Life After Hurricane Katrina: A Brief on the Chicagoland Katrina Relief Initiative

The goal of Chicago's Katrina Relief Initiative was to provide a comprehensive resettlement,relocation, and community integration response after the immediate crisis for hurricane evacuees. Chicago's response is now serving as a model for disaster recovery in other cities around the nation. This summary briefly outlines Chicago's response for the evacuees, who came to Chicago, what services they needed, and what we have learned to better prepare for future crises

Working with the homeless: The case of a non-profit organisation in Shanghai

This article addresses a two-pronged objective, namely to bring to the fore a much neglected social issue of homelessness, and to explore the dynamics of state-society relations in contemporary China, through a case study of a non-profit organisation (NPO) working with the homeless in Shanghai. It shows that the largely invisible homelessness in Chinese cities was substantially due to exclusionary institutions, such as the combined household registration and 'detention and deportation' systems. Official policy has become much more supportive since 2003 when the latter was replaced with government-run shelters, but we argue that the NPO case demonstrates the potential for enhanced longer-term support and enabling active citizenship for homeless people. By analysing the ways in which the NPO offers services through collaboration and partnership with the public (and private) actors, we also argue that the transformations in postreform China and the changes within the state and civil society have significantly blurred their boundaries, rendering state-society relations much more complex, dynamic, fluid and mutually embedded

From Shelter to Home: Creation of Home in Areas of Poverty and Scarcity

Areas of scarcity among third-world countries are often subject to poverty stemming from a various reasons. Focusing specifically on Minya, Egypt, extreme poverty is a result of a combination of factors. These factors include but are not limited to systematic targeting of religious minorities, lack of potable resources, lack of education among the region, poor transit and distance from employment opportunity, and governmental corruption. As a result, slum-like conditions arise within and directly outside the city of Minya, creating unsafe and undignified living conditions to people affected by poverty. These living conditions further the wedge between the poor and wealthy, preventing those in unfortunate circumstances of a chance out to a better life. While architecture may not be able to solve the root causes of systematic poverty, it can be explored in order to alleviate some aspects which further a divide. Housing which provides access to the basic needs of human life is a fundamental step in dignifying members of a targeted community. In areas of scarcity, such as the selected site, problems arise when attempting to create an affordable, livable, home. While aspects of each study were applied to the final design, main design methods were gathered from the incremental housing studies. This was done in combination with the comparison of Western versus Middle Eastern living standards, which introduced a less private model than typically found in Minya. By applied more shared/communal space, personal ties are formed between the inhabitants of the master-planned site. Through community, growth occurs

The Third Mission of the University: The Response of GRAFOS’ Students to the Consequences of Natural Disasters in Croatia 2020

The universities of the 21st century are dedicated to three missions - education, science and advancement of the community. The impact of two major earthquakes in Croatia in 2020 as well as the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, led to the integration of these topics into the educational process at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture Osijek (GRAFOS), Croatia. In this example, GRAFOS architecture students designed shelters for people left homeless following natural disasters. The paper presents the process of creating innovative and bold shelter proposals, simultaneously developing students\u27 skills like critical thinking, team work, communication and interpersonal skills

National Study on Carless and Special Needs Evacuation Planning: Case Studies

The National Study of Carless and Special Needs Evacuation Planning has constructed an essential outline for carless and special needs evacuation planning. This outline is built from planning efforts in each of the five case study cities. Each city had its strengths and weaknesses. In this study, we have combined the strengths from every city involved to build the criteria used to evaluate their planning efforts. In this sense, we have based our evaluations upon real planning efforts that can and are being done around the United States

VERNACULAR REHABILITATION AND REBUILDING FOR POST-CONFLICT MIGRATION AND RESETTLING

Abstract. Internal and external migration from vernacular settlements is not a new phenomenon. However, the scale and scope increased when forced migration is becoming exacerbated due to both armed conflicts and climate change. Political tensions are one of the most common threats to vernacular dwellings in conflict areas. Not only do destruction and vandalism cause harm to vernacular architecture, but people living in vernacular buildings are often forced to leave their homes in order to seek safety. On the other hand, vernacular architecture can help refugee crises in hosting countries. Billions of dollars are invested in establishing temporary refugee camps, yet we know for a fact they are rarely temporary. People stay in such camps for decades, commonly Cons located on the outskirts of cities, where vernacular settlements also tend to be. Investments in rebuilding, restoring and reusing vernacular settlements can be a win-win situation. The time and cost of the rehabilitation process might also not be suitable to many camps, or camp-like, contexts. Also, encounters some regulations for listed vernacular heritage sites that cannot be used as dwellings and must be kept as open museums. In this study, a proposal for reusing and rehabilitating vernacular settlements will be discussed together with reflections on challenges and obstacles. The case study chosen for this research is in the Middle East, where the majority of refugees settled after the Arab Spring. This paper demonstrates a methodology in which algorithmic modelling is applied to refugee settlement site planning

Design of cardboard prefabricated temporary dwellings through economic and hygrothermal assessment-according to nZEB requirements in warm-temperate climates

Uno degli obiettivi più importanti applicati dalla rifusione dell'EPBD è che entro la fine del 2020, tutti i nuovi edifici devono essere edifici a energia quasi zero. Nell'attuale regolamento, alcune categorie di tipi di edifici sono escluse da questa procedura di valutazione, inclusi edifici temporanei con un periodo di utilizzo inferiore a due anni. Sebbene ultimamente siano state sviluppate costruzioni prefabbricate, raramente sono stati condotti studi sulle prestazioni energetiche. Tuttavia, una fase cruciale delle abitazioni post disastro è il periodo di alloggio nelle case temporanee che può durare tre anni o più. Pertanto, richiede un'attenzione più seria alla loro efficienza energetica. Questa ricerca affronta le suddette preoccupazioni. In questo studio, viene presa in considerazione la progettazione economica ed efficiente dal punto di vista energetico delle case temporanee di emergenza adatte al contesto italiano, con particolare attenzione alle regioni con clima temperato caldo. Essendo un materiale innovativo, riciclato al 100% e a basso impatto ambientale, è stato utilizzato il cartone a nido d'ape per isolamenti delle pareti; sono state condotte indagini sperimentali e analitiche per determinarne le caratteristiche termiche e ambientali. È stata progettata una tipologia di edificio con caratteristiche di flessibilità ed espandibilità da prendere come edificio di riferimento. Le buste per pareti, tetto e pavimento sono state progettate, valutate in merito al trasferimento di calore e umidità e modificate per essere compatibili con i più recenti requisiti di prestazione energetica. Simulazioni di energia per l'intero edificio sono state condotte in tre zone climatiche italiane calde (B, C e D) per studiare l'effetto delle condizioni climatiche sul loro fabbisogno di energia termica. Effettuando uno studio parametrico sulla trasmittanza termica dell'inviluppo opaco nelle gamme di normative richieste, è stato analizzato che dal punto di vista dell'efficienza energetica in termini di costi, in climi più miti varianti di inviluppo con minore resistenza termica e in climi più caldi con quelli più alti anziché i limiti richiesti potrebbe trovarsi nel corridoio ottimale in termini di costi. Inoltre, sono stati valutati diversi orizzonti temporali e si suggerisce che, considerando i costi di capitale e di sostituzione più influenti, il periodo di vita più appropriato per l'edificio prefabbricato debba essere scelto per la "seconda vita" dopo il periodo di occupazione. I dettagli delle gamme di soluzioni ottimali trovate sono presentati in questo studio.One of the most important targets enforced by EPBD recast is that by end of 2020, all new buildings have to be nearly zero energy buildings. In the current regulation, some building type categories are excluded from this assessment procedure, including temporary buildings with usage period less than two years. Although prefabricated construction has been developed lately, energy performance studies have rarely been carried out for them. However, one crucial stage in post-disaster housing is the accommodation period in temporary homes which may last three years or more. Therefore, it necessitates more serious attention to their energy efficiency. This research addresses the aforesaid concerns. In this study, the cost-effective and energy efficient design of emergency temporary homes suitable for Italian context with a focus on regions with warm temperate climate is considered. As an innovative, 100% recycled, and low environmental impact material, honeycomb cardboard was taken for wall insulations; experimental and analytical investigations were carried out to determine its thermal and environmental characteristics. A building typology was designed with flexibility and expandability features to be taken as reference building. Its wall, roof, and floor envelopes were designed, assessed regarding heat and moisture transfer, and modified to be compatible with the latest energy performance requirements. Whole building energy simulations were carried out in three warm Italian climate zones (B, C, and D) to investigate effect of climate conditions on their thermal energy needs. Performing a parametric study on the opaque envelope thermal transmittance in the required ranges of regulations, it was analyzed that from cost-effectiveness energy efficiency viewpoint, in milder climates envelope variants with less thermal resistance and in warmer climates with higher ones rather than the required limits could be located in the cost-optimal corridor. In addition, various time horizons were assessed and it is suggested that by considering the most influential capital and replacement costs, the most appropriate life time for the prefabricated building must be chosen for the “second life” after occupancy period. Details of the optimum solution ranges found are presented in this study

2021 Spring - Seek - full issue (PDF)

Spring 2021 issue of See

Paper in architecture: Research by design, engineering and prototyping

Paper is a fascinating material that we encounter every day in different variants: tissues, paper towels, packaging material, wall paper or even fillers of doors. Despite radical changes in production technology, the material, which has been known to mankind for almost two thousand years, still has a natural composition, being made up of fibres of plant origin (particularly wood fibres). Thanks to its unique properties, relatively high compression strength and bending stiffness, low production costs and ease of recycling, paper is becoming more and more popular in many types of industry. Mass-produced paper products such as special paper, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, honeycomb panels, tubes and L- and U-shapes are suitable for use as a building material in the broad sense of these words – i.e., in design and architecture. Objects for everyday use, furniture, interior design elements and partitions are just a few examples of things in which paper can be employed. Temporary events such as festivals, exhibitions or sporting events like the Olympics require structures that only need to last for a limited period of time. When they are demolished after a few days or months, their leftovers can have a significant impact on the local environment. In the context of growing awareness of environmental threats and the efforts undertaken by local and international organisations and governments to counter these threats, the use of natural materials that can be recycled after their lifespan is becoming increasingly widespread. Paper and its derivatives fascinate designers and architects, who are always looking for new challenges and trying to meet the market’s demands for innovative and proecological solutions. Being a low-cost and readily available material, paper is suited to the production of emergency shelters for victims of natural and man-made disasters, as well as homeless persons. In order to gain a better understanding of paper’s potential in terms of architecture, its material properties were researched on a micro, meso and macro level. This research of the possible applications of paper in architecture was informed by two main research questions: What is paper and to what extent can it be used in architecture? What is the most suitable way to use paper in emergency architecture? To answer the first research question, fundamental and material research on paper and paper products had to be conducted. The composition of the material, production methods and properties of paper were researched. Then paper products with the potential to be used in architecture were examined. The history of the development of paper and its influence on civilisation helped the author gain a better understanding of the nature of this material, which we encounter in our lives every day. Research on objects for everyday use, furniture, pavilions and architecture realised in the last 150 years allowed the author to distinguish various types of paper design and paper architecture. Analysis of realised buildings in which paper products were used as structural elements and parts of the building envelope resulted in a wide array of possible solutions. Structural systems, types of connections between the various elements, impregnation methods and the functionalities and lifespan of different types of buildings were systematised. The knowledge thus collected allowed the author to conduct a further exploration of paper architecture in the form of designs and prototypes. To answer the second research question, the analysed case studies were translated into designs and prototypes of emergency shelters. During the research-by-design, engineering and prototyping phases, more than a dozen prototypes were built. The prototypes differed in terms of structural systems, used materials, connections between structural elements, impregnation methods, functionality and types of building. The three versions of the Transportable Emergency Cardboard House project presented in the final chapter form the author’s final answer to the second research question. Paper will never replace traditional building materials such as timber, concrete, steel, glass or plastic. It can, however, complement them to a significant degree. &nbsp