The HoPE-project is a scientific, non-political research project which examines the role of prefabricated housing architecture in the aftermath of crises, learning from the experiences of the Finnish export of prefabricated wooden houses to reconstruction areas between 1940 and 1980. During the post-war decades, Finnish manufacturers shipped hundreds of thousands of prefabricated wooden houses to all corners of the world. The houses often went to crisis-stricken areas facing reconstruction on a massive scale. As a result, the Finnish modernist architectural ideals contributed to changing and defining new landscapes globally, while providing shelter for the inhabitants in post-trauma communities.
The aim is to examine which mechanisms in design, fabrication, placement and use of the Finnish houses developed them from shelters to homes. Some of our main research questions explore what the history of the houses in different locations were, how they were adapted to changing local needs, which traits in and around the buildings contributed to coping with reconstruction, and how these experiences can be translated into today’s practices on reconstruction housing. The results will be presented in open-access publications to make the data widely available.
The two countries which function as the main case studies are Poland and Israel, which have important similarities and differences that can be compared. Both countries received Finnish houses in the years around 1950, the number of houses imported was similar and both countries needed the houses for reconstruction purposes, as after the war or to cope with mass-immigration. Furthermore, both countries have extensive archival data available on the import. However, the climates are distinctly different, as were the house types sent. Poland received high-quality single-family houses suited for a colder climate, while Israel mainly ordered barrack-type temporary housing, or hospitals intended for a desert climate. In Poland, most of the houses are preserved, but in Israel, only a few exist today. These two cases make it possible to follow the history of the houses for a period of more than 70 years, learning from history to provide solutions for the future.
FUNDING
The research is funded by the KONE-foundation in Finland between 2022 - 2026, but the initial research started in 2018.
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AFFILIATION
The project is based on academic, interdisciplinary research and is affiliated with Åbo Akademi University in Finland. The project is non-political, and the research is not conducted in collaboration with governmental bodies or political organizations. The results are made available through open-access publications and on the website.
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