Transitional relief housing for tsunami victims of Tamil Nadu, India

In the wake of the recent tsunami that swept across Asia, there is a dire need to salvage and rebuild the lives and livelihoods that were swept away. The aim of this thesis project is to design and model a transitional shelter for the Indian region of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is located on the southern coast of India, and was the region most affected by the recent tsunami. The transitional shelter should be a shelter that serves as an infrastructure that can be absorbed into a more permanent structure with the flexibility to promote future expansion. The design of the structure takes into consideration climactic concerns such as ventilation or seismic issues, and tries to suggest cultural continuity between the new architecture and previous architectures. Thesis Supervisor: Harry Asada Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering Page 2 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing Introduction: Transitional relief housing is needed for victims of natural disasters everywhere. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods can upturn the lives of families leaving them with little to no possessions and no place to stay. Even with the help of governments and relief agencies, the problem is often too widespread to provide comprehensive and immediate relief to all families. This issue is especially relevant when placed in the context of current events. In the wake of the tsunami in Asia, the need for immediate shelter solutions is great. The aim of this thesis project is to design, and develop a transitional shelter for tsunami victims in the coastal region of India, Tamil Nadu (Figure 1). Tamil Nadu is located at the southern point of India, and is the region in India most affected by the recent tsunami. In Tamil Nadu alone, the tsunami left more than 8,000 people dead and more than 100,000 affected. The tsunami damaged or destroyed more than 118,000 huts and houses. Poor rural communities were affected the most, pushing poor people even deeper into poverty (Tiding over Tsunami 2005). The definition of a transitional shelter is a shelter that is neither a permanent shelter nor a temporary shelter. Temporary shelters are meant to be used as emergency housing for a brief period of time before more suitable housing becomes available. Unlike temporary shelters such as tents or lean-tos, transitional shelters serve as the bridge between impermanence and permanence. The structure of a temporary shelter serves as the infrastructure and fundamental building block from which later expansion and permanence can be built. Furthermore, the transitional shelter should provide a safer foundation more resistant to future tsunamis and other regional climactic concerns. Page 3 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing Finally, the architecture of the transitional shelter should reference and address previous building types of the region in order to ensure cultural continuity and decrease the psychological trauma involved in coping with life after the tsunami. An emphasis on using recycled and ecologically friendly materials will also be placed on material selection. Other constraints will be determined by careful evaluation of geographical, climatic, and cultural factors. Figure 1 Map of Tamil Nadu and Tsunami Affected Region Background: Currently, there are many organizations and foundations involved in the rebuilding process of the tsunami ravaged regions of Asia. The rebuilding efforts range from providing refugees with ready made temporary shelters to the rebuilding of entire villages. The temporary shelters provide quick solutions to housing with the most basic Page 4 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing amenities while the more long term permanent housing projects are completed. Among these projects, several are concerned with the issue of transitional shelters. The need for transitional housing is thus one of creating a structure that is quickly erectable in the wake of a disaster, whose structure can be "filled-in" as the rehabilitation process continues. Thus, disaster refugees can live in and build upon the structure until the transitional shelter is absorbed into the fabric of the permanent house. The Isha Foundation has developed a semi-cylindrical concrete shell housing unit that can be quickly fabricated as a transitional shelter that can later expand into a house. The house is hemispherical to allow the passage of wind across the shell with least resistance, and the concrete material allows the building to be fire-proof. In a similar vein, the Tsunami Safe(r) house, developed by Harvard GSD students, proposes a new safer infrastructure for coastal Sri Lankan villages. In the Tsunami Safe(r) House, modular concrete units are used to create flexible floor plans. The concrete units are arranged to provide the least amount of resistance to oncoming water, so that in the case of a tsunami, the water flows through the house without damaging the structure. The rectangular plan and modularity of the pieces, allow for the house to be easily expandable. Like architecture everywhere, the form and individuality of the traditional rural architecture of Tamil Nadu is based largely on the demands of the climate, and availability natural resources. Located in the highly vulnerable part of the Peninsular India, the Bay of Bengal is on average subjected to one serve cyclone in the pre-monsoon period and two in the post-monsoon season. The coastal districts from Chennai to Ramanathapuram are at highest risk in the face of these yearly storms (Guidelines for Page 5 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing Reconstruction). The heavy yearly rainfall demands steeply pitched roofs with extended eaves to protect the house from penetration by the elements. Similarly, the materials that make up the roof house must be resistant or adaptable to the moisture; often paddy thatch, coconut thatch, or tile is often used for the roof. The heat of the region makes natural ventilation necessary through large high roof spaces, though the strong winds that accompany the cyclonic weather demand the houses to be lower and squatter. Because Tamil Nadu is situated in a region with a continuing cycle of cyclone and disaster, the houses on the flood plains are usually built with cheap, light materials for easy repair and rebuilding. Though Tamil Nadu is safer from earthquakes than parts of western and northern India, small to moderate earthquakes that are mid-plate in nature have occurred. The frequency of earthquakes is low, and most of the state is categorized into low to moderate risk. The current seismic response is to build buildings with integrated tensile timber elements. Wood and bamboo give the house tensile strength in response to wind and moving people, while heavy walls hold the heavy roofs above the heads of inhabitants. The predominant house form is the rectangular form with walls of woven coconut thatch or grass thatch and mud with bamboo roof frames. Each house also has a small shaded verandah or sheltered porch (Traditional Buildings of India, pp 137-143) Design Parameters: The climate of Tamil Nadu is tropical; the temperature ranging from 20°C in the winter to 400 C in the summer with little variation in summer and winter temperatures. From April through June the hottest period of the summer, ventilation and solar heat gain Page 6 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing issues must be considered. However, the temperature never decreases enough so that heating becomes an issue. The average annual rainfalls in Tamil Nadu range between 25 and 75 inches a year. In the recent tsunami, most of the victims died of drowning, the wave height ranging from three to ten feet high (Tiding Over Tsunami 2005). Thus, the shelter should either be built on raised land, or be raised by a platform. According to the guidelines set by the government of Tamil Nadu for the reconstruction of houses affected by tsunami, site selection for houses should be at least five meters above sea level. Throughout the year, Tamil Nadu is subjected to high wind speeds that can cause damages to buildings. In consideration of the frequent cyclonic winds, in the design of the structure, walls that are too long or too high should be avoided. Furthermore, the walls should have enough support from buttresses or supporting walls. Interconnecting walls are preferable to freestanding walls, and small building enclosure is also desirable. Tamil Nadu is located in a region of low to moderate seismic activity. Thus, the design of the transitional shelter should include some provisions for dealing with seismic activity. In the event of an earthquake, the highest incidences of death are caused by heavy walls and roofs caving in; some consideration should be taken into designing bearing walls that will not collapse on the inhabitants during an earthquake. Heavy masonry walls are dangerous without proper support. Similar precautions should be made for potential seismic damage as for potential cyclone and wind damage. Again, long unsupported walls should be avoided, as well as walls that are too high. Page 7 of 24 2A Thesis Shauna Jin 5/11/2006 Transitional Relief Housing MAP SHOWING WIND & CYCLONE ZONES IN TAMIL NADU