Using the work of reCOVER as a case study, this chapter reflects on the major challenges facing the integration of the humanitarian shelter design with the pedagogical requirements for a professional architecture programme. In 2005, the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history resulted in a series of natural disasters devastating to human life, the built environment and the United States economy. A closer look into the history of camps established to house internally displaced persons and refugees from natural disasters and conflict revealed a chronic housing problem. The initiative reCOVER was founded in 2007 at the University of Virginia, in part, as a response to the need for improved post‐disaster recovery housing. An important element of the reCOVER TDRH system design to consider when adapting it to different cultures and climatic conditions is a well‐planned spatial organisation that supports a family and community's daily life, indoors and outdoors.