Impact 2017 Impact 2017 | Page 18

THE BIG PICTURE SHELTERING THE WORLD’S REFUGEES At a time when the plight of refugees is making headlines worldwide, Edinburgh Napier PhD student Lara Alshawawreh is identifying how transitional shelters can be constructed at scale while providing safety, privacy, and dignity for occupants. 65M PEOPLE Lara, who is doing her PhD in the School of Engineering & the Built Environment, visited two of Jordan’s largest refugee camps to hold focus groups with residents and to visit their shelters. FORCIBLY DISPLACED IN THE WORLD EQUIVALENT TO THE UK POPULATION Refugees identifi ed the ability to disassemble and reuse the shelters as vital, which Lara has made central in her project. 18