Chełm is a city in eastern Poland through which tens of thousands of people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been transiting for the last three weeks. 

They are mainly mothers with children and the elderly. So far, they have been placed in the hall of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center. From now on, they will also find shelter in a large hall which used to be a Tesco supermarket.

Usually, help points for refugees are organised in sports halls or gyms. The one in Chełm is being designed in a more sophisticated way. 

“Thanks to the cooperation with the Lublin University of Technology, special boxes were created in the former store to imitate rooms, Damian Zieliński, spokesman for the city office, told Polish media.

Such a box consists of a skeleton in the form of pipes, on which paper or material screens are stretched, which serve as walls. 

The whole concept was invented by the award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who personally supervised the works carried out in Chełm during the last weekend.

The main point of this innovation is to provide the refugees with more comfort and a touch of privacy. In each such „room” there are two or four camp beds. 

A similar solution is to be applied soon at the railway station in Wrocław.

Image: Twitter @lemonde_inter

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen