A new architectural design has been proposed by UAE based architects Mouaz Abouzaid, Bassel Omara and Ahmed Hammad to solve Cairo’s low-income housing problem using ‘shipping containers’. Dubbed ‘sheltainer’, the project aims to target low-income families, students and refugees, and is based on a micro-housing solution that focuses on providing the most basic human needs. Looking at the informal market Souk Al Jumaa, it uses a standard 20ft container with individual house units combined into a cluster for a small neighborhood of 8 homes, and is also surrounded by a green courtyard. To maintain the area’s current activities and the feeling of ‘home’, the project offers a flexible solution by redesigning the old market and revamping the area with new open spaces and new activities. “Home is not a place, it’s a feeling. People are connected to their homeland. Growing up in an environment with family and friends fuels people’s souls with a promising future. But being forced out of homes due to starvation, the economy, or even politics creates insecurity,” the architects said. “Twenty people are newly displaced every minute, and that becomes a challenge to provide a stable community that can cope with…
