The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Holding Centre in Damak provides accommodation for migrants while they are undergoing IOM processing and health screening. The isolation units adjacent to the centre provide capacity to isolate any people who test positive for, or show signs of, infectious disease.
Both the compound () and the individual buildings () are designed to provide a secure and safe environment for those isolated and for those necessarily coming into contact with infected people through health-care treatment or otherwise. The design of the isolation units is expected to provide safe conditions for occupants in terms of the risk of airborne infection transmission, particularly for migrants who have been diagnosed with an infectious disease.
The IOM Holding Centre in Damak.
Individual isolation unit (left), and the gap between the vertical wall and the roof for natural ventilation (right).
The units have three windows and a large, 0.8-m gap between the upper part of the wall and the eaves. There is a rotating “whirlybird” on the roof apex intended to increase ventilation rates and ensure an upwards movement of air. However, this has not been effective.
The units are designed for single occupancy and include a built-in shower. There are communal latrines in the compound.
The overall design is intended to maximize natural ventilation by providing a constant updraft with the intended airflow direction through the windows, to exit at the eaves and through the whirlybird.
The units are easy to build and could be built anywhere out of a range of locally available materials. Although the roof design provides all-year-round ventilation, it may also allow heavy rain to enter the unit via the gap between the wall and the roof.
The overhang of the roof should be increased to up to 1000 mm (from 450 mm) to let patients keep windows open during the rainy season, minimizing the penetration of heavy rain through the gap beneath the roof.
The IOM Construction Officer responsible for the design of these units intends to attach a polypropylene skirt of approximately one-metre depth around the roof edge. This will keep out slanting rain while not affecting greatly the ventilation of the building.
Given the substantial natural ventilation that large windows could provide (the existing windows seem to be too small), the whirlybird and the opening in the apex of the roof may not be necessary.
The limited area of this compound means that the nine units are relatively close to each other. Greater space between the units (achieved through a slightly larger compound) would help to create more air movement and therefore air exchange between the units. This may decrease the risk of any airborne infection between the units.
