Professional guidance
Humanitarian and international development resource map
Structural engineers
in humanitarian and
international development:
a new resource map
Miriam Graham introduces a new tool from the IStructE Humanitarian and
International Development Panel which aims to direct those working in, or
curious about, the sector to key guidance and skills training.
Introduction
There is a great potential for structural
engineers to have a positive impact by using
their skills to support development in low- and
middle-income countries and for humanitarian
responses to disasters – especially with the
rising challenges from climate change, the
i pacts o hich ill disproportionatel a ect
those in the Global South.
There is also the challenge of how to
meet the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, when the current methods we have for
development generally have high associated
emissions1. It is our responsibility as structural
engineers to help answer the question: how
do we build to develop communities, to be
resilient into the future, and do so within our
planetary boundaries?
The IStructE Humanitarian and International
Development (HID) Panel has produced
a resource map (Figure 1) to help equip
engineers to address these challenges. The
map highlights key resources from case
studies and technical guidance, to databases
and complementary skills training. Whether
you’ve been in the sector and are looking for
the latest information, are wanting to explore
starting your career in the sector, or are
interested in what it means to be a structural
engineer in di erent contexts the ap has
resources for you.
What is the HID Panel?
The IStructE HID Panel was formed in
2017 with the aims of supporting structural
engineers within, or interested in, the sector
through sharing knowledge and guidance,
advocacy, outreach and networks. The
panel’s members come from a wide range
of professional backgrounds and countries
and ha e experience in a ariet o elds
structural engineering for development
projects, working for non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and international funding
organisations, post-disaster search and
rescue specialists, and academics.
The panel has developed a range of content
to support engineers, including a competency
framework for those working in a humanitarian
or international development context (www.
istructe.org/resources/guidance/humanitarianinternational-dev-framework). This follows the
arrangement of the IStructE Initial Professional
Development framework, but is tailored
with the addition of supplementary skills,
knowledge and competencies required for
those operating in the sector.
What’s in the new HID resource
map?
The new HID resource map aligns with the
di erent ocus areas ithin the co petenc
framework, highlighting key resources in these
categories from both internal and external
sources which are accessible for members to
develop their knowledge and skills. The map
is available on the Institution’s website and the
HID Panel page.
In the centre of the map sits contextual
awareness, as this underpins all the principles
of working within the sector. When working
in ne and di erent settings and cultures
we should carefully consider the value and
skills e can o er alongside both the positi e
and negative impacts we may have on
communities. This is explored further in the
panel’s FAQs on the IStructE website (www.
istructe.org/resources/guidance/humanitarianand-international-development-faq).
It is important for users to check and
validate that the sources, information and
design principles are relevant, and that they
understand any limitations. We encourage
designers to think about the di erences
between the source and the project and
community they are applying it to.
A few resources as a panel we think would
be a good place to start are:
| Working in the humanitarian or
development sectors (IStructE) – an
article by the panel which provides a
realistic overview of the practical and
ethical considerations when seeking to
work in the sector
| areer profiles (IStructE) – introductions to
di erent people orking ithin the sector
including some of the panel members
| Humanitarian civil engineering: practical
solutions for an interdisciplinary
approach (ICE) – a book which explores
how to develop sustainable solutions
integrating social, environmental, cultural
and economic systems.
s a panel e hope ou nd the ap help ul
and the resources interesting! We are aware
that new resources are emerging all the time
and will periodically update the map, so get
in touch (technical@istructe.org) if there are
resources you think should be included, if you
have any feedback, or if there are any gaps for
new resources or support you would like the
panel to explore.
Miriam Graham MEng is a structural engineer
at rup in he eld he sits on the truct
Panel, is part of Arup’s Structural Engineering
Sustainability Hub UK leadership team and is
areers ngage ent lead or rup he eld
REFERENCE
1) Newby T. (2022) ‘Engineering
climate justice: how can we
contribute to equitable global
decarbonisation?’, The Structural
Engineer, 100 (8), pp. 10–12; https://
doi.org/10.56330/ZWOT9464
38
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Longer Reads
Development and humanitarian
concepts and practices
Websites
CARE Emergency Toolkit
Shelter self-recovery
CCCM cluster (Camp Coordination
and Camp Management)
Short Reads
Settlements approaches in urban areas (Global
Longer Reads
Shelter Cluster)
2022 State of Humanitarian
shelter, camp and settlement guidelines
Systems reportUNHCR
(ALNAP)
(UNHCR)
The State of the Humanitarian
System report assesses the size, shape and
performance of the humanitarian system against key criteria over time. It is
Engineering
in Emergencies
(RedR) crisisindependent and based
on evidence from
on-the-ground practitioners,
affected populations, academics, policy-makers and donors.
2022 State of Humanitarian
Systems report (ALNAP)
The State of the Humanitarian System report assesses the size, shape and
performance of the humanitarian system against key criteria over time. It is
independent and based on evidence from on-the-ground practitioners, crisisaffected populations, academics, policy-makers and donors.
Integrating Housing, Land and Property Issues into Key
Humanitarian, Transitional and Development Planning
Processes (International Organization for Migration)
Websites
9.
Management
and Training
Short Reads
Longer Reads Websites
Humanitarian CivilHumanitarian
Engineering: Standards
Career Profiles
Websites
Websites Standards
Humanitarian
Career
Development
Profilesand humanitarian
concepts and practices
Websites
CARE Emergency Toolkit
This book allows you to understand the
Alliance
(CHS Alliance)
significance of humanitarian
civil engineering
and how to develop sustainable solutions that
Short
Reads
integrate social, environmental,
cultural,
and
Websites
Career
Profiles (IStructE)
Longer Reads
Short Reads
Video
This article provides a realistic overview of
the practical and ethical considerations when
seeking to work in the sector.
Video
Longer Reads
Humanitarian Civil Engineering:
Practical solutions for an
interdisciplinary approach (ICE)
This book allows you to understand the
significance of humanitarian civil engineering
and how to develop sustainable solutions that
integrate social, environmental, cultural, and
economic systems.
The Sphere Handbook (Sphere)
Websites
2. Communication
3. Concept creation and design3. Concept creation and design
4. Analysis and sizing
4. Analysis and sizing
Longer Reads
The Shelter Compendium
(Global Shelter Cluster)
Websites
The Shelter Compendium
(Global Shelter Cluster)
Is a database in reviewed Information,
Education, and Communication (IEC)
materials to support faster development
of common technical messaging in crisis
responses for shelter and settlements.
Humanitarian and international
development competencies
framework (IStructE)
This article provides a realistic overview of
Global
Shelter
Cluster
the
practical
and ethical
considerations when
seeking to work in the sector.
Humanitarian and international
development competencies
framework (IStructE)
This framework, developed by the Institution’s
Humanitarian and International Development
Panel, is designed to illustrate the types of
skills that structural engineers will require to be
successful in the development sector.
economic systems.
The Grand
Bargain
(IASC) or
Working
in the
humanitarian
Working in the humanitarian or
The Sphere Handbook
(Sphere) sectors (IStructE)
development
sectors
(IStructE)Goals (UN)
development
UN Sustainable
Development
Websites
Short
Reads
Partnership
Practical solutionsPartnership
for an
Career Profiles (IStructE)
interdisciplinary approach
(ICE)
Core Humanitarian Standards
Core Humanitarian
Standards
Global(CHS
agendas
Alliance
Alliance) and frameworks
Shelter self-recovery
Global agendas and frameworks
Websites
Longer Reads
CCCM cluster (Camp Coordination
The
(IASC)
andGrand
CampBargain
Management)
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN)
Global Shelter Cluster
Pinheiro Principles 2005 (Shelter Cluster)
Settlements approaches in urban areas (Global
Shelter Cluster)
UNHCR shelter, camp and settlement guidelines
(UNHCR)
Engineering in Emergencies (RedR)
This framework, developed by the Institution’s
Humanitarian and International Development
Panel, is designed to illustrate the types of
skills that structural engineers will require to be
successful in the development sector.
Is a database in reviewed Information,
Education, and Communication (IEC)
materials to support faster development
of common technical messaging in crisis
responses for shelter and settlements.
2. Communication
11. Other
resources standards and 1. Professional standards and
1. Professional
engineering responsibility
engineering responsibility
Websites
When working in different countries and contexts it When
is important
working
to in
check
different
and countries
validate that
andthe
contexts
sources,
it isinformation
important to check and validate that the sources, information
and design principles still apply. It is helpful to thinkand
about
design
the differences
principles still
from
apply.
whatItyou
is helpful
are reading
to think
and
about
the the differences from what you are reading and the
project you are working on. The resources below explore
projectthis
youconcept
are working
in more
on.depth.
The resources below explore this concept in more depth.
Contextual awareness and appropriate
Contextual interventions
awareness and appropriate interventions
10. Commercial and legal
11. Other resources
Integrating Housing, Land and Property Issues into Key
Humanitarian, Transitional and Development Planning
Processes (International Organization for Migration)
10. Commercial and legal
9. Management
and Training
Websites
Disaster Ready - free, online
humanitarian and development
training (Disaster Ready)
Over 1,500 Resources for Humanitarian Aid and
Development Professionals
39
Humanitarian Leadership Academy
Short Reads
thestructuralengineer.org | March 2024
Wattle & DaubTimber and Bamboo
A vernacular-improved affordable, sustainable,
and seismically-resilient bamboo housing
Longer Reads Videos
Timber and Bamboo
Videos
Humanitarian Bamboo Guidelines
(Humanitarian Bamboo)
Wattle & Daub
Longer Reads
Wattle & Daub: Anti-seismic
construction Handbook
(CRATerre-EAG)
Design Guide for Engineered
Bahareque Housing (INBAR)
Modern engineered wattle and daub
Zoom in to click the links
and use Ctrl+F to search
Humanitarian Bamboo Guidelines
(Humanitarian Bamboo)
technology for
technology for
Design Guide for Engineered
Latin America and beyond.Longer Reads
Latin America and beyond.
Bahareque Housing
(INBAR)
How to Build Safer Houses
with wattle and daub
Modern engineered
Short Reads Confined Masonry (Practical
Short Reads
Action)
11 recommended reads
on using
11 recommended reads on using
book on confined masonry and detailing
timber and bambooShort
(IStructE)
timber and bamboo (IStructE)
Constructing Low-rise Confined
Longer Reads Masonry Buildings
Longer Reads
Book on low-rise
confined masonry
Timber as a construction
material
Timber as a construction material
in humanitarian operations
in humanitarian operations
(UNOCHA-IFRC-CARE)
(UNOCHA-IFRC-CARE)
A vernacular-improved affordable, sustainable,
and seismically-resilient bamboo housing
Masonry
5. Materials
Sustainable bamboo housing
(IStructE)
Sustainable bamboo housing
Wattle & Daub: Anti-seismic
(IStructE)
construction Handbook
(CRATerre-EAG)
This case study examines assessing and improving the wind resistance of bamboo This
emergency
case study
shelters
examines
in the assessing
Rohingya refugee
and improving
camps.the wind resistance of bamboo emergency shelters in the Rohingya refugee camps.
5. Materials
6. Sustainability
Longer Reads
Masonry
Lessons from Aceh: Shelter
Key
Startingprofiles
from 11mins:
Lessons from Aceh: Key
Starting from 11mins:
The New Humanitarian
The New Humanitarian
Shelter response profiles
response
considerations in postconsiderations in postAppropriate structural
(CRAterre)
(CRAterre) Appropriate structural
Commisceo Global
Commisceo Global
Country- or region-specific information on
Country- or region-specific
information
on
disaster reconstruction
disaster reconstruction
engineering
in humanitarian
engineering in humanitarian
Local culture, customs and etiquette
Local culture, customs and
etiquette
shelter typologies
(Arup and Disasters shelter typologies
and international development
(Arup and Disasters
Websites and international development
Websites
Websites
OCHA Humanitarian Response
OCHA Humanitarian Response
Emergency
Committee)
contexts
(UCL
/
Arup)
Emergency
Committee)
contexts
(UCL
/
Arup)
Putting People at the Centre of
Putting People
at the
Centre
of
ThinkHazard (World Bank GFDRR)
ThinkHazard (World Bank GFDRR)
Disaster Ready - free, online
Building Back Better: Delivering
Building Back Better: Delivering
Reconstruction
(Practical
Action)
Shelter
After
Disaster
Shelter
After
Disaster
humanitarian and development Reconstruction (Practical Action)
people-centred housing
people-centred housing
Longer Reads
Longer Reads
(IFRC and OCHA)
(IFRC and OCHA)
training (Disaster Ready)
Community engagement
in
Community engagement in
reconstruction
at scale
reconstruction
at scale
Over 1,500 Resources for Humanitarian Aid and
REDi rating (Arup)
REDi rating (Arup)
disaster response: 2015 Gorkha,
disaster response: 2015 Gorkha,
Development Professionals
Humanitarian and international
Humanitarian and international
Nepal (IStructE)
Short Reads
Short Reads
Kaya - free,
online humanitarian Nepal (IStructE)
development:
FAQs
development: FAQs
training (Kaya)
Is rigorous structural engineering possible in a humanitarian
Is rigorous
context?structural
(IStructE)engineering possible in a humanitarian context? (IStructE)
7. Construction
&
6. Sustainability
8. Health, safety and
risk management
Short Reads
Longer Reads
RICA – climate-positive design using locally sourced materials
RICA(IStructE)
– climate-positive design using locally sourced materials (IStructE)
Howof to
This article describes the climate-positive design for the campus of the Rwanda Institute
This article describes the climate-positive design for the campus
the Build
RwandaSafer
InstituteHouses with
for Websites
Conservation Agriculture.
for Conservation Agriculture.
Confined Masonry (Practical
Action) to equitable global
RedR
Engineering
climate justice: how can we contribute to equitable
Engineering
globalclimate justice: how can we contribute
Short book on confined masonry and detailing
decarbonisation?
(IStructE)
decarbonisation? (IStructE)
Hostile Environment
Awareness Training
A personal perspective
A personal perspective
Constructing Low-rise Confined
Longer
Reads engineers contribute towards disaster How
Masonry
Buildings
How
can structural
mitigation?
can structural
(IStructE)
engineers contribute towards
disaster
mitigation? (IStructE)
Book on low-rise
confined
masonry
In his
Kenneth
Severn 2013 Award-winning
paper, Joshua Macabuag advocates the
In his
adoption
Kenneth
of Severn
a systems
2013 Award-winning paper, Joshua Macabuag
advocates
the adoption
of a systems
GSC
Construction
Good Practices
approach to the delivery of resilient buildings and infrastructure.
approach to the delivery of resilient buildings and infrastructure.
(Global Shelter Cluster)
Greening Shelter Response (Global Shelter Cluster (GSC))Greening Shelter Response (Global Shelter Cluster (GSC))
Longer Reads
Building Materials and The Climate: constructing a new future
Building Materials and The Climate: constructing a new future
Outlines principles to reduce environmental impact of construction and transition Outlines
to
principles to reduce environmental impact of construction and transition to
low carbon construction in a global context
low carbon construction in a global context
Nature-based solutions for climate resilience in humanitarian
Nature-based
action (Sphere)
solutions for climate resilience in humanitarian action (Sphere)
Zoom in to click the links
and use Ctrl+F to search
22/02/2024 14:15
pp38-39_TSE_Mar24_ProfessionalGuidance.indd 39
Kaya - free, online humanitarian
training (Kaya)
Humanitarian Leadership Academy
Websites
7. Construction &
8. Health, safety and
risk management
RedR
Hostile Environment Awareness Training
Please Note: These resources are highlighted to the reader for
their potential value/interest. Further resources are available via
the IStructE Humanitarian and International Development Panel
webpage, as well as new resources published since the last update
to the resource map. Some have been produced by third parties. The
Institution of Structural Engineers does not necessarily endorse (nor
is it responsible for) any statement or opinion expressed within these.
GSC Construction Good Practices
(Global Shelter Cluster)
Longer Reads
The new humanitarian and international development resource map is an interactive guide to key resources in the sector.
Explore the map at: www.istructe.org/resources/guidance/hid-resource-map
Access the resource map
Short Reads
Humanitarian and
International Development
resource map
Please Note: These resources are highlighted to the reader for
their potential value/interest. Further resources are available via
the IStructE Humanitarian and International Development Panel
webpage, as well as new resources published since the last update
to the resource map. Some have been produced by third parties. The
Institution of Structural Engineers does not necessarily endorse (nor
is it responsible for) any statement or opinion expressed within these.
ÔFIGURE 1: Interactive HID resource map highlights key resources for
those working in a humanitarian or international development context
Professional guidance
Humanitarian and international development resource map
Reads
Housing, Land, and Property
Housing, Land,Longer
and Property
in Shelter Programs (Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation)in Shelter Programs
(Cornerstone
OnDemand
Pinheiro
Principles 2005
(ShelterFoundation)
Cluster)
Humanitarian and
International Development
resource map