The Crisis The Solution How It Works Climate Impact About Request a Briefing
One world  ·  One humanity  ·  One shelter

A real home.
A new beginning.

Estia Homes is a rapidly deployable, all-climate shelter system that turns emergency camps into dignified communities — assembled by three people in under four hours, built to last a decade or more.

Designed by CAL Collaborative — architect Gabriel Calatrava. Developed in response to the global displacement crisis.
Estia Homes displacement shelter — isometric view of the double-skinned deployable unit
Double-skinned deployable unit
117.8M
people forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2025
2/3
of refugees live in protracted displacement — in exile 5+ years
20yrs
average stay in a camp, for those in protracted situations
8mo
the lifespan emergency tents are designed for — yet occupied for years
Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 2025 — figures cited in CAL Collaborative research.
Aerial view of a dense refugee camp of temporary tents stretching to the horizon
Emergency tents are built for months. In practice, they become homes for decades.
The problem

Camps meant for months become cities for a generation.

Standard-issue tents are designed for warm, dry, short-term use. But global displacement is rising, camp lifecycles are lengthening, and climate extremes are intensifying. Tents fail against heat, snow, rain, and wind — and informal camps concentrate fire risk, disease, and few paths to education or work.

The result is a widening gap between what emergency shelter delivers and what displaced families actually need: safety, stability, and a foundation to rebuild.

Understand the crisis

The solution

We don't build boxes. We build homes.

Estia is a double-skinned shelter system: a weatherproof outer shell over a panelized, insulated interior, with a ventilated cavity between them. It arrives as a prefabricated kit-of-parts and adapts to hot, cold, and wet climates alike.

01

Raised platform

Adjustable helical piers and a framed base lift the home above unstable, flood-prone ground.

02

Weatherproof shell

A pre-assembled outer skin unfolds like an accordion and secures over the structure.

03

Panelized interior

Modular wall "cassettes" integrate plumbing, electrical, windows, and HVAC as required.

3 peopleto assemble
< 4 hoursfrom kit to home
10+ yearsguaranteed lifespan
No heavy machineryor skilled crews
Front elevation of an assembled Estia Home with a parent and child on the deck
One unit: twelve equal members that arrive pre-jointed and unfold on site.
How it works

Three systems. Nine steps. Under four hours.

A balance of repeated and modular components makes the system efficient to produce and responsive to any logistical or environmental need.

01 · Base

Foundation & platform

A raised, level floor goes down first — no excavation, no concrete.

  • Helical piers & foundation
  • Platform framing
  • Platform panels & tent base
02 · Tent

Structural shell

The folding frame expands like an accordion and the canopy ties in, weathertight.

  • Structural tent deployment
  • Tent & platform connections
  • Weatherproof canopy tie-in
03 · Interior

Panels & cassettes

Pre-built kitchen and bathroom cassettes slot in; interior walls complete the home.

  • Kitchen + bathroom cassettes
  • Interior wall framing
  • Interior wall panels

See the full assembly sequence

Cutaway of an Estia Home showing passive airflow through the double-skin cavity
The ventilated cavity between outer shell and interior is the engine of passive comfort.
Built for every climate

Warm in the snow. Cool in the sun.

The same double-skin architecture adapts to opposite extremes — because comfort is designed into the structure, not bolted on afterward.

Hot climate

A ventilated cavity with operable vents releases trapped heat and reduces solar gain, keeping interiors cooler without mechanical cooling.

Cold & wet climate

A water-tight envelope and insulated panels cut heat loss; heat-tracing keeps water systems from freezing and thermal mass stores daytime warmth.

Explore all-climate performance

Residents gathering in a shaded courtyard between Estia Homes — a child plays, a dog rests on the grass
More than shelter
Within these communities, displaced people find more than shelter. They find belonging — not as aid recipients, but as empowered participants in their own recovery.

Estia units link into clusters and community blocks, creating safer, more resilient, more dignified settlements where social structures survive and local economies can take root.

Why it matters

A response that reflects a nation's values.

Estia Homes give governments and NGOs a way to respond not just with urgency — but with vision, compassion, and real innovation.

Reduces aid dependency

Stable housing lets people pursue work, education, and enterprise — shifting from dependency to productivity.

Builds local economies

When communities stabilize, they organize and trade — fueling new micro-economies from the ground up.

Rapid, unskilled assembly

Deployed anywhere without heavy machinery or specialized labor — governments can respond immediately, at scale.

Long-term cost savings

Guaranteed to last 10+ years, Estia cuts the recurring cost of replacing and managing degrading tents.

Eases social pressure

Safe, clean, respectful communities integrate more easily with host society — reducing tension on both sides.

Human-centered by design

A visible commitment to dignity and humanity — emergency relief turned into genuine opportunity.

Read the full impact story

Partner with Estia Homes

A new beginning starts with a real home.

The world is watching how we respond to displacement. Estia Homes is ready to deploy dignified, durable communities — at the scale this moment demands. Let's build them together.

For governments · UN agencies · NGOs · Multilateral partners