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The Great Hanshin Earthquake: The Paper Log House

Decent Essays
In June 1995, a devastating earthquake called the ‘Great Hanshin Earthquake’ hit Kobe, Japan. It nearly destroyed the entire city and resulted in thousands of homeless people to be left in despair. (Fukushima, 1995, para.1) After analyzing the immediate needs of the situation presented, architect Shigeru Ban took it upon himself to come up with an innovative design for building these emergency shelters in response to the extreme needs of the victims (TED Talk, Emergency Shelters made from paper, para.9). This new type of design became known as the ‘Paper Log House’. The house has three main factors that focus on the needs of the victims of the disaster. First, it’s inexpensive and the materials can be found very easily. Second, the structure
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