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BEDOUIN
SURVIVAL SYSTEM
Course
1st Year Master Studio
Advisor
Lior Galili
Partner
Brad Gawley
Location
Negev Desert, IL
Date
2017
Size
1,300,000 hectares
The Bedouin Villages in the Negev Desert are under constant threat of demolition by the Israeli Government. The government does not recognize these villages as they conclude that the villages were built illegally, without official permission. As cruel and discriminatory as this is, it is the unfortunate reality for the Negev Bedouin.
Throughout our research and mapping explorations it has not be apparent that the Bedouin take any method to defend themselves or their villages. This neglect to design for their long-term safety puts their lives and villages at a larger risk than needed.
The establishment of the Bedouin Survival System will provide the Bedouin with the means to survive and rebuild in the case of demolition.
The establishment of the Bedouin Survival System will provide the Bedouin with the means to survive and rebuild in the case of demolition. The Survival System includes two major elements, the fleet of rovers and each village’s terminal. The Survival Rover will allow each family to live self sustaining in the event of village demolition. Each rover will contain the resources and technology to gather energy, collect and store water, provide shelter, emit cellular signals, as well as containing clothing, basic tools and equipment, food, and first aid supplies. The village terminal will be a location to meet in case of emergency and a spot where the village can focus on surviving as a unit.
If a home is demolished, the Survival Rover will be able to relocate to wherever that family wants to rebuild. Thus, the Bedouin do not have to start from ground zero and they are still able to maintain a sense of personal identity.
The Survival Rover would be connected to the Bedouin homes with power and water. In case of an emergency these connections would be able to be detached and the rover would become mobile. The Bedouin would then be able to continue to live with assistance from the rovers.
The Village Terminals are centrally located in each village to serve as a meeting point in case of emergency. The ground level of the village terminals has been flattened and hardened to allow for vehicles and the survival rovers to roam the surface.