Beyond Survival: Developing Sustainable and Resilient Refugee Shelters through Biomimicry

This study explores the use of biomimicry as a vital response to the urgent demand for sustainable and resilient refugee shelters. Recognizing the challenges faced by displaced populations due to climate disasters, it emphasizes the critical need for substantial improvements in shelter solutions. By embracing biomimicry principles that emulate nature’s efficiency, resilience, and adaptability, the study proposes environmentally conscious and resource-efficient shelter structures under a practical framework that meets immediate needs, contributes to climate mitigation, and harnesses nature’s innovative potential. The research methodology involves a comprehensive investigation utilizing architectural modelling, drawings, and the comparative analysis of various shelters. Through the meticulous assessments of photographs, structures, and diagrams, alongside extensive data aggregation, an informed analysis is presented. Utilizing computational tools and drawing inspiration from nature’s resilient strategies, this study presents a design methodology that applies the sustainable principles of biomimicry to effectively balance the construction of new settlements with the preservation of existing ecologies. By analysing diverse refugee shelter designs, including tarp-based tents, traditional shelters using local and industrial materials, transitional shelters, shelter kits, and climate-adapted tents, the study presents a practical biomimetic framework that responds to their limitations. Addressing challenges such as structural integrity, insulation, and adaptability, biological strategies are abstracted and applied through computational design processes to provide a tailored framework to assist designers in the development of refugee shelters. Amidst the exacerbating effects of climate change, this research highlights the untapped potential of biomimicry in creating sustainable and resilient refugee shelter settlements. By integrating advanced computational tools and a nuanced understanding of biological models, it establishes a framework for effective shelter development that prioritize sustainable and resilient shelter solutions worldwide.