scholarly journals Time-Efficient Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction with Prefabricated Modular Structures

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharaka Gunawardena ◽  
Tuan Ngo ◽  
Priyan Mendis ◽  
Lu Aye ◽  
Robert Crawford

With many natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, bushfires and tsunamis destroying human habitats around the world, post-disaster housing reconstruction has become a critical topic. The current practice of post-disaster reconstruction consists of various approaches that carry affected homeowners from temporary shelters to permanent housing. While temporary shelters may be provided within a matter of days as immediate disaster relief, permanent housing can take years to complete. However, time is critical, as affected communities will need to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible. Prefabricated modular construction has the potential to drastically improve the time taken to provide permanent housing. Due to this time-efficiency, which is an inherent characteristic of modular construction, it can be a desirable strategy for post-disaster housing reconstruction. This paper discusses how prefabricated modular structures can provide a more time-efficient solution by analysing several present-day examples taken from published post-disaster housing reconstruction processes that have been carried out in different parts of the world. It also evaluates how other features of modular construction, such as ease of decommissioning and reusability, can add value to post-disaster reconstruction processes and organisations that contribute to the planning, design and construction stages of the reconstruction process. The suitability of modular construction will also be discussed in the context of the guidelines and best practice guides for post-disaster housing reconstruction published by international organisations. Through this analysis and discussion, it is concluded that prefabricated modular structures are a highly desirable time-efficient solution to post-disaster housing reconstruction.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulquadri Bilau ◽  
Emlyn Witt ◽  
Irene Lill

Despite an international consensus for housing to be “built back better” (BBB) following disasters, and the considerable resources expended on reconstruction efforts globally, the management of post-disaster housing reconstruction programmes often leaves much to be desired. This research presents a framework for the management of post-disaster housing reconstruction in developing countries based on a comprehensive identification of the issues affecting the management of reconstruction programmes and the management measures which have proved effective in mitigating these issues and achieving the desired BBB outcomes. The framework highlights the strategic importance of preparedness measures that should be taken before the next disaster strikes and the cross-cutting nature of capacity building and beneficiary community engagement measures that are essential to all stages of the post-disaster reconstruction process. The research findings are limited to developing countries, as the evidence on which they are based is almost entirely from post-disaster housing experiences in the developing world. The framework may, however, be adapted to different, specific post-disaster reconstruction contexts. This research has compiled, extended and up-dated current knowledge regarding the management of housing reconstruction programmes and it provides practical guidance for policy makers and practitioners.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Liam Shearer

<p>Every year disasters affect hundreds of millions of people, causing damage that can take months or years to recover from. The reality of carrying out the processes of reconstruction and recreating functionality is a complex and difficult task; too often it is measured in a time period of several years. The issue to be addressed through this research is the response of the built (or rebuilt) environment to the requirements of people who have been displaced following a major disaster. This thesis develops a building typology and process that can adapt to the changing requirements of the stages of the redevelopment process in a post‐disaster scenario. The research focuses on natural disasters, more vulnerable populations and regions and specifically on housing reconstruction. It explores the idea of a solution that can be applied widely, to many different climates and contexts; the research question then amounts to ‘can a solution be created that can ‘evolve’ to meet the needs at each stage of a post disaster reconstruction scenario?’ The thesis explores existing post‐disaster response and reconstruction models and discusses the focuses and priorities of each. The requirements of displaced people are studied, in terms of response by the built environment, and the benefits of staged development versus end product discussed. The roles that major groups, such as local authorities and NGOs, play in orchestrating the reconstruction process are discussed as well as the important, and sometimes overlooked, role that those affected by the disaster may have. The discussion and research then informs the design proposal. Four sites are selected and used as parameters for developing the built response to the first stage of reconstruction. The selected sites are then used to show how a generic shelter may first be adapted to be suitable for a specific climate and context and then how they may be added to and grown to become permanent and suitable housing for the displaced people. The staged redevelopment process from a partially generic emergency deployment presented in this thesis can provide a solution, or framework for a solution, to many of the problems raised by the research and here, but it cannot be a solution by itself; architecture or design in post‐disaster scenarios must be supported and driven heavily by planning and management from local, national and international sources to be successful and fully realised.</p>


Author(s):  
Pezhman Sharafi ◽  
Saeed Nemati ◽  
Bijan Samali ◽  
Maryam Ghodrat

In this paper the development process of a deployable modular sandwich panelized system for rapid assembly building construction is presented, and its structural performance under some different action effects is investigated. This system, which includes an innovative sandwich panel and its integrated connections, can be used as structural walls and floors in quickly assembled post-disaster housing, as well as load bearing panels for pre-fabricated modular construction and semi-permanent buildings. Panels and connections are composed of a pneumatic fabric formwork, and two 3-D high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets as the skins, filled with high-density rigid Polyurethane (PU) foam as the core. HDPE sheets manufactured with a studded surface considerably enhance the stress distribution, buckling performance and delamination strength of the sandwich panel under various loading conditions. The load-carrying behaviour of the system in accordance with some ASTM standards is presented here. The results show the system satisfies the codes criteria regarding semi-permanent housing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 02066
Author(s):  
Bee Lan Oo ◽  
Riza Sunindijo ◽  
Fatma Lestari

An objective evaluation of users’ long-term satisfaction with the post-disaster permanent housing provided is important for judging the successes or failures of housing reconstruction programs. Focussing on four resettlement sites built via the REKOMPAK program after the 2010 Merapi eruption, this paper examines the users’ long-term satisfaction with the provided housing, and explores how their satisfaction level relates to their demographic characteristics and level of participation in the reconstruction processes. The results show that the households are in overall satisfied with the present housing. Their overall satisfaction level is statistically positively associated with household income, but not their level of participation and other demographic characteristics. These findings provide evidence on a satisfactory outcome in the long-term for the REKOMPAK, a community-based reconstruction program that was implemented in Indonesia since 2004, and a useful insight for local authorities, humanitarian and other agencies involved in post-disaster reconstruction program.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-36
Author(s):  
Peter M. Lawther

Housing is perhaps the most common component of a community’s manufactured capital wealth stocks damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. Consequently the restoration of housing in the recovery process takes on a paramount significance. This significance is magnified by the complexity of housing restoration and the varying and specialised skill sets required to deliver it. Such complexity is exemplified through both the different phases of post-disaster housing required following a disaster and the role of housing in the broader socio-ecological system of a community. Housing is inextricably linked to livelihoods, physical and mental health, security and social capital. Successful post-disaster restoration of housing must identify and embrace such linkages. This paper explores this notion through examination of the impact of the permanent housing reconstruction of the T. Vilufushi community, Maldives, following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which completely destroyed the island of Vilufushi. The community were temporarily relocated for 4½ years whilst Vilufushi was totally reconstructed by the Government of Maldives and the British Red Cross. Such reconstruction was undertaken to cater for not only the original population of 1800, but also a projected population of 5000, as the Government of Maldives utilised the opportunity afforded by the Tsunami to pursue its longstanding population consolidation policy. The post-occupancy impact of the permanent housing reconstruction program upon the wider socio-ecological system of the Vilufushi community is explored via a qualitative research methodology utilising the four wealth capitals of sustainable development as its analytical framework. Field data collection methods comprised focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations. This was supplemented with ongoing document collection and review. Data was analysed using a pattern match technique / content analysis, preceding a holistic recovery network analysis. Results of the research indicate that the delivery of the permanent housing on Vilufushi has undermined the human, natural and social capital wealth stocks of the community. The implications are that permanent housing reconstruction needs to be considered as much as a social process, as an engineering process. This in turn, has implications for the skillsets of those charged to deliver such projects, and also the organisations that employ them.


2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Daly ◽  
Patrick Daly ◽  
Caroline Brassard

Abstract In the last decade, housing has become one of the most prominent and best funded sectors in large-scale post-disaster reconstruction efforts. This has especially been the case in Asian developing countries where both official and private aid helped finance a significant amount of the housing reconstruction. Despite the emphasis upon community involvement, inclusive and participatory processes for housing reconstruction by international non-governmental organizations, recent experiences show that such ideas often do not readily translate in practice on the ground. This paper analyses the necessary conditions for successful involvement by local beneficiaries in rebuilding their homes following natural disasters. The analysis is situated within the context of community recovery, and the trade-off between centralized donor planning, and community driven initiatives, using primary and secondary data collected from post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia. The paper also discusses how various stakeholders (including recipient government and donors) evaluate and make use of the practical capacities of affected persons and communities to be involved in planning, building and monitoring processes in the housing sector. Our research focused on the level and types of roles played by the aid beneficiaries in the housing reconstruction process in Aceh. In spite of considerable rhetoric about participation and inclusive reconstruction accompanying the post-tsunami reconstruction by various donors, a number of systemic barriers created considerable distance between beneficiaries and NGOs in Aceh in the housing sector. The drive for efficiency and need to produce tangible results quickly, mixed with the sheer number of stakeholders and resources involved, created a largely top-down environment in which decisions were centralized, and arbitrary standards imposed. This was exacerbated by an extensive chain of sub-contractors, a large supply of lower-cost imported labor, and highlighted the importance of local political affiliations, leading to weak accountability and reduced aid effectiveness.


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