The Swedish masters behind those DIY bed frames and bar stools have a new addition to their collection, but not one you'll find in IKEA catalogs.
The "Better Shelter" is a weatherproof and sustainable refugee home developed in partnership between the IKEA Foundation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It looks nothing like its shoddy tarp-covered counterparts that have become the norm in refugee camps.
Each 188-square-foot shelter can accommodate five people and comes equipped with a solar panel that powers an internal lamp and cellphone charger. Instead of canvas lining, Better Shelter's panels are made of a custom-designed plastic foam that provides thermal insulation.
After years of prototyping and development, the Swedish designers announced the release of Better Shelter last week at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition. The UNHCR has already placed an order of 10,000 of the flat-pack shelters and plans to deliver them to families starting this summer.
[img src="http://i.imgur.com/FGjNHN2.jpg" caption="Each Better Shelter unit comes with a Photo Voltaic system provides energy for the supplied LED light or for charging a mobile phone." credit="" alt="bshousingunit_sprangskiss"]
IKEA's Better Shelter could help those refugees live with a bit more safety, but they come at a steep price for the UNHCR at $1,150 per unit -- twice as expensive as the standard refugee tent. And with 10,000 units in production this summer, only 50,000 refugees will be afforded a Better Shelter.
"Even though the upfront price is double that of an emergency tent, the solution is still more cost effective considering its longevity," explains Johan Karlsson, head of Business Development at Better Shelter. "We're working hard to get it below $1,000, and we see good potential to achieve this within the next two years."
While the Better Shelter may not be a solution to the immense refugee crises in the world, it provides a boost of innovation to a problem that may not be fixed with monetary donations alone.