A World Redrawn: Japan Architect Ban Urges Virus-safe Shelters

Tokyo, June 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jun, 2020 ) :Japan's Pritzker Award-winning architect Shigeru Ban, famous for designing buildings from paper tubes in disaster areas, says the world needs to think about tackling natural catastrophes in the coronavirus era.

And while he hopes the pandemic will lead to less of a crush on Tokyo's packed commuter trains, he warns against relying on teleworking, stressing that hands-on contact with materials is vital for great architecture.

Speaking to AFP from his Tokyo office, the 62-year-old said cities need to start planning now to mitigate the nightmare scenario of an earthquake or typhoon striking before the pandemic has run its course.

Ban has won plaudits for his involvement in disaster relief projects around the world and urged city authorities to invest in a stock of shelters that can be deployed quickly with infection prevention in mind.

"Shelters will create clusters of people. It will be too late if it takes a few days (to build them)," he stressed.

His team has designed shelters partitioned off by a frame of sturdy paper tubes with cloth hanging two metres (6.5 feet) from the top of the cubicle to the floor.

Social distancing would become practically impossible in the event of a major earthquake and officials need to make plans to ease the density in shelters, argued the Japanese architect.

The central government and local authorities have been so tied up dealing with the pandemic that it's "only recently that people started talking about what to do in the wake of earthquakes.""I know it's not easy but I think we have to think about it," he said.