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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SURI (Novel concept of a modular Shelter Unit for Rapid Installation)

Teaser

Summary

According to United Nations there were more than 14 million refugees in 2014. Provision of shelter is one of the main concerns of humanitarian agencies but current solutions (tents) do not meet the basic peopleÂ´s needs that rise after a natural disaster, a war conflict or a situation of crisis or poverty. In addition, most refugee camps that are planned to be temporary become long term camps. Existing solution for these camps is the substitution of tents by adapted containers which are expensive, difficult to transport and install and require extra equipment to reach minimum quality of life conditions.

As a result of this, humanitarian agencies are looking for innovative and affordable designs to meet these needs.

SURI is a novel concept of modular shelter. It is low cost, foldable and easy to transport, quick and easy to install, flexible, and provides maximum comfort from the first moment. The main innovations of the product lie in design, materials and manufacturing processes. See Image 1.

The objective of the feasibility study was to determine the viability of the project from an economic, legal and technical point of view. In particular, to identify new potential applications and markets such as housing, sanitary, military, educational or leisure. According to these potential new sectors, a description of the legal requirements, resources, development needs and technical specifications have been done. The new developments will focus on the improvement of the materials and design used in SURI units in order to reinforce frames, lighten the structure and enhance its transportation to increase the competitiveness by improving its features.

The ambition of Urbana is that SURI becomes the best alternative to actual shelter units used by humanitarian organizations and to broaden the applications in different markets.

Work performed

The business feasibility study has been completed and the main result is a complete business plan that will drive the work plan of the company for the next five years.

From the additional markets initially proposed: sanitary, military, agricultural, and temporary facilities for leisure events, educational and housing, it has become clear that the military market has a great potential in terms of market size and opportunities. Another conclusion is that SURI is a competitive solution as a relocatable structure in the modular architecture market and that it can replace semi standard modules like, for example, work sheds.

As a result of the feedback received from potential clients and the analysis of the different markets Urbana has identified the next developments needed in the product that will facilitate the commercialization in the selected markets. In relation to the technical characteristics of SURI it is key to keep the foldable concept to guarantee the big advantage in transport and logistics. See Image 2.

It has also been identified that no particular regulatory requirements affect the exploitation of SURI. However, particular standard requirements for shelters are usually established by each humanitarian and military agency in terms of dimensions, weight, wind/snow resistance, etc. Nevertheless, the concept of SURI is flexible enough to fulfil these specific requirements.

Urbana has also performed a broad analysis of the competitors regarding the three selected markets: humanitarian, military and modular architecture; has identified market barriers and established the commercialization strategy.

With all the above information, Urbana has built the financial plan putting together the forecasted expenses and revenues. The conclusion is that the project is financially feasible.

Final results

According to the results of the feasibility study, Urbana has decided to continue with the project. Thanks to this study the company has a better understanding of the best potential markets, the competitors and the necessary improvements needed in the product to be commercially successful.
However, the benefits will not only be for Urbana. Using SURI instead of tents or containers has high impact in the quality of life of the final users, this means that millions of people in need of shelter could benefit from the adoption of SURI as the best alternative for shelter.