In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral in Northern Pakistan, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) and the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), with support from Better Shelter, are setting up six COVID-19 rapid response centers using prefabricated materials and modular designs.
According to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), four of the centers reportedly use shelter units donated by Better Shelter.
The urgent nature of the pandemic demands rapidly deployable, easy to build, adaptable technologies. While AKAH has the expertise and effective construction solutions to build structures quickly for emergency response that are adapted to remote mountain environments, Better Shelter has the modular, flat-pack, soft-structure shelter units that are easy to transport and install in humanitarian relief operations.
AKAH has deployed these modular units at four sites in Gilgit, Mastuj, Aliabad and Singal. For two additional sites in Gramchamsa and Booni, AKAH is using locally manufactured prefabricated sandwich panels, adapting hard and soft structures to the requirements of each site.
A team of managers and engineers completed the first facility at the Aga Khan Medical Center, Gilgit nine days after receiving the Better Shelter modules.
AKAH’s architects and engineers worked with AKHS and Better Shelter to modify materials and design features of the Better Shelter units to the needs of a high mountain emergency medical facility. Key design modifications include vinyl flooring adapted for a health facility; low gauge galvanized metal sheeting for roof rain gutters; adjustments to exhaust fan openings; and improved flood protection. AKAH also constructed separate structures housing 12 washroom facilities dedicated for COVID patients.
Collaboration between AKAH, AKHS, and Better Shelter enabled an agile and adapted response to quickly scale up treatment facilities.
Better Shelter RHU AB is a humanitarian innovation project and social enterprise based in Stockholm, Sweden. Its mission is to improve the lives of refugees by providing temporary, yet safe, homes. The project started in 2010 in collaboration with the Ikea Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Since 2015, Better Shelter has delivered more than 50,000 shelters to refugee camps in over 50 countries worldwide. The modular homes are delivered in flat packages and can be set up in a few hours without tools or electricity. Every shelter is equipped with a lockable door and a solar powered lamp. Today, they are not only used as temporary housing, but also as clinics, classrooms and other community-promoting infrastructure.
