Design and optimization of low-tech solutions for flood-resistant shelters in South Sudan

Communities in South Sudan are facing more severe and increasingly frequent seasonal flooding. In 2020 alone, floods affected over 1 million people across the country, destroying already precarious homes and limiting access to essential resources. These episodes have highlighted the urgent need for more resilient shelters. Computational Design for Resilient Shelters, a joint project between EPFL’s Structural Exploration Lab and the NGO Medair, aims to tackle this challenge by exploring options for versatile, locally relevant shelter designs using lower-cost materials.

Combined with first-hand knowledge of the local social context, the researchers’ technology will draw on local construction methods and know-how to open up new development pathways and provide for greater climate resilience in flood-affected communities.