The Opole University of Technology is promoting the BIP Gaza strip reconstruction - International Design Summer School, aimed at students, which will take place between 6 and 13 July.

Faced with the current international crisis involving the Israeli and Palestinian governments, the situation in the Gaza Strip region is in alarming conditions. The consequences of the conflict, as information sources show, present a destroyed panorama, both humanly and physically. In the hope of a prompt and peaceful resolution of the conflict, the theme of reconstruction requires technical-disciplinary attention. It is plausible to think, given the structural annihilation we are witnessing, that the first response of UNHCR (the UN agency for refugees) is pragmatic and emergency, that of the refugee camps. This response can be studied to define an urban evolution of the Gaza Strip considering the vernacular heritage, sustainability strategies, and economic and resource possibilities. As already demonstrated in the numerous debates on refugee camps, it is necessary to think about the city.

However, urban thinking in a context characterized by scarcity of resources, both energy and material, must be mediated by technological thinking. The ethics of sustainability, therefore, imposes a disciplinary reflection that starts from the concept of appropriate technologies applied to housing systems studied on local ways of living suited to the culture and climate of this region. It is important to carry forward this double reflection at the same time: a morphological study on living, focused on the development of open and collective spaces and vernacular references, and a constructive study starting from local resources: rubble and earth.

The development of unconventional technologies can lead to the definition of a system of hybrid solutions that are energy efficient and achievable with available resources.

The objectives of this project are as follows: to establish a robust cooperation and information exchange platform among partners focusing on sustainable reconstruction strategies; to foster collaborative efforts in addressing complex design challenges in emergency contest; to accurately and comprehensively identify the difficulties and opportunities presented by emergency sites; and to explore potential solutions and scenarios for the future of emergency contexts.

More information available here.