Designing post-earthquake temporary shelter in hot and arid climate (Case study: Isfahan city, Iran)

ABSTRACT

Iran is one of the earthquake-prone countries in the world. The problem is that despite the studies and researches made, it seems that no significant progress has been achieved in the field of post-earthquake temporary shelter design, using climatic approach. The use of Conex and prevalent methods of providing temporary shelter for the homeless after the recent disasters in Iran has not been effective due to the lack of adaptation to the climate, context, and characteristics of the affected area. On the one hand, they have caused long-term problems in the area, and on the other hand, they have wasted financial resources. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to design alternatives for post-earthquake temporary shelter in the city of Isfahan, Iran, located in hot-arid climate. In this regard, to find the best result, alternatives are designed and the final alternative is presented, by recognizing and analyzing the indicators and criteria of the temporary shelter, as well as framework development based on the context and conditions of the climate. The findings of this study display that in addition to criteria of ‘upgradable’, ‘reusable’, ‘relocatable’, ‘recyclable’, and ‘resaleable’, it is recommended to consider other criteria including ‘climatic’, ‘modular’, ‘community-based’, ‘multi-functional’, and ‘context-based’ in the design of post-earthquake temporary shelter. The practical implication of the article is that the developed criteria are generalizable, and the alternatives proposed can be used in similar climates and answer the challenges related to thermal comfort, transportation, recycling, assembling, upgradability, flexibility, and modularity of temporary shelter units.

KEYWORDS:

• Temporary shelter
• hot and arid climate
• earthquake
• prefabricated
• context-based
• Iran

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).