Living-transforming disaster relief shelter : a conceptual approach for sustainable post-disaster housing

Ghomi, SG; Wedawatta, G; Ginige, K; Ingirige, Bingunath

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the performance of post-disaster
housing reconstruction projects, propose the conceptual Living-transforming disaster
relief shelter (LTFDR-shelter) approach where temporary shelter is incrementally
transformed into a more permanent dwelling by using living technologies, and
investigate its applicability to provide sustainable post-disaster housing following
natural-hazard-induced disasters.

Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey with 120 household
recipients of three Sri Lankan post-disaster housing projects was employed to explore
how the post-disaster housing projects have performed against the occupants'
expectations. Furthermore, the new proposed LTFDR-shelter conceptual approach's
applicability to address the existing issues found in the study was investigated.

Findings – The paper evaluates and identifies the physical and technical, and socioeconomic performance issues of post-disaster housing and discusses the applicability
of the proposed LTFDR-shelter conceptual approach as an efficient tool to adequately
improve the identified factors integrating three phases of relief, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction employing living technology.

Research limitations/implications – Although the study's scope was limited to the
occupant view of the performance of post-disaster housing in Sri Lanka, the findings
and conceptual LTFDR-shelter approach could be of particular relevance to other
developing countries affected by similar disasters. Further research is recommended
to investigate and develop this concept in depth.

Originality/value – This study lays the conceptual foundation for a new theoretical
approach in post-disaster housing, which encourages more interdisciplinary
collaborations and empirical investigations that potentially enhance post-disaster
housing performance and facilitates the application of living technology in the built
environment.

Citation

Ghomi, S., Wedawatta, G., Ginige, K., & Ingirige, B. (2021). Living-transforming disaster relief shelter : a conceptual approach for sustainable post-disaster housing. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 11(4), 687-704. https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-04-2020-0076

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 1, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 22, 2021
• Publication Date: Oct 21, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jun 4, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 22, 2021
• Journal: Built Environment Project and Asset Management
• Print ISSN: 2044-124X
• Publisher: Emerald
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 687-704
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-04-2020-0076
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-04-2020-0076
• Related Public URLs: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/bepam