This Woman Invented A Tent For Refuges That Collects Rainwater And Stores Solar Energy

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

Syria has been reeling under a civil war since 2011 and it has resulted in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the current world. The Syrian Civil War has nearly 14 million residents of the country either as international refugees or have been internally displaced, reports the United Nations.

When an architect realized the long-lasting effects of this apparently never-ending problem, she came up with a unique idea. Refugees seek shelter wherever they go. With such huge numbers of refugees, it is a problem for all communities to provide them all with shelter. So Abeer Seikaly, an architect of Jordanian-Canadian descent decided to design something to help these refugees of the Civil War.

Also read: Former Syrian Refugee Invents Charger Which Works With Aircraft Air Vents

This award-winning architect came up with the idea of ‘Weaving a Home’. This unique solution has multiple benefits embedded in it. The architect came up with the idea of a tent that would use high-strength plastic tubing which has been molded into sine-wave shaped curves. The tent itself will be able to enclose or expand, depending on the weather conditions. The double-layer surface of the tent has the ability to keep cold and harsh winds out but allows cool air to enter during the warmer months. It can be easily broken down too to facilitate mobility.

Not only that. This brilliant architect included many other thoughts in her project which resulted in these tents being able to collect water too. Rainwater can be collected from the tent’s topmost portion and it will filter down the sidewalls and ultimately reach storage pockets.

As if that wasn’t enough already, this unique tent for refugees is also able to absorb solar heat and transform it into electric energy. This energy can then be stored in batteries specially made for the purpose.

Also read: This Swedish Couple “Wrapped” Their Home In A Greenhouse To Grow Food And Stay Warm

First proposed in 2013, this project is still in its developmental stage. It received the Lexus Design Award in 2013.

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Seikaly is hopeful that this tent for refugees will be available in the market very soon. Since the tent has so many boxes to tick, it gets rather complicated to materialize all of them. While the design and idea is excellent, the execution will take some time.

Once ready, this collapsible tent with the ability to collect rainwater as well as solar energy will be a blessing for the thousands of refugees not just in Syria but throughout the world.

Images credit: Abeer Seikaly