“Ikea’s philanthropist foundation has funded the project to the tune of $4 million, while a Sweden-based group called the Refugee Housing Unit has been working with the UN agency on the design. The prototypes, with their semi-hard plastic walls and roofs made from composite material and with room to house five people each, have cost $8,000 a piece, and UNHCR wants to wait for feedback from refugees before giving a green light to more wide-scale production. The new shelters have been guaranteed to last three years and will likely remain standing for longer than that. That is a big plus considering that refugees on average live in their UNHCR shelters for 12 years.”
http://www.thelocal.ch/20130629/un-agency-tests-ikea-refugee-shelter
Related posts:
Alibaba Revenue Misses Expectations; $4 Billion Stock Buyback Planned
SecondMarket CEO: Wall Street Will Put 'Hundreds of Millions' Into Bitcoin
Obama set to sign bill to lower student loan interest rates
U.S. to deliver F-16 fighters to Egypt despite recent upheaval
Welcome to the Freest Place on Earth
Medical marijuana rally slated for Oklahoma Capitol Wednesday
Lawsuit filed over veteran's psychiatric detention over Facebook posts
Alan Greenspan talks GOLD (UNCUT VERSION)
Britain threatens to storm Ecuador embassy to get Assange
President Obama Calls for Conscience Vote On Syria, Even If Public Opposed
Hillary Clinton’s Lucrative Goldman Sachs Speaking Gigs
How the U.S. got mixed up in a fight over Kurdish oil
Spain's Corruption Capital: Trial Highlights Extent of Building Boom Sleaze
Urban farming springs up on rooftops in hyper-crowded Hong Kong
US expats flee taxman's reach by giving up citizenship