COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF POST FLOOD SHELTER TYPOLOGIES

RAINA MARIAM NIBU

KMEA COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

AR. SWETHA VISHWANATH

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Architecture

MAHATHMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY

Kottayam

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation work titled “Comparative Analysis of Post
Flood Shelter Typologies” is a bona fide work of Raina Mariam Nibu, under my
guidance, submitted as Semester VII & VIII subject for the award of “Degree of
Bachelor in Architecture” during the term of 2018 to 2019 through Mahatma
Gandhi University, Kottayam.

Place:
Date:

Ar. Swetha Vishwanath

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 Keywords

Post flood shelter, Emergency shelter, temporary shelter, temporary housing,

permanent housing, transitional shelters, progressive shelter, core or one
room shelter.

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 Abstract

Kerala experienced an abnormally high amount of rainfall from 1 June 2018 to 19

August 2018 leading to severe flooding in 13 out of 14 districts. Thus results in loss or
damage of approximately 22,000 houses. The aim is to research about the different
typologies of post flood shelters built on the awake of this incident. A comparative
analysis of the different typologies is intended to find out the better typology of post
flood shelter.
The primary and secondary data is collected from literature case studies and three
live case studies on post flood shelters constructed. Interview with architects is also
conducted so as to analyse more on the topic. Information regarding the material
selection and usage, construction time, cost is collected and a comparative analysis
helps to understand the pros and cons of each typology. Thus resulting into a
conclusion of a better post flood shelter.

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 Table of content

1. INTRODUCTION………….……………………………………………………………………………………….……………..1

1.1 Background and Context……………………………………………………………………………………….1

1.2 Central Research Question……………………………………………………………………………….……2
1.2.1 Sub Research Question…………….…………………………………………………….…………..2
1.3 Aim………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2
1.4 Scope, limitations and significance…………………………………………………………………………2

2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………..……………………………………………………………………………………….…3

3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……….9

3.1 Data sources and data types…………….…………………………………………………………………….9

3.2 Data collection………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
3.3 Data reduction and analysis……………………………………………………………………………………9

4 RESULTS…………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..11

4.1 Literature review : one room shelter Pakistan……………………………………………………….11

4.2 Literature review : Haiti….….………………………………………………………………………………….13

4.3 Literature review : Shigeru Ban's paper partition system…………………………..…………..14

4.4 Live case study : Model of Habitat technology group………………………..……………………17

4.5 Live case study : Model of Urvi foundation.…………………………………………………………….19

5 DISCUSSION…………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………26

6 CONCLUSION……….……………………..………………………………………………………………………………….….27

7 REFERENCE………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...27

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 List of Figures

Figure 2-1 Conceptual framework: sustainable affordable construction ........................................... 6

Figure 4-1 One room shelter in Pakistan .......................................................................................... 12
Figure 4-2 Plan of one room shelter in Pakistan .............................................................................. 12
Figure 4-3 Section of one room shelter in Pakistan ......................................................................... 13
Figure 4-4 NGO-A t-shelter………………………………………………………………………………………………………………22
Figure 4-5 NGO-B t-shelter………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13
Figure 4-6 Paper partition system by Shigeru Ban…………………………………………………………………………..15
Figure 4-7 Paper partition system by Shigeru Ban ......................................................................... 15
Figure 4-8 Earthquake reconstruction assistance in Haiti 2010 by Shigeru Ban architects ................ 16
Figure 4-9 Paper log houses built as temporary dwellings for victims of 1995 kobe earthquake ..... 16
Figure 4-10 Plan of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group ............................................... 17
Figure 4-11 View of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group ............................................... 18
Figure 4-12 View of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group ............................................... 18
Figure 4-13 Interior view of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group ................................... 19
Figure 4-14 Details of post flood shelter prototype by Urvi foundation ........................................... 20
Figure 4-15 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation .............................................................. 21
Figure 4-16 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation .............................................................. 21
Figure 4-17 Interior view of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation .................................................. 22
Figure 4-18 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation .............................................................. 22
Figure 4-19 View of ferro-cement house build in 2010………………………………………………………………….…34
Figure 4-20 View of the same house in 2019…………………………………………………………………………….……..25

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 List of Tables

Table 2-1 factors that needs to be balanced for a successful post disaster shelter ............................. 6
Table 4-1 Analysis of the post flood shelter by Habitat Technology Group ...................................... 24
Table 4-2 Analysis of the post flood shelter by Urvi foundation ....................................................... 25
Table 5-1 Comparative analysis of both post flood shelter prototypes…………………………………………….35

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 Acknowledgements

I would first like to acknowledge my guide and mentor, Ar. Swetha Vishwanath
and Ar. Jayadevi Venugopal (Assistant professor-KMEA College of Architecture),
who helped with their guidance, suggestions, advice, remarks, and reprimands,
who helped me to make the dissertation possible. My gratitude extends to
friends, colleagues and architects for their support, help and healthy criticism.

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1. Introduction

1.1 Background and Context

In case of catastrophic event fast sheltering the ones in need is of utmost importance.
Whether an earthquake, a flood or a hurricane, when a natural disaster hit, they often have
severe influence on people’s lives. The key to success in such a situation is, effective and
immediate well managed action that helps to reduce the chaos. As many recent disasters
proved that despite of the attempt to co-ordinate and manage the reality is quite often
chaotic hampering the relief efforts.
Following natural disaster or conflict, architecture plays a critical role in not only
reconstructing lost infrastructure but also responding to the need for comfort and safety for
those affected. Beyond survival shelter is a key factor to security, protection from the
climate and personal safety. Successful post-disaster architecture must meet both the
short-term need for immediate shelter as well as a long-term need for reconstruction and
stability. Meeting shelter requirements in the aftermath of a disaster remains a major
challenge to the government and most importantly the affected population.
The construction of durable houses as part of post-disaster shelter recovery programs
delivers both essential safe and dignified shelter, and a valuable asset, to the beneficiaries.
This gives beneficiaries the security to focus on other urgent priorities and prevents them
from falling into destitution.
Providing shelter means temporary settlements which gradually become more permanent
shelters. So the need for social sustainable solutions for environmentally sound planning is a
prerequisite. (LOBOS, 2011).

Kerala is highly vulnerable to natural disaster and varying climatic conditions given its
location along the sea coast and with a steep gradient along the slopes of western ghats.
Floods are most common of natural hazard in the state. About 14.5% of land area is prone
to flood. Landslides are a major hazard along the Western Ghats in Wayanad, Idukki,
Kozhikode and kottayam districts.
Between 1 June and 18 August, 2018, Kerala experienced the worst flood since 1924. About
42% of excess rainfall is received during that period triggering several landslides and forced
the release of excess water from 37 dams across the state, aggravating the flood impact.
Approximately 22,000 houses (NDMA estimates) were destroyed or damaged during that
period. This study is intended to understand different typologies of post flood shelters build
after the disaster. The major concern in taking up this topic is to understand the pros and
cons of each typology and to arrive at a conclusion of better design in case of construction
time, cost, materials used and liveability.

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1.2 Central Research Question
What are the different typologies of post flood shelters in Kerala ( using different materials )
and compare their efficiency.
1.2.1 Sub Research Question
• What are the different post flood shelters constructed in global scenarios?
• What are the typologies constructed in Kerala?
• What is the method of construction used, construction cost, construction time and
materials used for construction?

• What are the factors that contribute to an optimum solution?

1.3 Aim
To understand and compare between the different typologies of post flood shelters
in Kerala.

1.3.1 Objectives
• General idea of post flood shelter construction in global scenarios
• Different typologies of post flood shelters constructed in Kerala
• Method of construction used, construction cost, construction time and materials
used for construction
• The factors that contribute to an optimum solution

1.4 Scope, limitations and significance

The scope of this research is to understand the different typologies of post flood shelter in
Kerala and analyze whether they could be replicated to a large scale.

There are a lot of prototypes proposed and created by private firms. All the prototypes cannot
be analyzed. So an example of conventional and unconventional building material prototype
is chosen for the study.

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2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Enrico Quarantelli, a pioneer in the sociology categorised post disaster shelters as :

 emergency shelter
 temporary shelter
 temporary housing
 permanent housing
(Quarantelli, 1991)
However, the international federation of red cross added a few other categories to the
above mentioned.
 transitional shelters
 progressive shelters
 core shelters/one-room shelters
(socities, 2013)
Recently, researches are conducted to reduce the process to only two stages going from
tents directly to permanent solutions.
Emergency shelters –these shelters are used for short term that provide life saving support.
This is the most basic type of shelter that could be provided immediately after a disaster.
They usually doesn’t allow prolonged medical facilities and extensive preparation of food.
This varies according to the disaster struck in that area. They can be existing undamaged
public buildings like schools or auditoriums in that area or can be constructed using reusable
materials like tents.
Usually, people stay in emergency shelters for days or weeks until higher quality solutions
are provided. The need for temporary dwellings is typically ended when the people are
provided with temporary houses of higher quality or new permanent homes. (Societies,
2013)
• offer personal safety and protection
• cost-effective
• easy to transport by air and road

• possibly re-use into more permanent housing

• prevent overcrowding and depletion of resources
• maximize the sustainable use of natural resources
• utilize locally available materials
• maximize durability and sustainability

• consider safety towards fire, flooding, etc.

• take into account climate change issues while

 considering the selection of sites and materials

Temporary shelters – these are post disaster designed as rapid shelter solution. The main
priorities are speed of construction and cost of construction. The lifetime of these shelters

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are limited usually few weeks. They can be rented houses or prefabricated houses according
to the situation.
Temporary housing – these type are often allocated for longer time periods such as six
months or three years. They can either be rented houses or prefabricated houses provided
by government or NGOs. These shelters help people to return to their normal daily
activities.
Transitional shelters– these are rapid post disaster shelters that are made of materials that
can be upgraded or re-used in future permanent shelters. Or they can be reallocated to
permanent site from temporary site. They are designed to undergo transition. Such shelters
last from many months to years.
Progressive shelters– these are post disaster shelters designed and constructed so as to
upgrade later on to a permanent status. It can be achieved by integrating future
transformations by altering the basic unit of a structural component. (Societies, 2013)

Core shelters/one-room shelters– these are shelters designed with the intent to be
permanent housing in the future which includes foundation and other services like
plumbing. They allow and facilitate future process of extension by their own means and
resources. The major aim is to create one or two rooms that reaches the permanent housing
standards and facilitate development. (Societies, 2013)

Permanent housing – these are upgraded from transitional shelter or core shelter or even a
new house. Such houses should be resistant to future disasters and hazards. (socities, 2013)
(Quarantelli, 1991).

These phases approach has pros and cons, and not always constitutes a linear process. For
example, in the
emergency phase, the costs of tents are not only related to the price of fabric and poles, but
the transportation costs to get to devastated places, which sometimes increases the prices
of tents by three to four times. In addition, the life span of a tent depending on the climate
conditions, it is usually shorter than one year. On the other hand, the permanent phase,
generally takes place some years after the event.
Moreover, temporary solutions are commonly used longer than expected, and eventually
become part of the permanent housing. (Societies, 2013)

The role of shelter as relief after disasters

After a disaster, housing is one of the main factors that can help to re-establish normality in
such a chaotic situation. Shelter is not only a secure roof but a covered living space that
gives privacy, dignity, and is adequate for the community in need. (LOBOS, 2011)
Housing recovery is critical to carrying out normal activities and to re-establishing a routine.
When affected communities get housing solutions associated with infrastructure, they can
start to motivate the process of re-development.
Planning the temporary shelters
Selection of settlement model is dependent on land conditions, climate, and other affecting
factors, mentioned in the previous sections. However, the very important factor which
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should not be overseen is the will of the people, and their contribution in planning process.
Whenever, the will of people has not been considered in a proper manner, they have
abandoned the provided temporary shelters and have tried to build their permanent
residences with the minimum possible facilities and available materials, or, if it has been not
possible or them to reconstruct their permanent residences they have preferred to migrate
to other nearby cities. Just if they have had no other choice they have tolerated the
temporary shelters. It has happened in many past earthquake that the people of different
cultures, backgrounds and life styles, and even different ethnicities have had to live together
in one complex, and this have resulted in dissatisfaction of various groups. (Colin
H.Davidson, 2007) (Abulnour, 2013)

Temporary Housing Types

According to the type of natural disaster economic factors and environmental conditions the
type of temporary housing varies. Compared with steel frames and prefabricated houses,
container houses have several advantages, such as assembling simplicity, a comparatively
short construction period, and low costs. Containers that are used as buildings not only
provide temporary shelter for the affected people but also helps in recycling containers.
Furthermore, the application of containers as buildings also overlaps with the demand for
construction industrialization. In addition to a short construction period, container houses
can also be considered as sustainable. Containers have many advantages as building blocks.
Aside from providing a sustainable housing frame, containers are easy to handle and have a
flexible form, making them cheap to build with. Containers may be combined in countless
creative ways. Furthermore, a survey conducted by the journal Business Week in the United
States has revealed container houses as one of the 20 major inventions that will change
humans’ way of life in then extent 10 years. Containers are used for commercial purposes,
cultural exhibitions and office spaces. However, for residential purposes, containers need to
meet specific housing requirements, including water supply and installation of drainage
equipment.

The factors that should be taken into account while designing a shelter:

 Appropriateness
 Developing a shelter design brief
 Relocation, re-use and maintenance
 Hazards, risks and safety
 Timeliness and construction speed
 Life span
 Size and shape
 Privacy, security and cultural appropriateness
 Ventilation and thermal comfort
 Environment
 Land, sites and services

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  Cost and budgets (Abulnour, 2013) (Societies, 2013)

Some of the factors that needs to be balanced for a successful post disaster shelter

Safety Cost
Lifespan Timeliness
Privacy Number to be built
Comfort Materials availability
Size Maintenance and upgrade
Donor expectations Construction skills

Table 2-1 factors that needs to be balanced for a successful post disaster shelter

Figure 2-1 Conceptual framework: sustainable affordable construction (deepa gopalakrishnan)

For the construction of post flood shelters different materials and construction techniques
can be used. Generally people tend to go for conventional materials as they are familiar to
them but they might not be feasible in all the cases. So there is a dilemma between
choosing of materials. Through this research I intend to analyse the advantages and
disadvantages of conventional and unconventional materials and conclude which is better
for post flood shelter construction.

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From the literature reviews a general idea regarding post disaster shelters and the factors
that need to be considered while designing a post disaster shelter is understood in a global
scenario. After the flood in Kerala several prototypes were constructed. But all of them are
limited to only a few numbers only. This research is intended to study efficiency of the
build prototypes and to understand whether it could be built in a larger scale.

The situation in Kerala during the 2018 flood

The incessant rains and floods that have ravaged Kerala since the beginning of August has
led to widespread destruction of property and displacement, the extent of which is yet to
unravel fully. (kerala, 2018)
The recent extreme rainfall and widespread flooding in Kerala exemplify the enormity of
extreme rainfall and large-scale floods in India. The persistent and extreme rainfall occurred
in August 2018 in Kerala affected all the aspects of human lives including socioeconomic
conditions, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihood. (kerala, 2018)
An assessment of the destruction, the economic costs and impact of reconstruction is a
challenge given the scale and extent of the damages. The rebuilding and reconstruction of
the 5 most affected districts and of the infrastructure destroyed is likely to be a long drawn
out process, one which is likely to have a sizeable economic and financial costs attached to
it.

 Approximately 22,000 houses (NDMA estimates) have been reported as destroyed/

damaged by the State Government and few other sources.
 The Central Government has announced rehabilitation and reconstruction of
“Kutcha houses” in rural areas under “PMAY-Rural” scheme on a priority basis.
(kerala, 2018)

Types of failures in buildings

 Low plinth height (less than 600 mm) in flood-prone areas

 Buildings damaged due to poor construction, features prescribed in NBC are missing
 Inadequate foundation for the buildings in soft soil leading to settlement
 Failure of walls and consequential failure of roofs due to flood
 Houses below canal/river water level, especially in Kuttanad and along river/canal
banks (kerala, 2018)

Key Policy Recommendations

 Land-use, multi-hazard zoning

The three zones should be clearly demarcated: coastal zone, plain zone, hill zone at
panchayat level to focus on land use plans. Kuttanad should be considered as special
zone for land use planning.
 Building rules and enforcement

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 The building rules of urban and rural areas will be revised. Separate chapters will be
added for enhancing disaster resilience of constructions in different zones.
 Relocation and resettlement planning
 Culture of alternative environment friendly design (kerala, 2018)

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3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology that was followed to complete the dissertation
objectives. This chapter explores the methodology and gives an overview of various
methods. Different data sources and types are explained.

Overview:
Secondary data collection
 Literature case studies of post flood shelters in the global scenario
Primary data collection
 Live case studies on selected post flood shelters in Kerala
 Interact with engineers to find the structural stability of materials
3.1 Data sources and data types
1. Secondary data collection
Literature case studies:
 Three literature case studies were done about post flood shelters from different
countries.
 One room shelters from Pakistan,2010 flood
 T-shelters of Haiti during 2007 flood
 Emergency shelters using paper by architect Shigeru Ban
2. Primary data collection
Live case studies:
 Post flood shelter by habitat technology group in Trivandrum
 Post flood shelters by Urvi foundation in Wayanad
 A ferrocement house in Kuttanad to understand the disadvantages of using
advanced technologies
Interact with an engineer who specialises in ferrocement structures
3.2 Data collection
Primary and secondary data’s are collected. Secondary data collection include three literature case
studies of One room shelters from Pakistan during 2010 flood, T-shelters of Haiti during 2007 flood
and Emergency shelters using paper by architect Shigeru Ban. These case studies are chosen to
understand the factors that needs to be considered while designing post flood shelters in large
numbers and how the chaos during the emergency situation can be reduced by providing paper
modules.
Primary data collection serving as the prime data source for the dissertation. Post flood shelters in
Trivandrum and Wayand were chosen for live case study. The detail of the post flood shelters were
collected from the respective firms. The collected details include the construction details, materials
used, plans and other technical details.

3.3 Data reduction and analysis

The primary and secondary data’s collected are analysed and categorised in the results
chapter. The data’s are reduced to analyse the factors such as acceptance by the people,
material efficiency, durability, strength, construction time, construction cost, size and
design.

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4 RESULTS

4.1 LITERATURE CASE STUDY 1

Country : Pakistan
Disaster : Flood, July 2010
Materials : Unreinforced brick exterior walls, tile roof supported on steel
framing.
Material source : Locally procured
Anticipated lifespan : 10 years
Number built : 875
Approximate project cost per shelter: 90,000 INR

Shelter Description
The shelter is a rectangular structure with dimensions 4.8m x 3.9m and has a flat roof. The
walls are made of unreinforced fire burned 230mm thick brick supporting the roof. The roof
is made of ceramic tiles and are supported on steel beams. A cement plaster is also coated
above the roof tiles. The foundation is made of unreinforced brick footing and foundation
walls. The floor is mud plastered and is raised about 610mm from the ground level. The
shelter has only one door and one window and the air vents are at top of the walls.

Shelter performance summary

The construction materials are of good quality and very durable. The life span of the shelter
is about 10 years. The usage of locally available materials helps in easy deployment for
shelter construction. The building materials used, bricks and roof tiles offer good resistance
to wind load. Since the brick walls are unreinforced and the weight of the construction
material makes the structure irresistible to earthquake.

The initial idea was to use compressed earth blocks as the building material. The pilot
shelters were made of compressed earth blocks. The affected people were trained to build
the compressed earth block from locally procured mud. This tedious process took about
nineteen months. But after constructing few shelters the authorities came to understand
the drawbacks of using compressed earth blocks.
o High cost of the shelter in comparison to local houses reduced the likelihood of
replication
o Production was slow and labour intensive
o lack of acceptance of mud houses
o difficult to transport the blocks for more than a few hundred meters
Due to the intensive beneficiary selection process and pilot shelter construction delayed the
entire process. Only after about two years after the disaster the affected people were
provided with shelters.
July – August 2010 - Disaster date
7 months - Project start
11 months - Pilot project started
12 months - Beneficiary selection

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17 months - Material procurement
19 months - Material distribution and training
21 months - Shelter construction
23 months - Evaluation

Figure 4-1 One room shelter in Pakistan (Federation of Red Cross)

Figure 4-2 Plan of one room shelter in Pakistan (Federation of Red Cross)

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 Figure 4-3 Section of one room shelter in Pakistan (Federation of Red Cross)

4.2 LITERATURE CASE STUDY 2

Country : Haiti
Disaster : Flood, 2007
Anticipated lifespan : 3 years

NGO-A
Foundation : Non-reinforced concrete slab
Frame : Treated wood frame
Walls : Plywood walls (will require replacement after 3 years)
Roof : Tin roof (will require replacement after 3 years)
Doors : 2 wooden doors
Windows : 4 wooden windows

Figure 4-4 NGO-A t-shelter (Avery Doninger) Figure 4-5 NGO-B t-shelter(Avery Doninger)

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NGO-B
Foundation : Tied down into the ground in concrete footings
Frame : Pressure-treated timber frame
Walls : Tarpaulin (meant to last between 6 to 18 months, depending on exposure
climatic elements)
Roof : Coated tin-plated roofing
Doors : 3 wooden doors (two in front, one in back)
Windows : 4 wooden windows (Doninger, 2013)

NGO-A was helping extremely vulnerable hard to reach communities, the places most of the
NGOs would not tend to work. As they are hard to reach costs were steep for transportation
than expected.
None of the NGO-A beneficiaries transitioned their shelter. The chosen beneficiaries were
the most vulnerable people like elderly people and disabled people. NGO-A financially
helped the people later on to improve their temporary shelter but they didn’t provide work
force. Since the people themselves weren’t physically able to improve their shelters they
were left as such.
NGO-B was more concentrating in the urban regions. They provided financial support were
not provided for upgrading the shelters. The beneficiaries themselves need to make the
changes. Many people were unemployed and had insufficient incomes. So some people sold
the shelters and others became uninhabitable with time. (Doninger, 2013)

4.3 LITERATURE CASE STUDY 3

Shigeru Ban’s emergency shelters from paper

Shigeru ban an architect from Japan started understanding the structural possibility of
cardboard. Upon testing the material he found that it is not only strong but also easy to
waterproof and fireproof. From 1980’s he has been helping the victims of natural disasters
by providing them emergency shelters in paper.
During natural disasters people have to find refuge in large communal spaces like
auditoriums or schools. In such a situation paper partition system could provide privacy to
the victims and reduce the initial chaos.

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 Figure 4-6 Paper partition system by Shigeru Ban (Shigeru Ban architects)

Figure 4-7 Paper partition system by Shigeru Ban (Shigeru Ban architects)

As the civil war broke out in Rwanda in 1994 about 2 two million people were homeless.
Plastic sheets and aluminium poles were used to build temporary shelters. But the Rwandan
refugees sell these aluminium poles for money and stared cutting trees which could create
massive deforestation. Shigeru ban introduced the low cost alternative – paper tubes. Three
types of prototypes shelters were designed and tested for durability, termite resistance and
cost efficiency. They could be cheaply manufactured with simple machinery on the site and
transportation cost could be rapidly reduced.

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Figure 4-8 Earthquake reconstruction assistance in Haiti 2010 by Shigeru Ban architects (Shigeru Ban
architects)

Figure 4-9 Paper log houses built as temporary dwellings for victims of 1995 kobe earthquake (Shigeru Ban
architects)

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4.4 LIVE CASE STUDY 1
Location : DPI junction, Trivandrum
Materials : Inter lockable mud bricks, recycled mud tiles, treated bamboo,
filler slab
Material source : Locally procured
Construction time : 23 days
Built area : 495 sq.ft
Approximate project cost : 5,50,000 INR

Architect G Shankar has come up with a model which could resist floods and other natural
calamities. The house was built on a budget of Rs 5.5 lakh and the construction was
completed in 23 days. Around 130 labourers worked for 12 hours per day to complete the
project within specified time.
The 495 sq.ft house has 3 stories, and it stands on pillars built with treated bamboo, mud
and concrete.

Figure 4-10 Plan of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group (Habitat technology group)

Amenities – living cum dining space, 2 bedroom, kitchen, 1 toilet and provision
for expansion

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Figure 4-11 View of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group (author)

Figure 4-12 View of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group (author)

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 Figure 4-13 Interior view of post flood shelter by Habitat technology group (author)

The ground floor which is built at a height of almost 6 feet can be turned into a car porch.
Living and dining area, kitchen, bedroom and a bathroom on first floor.
Second floor have a bedroom and terrace area which could be used for future expansion.

4.5 LIVE CASE STUDY 2

POST FLOOD SHELTER IN WAYANAD BY URVI

Location : Pozhuthana, wayanad
Construction time : 14 days
Built area : 560 sq.ft
Approximate project cost : 5,60,000 INR

Built-up area : 560 square feet.

Foundation : 12 Numbers of 1m deep concrete filled in barrel above bamboo piles
(bamboo piling is required for wetlands)
Basement pillars: 3”x3” 3.2mm thick MS Square Tubes
Plinth Beam : 3”x3” 3.2mm thick MS Square Tubes
Column : 3”x3” 3.2mm thick MS Square Tubes (3m high)
Floor : Cement Fiber Board (18mm thick HD) 2 feet spacing.
Wall : Cement Fiber Board (8mm thick on both sides with 2”air cavity)
sandwiched in 2”x2” GI Tube at 4 feet spacing.
Roof : GI Truss with Mangalore Tile placed on 3”x3” 3.2mm thick MS Square
Tube Beams
Time taken for completion is 14 days.

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Figure 4-14 Details of post flood shelter prototype by Urvi foundation

20
DAY 1 : Foundation completed
DAY 2 : Basement and Floor structure completed
DAY 3 & 4 : Wall structure completed.
DAY 5 & 6 : Roof structure completed.
DAY 7 : Flooring completed.
DAY 8 : Wall skin completed.
DAY 9 : Roofing with Mangalore tiles, Doors & windows fixing completed.
DAY 10&11 : Plumbing and electrical works completed.
DAY 12 : Floor tiling completed.
DAY 13 : Exterior Painting completed.
DAY 14 : Interior Painting completed

Figure 4-15 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation (Urvi)

Figure 4-16 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation (Urvi)

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 Figure 4-17 Interior view of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation

Figure 4-18 View of post flood shelter by Urvi foundation

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Literature case study 1 : One room shelters in Pakistan

Overview
• Train the people on creating compressed mud block
• Started the construction with mud blocks
• Without much knowledge about building material
• Waste time by training people
• Time consuming tasks
• It took 2 years to complete the task, intermediate sheltering was not provided
Inference
• No window for experiments
• Instead of training people try to utilize their existing skills
• Use materials that helps to finish work faster
• If materials like bricks are used (which is time consuming) intermediate temporary
shelters must be provided

Literature case study 2 : T-shelters in Haiti

Overview
NGO-A
• hard to reach rural communities
• costs were steep
• Future assistance were not provided
NGO-B
• Urban areas were covered
• Future assistance for transformation were not provided
Inference
People in these areas do not have much access to recourses and they don’t have much
expertise in handling such materials. In such areas use locally available materials
or else timely supervision and aid must be provided.

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Live case study-1 habitat technology group

 The materials used were locally available and need not be transported from different
places.
 Usage of sustainable building materials.
 Maintenance can be done later on without much skilled workers.
 As the house is raised about six feet from the ground level, precautions are taken to
avoid future flood.
 Lifespan of the shelter is same as that of any other house.

Relocation, re-use and maintenance Maintenance can be done with the help of local
workers

Hazards, risks and safety There isn’t any risk and precautions to future
disasters are also considered

Timeliness and construction speed 23 days are taken to complete the project with
around 130 labourers which is an issue considering
the number of workers for a single prototype

Life span Average life span of 60 years

Size and shape It cannot be used as an ideal prototype since it isn’t

disabled friendly.

Cost and budgets Transportation cost is reduced as the materials

used are locally available

Ventilation and thermal comfort There is adequate lighting and ventilation

Table 4-1 Analysis of the post flood shelter by Habitat Technology Group

Live case study-2 urvi foundation

 Some of the materials used for construction such as bamboo is locally available but
cement boards used for walls and flooring needs to be transported from different
locations.
 Maintenance work or expansion needs to be done with the supervision of skilled
labourers since these methods are not commonly used.
 As the house is raised about one meter from the ground level, precautions are taken
to avoid future flood.
 Lifespan of the shelter is said to be 40 – 45 years.

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  Better thermal and sound insulation can be achieved due to the air cavity between
the panels

Relocation, re-use and maintenance Maintenance or expansion needs to be

supervised under skilled workers.

Hazards, risks and safety Precautions to future disasters are also

considered

Timeliness and construction speed 14 days are taken to complete the project with is
a great advantage

Life span Average life span of 40 -45 years

Size and shape This design is disabled friendly

Cost and budgets Transportation cost will be higher as some

materials are not locally available

Ventilation and thermal comfort There is adequate lighting and ventilation

Table 4-2 Analysis of the post flood shelter by Urvi foundation

Ferro-cement house in Kuttanad build in 2010

Figure 4-19 View of ferro-cement house build in 2010 Figure 4-20 View of the same house in 2019 (author)

This ferro-cement building was build in 2010 by the government. The people using this
building doesn’t have any idea of the construction of these structures. Due to improper
foundation a part of the house is broken apart. Since the people using this building are
financially poor and doesn’t have the expertise in constructing ferro-cement structures they
are forced to live in that building in a very unhygienic environment. Even though ferro-

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cement structures are stronger than brick structures due to negligence from the authorities
the people living in it are suffering.
This is an example to understand that even if different technologies are used timely
assistance and supervision must be arranged.

5. DISCUSSION

FACTORS Habitat prototype Urvi prototype

Acceptance Yes Yes

Skilled labourer Yes Yes

Easy accessibility to Yes No

material and labourer

Material efficiency Good Good

Strength Adequate Adequate

Durability 60 years 40 -45 years

Construction time 23 days 14 days

Construction cost 5.5 lakhs 5.6 lakhs

Size Adequate Adequate

Disabled friendly No Yes

Table 5-1 Comparative analysis of both post flood shelter prototypes

The factors that affect the large scale construction of a post flood shelter are:

 Acceptance
 Unskilled labourer
 Easy accessibility to material and labourer
 Material efficiency
 Strength
 Durability
 Construction time
 Construction cost

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  Size
 Disabled friendly design
Apart from these factors periodical supervision is required from the part of concerned authorities to
ensure that the structures are safe especially those built of non-conventional materials.

6 CONCLUSION

In Kerala the most chaotic situation was during the emergency period. People were living in
public buildings like schools and auditoriums. In future situations paper modules created by
architect Shigeru Ban or other designs should be implemented in the existing buildings
during emergency period so as to reduce the chaos and provide privacy to the affected
people.
From the above analysis the prototype build by urvi in wayanad can be considered as a
better design for replication. It takes comparatively less duration for construction and also
last about 40 -45 years.
Since the material used and construction is unconventional methods common people won’t
have the knowledge to maintain or renovate the buildings. In that case timely support needs
to be provided from the concerned authorities.

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