Swedish furniture giant Ikea will produce 10,000 flat-pack shelters for the United Nations Refugee Agency ( UNHCR ) as temporary homes for refugees across the world . The 'Better Shelter ' units are to be rolled out on a mass scale following a successful trial in Ethiopia and the borders of Syria , in 2013 . It is hoped the flat-pack homes , which can built in four hours without the need for tools , will make desperate conditions more bearable for displaced families . Scroll down for video . Family shelter : The shelters here , pictured here at the Syrian refuge in Kawergosk , Northern Iraq , are soon to be delivered on a wider scale . Home comforts : : IKEA has developed its own version of refugee shelters , featuring solar panels for electricity and proper standing room inside . The first mass delivery will head to camps across Iraq where 2.5 million people have been displaced by conflict . In typical Ikea fashion , the walls , roof , floors , door and windows all come flat packed in cardboard boxes , making them easy to transport . Dwellers will be pleased the 17.5sqm shelters are twice as large as the current crop of refugee tents used by the UN and can accommodate five or six people . Shaun Scales , chief of shelter and settlement at the UN 's refugee agency UNHCR , said they would improve the lives of tens of thousands of people . 'The refugee housing unit is an exciting new development in humanitarian shelter and represents a much needed addition to the palette of sheltering options mobilized to assist those in need , ' he said . Successful pilot : The flat-pack shelters , pictured here in Ethiopia as part of a pilot , take four-hours to erect and do not need tools . Refuge : A displaced family stand by a shelter at the Kawergosk refugee camp in northern Iraq . 'Its deployment will ensure dramatic improvement to the lives of many people affected by crises . ' Refugee camps are typically overcrowded with temperatures in tents fluctuating between sweltering hot in the day time and freezing at night . The walls and roof are made from the lightweight polymer , Rhulite , laminated with thermal insulation , which clips straight onto the shelter 's steel pole frame . They are strong enough to withstand the harsh climates seen in refugee camps . The material was specially developed to allow daylight to penetrate the shelter during the day but also to trap light sources emitting from inside the tent . It also stops people from being able to see shadows inside the tent , addressing privacy issues . It should assist inhabitants to read , learn and engage at night time under artificial light . A lightweight insulated technical metallic textile is made with interlaced aluminium and polyolefin strips , designed to reflect heat from the sun during the day and stop the heat escaping from inside the tent at night . There is a solar panel on top , laminated on a thin plastic film , designed to generate electricity for a light and USB port inside the unit . But it is hoped the specially-designed shelters will bring an end to the grim conditions , with flexible solar panels on the roofs for power , and specially-made walls that can deflect heat during the day and retain it at night . At 1.75 metres high , they are tall enough for people to stand , and even have lockable doors , ventilation , solar panels , mosquito nets and lights . Mr Scales said : 'The units comprise the best elements of a tent in that it 's pre-packed , of minimal weight and produced to core standards , but it also has a rigid , self-supporting frame and it provides more physical security and dignity for its occupants ' . The shelters originally cost about £5,000 , three times more than a standard UNHCR tent , but are designed to last for at least three years in harsh climates , compared to a tent 's average lifespan of six months . The firm hopes they could be made for around £655 each once in mass production . Ikea 's philanthropist foundation helped to fund the original project while a Sweden-based group called the Refugee Housing Unit has been working with the UN agency on the design . Jonathan Spampinato , head of strategic planning and Communications , at the IKEA Foundation said they were proud to help the relief effort . Easy to assemble : The shelters take about four hours to build and do not require tools . Home : One gentleman shows his spacious temporary home , both inside and out , at a refugee camp in northern Iraq . The shelters are set to help thousands when they go into mass production . He said : 'Putting refugee families and their needs at the heart of this project is a great example of how democratic design can be used for humanitarian value . 'We are incredibly proud that the Better Shelter is now available , so refugee families and children can have a safer place to call home . ' Elsewhere , the Norwegian Refugee Council is piloting a similar type of structure in a refugee camp in Jordan where there are also a number of Syrian families living in container homes provided by Gulf donors .
• big enough to accommodate groups - of - six in refugee camps . New features include solar panels , high - ceilings and lockable doors . Mass roll - out follows successful trial in Ethiopia and on the internet . organizers say it will improve the lives of thousands of displaced migrants .