Shelter ranks among the three basic needs of a human being. Although architects have tried to improve the living conditions in buildings and houses for the last few centuries, few attempts were made to improve the conditions of smaller houses or huts, or those of instant shelters, or rescue shelters, as they are sometimes called. Instant shelters are needed for construction workers (such as those working on big dams, telephone lines, and high-tension lines), for military purposes where they can serve as semi-permanent posts (instead of the usual tents), or for refugees fleeing flood havoc, earthquakes, etc.

The attempt therefore is to design a shelter that can be used for a period of more than one year, which can be erected very easily with better living conditions (e.g., improved ventilation) than the usual huts, or design a system for building a better shelter complex.