Shigeru Ban Offers The Paper Log House To Morocco For Disaster Relief Following The Earthquake

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed the Paper Log House with his non-governmental organization, Voluntary Architects’ Network, which he founded in 1995. The Log House was created as a shelter for victims of natural disasters in response to the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe, Japan. The model was also installed in Antalya as a school building after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. It is intended to be easy and quick to construct, and also quite economical. The Pritzker Architecture-prize winning architect has now designed the latest prototype of the Paper Log House for Morocco since it was devastatingly hit by the earthquake on September 8th, 2023.

Designer: Shigeru Ban

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake caused innumerable damage to buildings and claimed over 3000 lives. The prototype is constructed using cardboard tubes, which gives the structure its name. The cardboard tubes function as the columns of the house, and are used to accommodate prefab wood panels. These wood panels form the walls, floor, and roof. The various components are elevated above the ground using a base created from plastic beer crates filled with sandbags. The temporary shelter has been constructed at the National School of Architecture of Marrakech as a symbol of hope, resilience, and support in an extremely difficult time.

Besides providing support through structures and architecture, Shigeru Ban also held a lecture on September 27 where he introduced the Paper Log House and his knowledge and experience in post-disaster support. He also stayed back in Marrakech to visit the affected areas and find potential locations for the Paper Log House.

Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian effort is truly commendable. He is providing valuable support and shelter to victims. In fact, his involvement in disaster relief is spread over three decades, taking into account his work across the globe over the years, from Kobe to L’Aquila, Turkey to Haiti!

The post Shigeru Ban Offers The Paper Log House To Morocco For Disaster Relief Following The Earthquake first appeared on Yanko Design.

This firefighting bike is designed to aid and assist tunnel accident rescue missions





Fire incidents in tunnels can be highly fatal due to the limitations in reaching the injured – this is where a swift firefighting bike can mean the difference between life and death.

Highway tunnels and accidental fires are a deadly mix that we all wish never happens. The Mont Blank tunnel (between Italy and France) fire is a grave example of how tunnel fires can have fatal consequences – a situation that can be very complicated to take control over. The major problem with the design of tunnels is the limited access area due to the enclosed structure. The trapping of smoke, high temperature in a constricted section and disorientation is fatal for the unfortunate trapped people. Another problem is the inability of rescue vehicles to enter or exit the tunnel.

To get around this, designer Syu Wei Chen has proposed the design of an emergency operations station complete with a charging stand, foam cylinders, water mist system, and TUNNEL KEEPER bikes. The latter is equipped with a state-of-the-art water mist system and exhaust device to beam water particles to reduce carbon monoxide concentration in one section. This system expands the exhaust device to both sides to dissipate heat and dense smoke to improve visibility to aid the rescue vehicles and firefighters.

The firefighter bike is loaded with all the latest firefighting technology and HUD systems to keep the personnel abreast the vital information. Things like the temperature inside the tunnel, status of the equipment and advanced maps to accurately scout the disaster struck location in advance from a distance. TUNNER KEEPER comes with a detachable side stretcher to rescue the injured out of harm’s way. According to Syu the advanced firefighting bikes will be dispatched in groups to better access the situation and take proactive measures for damage control.

These vehicles will be electric-powered and charged at the station outside every major tunnel. I personally like the idea of the exhaust smoke system which sucks up the air from the front of the bike and throws it out from the rear to clear the area with dense smoke for better visibility to save the injured or trapped people. There’s another interesting bit, the foam nozzle is equipped with infrared rays to beam the nozzle precisely at the fire.

Designer: Syu Wei Chen

This hospital-on-wheels can travel to critical areas to immediately treat patients and victims

An ambulance’s role is to get patients to a hospital as fast as possible. While this system remains the current norm, it basically means ambulances need to make TWO trips to fulfill their purpose – to the patient, and to the medical facility. The Mobile Hospital halves that by directly bringing the cutting-edge facilities of the hospital directly to the patient. Designed for disaster-struck areas and war-torn regions, the Mobile Hospital is a complete diagnostics center and operation theater on wheels. The vehicle is roughly the size of a semi-truck, and fits all state-of-the-art medical equipment within its rear compartment. When the hospital reaches its destination, the rear compartment expands sideways to virtually triple in size. This makes its inner cabin much more spacious, allowing the hospital to effectively and efficiently treat multiple people.

The Mobile Hospital’s interiors are divided into sectors to help boost efficiency. There’s a computer at one corner for communication purposes and for reading/creating reports, a lab at another corner, a pharmaceuticals zone in corner number 3, and a treatment-bench at the last corner. This leaves enough space in the center for an operating table complete with an MRI machine and a robotic arm for precise operations. Lastly, doors on either side of the compartment allow multiple patients to be admitted and treated at the same time… unless there’s a critical case where the hospital is sealed off for high-priority treatments and procedures. When its job is done, the hospital folds back up into its compact size and transports back to its original location.

Designer: Dors Liu

A school-desk that turns into a safety shelter during an earthquake

You never really know what sort of curveballs the year 2020 can throw at you. I mean we’ve had forest fires, a pandemic, murder hornets, there was a massive fireball spotted in the sky in Japan yesterday… so a mindset of preparedness is really our best shot at this point.

In that very vein, the Life Triangle Desk gives children the instant shelter they need in the event of a natural disaster at school. The desk looks and functions like any writing desk, but in the event of a quake or tremor (or honestly, even an attack on a school in a war-torn area), the desk converts into a secure triangle-shaped shelter against falling debris or shrapnel. In the event of a calamity, the desk surface can be lifted up to unlock it, allowing it to slide down, creating a triangular space underneath. Given that triangles are a naturally stable shape, the desk helps protect children from any large falling items by deflecting them. The desk also helps rescue teams who will instinctively know to check underneath them for victims and survivors.

The Life Triangle Desk is a winner of the Golden Pin Design Award for the year 2020.

Designers: Rui Sun, Wen Zhang, Guan-Chen Zhang, Er-Xuan Liu & Yu-Chao Li

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‘Aftermath’ is a 360-degree walkthrough of the Camp Fire devastation

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