Back to Previous

UK Shelter Forum - 12 May 2023

The Institution of Structural Engineers provided the venue for another excellent UK Shelter Forum on 12 May 2023, focused around the theme of Recovery.

The Shelter Forum is a community of practicioners to share knowledge regarding humanitarian shelter and settlement and holds conferences twice a year.

Lots of great presentations and discussions ranging from the use of digital tools in post-disaster data collection, provision of guidance, and repair of damaged buildings in Ukraine, Turkey and Syria.

IStructE Humanitarian and International Development Panel members Tom Newby and Seb Kaminski presented on the importance of structural performance standards in the shelter sector.

Recordings will be available on the shelter forum website shortly.

 

Related Resources & Events

Regional
Rainy street scene with a red telephone booth and people holding black, orange, and pink umbrellas.

Extreme weather - guided walk led by Lester Hillman

Extreme weather - guided walk led by Lester Hillman

A guided walk of London's greatest ever downpour.
Date – 17 October 2026
Location – Golders Hill Park North End Way London NW3 7HE
Price – Free
Lecture
A view of Ruhehe Primary School, Rwanda, building made of volcanic stone with children outside

Creating tomorrow’s classrooms: sustainable school design for East Africa

Creating tomorrow’s classrooms: sustainable school design for East Africa

Join speakers as they take a closer look at the School Design Guide for East Africa, exploring its key themes and the issues it addresses
Date – 6 October 2026
Location – Online
Price – Free
Course
Firefighters saving a fire.

Structural fire engineering - September 2026

Structural fire engineering - September 2026

This course is designed to provide structural engineers with a greater understanding of fire safety, key legislation, and the principles of risk analysis in order to ensure that adequate structural performance in fire is achieved. You will examine case studies of structural and non-structural failures as a result of fire.
Date – 30 September 2026
Location – 47-58 Bastwick St, London, EC1V 3PS
Price – £315 - £465 + VAT
Lecture
Construction workers building a stone foundation for a structure in a rural area with trees and blue sky.

Confined masonry: an introduction and practical considerations

Confined masonry: an introduction and practical considerations

This technical lecture provides an introduction to the design of seismically-resistant confined masonry structures, drawing on lessons from a recent project in East Africa.
Date – 17 September 2026
Location – Online
Price – Free
Report
Map of the Sea of Marmora region showing earthquake epicenter and various seismic network stations.

EEFIT report: Marmara, Turkey earthquake April 2025

EEFIT report: Marmara, Turkey earthquake April 2025

An EEFIT preliminary assessment of ground motion, building vulnerability, societal response and Istanbul’s readiness for the anticipated substantially larger event that the seismological evidence indicates is pending on the Princes' Islands segment of the Main Marmara Fault.
Date – 13 July 2026
Author – Aktas, Y.D., Dede, S., Donmez, K., Karagoz, B., Malcioglu, F.S.
Price – Free
The Structural Engineer
Aerial view of a yellow building with a severely damaged roof and surrounding debris after a storm.

Viewpoint: Climate change: a structural engineer's perspective from the Caribbean

Viewpoint: Climate change: a structural engineer's perspective from the Caribbean

Shalini Jagnarine-Azan describes how the impact of a heating planet is already being felt by islands in the Caribbean, and discusses the challenges of trying to build back more resiliently following a disaster.
Date – 2 July 2026
Author – Shalini Jagnarine-Azan
Price – £9.95
Training
Construction of Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

Building for impact: lessons from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture campus

Building for impact: lessons from the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture campus

This lecture explores the delivery of an award‑winning, earthquake‑resistant project in rural Rwanda, examining context‑specific challenges of working with local materials in a seismic zone while building skills, supply chains, and lasting community impact.
Date – 21 May 2026
Author – Various
Price – Free
Blog
Aerial view of a debris-filled demolition site with two people standing on the adjacent dirt ground.

More than a field diary: the role of mission blogs in post-earthquake reconnaissance

More than a field diary: the role of mission blogs in post-earthquake reconnaissance

This blog, from Yasemin D. Aktas (EEFIT Management Committee Chair), discusses the importance of publishing mission journals which can provide a real-time account of the post-disaster recovery process.
Date – 21 April 2026
Author – Yasemin Didem Aktas, UCL
Price – Free
Report
Collapsed stone and mud buildings and debris in a mountainous rural area.

31 August 2025 Eastern Afghanistan earthquake - a joint virtual reconnaissance report

31 August 2025 Eastern Afghanistan earthquake - a joint virtual reconnaissance report

This joint virtual reconniassance report into the magntiude 6.0 31 August 2025 eastern Afghanistan earthquake details the earthquakes impact and aftermath.
Date – 5 March 2026
Author – Rafi, M., Aktas, Y.D., Smars, P. et al.
Price – Free