The Case for Humanitarian Architecture

This conversation case for humanitarian architecture frames the method of refugee response between the global and the local. In this conversation Ennead and GDI speak of their complementary work as architects, urbanists and designers working to improve refugee lives in refugee camps worldwide. Their research and constructed projects are presented and discussed with the aid of Brett Moore, Chief of Shelter and Settlement Section of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. GDI is a citizen-organization that intervenes in international conflict zones independently of the United Nations or other jurisdictional authorities, with a unique focus: to build play and public spaces for displaced communities. Ennead Lab’s Rethinking Refugee Communities project is an award winning collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that addresses the growing and protracted crises affecting the lives of refugees and their host communities. The project rethinks the process of planning, building and operating refugee settlements, with the goal to nurture mutually beneficial relationships and shared resources among refugees and host communities alike.