of building toward the technology of
building. It tthe hands of an educook design out of the rat ed few. Perhaps morealm of the many and put it in e important, it negated
the need for a dialogue between the architect and the occupant.the arSuddenlchity a house cect ever meeting its oould be designed, detwner. ailed, and deliver ed without
Manufactured Housing
Meanwhile, in the rest of America, the industrialization of
ar chitautomobilecture had bece took a vome an intery differ ent tegral part of Americack. By the early ’20s the an life. Trailer s
wer e common and had been adapted by migrant worker s and others
into dwellings. With the onset of the Depression, the demand for
cheap, portlogical step. In 1936 Wable housing grally Byew. A mobilam built the fie home seemed the ne rs t Airstr eam trailxt er,
a steel-clad, aerodynamic embodiment of home on the road.
Although the Airstr eam would eventually become an American icon,
designs such as the Durham Portable House would prov e far more
infl uential.Not only did the Durham, which c^14 ost between $1,500 and $3,000,
mimic the styling of a conventional home, it also was a precursor(^1934) Modern Housing
Catherine Bauer
(^1934) National Housing Act of 1934
USA
built two prot otypes based on his ideas for exhibition: The immeubles
villas (1922) and the Maison Citrohan (1922), a play on the automobile
name Citrideas for a neoën. Thrw indusoughout the ’20s Le Corbusier etrialized architecture in a series of manifxpounded on his estos
and urban plans.
Another early pioneer of pref abrication and component building
sysfounded the Bauhaus and servtems was the German archited as its direct Walter Grectopius. Gror from 1919 topius, who o 1928,
personifi ed the architect as public servant and teacher. Throughout
the ’20s and ’30s Gropius experimented with pref abricat ed wall
panels and eventually whole structures. During his tenure and that of
his succdesign.essors, the Bauhaus became a nexus for socially conscious
Gropius, along with Marcel Breuer, is also credited with designing
the fi rs t slab apartment block. This new building type, which would
becconcome the model feived to over come the cror many futuramped, lightle affor dablese-housing prs tenement housing ojects, was
that had resulted from rampant land speculation at the turn of the
century. The basic plan consisted of parallel rows of four- to 11-story
apartment blocks. Each slab was only one apartment deep with
windoan anglws fre to the sont and back. The slabs wtr eet with communal grer e siteen spaced on a “superbles between them tock” at o
allow maximum sunlight into each apartment.^12
“Architecture is a process of
giving form and pattern to the
social li fe of the community.
Architecture is not an
individual act performed by an
artist-architect and charged
with his emotions. Building is
a col lective action.”
Hannes Meyer, director of Bauhaus, 1928 to 1930
(^1929) Dymaxion House
ChicR. Buckminsago, Ill., USA ter Fuller
(^1930) Housing Act of 1930
England
1930–39Drought and Dust Storms
Midwestern and southern plains, USA
(^1931) Pref abricated houses built for the
HirFinosch Copper and Brw, Germany ass Works
Walter Gropius
(^1931) Slab apartment blocks on the
Wannsee shorBerlin, Germany e
Walter Gropius
Others would also experiment with standardized building
components, modular systems, and pref abrication, including the
perhaps none morFrench industrial designer Jean Pre passionatel y than the Americouvé and Frank Llan invoyd Wright, but entor
R. Buckminster Fuller.
Fuller arrived on what he termed “spaceship earth” in 1895. Like
Grdwopius and Le Corbusier, he believellings represented the future of housing. His mosed that mass-manuft lasacturting ed
contribution, however, was his fervent belief in the power of design
to improv e the human condition. In a sense Fuller, who was known
for his eccentric use of language and his marathon lectures (the
longeswas the fit las rs t evted 42 hourangeliss and onlt of humanity recarian design.ently has been fully transcribed),
In 1927, after the death of his elder daughter and the collapse of
his fi rs t business, he found himself at the edge of Lake Michigan
br ought him frcontemplating suicide. He was a fom the brink, he latailurer rece, “a throunted, was the simplow-away.” What e idea
that his experience might ultimatel y be somehow useful to his fellow
human beings. Rather than taking his own life, he decided to embark
on a lifel ong experiment, using himself as his own best r esearch
subject. He becpilot of a “design-sciencame “Guinea Pig B” (fe revolution,” the solor Bucky), the we purpose of which was orld’s fi rs t t est
to improve “human livingry,” and he started with the house.
Walter Gropius, slab apartment blocks on the Wannsee Shore, Berlin, 1931
1930s
(^1931) Fl ood
ChinaThe Yellow River, the second largest
riveser in China, fltimates range fr oods. Death tom 850,000 toll o four
million. The flfamine and outbr ooding is feaks of disease. ollowed by
(^1936) Airstr eam Clipper
Los AngelWally Byames, Calif., USA
(^1937) Housing Act of 1937
USA
BuckminsR. Buckminster Fullter Fer Institutulleer with an early model of his Dymaxion House
0-01 p032-055_History_Essay01.indd 36-37 12/12/09 4:10:44 PM
ISBN 1-933045-25-6 $35.00
The greatest humanitarian challenge we
face today is that of providing shelter. Currently one in seven people lives in a slum or refugee camp,
and more than three billion people—nearly half the world's population—do not have access to clean water or adequate
sanitation. The physical design of our homes, neighborhoods, and communities shapes every aspect of our lives. Yet too
often architects are desperately needed in the places where
they can least be afforded.
Edited by Architecture for Humanity, Damn is a compendium of innovative projects from around the Design Like You Give a
world that demonstrate the power of design to improve lives.
The fi rst book to bring the best of humanitarian architecture and design to the printed page, Design Like You Give a Damn
offers a history of the movement toward socially conscious design and showcases more than 80 contemporary solutions
to such urgent needs as basic shelter, health care, education, and access to clean water, energy, and sanitation.
Design Like You Give a Damnfor designers and humanitarian organizations charged with is an indispensable resource
rebuilding after disaster and engaged in the search for sustainable development. It is also a call to action to anyone
committed to building a better world.
JACKET FRONT: lRufi sque, Senegal, Hollmén Reuter Sandman eft, Rufi sque Women’s Centre,
Architects, photograph courtesy Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects; right, Baninajar Refugee
Camp, Khuzestan, Iran, shelters built with Super Adobe system created by Nader Khalili,
photograph courtesy UNDP
Printed in China Design Like You
Give a Damn
Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises
Edited by Architecture for Humanity
Design Like You
Give a Damn
Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises
Edited by Architecture for Humanity
“Committed, unapologetically architectural in name and
mission, Architecture for Humanity stands up for people
in need. It demonstrates a quality of leadership, providing
renewed appreciation for architecture and winning
respect and trust.”
Robert Ivy, editor-in-chief, Architectural Record
“Architecture for Humanity offers innovative and
cost-effective ideas for housing the homeless
and rebuilding lives.”
Jessie Scanlon, Business Week
“An offering of ‘hope by design’ to a challenged world.”
James Cramer, Design Intelligence
FOUNDED IN 1999Humanity is a grassroots nonprofi by Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr, t organization that seeks architectural Architecture for
solutions to humanitarian crises. Through design-build programs, competi-
tions, educational forums, and partnerships with community development and relief organizations, Architecture for Humanity creates opportunities
for architects and designers from around the world to assist communities in need. Where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable,
and collaborative design can make a difference.
EDITED BYa volunteer-based organization Architecture for Humanity,
that provides architectural solutions to humanitarian crises, Design Like
You Give a Damn brings the best of
humanitarian design to the printed page. Proceeds from the sale of
this book will support the work of Architecture for Humanity.
FEATURING WORK BY:
Acumen FundLogan Allen
César AñorveArup Associates
Stephan AugustinBarefoot Architects
Peter Brewin and William Crawford
BustanCal-Earth
Center for Community Research and Design
Center for Urban PedagogyCHF International
Chinese University of Hong Kong Common Ground Community
Design Corps
Detroit Collaborative Design CenterEast Coast Architects
ELEMENTAL Housing InitiativeFerrara Design
FTL Design Engineering Studio
Future SystemsDeborah Gans and Matt Jelacic
Grant GibbsVinay Gupta
Habitat for Humanity Northern Ireland
Harvard Graduate School of DesignHealth Habitat
Heavy TrashHierve-Diseñeria
Hole-in-the-Wall Schools
Hollmén Reuter Sandman ArchitectsWilliam Hsu
I-Beam DesignIcosa Village
Intermediate Technology Development
Jorge Mario Jáuregui ArchitectsGroup
Justiceville, USADiébédo Francis Kéré
KickStart
LA ArchitectsLILA Design
Lotus Energy Mad Housers
Native American PhotovoltaicsOxfam
Sergio PalleroniPotters for Peace
Project Locus
Michael RakowitzRBGC Architecture, Research & Urbanism
Red Feather Development GroupRelief International
Roundabout Outdoor
Rural StudioRafi Segal and Eyal Weizman
SENSEable City LaboratoryShelter Architecture
Shelter For Life
shelterprojectShelter Systems
Shigeru Ban ArchitectsShrinking Cities
Sphere Project
Strong AngelSüd-Chemie
Swee Hong NgTechnical University, Vienna
TechnoCraft
theskyisbeautiful architectureUNHCR
World Conservation UnionWorld Shelters
AFH_dustjacket2.indd 1 12/12/09 4:18:30 PM
design like you give a damn Book, 2006.
Designers: Paul Carlos, Urshula Barbour,
Katharina Seifert, and Farha Khan/Pure + Applied.
Authors: Architecture for Humanity, Kate Stohr,
and Cameron Sinclair. This book design uses a
modular grid to bring order to complex content. Some
pages are dense with body text, captions, and small
images, while others feature full-bleed photography
layered with short statements and hard-hitting
statistics.
modular grid