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Research and Design Methods IAA 610

Instructor: Akel Ismail Kahera, Ph.D.
Student: Aymen Aiblu

Post-war housing: Proposing a design method for addressing the

need for affordable housing in Misurata – Libya.

Abstract

The housing issue is one of the biggest problems facing the state of Libya. It is necessary to

provide affordable housing units that will meet the needs of the people. In order to combat this

problem, we have to also rely on the available materials and human resources to provide as

many housing units to be occupied by the local population or refugees since Libya is the African

gate to Europe. When the Militia of Gaddafi's troops attacked the city of Misurata, many people

had to flee their houses to a safer location. Take for example, my family, we had to go to our

house in "Al-Ramlah", where it was one of the safest areas during the bloody two months siege

by Muammar Gaddafi's forces in what became one of the turning points of Libya's civil war.

Refugees and migrants in Libya face restricted access to services because of their unrecognized

status and limited economic resources. Access to decent housing and healthcare, considered
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priority areas of humanitarian intervention, is still a challenge for many locals, refugees, and

migrants residing in Libya. (UNOCHA, Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018).

According to the 2018 HNO, there are currently an estimated 581,000 people in need of Shelter

and NFI in Libya (NHO 2018). Among them, an estimated 200,000 are refugees and migrants.

Refugees and migrants interviewed for this assessment mostly resided in self-paid rented

houses, and faced economic and security challenges in accessing shelter, which eventually led

them to accept sub-optimal housing solutions. (MERF, 2017)

This essay applies a qualitative research methodology that contributes to filling the knowledge

gap in affordable housing units in general, and the impact of implementing the new system on

the cost and duration of time needed to accomplish in Misurata city of Libya by relying on

previous researches, projects, and studies.

Keywords: Affordable housing, Postwar construction, Misurata.

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Introduction

Misurata lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea 187 km (116 mi) east of Tripoli and 825

km (513 mi) west of Benghazi (Fig. 1). The city's location creates a dualism of sea and sand,

Fig. 1 Map of Libya

(Source: Re-drawn from Stock Illustration by
Aymen Aiblu)
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bounded by the sea to the north and east and by golden sands dotted with palm and olive trees

to the south (Fig. 2). With a population of about 881,000, it is the third-largest city in Libya,

after Tripoli and Benghazi.

Like Benghazi and Tripoli,

Misurata is divided into two

distinct sections. Older Misurata

consists of tiny stone houses and

narrow arched streets, while the

newer part of the city, which

began to develop in the 20th

century, consists of modern

buildings, homes, factories, and

industrial areas. (Hubbard, 1993) Fig. 2 Map of Misurata District

(Source: Re-drawn from an unpublished Master Thesis, Study in
regional planning - Fatima Abdullatif Almuntaser 7th of October
University in Misurata 2008 – p193, by Aymen Aiblu)
Aside from its distinct location,

which makes it a center for the exchange of commodities and materials with the rest of the

country's cities, Misrata has modern infrastructure, including paved roads, electricity, and

communications. It has been called the trade capital of Libya.

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The War in Misurata

Misurata is traditionally regarded

as the country's business capital,

serving as a central locale for the

exchange of commodities and

materials with other cities. The

city's steel mill industry is one of

Fig. 3 Heavy fighting rages in Libyan city of Misurata
its principal sources of income and (Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune)

employment. The industry has been able to expand throughout the years, with its owners

holding considerable influence in the city. Misurata is one of the country's most modern cities

in Libya, with infrastructure that includes new roads, electricity and communication centers,

modern buildings, as well as large iron, steel, carpet, and textile factories, and private

companies and trade centers. (Rob Young).

During the 2011 war, the Misurata theater was the most strategically important location of

military operations in the Tripolitania region, as it was caught between the two major Gaddafi

strongholds of Sirte and Tripoli. Given its position along the Libyan coast, its large, modern

port was vital to the thuwar forces' resupply efforts. Misurata was under siege by Gaddafi forces

from February to May 2011, and arguably saw the bloodiest and most traumatic events of the

civil war. Gaddafi forces shelled the city relentlessly between mid-March and mid-May 2011,
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and resumed shelling again in June. The fighting continued until early August, when Gaddafi

forces retreated from the region. (The International Commission of Inquiry on Libya, 2012).

As the only major thuwar held the city in Tripolitania during the war, Misurata was the subject

of attacks by Gaddafi forces from Tripoli and Sirte (International Crisis Group, 2011).

Misurata was surrounded by cities held by the Gaddafi forces: Zlitan to the west, Tawergha to

the southeast, and Bani Walid to the south. The city was subjected to constant shelling and

attack, as the rebels in Misrata put up stiff resistance, incurring a heavy death toll. The Gaddafi

regime was never able to regain control of the city during the war, and the Misrata

thuwar prevented the regime from dividing the western part of the country from the thuwar

controlled areas in the eastern region.

Certain areas in the vicinity of Misurata were particularly affected during the conflict, such as

the towns of Kararim, Tumina, and Karzaz, located to the south of the city. The town of

Tawergha, located 38 kilometers (23 miles) southeast of Misurata along the road to Sirte,

experienced the most dramatic effects from the war and its aftermath.
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Photos of traditional houses in Libya

Fig. 4 Libyan traditional houses

(Source: Cultue of Libya)

Part one: Affordable housing

To own a land in Libya, especially in Misurata, is very expensive. Therefore, while constructing

any project, it is more effective to build vertically rather than horizontally which would occupy

more land.
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In April 2020, I worked remotely as a trainee architect with Container in Motion. It is a leading

global brand that provides modified shipping containers into a various residential, recreational,

farm or commercial applications. The company offers a wide range of products to a substantial

and diversified client base that includes individuals, corporations, farming, and government

agencies, and it is based in Florida – USA. I have worked on some affordable housing units,

and the famous one I did was on a beach site in Puerto Rico (Fig. 5). I have designed 12 units

using 20 feet (around 6 meters) containers, and each one has a sea view. The whole site is 850

m2, yet the construction site is only 340m2.

In Misurata, the price of a 20 feet residential container unit is 5500 USD, according to

Alshurouk Misurata Company (Alshurouk Misurata Housesꜛ). My proposal project for the

affordable housing units shall be located in the Qast Ahmad region of Misurata District (Fig.

2). To inhabit 20 families using 40f / 12m containers to build affordable housing (Fig. 6) in a

land that does not exceed 280m2, we will be using the method that the Chinese company Broad

Group used when they erected a modular 10-storey apartment block, named the Living

Building, in just over a one day in Changsha, China (Dezeenꜛ).

They used a streamlined production, high quality with low cost; Producing buildings like cars.

Folded structures so that it becomes easier to transfer them from the fabric to the construction

land, and they are extremely simple onsite installation; Just tighten bolts and connect water and

electricity as fast as 10 storeys which can be erected in just one day (Fig. 7). Each storey will
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Fig. 5 Puerto Rico’s Project

(Source: Containers in Motion 2020,
Aymen Aiblu)

Fig. 6 Standard dimensions of the

Containers
(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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have two houses, and each house will cost approximately from 30,000 to 35,000 USD. So the

whole building will cost from 600,000 to 700,000 USD to construct in Misurata.

Fig. 7 Living Building by Broad Groupꜛ

(Source: Amusement Logic)

One of the projects that we need to pay attention to is "Seaside, Florida". It is one of three

planned communities on Florida's Gulf coast designed by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-

Zyberk. The other two are Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. The three are examples of a style

of urban planning known as New Urbanism (Fig. 8). As Seaside is privately owned, no other

municipal governments had planning jurisdiction over Seaside, and therefore the developers

were able to write their own zoning codes. (Jacobsen, Eric O. (2003). Seaside's commercial hub
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is located at the town center. The streets are designed in a radiating street pattern with pedestrian

alleys and open spaces located throughout the town. There is a mix of uses and residential types

throughout the community. (Nicholson, Heather, 2015).

Fig. 8 Seaside, Florida

(Source: Architect Magazine)
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Part two: Design Schemes

Qasr Ahmad is a neighborhood and port in the eastern region of the city of Misurata. The

neighborhood was developed to provide housing for port workers (Fig. 9). It is approximately

15 kilometers away from Misurata's city center and about 250 kilometers away from Tripoli,

the capital of Libya.

Qasr Ahmad is famous for being the location of the Port of Misurata, which holds its name, but

the total number of ports in Qasr Ahmad is two.

The Port of Misurata, also known as the Port of Qasr Ahmad, is one of the major business

centers in Libya. The port is one of the most important maritime and ship transport centers in

North Africa, being the major sea entrance to Libya. It is also the seat of the Libyan Ports

Company. The port has a capacity of 6,000,000 mt per year, with a maximum draft of 11m and

a total berth length of 3,550m.

The Port of Libyan Iron and Steel Company LISCO was constructed as an extension to the Port

of Misurata. The Port of LISCO is totally owned and operated by them, serving their imports

and export services.

The chosen plot for our design proposal will be located in an area that is between the port of

Misurata and the port of LISCO, it is an empty land of more than 800,000m2 (Fig. 9 and 10).
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Fig. 9 Territories of Qasr Ahmad - Misurata

(Source: Google)

Fig. 10 Targeted Area

(Source: Google)
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The prevailing climate in Misrata is known as a local steppe climate. In Misrata, there is little

rainfall throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Misrata is 20.0 °C. The rainfall

here averages 261 mm.

Summer wind comes from southeast, south and south-west, literally comes from inside Africa,

brings with it sand and extremely hot weather. Winter wind comes from northeast, north, and

north-west, literally comes from the Mediterranean cities, brings with it rain conditions, cold

weather, and sometimes snows (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11.1 Summer Wind

(Source: Google)

Fig. 11.2 Winter Wind

(Source: Google)
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By designing 5000 units of affordable housing, we need an area as large as 550,000 m2 – out

of 800,000 m2 (Fig. 8) – together with the facilities like a Cafes, shops, gardens, and parking

lots, as Kamran Diba mentioned that the architects must add some facilities when he designed

the new Shushtar Town (Shushtar, 2016). We have worked on such project before as a part-

time architect-intern with Architectural Space EOOD on a competition called Arxellence2 of

the new Central Business District (CBD) of Thessaloniki in Greece, where our main job was

designing a city of containers for the workers, but the instructions that were given to us, by

Arch. PhD. Nadya Stamatova, is to design a free-order city of containers which means it should

be without no regular order (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12 Central Business District (CBD) of Thessaloniki in Greece

(Source: Architectural Space EOOD, Aymen Aiblu)

We used containers because the area is located in front of the sea and near the port of

Thessaloniki. Housing, gardens, parking lots, bars and other facilities took part while designing.

In Qasr Ahmad's project, the area will have two parts hosting several types of housing units.

The public park will serve as a hub between them, centered with greenery and surrounded by

shops built by using containers (Fig. 13).

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Fig. 13.1 Schematic design

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)

Fig. 13.2 Schematic design

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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Part three: Adequate housing

We are dividing the whole area of 550,000 m2 (Fig. 13) into small projects or communities;

each one will host 150 units of different designs of affordable housing categories, in a total

area of approximately 20,000 m2. (give some details about Entrance to the site and many other

things?/ also Add Libyan traditional house types).

 Housing Units Type 1 (Complex Units)

Container houses are cheap, easy, and environmentally friendly. This design utilizes the idea of

using shipping containers to create a high-rise apartment complex. The containers will be

delivered to the site through Qasr Ahmad port, and each complex will be having six storeys,

composed of only 1 container of 40 feet for each apartment. Steal structure will hold the

containers in order to stand against the wind, dead and live loads, and it is centered with an

elevator. This type costs about 150,000 USD to construct without the elevator (Fig. 14).
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Fig. 14 Housing Units Type 1 (Complex Units)

6 storeys with 12 units
(Source: 3D Warehouse)
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 Housing Units Type 2

This affordable housing unit only has one storey. It has a unique entrance and is surrounded by

80cm height of a wall. The house is composed of two 20 feet containers combined together and

stretched to form a house with glass windows at the middle of the ceiling added in order to get

as much passive light as possible during the daylight. The house is 60cm lifted from the ground

in order to give a space for the utility pipes, air conditioning materials, and other services. This

type costs about 15,000 USD to construct (Fig. 15).

Fig.15 Housing Units Type 2

(Source: 3D Warehouse)
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 Housing Units Type 3

This affordable housing unit has two storeys, it meant to be for families that have more than 4

members. The structure of the house is composed of five 40 feet countainers on the ground

floor, and two 40 feet containers on the upper floor. There is a master bedroom with a bathroom

and a big living area on the ground and two bedrooms with a toilet and shared bathroom on the

upper floor. We have two garages on the ground floor, and that gives the owner a choice to turn

that garage into an extra space for use or split the house with another family. On the upper floor

there is an extra space that are served as balconies, and of course they can be used to build on

it and create extra room based on their needs. This type costs about 80,000 USD to construct

(Fig. 16).

 Housing Units Type 4

This affordable housing unit has two storeys, it meant to be for familities that have more than

5 members. The structure of the house is composed of three 40 feet countainers on the ground

floor, and two 40 feet containers on the upper floor. There are two big bedrooms with a shared

bathroom and a big living area on the ground, and one master bedroom with a bathroom, big

living area and a terrace on the upper floor. This type costs about 100,000 USD to construct

(Fig. 17).
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Fig.16 Housing Units Type 3

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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Fig.17 Housing Units Type 3

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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 Facilities (Drive Through Café, Markets and Shops)

We have provided some affordable designs of the facilities that will be used in the project

alongside the affordable housing units. Some of them had only one 40 feet container, and others

used a mix of 40 feet and 20 feet containers (Fig. 18).

Fig.18.1 Café Stand of 40 feet container

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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Fig.18.2 Drive through Café of 40 & 20 feet containers

(Source: Aymen Aiblu)
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Fig.18.3 Markets and Shops of 40 & 20 feet containers

(Source: 3D Warehouse)
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Conclusion

As defined by UN-Habitat, the project focused on the security of the site, where the location of

it is Misurata Free Zone MFZ from the west, Libyan Iron and Steel Company LISCO from the

south, Qasr Ahmad port from the north, and the Mediterranean sea from the east, and all of

them are highly secured areas by the government itself. The project is seeking the availability

of services. It proposes to use the locals and the immigrants and give them opportunities to

work while providing them affordable shelters. By that, rather than sending them to Europe, we

benefit from their skills to flourish our economy.

The site belongs to Misurata Free Zone MFZ, and we used 550,000m2 out of 800,000m2. The

planned roads provide accessibility, and the site is applicable for any further changes.

MFZ is expected to fund the project. A well-equipped, ready-to-live-in house unit of 40 feet

container approximately costs 7500USD and of 20 feet container approximately costs

5000USD in Misurata. Taking into consideration the size and the number of containers to

construct one type of affordable housing units or affordable facilities shall be multiplies by the

given prices (20 feet containers*5000USD) and (40 feet containers*7500USD). Therefore, the

whole project of 5000 units of affordable housing is expected to cost approximately

3,225,000,000 USD.
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Bibliography

 UNOCHA, Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018.

 MERF, 2017
MERF, Refugees and Migrants' Access to Resources, Housing, and Healthcare in Libya,
December 2017.

 Hubbard, 1993
Hubbard, Monica M. (1993). Cities of the World: Africa. Gale Research Inc. ISBN 0-8103-
7100-6.

 Alshurouk Misurata Houses

Alshurouk Misurata for Metal Structures and Mobile Prefab Housesꜛ.

 Dezeen
Ten-storey stainless-steel apartment block built in 28 hours.

 Shushtar, 2016
Shushtar New Town: the Idea of a Community, Architecture is more than a building, 8/2016,
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 Geography of Misurata, 2010

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 Aymen Elmagalfta, 2014

Aymen Mohamed Elmagalfta, “A New Plan for Misurata City, Libya” December 2014,
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 International Commission of Inquiry on Libya, 2012

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 International Crisis Group, 2011

International Crisis Group, Holding Libya Together: Security Challenges After Gaddafi
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after%20Qadhafi.pdf).
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 Rob Young, Libya’s commercial hub recovers slowly, bbc, available at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16366285.

 Jacobsen, Eric O., 2003

Jacobsen, Eric O. (2003), Sidewalks in the Kingdom. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos.

 Nicholson, Heather, 2015

(Nicholson, Heather. "Smart Growth and New Urbanism: The Implementation of
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