Some design aspects of sustainable post-disaster housing

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to discuss selected aspects of the design of post-disaster housing building on current guidance in this area. The paper focuses on the use of appropriate materials and technology to suit the climate and site and draws lessons from traditional housing types and settlement patterns. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a design project is used to illustrate an approach toward sustainable design. The approach is structured and could therefore fit into the wider structures and frameworks of providing such housing. Findings – A design was generated that meets many of the desired environmental criteria. It was also found that important design resources are required by the design team not mentioned in the existing guidelines. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the paper is that the design is hypothetical and there has been no input from prospective inhabitants or other groups. Practical implications – The design approach illustrated here may be of use to relief organizations working in the field and also could be used to develop further awareness of sustainability. Organizations that provide for and coordinate post-disaster construction could consider making further design resources available as part of a project. Social implications – The study addresses the design of housing, which itself is an activity located in society. Originality/value – The paper adds to the discussion on the design of post-disaster housing and supports the argument that such housing can help to support wider and longer-term development.

Resilience in Complex Catchment Systems

“…When this is performed, it is typically with heavy emphasis on social aspects (e.g., [43,44]). Only rarely do papers attempt to combine the social and technical interactions across different spatial scales for a more holistic understanding of catchment resilience (e.g., [7,45]).…”

“…This suggests a move away from exclusively top-down, technocratic approaches. Indeed, the allowance of small manageable floods enables community adjustment and learning over time, increasing resilience capacity to cope with larger, unpredictable flood events [45,52,53]. However, care should be taken in balancing bottom-up and top-down approaches.…”

“…For instance, Johnson and McGuinness [57] integrate dynamics between national social policy and micro-level mitigation measures, covering a range of spatial and temporal scales. Beevers et al [7] and Adeyeye and Emmitt [45] attempt to combine technical and social systems across different spatial scales within their methodologies. However, in general, even cutting-edge studies which cover all three resilience frameworks tend away from the technical (except [58]) toward the social, and use predominantly qualitative methods such as interviews, desk study, or new conceptual frameworks (e.g., [21,34,43]).…”

Assessing the Social Sustainability Indicators in Vernacular Architecture—Application of a Green Building Assessment Approach

“…Some of the studies also examined the techniques and technologies employed in vernacular settlements which make them responsive to the environment and therefore contribute to sustainability [38]. Lastly, there are also researches which demonstrate how vernacular architecture respond to geographical conditions geological and environmental resources and have fashioned the buildings that are sensitive to the prevailing environmental conditions [39][40][41].…”

Optimal Location Selection of Temporary Accommodation Sites in Iran via a Hybrid Fuzzy Multiple-Criteria Decision Making Approach

“…Architectural space and elements of cities, as their physical features, had been formed and evolved over time according to the daily needs of residents and in response to the growth and transformation of urban society (Chen et al 2014). However, economic and demographic changes and urban development measures of the recent decades have led to great evolution and transformations in urban space and fabrics (Tucker et al 2014).…”