The post-disaster temporary dwelling: Fundamentals of provision, design and construction

Temporary dwellings constitute a crucial step of recovery and reconstruction in the post-disaster aftermath. The importance of temporary dwellings stems from the role they play in incubating people and providing a habitable environment while the outcomes of a disaster are being assessed and then rectified. The main aim of this paper is to set a series of guideline recommendations which can lead the process of successfully providing, designing and constructing temporary dwellings of quality while being sensitive to contextual issues and while aiming for significant cost, efforts and time savings.Methodology and paper structureThe methodology adopted by this paper is based on the multidisciplinary investigation of the subjects discussed. The paper takes into consideration that the issues under examination are multifaceted while being associated with certain needs and having their own implications and criteria to be successfully achieved. To this end, the paper’s methodology elaborates on the discussions made in terms of economic, socio-cultural, ecologic, temporal and technical considerations and circumstances. The research methodology employed in this paper also strives to be comprehensive in the sense of covering a wide range of topics on the qualitative, managerial, contextual and best practices’ fronts. The scope of discussions widens up to include basics and general concepts and then narrows down to focus in depth on the investigated subjects.In employing the adopted methodology of research, the paper commences by a literature review which aims to set the basic terms and concepts. Consecutively, the paper sets the basic foundations to the provision, design and construction of temporary dwellings. The discussion widens in scope to analyze the qualitative aspects related to the management of temporary dwellings. This part constitutes the basic guidelines which support the following discussions made in the paper. As the subjects keep on unfolding, the concept of contextualization is elaborated with the issue of ‘sensitivity’ to local conditions and circumstances as a prime focus. The paper finally proceeds to analyzing a number of important qualitative aspects related to the design and construction of temporary dwellings with a special focus on temporary houses. The discussion is emphasized through examining several examples to clarify the various needs and implications of the qualitative aspects under investigation. The overall research outcome of the paper is expressed in a number of findings and recommendations in correspondence to the paper structure.