Consultancy - Terms of Reference

ACCESSIBILITY ARCHITECT

Organisation:
LPHU
Corniche Mazraa, Bldg Riyad,
Beirut
Tel: 01 30 73 65

Position:
Accessibility architect

Location:
Tripoli (Quality Inn)

Salary:
On/off consultancy fee to be negotiated.

Required information for Application:

 CV of the person who will conduct the consultancy;
 Background of the applicant on previous similar work (home adaptation or accessibility
related work for instance…);

Deadline for Application:

Friday 17th of October 2008.

Time frame and Expecting starting date:

Overall time frame of 6 weeks, starting on October 27th 2008.

Applications to be submitted to:

sameyabh@hotmail.com
CC to A.Ayi@UNRWA.ORG and projectcoordinator.hi.lb@gmail.com

Find below the Terms of Reference of the consultancy.

 Terms of Reference – Accessibility Architect

Project background

The war that took place in Nahr El Bared from May to September 2007 between the
Lebanese Army and Fateh el Islam left the camp in utter destruction with a huge number
of people displaced. Indeed, the clashes have affected directly about 40,000 people:
31,000 Palestinian refuges inside the camp and about 9,000 Lebanese nationals from
the areas adjacent to the Nahr el Bared Camp. One year after the end of the battle, the
reconstruction of the camp is under process and a team of architect at the UNRWA is in
charge of designing the future Nahr El Bared camp.

In order to ensure an inclusive environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly
Persons living in this future Nahr El Bared camp, a group of Palestinian, Lebanese and
International organisation established a Committee for NBC Accessibility. In a first step,
this committee will support the team of architects of the UNRWA Design Unit in defining
the adequate technical standards to be applied in the layout of the 8 sectors of the Old
Camp: public spaces, public buildings and private housing. Then, it will favour an
adequate barrier free environment for every Person with Disability, regardless of its
impairment and its location in the future camp.

In order to provide that direct technical assistance to the ongoing reconstruction process,
an accessibility architect will be hired by LPHU and put at disposal of the UNRWA
Design Unit for a 6 weeks period.

General objective of the position

To support the UNRWA Design Unit in providing a free barrier environment for people
with disability and elderly persons in the future Nahr Al-Bared Camp.

Specific Objectives
 Collaborate with UNRWA Community Design unit to produce Design guidelines
for outdoor-indoor accessibility in the old camp;
 Develop a Barrier free environment within space, time, and cost constraints;
 Develop units (apartment) prototypes of various disability / impairments;
 Arrange a series of workshops with design architects, NGOs and community;
 Elaborate a flexible unit layout that with simple modifications could be turned to a
manoeuvrable space for disable persons on ground floors;
 Set a list of recommendation on apartment design in general;
 Document the process in which he is involved.
Expected results

 To propose any necessary modification to the map of the future Nahr Al-Bared
camp;
 To provide continuous technical advice to the team of the UNRWA Design Unit;
 To produce a Design Guidelines for outdoor-indoor accessibility in the Old camp
(public spaces, public building, apartments); including a series of accessible
apartment prototypes for each kind of surface (A, B, C… -types) and each kind of
purpose (standard ground floor accessible apartments or impairment-customized
apartments);
 To establish an accurate plan of all Persons with Disability to be rehoused in the
different sectors of the Old Camp, with a technical suggestion on the type of
apartment it should be provided (in link with the Design Unit, NGOs and
community members)

Monitoring / Reporting

 Support the Design Unit in maintaining data on reconstruction operation by

keeping accurate records of all technical support activities initiated and
implemented and ensure this information is being inputted into the master
database including the names of building and places which have been
monitored.
 Regularly report to the Design Unit and to LPHU.

Position in the program

The architect will work under the direct supervision of UNRWA Design Unit in Tripoli but
will report to LPHU.
Applicant profile / Requirements

Professional skills
 High degree in Architecture or Civil Engineering;
 Good knowledge of AutoCad software;
 Previous similar experience as an accessibility consultant or trainer in public /
private building, or related experiences in home modification projects;
 Proven abilities to produce technical guidelines;
 Good Reporting skills;
 Experience with disability issues is an asset;
 Previous working experience with humanitarian and relief organizations is an
asset;
 Experience in Palestinian camps is an asset.
 Excellent written and spoken English, Arabic is an asset.

Personal Skills:
 Ability to work under pressure in an unstable and changing environment
 Good skills in organisation, co-ordination and the transfer of knowledge are
essential. The person must be able to work independently and without constant
supervision.
 Excellent communication skills and a commitment to team work are essential to
ensure cohesion with other members of the UNRWA Design Unit. Diplomacy and
good negotiating skills are primordial.