We all search for a place to call home; a roof over our heads that we can keep coming back to at the end of the day. A commodity as simple as shelter is something one in every 113 people do not have access to. Over 65.3 million people in the world are displaced from their homes either by persecution, war and violence, or human rights violations, according to a report by the UN Refugee Agency.

But this young Indian woman has devised a concept that could have a major impact on the refugee situation. Sanjana Paramhans is a graduate from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, and an interior designer responsible for designing a make-shift home which could offer a sense of permanency in an ephemeral situation.

She created the prototype as part of her thesis in 2016. Made from fiber-glass and reinforced with gypsum, the design is light-weight while maintaining its structural stability. As a result, these systems can be easily packaged and shipped to refugee camps across the globe. “It has been created in such a way that it can be easily built by two people within an hour without using any electrical hardware,” Sanjana explains to The Quint.

The system was designed in the intention of creating a community space, by combining the facilities of a bed, a storage space, and another bed that can be converted into a chair. Another major component she focused on was privacy - for both the refugees and their property.

When completely operational, the model can be employed as a fully functional house with a roof. It also allows for a varying number of combinations by changing the arrangements of the design to accommodate differing sizes of families.

“I decided to make a sanctuary for those who are temporarily displaced. An emergency shelter, to settle in before the legalities take place,” she said to The Quint.

Such an altruistic innovation is a simple yet effective step towards improving humanitarian conditions across the world.

Here is the instructional video explaining the prototype: