Smart Shelter Foundation

After two years of preparation, Smart Shelter Foundation has been founded in 2004 by me, Martijn Schildkamp. I graduated in 1995 at the Polytechnics in The Hague, followed by a degree in Architecture in 1999, at the Technical University in Delft. Until my departure to Sri Lanka in 2004 I have been working at several prominent architectural offices in The Netherlands, as a building engineer as well as a designer. I participated in a variety of architectural design competitions, which resulted in a recommendation for a dwelling in rammed earth, which is a modern variety of building with earth.


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Why this initiative?

Confucius once spoke: ‘If each person solved the small problems over which they have control, then the larger problems would disappear’.

In 2001 I traveled for the first time to a developing country, to India. I went to visit my brother, who worked as a volunteer in the slums of Delhi, helping out at several little schools. Day 2 we walked through the slums, which was an unforgettable confrontation to me. The schools he worked for were no more than bamboo matting, held together by a few poles, covered with some tarps. Decent sewage was not present, neither there was clean drinking water or hygienic sanitation. It had been raining that day and I will never forget the penetrating smell and the quantity of flies at that site. I could not believe that people need to live, eat, sleep, work and get old in a place like that. Worldwide more than one billion people live in such miserable circumstances…

The fifth day we took a camel safari in the Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, in Northern India. At the end of the day two camels got into a fight and I was sitting on one of them. Mine took off, I literally got launched of his back and I broke both my heels. It happened on October 4th, world Animal Day, those camels sure have humour… I had to visit two hospitals, in Jaisalmer and in Jodhpur, with cows and chicken walking inside. Back in Holland I realized what decent medical care really means and that I was quiet lucky, as I could also have broken my back or my neck. It also occurred to me how privileged I am, having had all the opportunities and chances to study and to develop myself. Looking behind, this little adventure has become the starting point for this initiative.


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After the recovery of my accident I traveled to India and Nepal a few times, and I started studying all kinds of topics regarding building for the poorest. I wanted to understand what the concept of a ‘slum’ actually means, what structures and forms of organization can be recognized and what the needs of the poorest consist of more precisely. What materials do people build with, what techniques do people use in the world? What influence does local climate have, and how do building methods respond to them? How do people overseas handle their waste streams and to what extend do people recycle? What role can I play in all these subjects?

Of great inspiration is the work of the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, and of the American firm Rural Studio. Shigeru Ban has designed shelter for earthquake prone areas, made out of paper tubes. In his work Ban is always searching for the outer limits of materials in very innovative ways. The students of Rural Studio, part of the Auburn University, design structures for the poor in Alabama. They creatively use discarded and sponsored materials, like old traffic signs, car tires and wind shields, carpet tiles; sometimes they even incorporate an entire existing structure.


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My thought was: If that can be done in America, then why not in the slums of Bombay, Kathmandu or Colombo? As a matter of fact, I think it can be done! My strength is in doing research about material properties, in thinking about smart solutions and combinations. My opinion is that you should think of any material in an innovative manner, be it earth, bamboo and straw, or empty bottles and scrap material, or whatever you can find in a certain area. Different surroundings, different starting points, same challenge: searching and expanding the limits.

All these thoughts led to the idea of Smart Shelter Foundation; searching for smart methods to build for the poorest, to offer them a roof over their head, as a step towards a more decent existence. I prefer to call it: Idealism with a healthy dose of realism. I have decided to contribute actively in solving a gigantic worldwide problem. I hope that many people will support me in this challenge!

Martijn Schildkamp.

This page page was compiled on Wednesday, 08 September 2010 at 13:40:30