Emergency Architects Foundation facts for kids
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| Formation | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Legal status | Foundation |
| Purpose | Humanitarianism |
| Headquarters | Paris, Sydney, Montreal |
| Website | [1] |
The Emergency Architects Foundation is a special group from France that helps people after big problems like natural disasters. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't try to make money. Instead, it uses its funds to help others. This foundation is supported by architects in France and is recognized by important groups like the United Nations and the European Union.
The Emergency Architects Foundation also has teams in Australia (called Emergency Architects Australia) and Canada (called Emergency Architects Canada). Their main goal is to offer help and expert advice to people affected by natural disasters (like floods or earthquakes), technological accidents (like factory explosions), or human-made problems. They don't just help right after a disaster; they also work on long-term plans to rebuild and make sure communities are safer in the future.
Contents
How the Foundation Started
The Emergency Architects Foundation began in April 2001. An architect named Patrick Coulombel started it in a town called Amiens in France. This happened after the River Somme flooded in 2001. A group of architects came together to help the people affected by the flood. They also wanted to protect the important old buildings and cultural sites in the area.
Emergency Architects Around the World
- Emergency Architects Australia (EAA) started in 2005. This was after a huge tsunami hit Indonesia. Since then, EAA has helped in many countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan, the Solomon Islands, and Sri Lanka. They also work in Australia. EAA has over 300 members and gets support from many important groups like the Australian Institute of Architects. They also work with organizations like the European Union and the Australian Red Cross.
- Emergency Architects Canada was created in 2007.
So far, the Emergency Architects Foundation has completed 28 projects in 24 different countries. They have checked over 39,600 buildings for safety and helped build about 8,500 new structures. Currently, they are working on 12 projects in countries like Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Peru, and Sri Lanka.
What Emergency Architects Aim To Do
The main goals of the Emergency Architects Foundation are:
- To encourage architects in France and all over the world to get involved in helping people. This also helps improve architecture everywhere.
- To teach architects special skills so they can help communities affected by natural disasters, technological accidents, or human-made problems.
- To support training for architects both in France and globally.
- To protect and promote important architectural, historical, and cultural sites around the world.
How Emergency Architects Work
Architects, engineers, and city planners who work with the foundation use their special skills. They know a lot about preventing risks and how to build strong structures. This helps them give the right kind of help to people after disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, or even chemical factory explosions.
They always work closely with the local people in the affected areas. They also try to use building materials that are found locally. This helps the community and makes the buildings fit in better.
The foundation has 533 staff members from 23 different countries. More than 1,200 architects and engineers have helped with projects in 21 countries.
Where They Help
The foundation helps in two main ways: during emergencies and with rebuilding efforts.
Emergency Help
- Checking the Damage: Architects go to the disaster area to quickly understand what happened and how it affected people. They figure out how much damage there is and what resources are needed to keep people safe and find them quick housing.
- Working Together: They help create good partnerships between the Emergency Architects, local communities, local governments, and other aid groups.
- Keeping People Safe: They set up safety zones around damaged buildings that might be dangerous. They check public services and homes, and they plan how to keep people safe or move them if needed.
- Helping in Refugee Camps: They work in Refugee camps to make living conditions better for people who have had to leave their homes.
Rebuilding Efforts
- Building New Homes: They help build strong and proper homes. They also work to fix important things like schools and places where people work. This helps people who have been displaced find new homes.
- Preventing Future Risks: They study the area's environment, city layout, technology, and architecture to make sure new buildings are safe from future disasters.
- Sharing Knowledge: They help keep traditional building skills alive. They also add new ideas to make buildings stronger against future problems. They encourage training for local people, from builders to architects.
Projects and Interventions
The Emergency Architects Foundation has helped in many places:
In France
- Floods in the Somme Region (2001)
- AZF chemical factory explosion (2001)
- Floods in the Gard Region (2002)
- Earthquake in Martinique (2007)
In Africa
- Algeria, Bourmerdès earthquake (2003)
- Morocco, Al Hoceima earthquake (2004)
- Chad, Refugee camps (2007)
- Madagascar, earthquake (2004)
- Senegal, building schools
In Asia
- Timor Leste, school and building projects (2010-2011)
- Bangladesh, floods (2004)
- Iran, Earthquake in Bam (2003)
- Afghanistan, training workshop (2004)
- Indonesia, 2004 tsunami (2004)
- Sri Lanka, 2004 tsunami (2004)
- Pakistan, 2005 Kashmir earthquake (2005)
- Indonesia, 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake (2006)
In Europe
- 2002 European floods (2002)
In America
- Grenada Island and Haiti, after Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Jeanne (2004)
- Peru, 2007 Peru earthquake (2007)
- Canada, helping people who don't have good housing (2007)
In Oceania
- Cook Islands, after Cyclone Pat (2010)
- Solomon Islands, building schools and latrines (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
- Australia, building a temporary village after bushfires (2009)
Awards and Recognitions
The Emergency Architects Foundation has received several awards and special recognitions for their important work:
- The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recognized them as an official French Foundation for international help.
- They have an agreement with ECHO, which is part of the European Commission.
- They work closely with many United Nations agencies like UNHabitat, UNDP, UNHCR, and UNICEF.
- They signed a partnership agreement with the Union International Architects in 2008.
They also won two international prizes for their project in Sigli, Indonesia:
- The 2005 IFI AWARD, for the quality of their project and their help to humanity.
- The 2006 Sustainable Development Prize from Imerys International.
Other awards include:
- The 2008 Marion Mahony Griffin Prize to Andrea Nield.
- The 2009 AMO prize for Habitat, Architecture, and Environment.
See also
In Spanish: Fundación Arquitectos de la emergencia para niños
- Architects Assist
- Engineers Without Borders
