IKEA-Funded Film Explores Global Shelter Design, Streams Free
The Human Shelter documentary, funded by IKEA, investigates how homes are created across nine countries, including Japan and Iraq, and is available for free streaming until November 29, 2026.
Global Perspectives on Home
“The Human Shelter,” a documentary directed by Boris Bertram and funded by IKEA, examines the concept of home through personal narratives and poetry from four continents. The film, which runs for one hour, explores diverse living conditions across nine countries, including Norway, Iraq, the United States, Nigeria, Japan, Uganda, and Iceland.
It aims to understand the role of shelter in various contexts and project future housing needs, particularly in response to climate change, globalization, and migration. Bertram spent over two years traveling to gather these place-based perspectives, revealing a universal ability to articulate the meaning of home.
Shelter Design and Material Contexts
The documentary highlights practical aspects of shelter design through its featured contributors. Johan Karlsson, a designer for Better Shelter, shares insights into creating refugee housing solutions.
Another segment features Kim Bindsted, a professor involved with the NASA-funded HI-SEAS Mars habitat in Hawaii, discussing the challenges of living in extreme, isolated environments.
The film also includes the perspective of a 13-year-old poet from a UNHCR refugee camp in Kurdistan, Iraq, and a female art photographer from Tokyo, showcasing how different populations define and construct their living spaces.
Free Streaming Access for Viewers
“The Human Shelter” is available for free streaming on ArchDaily from October 29 to November 29, 2026. This one-month window allows a wide audience to access the film. Subtitles are provided in six languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish, enhancing its global reach.
The documentary has previously been screened at MoMA in New York in 2020 and was presented by UN-Habitat as part of its worldwide “Housing for All” campaign, which covered 193 countries.
Implications for Asian Building Professionals
For architects, interior designers, and procurement teams in Asia, “The Human Shelter” offers a global lens on adaptable and resilient shelter design.
The film’s examination of diverse living conditions, from refugee camps to remote research stations and urban settings in countries like Japan, can inform material selection and construction methods for projects facing similar challenges in Asia.
Understanding how various communities define and create secure living spaces can guide specifications for flexible materials, modular construction, and sustainable solutions that address evolving housing needs across the region.
Get The Materials Brief.
The week in materials, projects and sourcing, every Tuesday. Free.
