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Transitions: Bridging the Gap between Emergency Shelters and Permanent Solutions in Disaster Reconstruction

Praechter, Breanna
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1397476621

Abstract Details

2014, MARCH, University of Cincinnati, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture.
With the recent devastation caused by natural disasters, aid organizations have been faced with the challenge of providing shelter for victims; unfortunately, there is a lack of transition between short-term emergency structures and permanent homes. This thesis explores the aid provided by designers as second responders and how architecture can play a role in the long-term rebuilding process. Two crucial elements will be studied: flexibility and cultural identity. Both of these factors are critical in the sustainability of any reconstruction project, especially when foreigners are providing much of the assistance. Organizations, like Architecture for Humanity, have created a network of professionals, tackling the issues that surround disaster reconstruction. Elemental, a firm in Chile, has designed incremental homes, learning from the natural growth of informal settlements. By exploring these, and other small-scale projects, a proposal will be made for a system and participatory process that can be implemented in the Simon Pele community of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an area damaged by the January 2010 earthquake. Often aid organizations implement universal solutions, making broad assumptions on the needs of victims. Through community participation and professional involvement, disaster relief can provide homes that foster resiliency in residents, and become a catalyst for positive change, allowing individuals to help themselves rather than simply taking a hand out. This is not a single solution, but a framework that encourages adaptation in order to attain the most enduring results. The physical layout of Haitian communities is a direct link to the social structure of the culture. Traditionally, families lived in clusters with a shared courtyard, or lakou. This historic settlement pattern has been adapted to the urban environment, evident in informal settlements and internally displaced peoples camps. By analyzing this cultural phenomenon, a proposal can be made that is sensitive to the relational needs of the existing community and reinforces the resilient social structure the lakou creates. Because of the lack of natural resources in Haiti, selection of building materials must be carefully considered in any construction project. By reusing existing materials in the form of rubble and emergency shelters that currently exist on the site, a more logical transition can be made with minimal cost.
Aarati Kanekar, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Michael Zaretsky, M.Arch. (Committee Member)
90 p.
Architecture
disaster; Haiti; humanitarian; participation; aid; shelter

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Praechter, B. (2014). Transitions: Bridging the Gap between Emergency Shelters and Permanent Solutions in Disaster Reconstruction [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1397476621

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Praechter, Breanna. Transitions: Bridging the Gap between Emergency Shelters and Permanent Solutions in Disaster Reconstruction. 2014. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1397476621.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Praechter, Breanna. "Transitions: Bridging the Gap between Emergency Shelters and Permanent Solutions in Disaster Reconstruction." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1397476621

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1397476621
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.