Through history we have had to face a number of crises. Whether it is war, famine, or natural disasters, there have been many traumatic events. While each case is awful, it is great to see all of the responses to help those in need. As some of the top architects London has, we want to look at some of the most amazing stories of how our industry has reacted when there was a crisis.
Chile earthquake and tsunami 2010
In the early hours of 27th February a huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile. The quake also triggered a tsunami that caused more damage. Almost 80% of the total population of the country was affected. In response, architects had to step in to create housing and more in six regions. Alejandro Aravena even created a forest to help protect the city of Constitucion from future disasters.
Shigeru Ban
The Japanese architect is one of the most famous when it comes to humanitarian architecture. His work in the past has included temporary housing for earthquake victims in Kobe (1995), Haiti (2010), Ongawa (2011), and Nepal (2015). He even designed a cardboard cathedral for Christchurch, New Zealand. The temporary building was to replace the original that was destroyed by an earthquake in 2011. It has an incredible design and will last around 50 years.
Italy earthquake 2016
The earthquake caused a huge amount of damage to towns in Central Italy. In response, architects including the legendary Renzo Piano began a research group to help design housing that would be safe against future seismic activity.
Some of the worst damage was in Amatrice, a town in northern Lazio. There was fear that the whole town would be lost. However, architects stepped up to help. Stefano Boeri was one of them. He played a part in helping begin the reconstruction, designing a school canteen that became part of the Polo del Gusto square. This became a symbol of the renaissance of the town.
Lebanon
The Syrian civil war has had a terrible impact on Syria and other countries in the Middle East. Lebanon in particular saw several violent clashes. The country has also received over a million refugees. The big challenge here is to provide homes as well as community spaces. Charity and architectural design studio CatalyticAction is playing a big role in this. They design schools, playgrounds and more.
Architects in London
The UK is blessed with the fact that we have few natural disasters to worry about. The political stability also means few issues. However, architects here have a passion for humanitarian works around the world. Many contribute ideas and designs to help where they can.
At Coffey Architects we love how our industry can rise to the challenge when it matters. If you want to work with one of the top architects London has, speak to us today. We would love to learn more about your project.