Letters - 22 August 2014
Homes for Gaza to Trident in Scotland
‘Homes’ for Gaza?
During the second world war lots of people in Britain lost their home. We built pre-fabricated houses and although basic, difficult to heat and not built to last many were well cared for and became so loved that those living in them did not want to leave. They had become ‘homes’.
Could this be done for Gaza? Pre-fabricated houses, if they were built outside Gaza and shipped in as whole units, could satisfy Israel’s concerns about using cement and building materials to construct tunnels.
Modern prefabricating is used in many ways with different materials and techniques. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) knows how to build better socially cohesive refugee camps. It has the knowledge to make ‘homes’ better suited to the climate and culture. All this knowledge awaits a new generation of socially and environmentally aware architects and builders. For anyone able to get all this together and find the finance to make it happen an exciting, adventurous and rewarding life awaits them!
Mary K Marshall
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