This research focuses on the emergency-housing demand caused by the ongoing European refugee crisis in Southeast Europe. The research identifies north Serbia as the focus location because this region generally lacks permanent housing solutions for accommodating the increasing influx of the immigrant population. This research offers an architectural proposal for the refugee housing unit designed particularly for the situational factors and limitations of the focus region.
The study proposes earth architecture as the primary building technique which satisfies the defined end-product goals. The criteria used to evaluate possible building techniques are the sustainability of the material, quality and durability of the final product, skill level required for non-professional construction, final cost of material and execution, historical regional president, and opportunity for communal engagement of the immigrant population. The proposed design uses earth-bag construction as the sub-method most suitable for this location.
The representational fragment of this research is the design proposal for a single refugee housing unit in the context of a larger community. The design offers a broader overview of possible solutions and is, therefore, a guideline rather than a precise construction model. The final product uses digital modeling, material studying, sketching, and drawing for illustrating the design concept.