Design Like You Give a Damn (Book Review)

“Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises”. By Architects for Humanity; edited by Kate Stohr & Cameron Sinclair; Metropolis Books , via the base publication, Metropolis Magazine ; c2006; #1933045256; 363 pages; $36.

This large work includes a summary of the founding of Architects for Humanity, where editor Cameron Sinclair outlines the birth after an online competition he orchestrated following the Conflict in Kosovo. More than 220 fellow architects responded to his competitive drive for refugee housing creations. This feedback grew to 1400 by the time he set up something similar in response to 2003 crises in Africa. He had a full-fledged organization at his disposal by the time the nearly a quarter of a million people died in the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (tsunami), and the institutional account is recorded here at the outset of the volume.

Co-editor Kate Stohr briefly outlines the history of humanitarian housing, a 100-year history starting with the response to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. This is noteworthy as so few had preserved the history of these projects and made the projects accessible to readers. Within this short section (pp.33-55) she covers everything from post-WWII “demountable wooden houses” to the Wichita Dwelling Machine (one of many structures derived via early plans from R. Buckminster Fuller) to a 1970’s VW Bus-conversion to a house-making unit, with mini-crane and molding equipment, etc. The success story, which is only barely flushed out, of this little chronology is Oxfam, where their projects avoided many of the problems plaguing competitors (first discovered in response to the Managua earthquake, when their work was systematically compared to camps built b the U.S. military).

Together, Sinclair & Stohr set the stage for the 100’s of pages of contemporary examples and commentary that follows. While they do briefly address failed projects and misguided attempts, the focus is on historical progression and, primarily, current offerings of successful applications of ideas to need, and what is being done right now, all around the world. From emergency tents to apartment buildings, inflatable structures to rural schools, mobile migrant working shelters to Med Wed clinics, it is all covered here. Each entry is by finished product, with designer and company/NGO data, as well as a cost-estimate and occasionally a suitability profile.

There are simply way too many models to mention or cover. The wealth of imagery make it almost a “coffee table” sort of book (even though it is only 21x21cm.), as it is so easy to thumb through it, intrigued by ideas that are sometimes brilliant on their own, yet could still be adapted to other uses. Below are 3 examples, taken at random from the book, with the corresponding website (usually not given in the volume): (a) Pallet House & I-Beam Design Pallet Refugee House ; (b) Quinta Monroy Housing Project Iquique Chile ; &, (c) Shelter for Life, Afghanistan (originally). The information via these sites is much more substantial than is found in the book; book entries average just 2 pages, and the assumption is that readers will pursue prospects in greater detail via the www.

Though it is really a subject that merits its own book (and Metropolis has an excellent fledgling volume via a project with Smithsonian: see, “Design for the Other 90%“; c2007; Smithsonian & The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum; #0910503976; 144 pages), the conclusion of “Design Like You Give a Damn” covers select products, as opposed to structures. Water-related items, such as: Hippo Water Roller, the Play Pump, the Watercone, and the Ceramic Water Filter (one of the few C.A. connections in the volume). However, anyone interested in products more than housing would surely find “Design for the Other 90%”, a far more useful volume.

“Design Like You Give a Damn” is a fascinating project. It is not the sort of design book that comes complete with floors plans, etc. It is really more of a history, with commercials for what is available right now. The worst that can be said of the book (beyond the simple criticism of all such books, when done well: would be even better if longer), is that there is no index. This may seem a small oversight but, after browsing the book, it is hard to use it as a tool given that there is no organization by place, type, material, cost, etc. While many of the entries are true emergency work (inflatable protection, tents, etc.), and some are intended for homelessness is modern urban settings, a great many of the ideas are applicable to any setting with reasonably warm weather. This should not be confused for a work which would help one quickly build a cheap house in Nicaragua, but it is an “idea” book which might intrigue anyone who adapts the ideas of others to their own needs – often without the aid of plans and assistance of any kind. Surprisingly, Central American countries are not usually tied to the work being done by these outfits; it is rare for C.A. to be represented in the site/user list and even when it is, the likely connections are often Costa Rica or Panama, not the poorer countries like say Nicaragua or Honduras, etc.

Nicaragua connection: Years ago, when I had recalled as a child seeing news imagery of igloos in Masaya following the great Nicaragua earthquake (the recounting alone usually results in laughter, “igloos’?), I never did track down good photos. Recently, a friend-of-a-friend referred me to this volume and asked me to bring it down on our Sept. trip; the book was alleged to have photos of these mini domed homes used outside Managua. The book does include an image (p.46; from the Oxfam Library) but it is a parenthetical margin note, with corresponding printed image about the size of a postage stamp. Bayer Corp., via West German Red Cross, had apparently donated a huge number of these temporary units which ended up forming a small city near Masaya. Still looking for some good photos of the community there, if anyone ever found one online.

From the book dust-jacket: “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 3,000,000,000 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 and now in its third printing, Design Like You Give a Damn is a compendium of innovative projects from around the world that demonstrate the power of design to improve lives. The first 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, healthcare, education and access to clean water, energy and sanitation. Design Like You Give a Damn is an indispensable resource for designers and humanitarian organizations charged with 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.”