LOW COST COOLING MARKETPLACE
1ST PRIZE at the Place and Displacement International Competition for a Refugee Marketplace hosted by Ideation Worldwide (under IDeA), in collaboration with Yale MacMillan Center and UN Habitat, UNHCR, UNOPS, presented and discussed at Ideas in Action Summit in New York City.
Year 2017
Place: Kakuma, (Kenya, Africa),
Latitude: 3° 42’ 59.99” N, Longitude: 34° 51’ 59.99” E
https://waterwallproject.com/en/home
In harsh conditions such as Kakuma camp, markets play a critical role in providing the refugees necessities not covered by the humanitarian agencies. “Water Wall”, born as a research project within “The Right to Quality Shelter” course of S.O.S. founded by Mario Cucinella, is a proposal for a structure that uses the passive technique of evaporative cooling for storing and cooling fresh food, critical to ensure good nutrition and health of the inhabitants. In this new zero energy market the refugees, by processing and selling the goods, will have the possibility to improve their entrepreneurial skills, and the new food-based economy will be a solid base for the birth of new jobs and services inside the camp. Evaporative cooling can be easily applied in many countries: so, this Water Wall, that is a wall that aims to bring hope, and not division, could be replicated worldwide, just the climate conditions have to be there.
KEYWORDS: fresh food availability, passive low-cost systems, water harvesting, low cost evaporative cooling, food preservation, reduction of food waste, food sovereignty, post-harvest technologies, food security, arid climate, vulnerable contexts, small farmers.