Rethinking the Response to Disaster Relief Housing

Abstract

This thesis examines disaster-relief-housing and identifies some of the challenges faced by the traditional housing response. Focusing on relief efforts as a second responder, an alternative process for housing displaced populations is proposed and demonstrated through a specific proposal for disaster-relief-housing for the town of San Vicente, El Salvador. Working within the discipline of architecture, the proposed project will provide beneficiaries with an increased ability to cope in the face of disaster. It does so by design and implementation of self-build housing that transitions from a temporary to a permanent state/location, by using bamboo as a primary construction material, and by providing an adaptable solution that is environmentally and culturally responsive. The building of a community laundry facility by the affected population facilitates this process by serving both as a teaching and as an inspirational building for the use of bamboo in quality construction.