CHAPTER 5: DESIGN EXPLORATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF SHELTERS AFTER FLOODS
5.4. Co-Design Process
5.5.6. Bamboo as the Material for the Shelter Kit
Bamboo is the traditional building material of Assam. It is commonly used as a construction material due to its rigidity, strength and availability. In a disaster, the needs of families are often not met by tents and tarpaulins alone; moreover, the cultural and comfort levels of tents and tarpaulins cannot meet the comfort of a bamboo structure.
Bamboo is environmentally the greenest building material. The plant is abundant in north east India and culturally and socially the community is comfortable to bamboo houses.
The developed model can be in a kit form where in all the joinery can be assembled at site and thus can give rise to a green industry. The core idea of the structure is that the whole structure is pre-stressed. All bamboo used are splits which is better than using round bamboo poles reducing cost and weight and increasing the tensile stress.
Figure 5.10. A schematic layout of relief settlement as per SPHERE standards
The structure is designed keeping the climatic conditions of the state in mind. The lightness of the structure and the modular form makes it very convenient to assemble and dismounted to various convenient locations during emergency of flood (Mori T, 2002).
The following sketches shows the assembling of the structure.
Figure 5.11. Components of the Bamboo Transitional Shelter Kit
Figure 5.12a. Assembly of the Bamboo Transitional Shelter Kit
Figure 5.12b. Assembly of the Bamboo Transitional Shelter Kit
From the findings of the community-led design exercise, we found that the design discussions should be made open to all of those who might be affected in post-disaster displacement. The aspirations that originate within the community are architecturally developed into visions of accord so that they are applicable in post-disaster situations. Further, we iterated the shelter making exercise to develop a Shelter Kit which can be made available for the recurring flood disaster every year across the region.
From the user experience of the said shelter, we realize that the:
• Shelter meets the structural stability as desired by the user.
• Users responded positively to comfort in the shelter.
• We were able to meet the financial cost requirement.
• The minimum humanitarian standards have been met.
• Users feel secure, and there is a sense of home due to the use of bamboo as a material.
• Assembly time of the Kit is 1 hr. 15 min. by four people
• Weight of each shelter Kit is an average of 75 to 80 kg.
• 10 shelters per 3-Wheeler Van can be delivered
• There is an abundance of local resources precisely bamboo to deliver the required quantities
The field of post-disaster housing is very multi-disciplinary uniting the principles of social, environmental and technological sustainability together with economics, logistics and politics.
Figure 5.13. User led assembly of the Bamboo Transitional Shelter Kit
From the study, we realise that working with the community is an effective approach in the affected areas where victims are often seen to long for assistance externally. In a developing country with limited resources at our end, we must try to work with the existing resource and address its shortcomings. In the developed shelter kit, the use of bamboo was encouraged for it being a low carbon footprint product, socially relevant and economical to the context.
However, the concern of termite infestation due to non-treatment of bamboo, ecological harvesting of bamboo followed by the waterproofing of the walls gives scope for further research of exploring the material and learning the traditional treatment practices which can not only contribute to the longevity of the shelter kit but also give an aesthetic visual character due to the stains of the use of plant-based insecticides.
5.5.7. Process of designing a unit transitional shelter
By combining the bamboo poles, split poles, walling and roofing panels one can create exactly the transitional housing unit that fits to the family’s needs. Alternatively, one can choose different wall, roof, and floor systems scavenged from the destruction site and remove or add structural poles as required to suit the users need. Either way, the result is a transitional housing unit that is custom-designed to suit both site conditions and the space that is required.
(UNOCHA, 2004)
There are three steps to follow either while assembling a transitional housing unit:
1. Shelter type: To be considered for those whose houses are partially damaged and need time and resource to rebuild their homes over a brief period of time up to 3 months
2. Shelter Size: The shelter kit is designed for a single unit and if the family size is more than one might have to go for 2 shelter units.
3. Choose panels: Bamboo woven panels have been considered for the wall and roofing with lamination. People can also opt for profile sheets wherever applicable and are available.
Transitional shelters can be understood in following three typologies.
Assembly based shelters such as shelter kits, tents, pre-fab units, shipping containers, etc.
Construction based shelters that are to be constructed in-situ or ex-situ with construction materials like bricks, stones, timber, bamboos, steel, cement, mud or other such materials.
Rental accommodation that the affected people can find in already existing undamaged houses that survive the disaster.
Assembly based shelter kit design is the focus of this study where a shelter kit is a defined collection of shelter components, fixings, and tools provided to meet the needs of the affected population for short-term. These kits could be designed based on needs, context and situation.
Kits could include components with which one could build a shelter, or contain certain most essential material for the shelter. Each Kit is provided with a product guide with assembly instructions to be followed on site.