Flat-pack refugee shelter wins Design of the Year 2016

January 30, 2017

A flat-pack temporary shelter designed for refugees has been named the  2016 Beazley Design of the Year, beating the artwork for David Bowie’s final album and a robotic surgeon. The IKEA Foundation funded the shelter’s initial design and development.

Better Shelter was announced as the winner at an awards ceremony that took place at the Design Museum’s new home in London last week.

Selected as the winner of the architecture category, Better Shelter beat five other category winners to also claim the overall prize for its “outstanding contribution towards the global issue of population displacement”.

The shelter was developed through a collaboration between the IKEA Foundation, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Better Shelter social enterprise. It can be built quickly from a flat-pack and gives families who lose their homes during conflicts and disasters a more dignified life. UNHCR has used the shelters to house displaced families in several countries, including Greece, Iraq, Djibouti, Chad and Serbia. Thanks to the shelters’ modular design, they are also being used as healthcare centres.

“Better Shelter tackles one of the defining issues of the moment: providing shelter in an exceptional situation whether caused by violence and disaster,” said jury member Jana Scholze of Kingston University.

“It shows the power of design to respond to the conditions we are in and transform them. Innovative, humanitarian and implemented, Better Shelter has everything that a Beazley Design of the Year should have.”

Democratic design has always been key to the shelter’s development. During the prototype phase, several refugee families tested and improved upon the shelter’s design.

“Putting refugee families and their needs at the heart of this project is a great example of how democratic design can be used for humanitarian value,” said Jonathan Spampinato, Head of Communications at the IKEA Foundation. “We are incredibly proud that the Better Shelter won this award, but we’re even prouder that refugee families and children can have a safer place to call home.”

Read more at: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/01/26/ikea-flat-pack-refugee-better-shelter-wins-design-year-2016/

The designs of the year are on show at the Design Museum, London, until 19 February: http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/beazley-designs-of-the-year

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Better Shelter
https://bettershelter.org/
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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
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In a world full of noise and misinformation, credible voices matter more than ever. That’s why nearly 800 @IKEA co-workers applied to join the 2025 IKEA Foundation Ambassador Programme — a journey that connects them with the people and partners the foundation supports as they tackle real-world challenges every day. Ambassadors listen, ask questions, and learn from those closest to the issues — building understanding they bring back to their teams and communities, where awareness grows and perspectives begin to shift. In 2025, the programme: 🌎 reached five hubs across four continents 🇰🇪 launched the first-ever Super Hub in Nairobi 🌟 welcomed 169 new ambassadors 🌱 grew a global learning community of 550+ people in 30+ countries These numbers reflect a growing curiosity — a desire to understand how change really happens and to hear directly from those working closest to the world’s toughest challenges. None of this learning happens without the insight and generosity of our partners. Their leadership continues to inspire and inform us. With our strategy now in motion, we’re doubling down on #ClimateAwareness at a moment when it matters most — and supporting partners creating solutions for people and planet. For 2026, that energy is even stronger: nearly 1,000 IKEA co-workers applied, and we’re excited to welcome 161 new ambassadors, with 38 more joining our Alumni Hub. We’re proud of what last year set in motion, and looking forward to what comes next. #IKEAfoundation #IKEAFoundationAmbassador
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@ikea_foundation
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•
Follow
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