As winter descends on Gaza's tented cities, emergency housing made from mushrooms could keep out the cold -- just one of several sustainable, home-grown solutions put forward by Arab designers. "This material has thermal insulation properties, it has acoustic properties, so it protects from extreme weather conditions, and it gives privacy to users. And it's very lightweight, where we can easily and simply package it and send it to refugees wherever they are," explains Dima Al Srouri, a Palestinian urban planning expert whose prototype shelter is on display at Dubai Design Week. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES