CURATOR, PAOLA ANTONELLI: A roof is just not enough. One of the biggest problems dealing with refugees and displaced people is to give them not only shelter from natural problems, but also a sense of a home, a sense of a place to go to, maybe a door that you can lock.
The Global Village Shelters were an attempt to respond to this problem. They are packed flat, and they cost only about three hundred dollars each. They're made of resistant paper that is coated to resist water and also fire, and they can be snapped together according to the instructions in about 15 minutes.
Another big advantage using the Global Village Shelters is that they can be reused. The actual shelter lasts about 12 months, depending on the natural conditions and the climate conditions, but let's say it can be needed for only six months, then it can be folded back and redeployed somewhere else. It's not only for displaced people, but also for aid workers that need to leave equipment behind them sometimes, and possibly lock the doors.
Of course, a door in a house made of paper is only a very mild deterrent, a psychological deterrent more than anything else.
