KLABU x MVRDV
A sports club in a shipping container: MVRDV-designed clubhouse helps KLABU unlock access to sports in refugee camps.
Through a partnership which began in 2022, the international and award-winning architecture firm MVRDV has developed a modular, multi-functional clubhouse for KLABU. The goal: to support refugees in rebuilding their lives through the joy, pride, and hope of sports.
At KLABU, we build clubhouses in refugee camps, settlements, and cities that provide access to sports equipment, activities, TV broadcasts, and Wi-Fi, creating a welcoming and inclusive community space. The new clubhouse is housed inside a 20ft shipping container. An innovative and easily repeatable design, the clubhouse provides a flexible, safe, and engaging space for refugees to connect and play.
The KLABU clubhouse design is currently in its third iteration, with the latest version soon to be installed at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, which is home to approximately 41,000 Syrian refugees.
This follows clubhouses designed by MVRDV operating in the Waraotuma a Tuaranoko shelter in Boa Vista, Brazil, supporting indigenous Venezuelans who had to flee their country, and the M’bera refugee camp in Mauritania, which provides safety for 100,000 Malian refugees. Each iteration of the clubhouse is designed in collaboration with and following feedback from KLABU, TCHAI (the practice responsible for fabrication and fitout), and clubhouse managers in the camps.
"Our partnership with MVRDV has allowed us to scale our clubhouse model and transform a simple shipping container into a vibrant, inclusive space where refugees can find joy and hope through sport."
This collaboration is a testament to what can be achieved when design meets purpose – creating opportunities for people to play, learn, and dream together, no matter where they are.
The basis of the clubhouse is a modified ISO dry shipping container, chosen for its durability, security, and ease of transport. By using a shipping container as the base, KLABU can deliver both the physical clubhouse structure and the necessary sports equipment in one go, forming a “flat-packed” sports clubhouse. Reusable in the same or multiple locations, the clubhouse provides a scalable model for sports opportunities that can easily be replicated to support a global population of forcibly displaced people which now exceeds 120 million. The clubhouse is a colourful and uplifting focal point in the camps, where refugees can gain quick and safe access to a variety of the most popular sports activities, creating social and personal connections for these vulnerable communities.
The shipping container is clad in an eye-catching orange exterior, laser-cut with the KLABU logo to create a recognisable and welcoming presence.
The orange of the exterior is contrasted by a sky-blue interior with compact, modular, and adaptive interior installations. These offer ample storage space, ensuring all clubhouse materials can be pre-loaded into the container prior to shipping and readily accessed by clubhouse managers once mounted. Interior fixtures have been chosen for durability and ease of transit through customs.
In the third iteration of the design, the clubhouse uses an “open side” container, which in addition to doors at the end of the container, also opens along its longer, 20-foot side. This delivers greater adaptability and visibility for the clubhouse, incorporating a substantial window open to the public, a canopy, and a large television screen, while ensuring that the overall structure maintains its necessarily robust and functional characteristics. The canopy provides shade during the day, extending the use of the clubhouse to a range of other activities, including sports such as table tennis and other social activities.
The design enables solar panels to be mounted to the roof to deliver renewable energy.
The container is equipped with electricity for outdoor lighting, multiple charging points, and wireless internet. This provides a safe space for evening sports activities in cooler temperatures, after-school study, and remote connections for loved ones abroad, online workshops, and music streaming.The design also addresses the need for durability and adaptability to different circumstances, with the robust structure of the shipping container helping protect against the many climates found in refugee camps around the world.
"Sometimes the most powerful design comes from the simplest concept. Taking a shipping container, ordinarily the most mundane, everyday object, and transforming it into a bright, multi-functional clubhouse providing sports opportunities for refugees has been a deeply rewarding challenge."
MVRDV's involvement focused on the project’s need for simplicity and versatility.
This ensures that the clubhouse can be readily deployed to different refugee communities, extending its reach and impact. KLABU's vision is to replicate this model in over 50 locations within the next 10 years, creating a network of safe and vibrant spaces where refugees can connect, play, and thrive. As of November 2024, we have installed clubhouses in seven locations, with more than 36,000 members participating
This ambitious project has been made possible by the generous contributions of numerous partners including MVRDV and TCHAI, all of whom have dedicated their time and resources free of charge to support KLABU's mission, and are committed to driving positive social change and improving the lives of refugee communities.