spar0010">The S(P)EEDKITS project aimed to scrutinize materials and equipment of the Emergency Response Units (ERUs) that are currently used by humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and to develop novel solutions which drastically reduce their deployment time, the volume and weight for transportation. Solutions needed to be clever and durable enough so that the affected population can use them also during the reconstruction phase. This dual approach - speed and seed - was crucial as the recent trend in emergency aid for organizations is not only to stimulate as early as possible the self-repair, but also to support the transitional period and the reconstruction.
spar0015">Starting from a detailed analysis of the state of the art, the research group of Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) worked on the design of innovative shelter solutions and their packages, in order to add values in terms of ease of transport and set up. Through the multidisciplinary approach that involved several partners of the collaborative project, a list of metrics scored three diverse shelter concepts; one of them was prototyped in ten units and tested by Senegal and Luxembourg Red Cross delegations.