When Tokyo-based architect and Pritzker Prize laureate Shigeru Ban left Japan for a quick trip to the United States in early March, little did he know that only days later he’d wind up in Poland. But with waves of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homeland, the veteran relief worker couldn’t just stand by and watch. Understanding that adding temporary partitions to the emergency shelters was one way to offer immediate help, the architect called on colleagues and students in Warsaw and Wrocław who laid the groundwork with local authorities and donors. And then they got the job done before Ban’s plane even landed on Polish soil.
Working at breakneck speed, the team of 20 students built and installed the Japanese designer’s Paper Partition System (PPS) in shelters in the Wrocław Main Railway Station and a now-defunct Tesco supermarket in Chełm, one of the first stops across the Ukrainian border. Set up for refugees who stay for a few days before moving to other parts of Poland and points beyond, the shelters are well equipped, with toilets, showers, kitchens, and children’s play areas. But Ban knew the PPS could improve these conditions by dividing the vast sleeping areas and providing a modicum of privacy.
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