92734110 Beyond Shelter
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Transcript of 92734110 Beyond Shelter
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beyond shelter
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edited by Marie J. aquilino
Metropolis books
beyond shelterarchitecture and huMan dignity
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part 4: enVironMental resilience172Green RecoveryAnitavanBredaandBrittanySmith184The Home as the World: Tamil Nadu
JenniferE.DuyneBarenstein196Design as Mitigation in the Himalayas
FrancescaGaleazzi210On Beauty, Architecture, and Crisis: The Salam Centre
for Cardiac Surgery in SudanRaulPantaleo
part 5: teaching as strategic action 222Cultivating Resilience: The BaSiC Initiative
SergioPalleroni234Studio 804 in Greensburg, Kansas
DanRockhillandJennyKivett246Sustainable Knowledge and Internet Technology
MehranGharaati,KimonOnuma,andGuyFimmers
part 6: is preVention possible?252More to Lose: The Paradox of Vulnerability
JohnNortonandGuillaumeChantry264Building Peace across African Frontiers
RobinCrossandNaomiHandaWilliams276Haiti 2010: Reports from the FieldMarieJ.Aquilino
afterword286Open Letter to Architects, Engineers, and Urbanists
PatrickCoulombel
296Acknowledgments298About the Contributors304Credits
preface006Beyond Shelter: Architecture and Human Dignity
MarieJ.Aquilino
introduction012The Architecture of RiskVictoriaL.Harris
part 1: architecture after disaster026Learning from AcehAndreaFitrianto040Beyond Shelter in the Solomon IslandsAndreaNield054News from the Teardrop IslandSandraDUrzo064From Transitional to Permanent Shelter: Invaluable
Partnerships in Peru InternationalFederationofRedCrossandRedCrescentSocieties
part 2: what should goVernMents do?070When People Are InvolvedThiruppugazhVenkatachalam082Citizen Architects in IndiaRupalandRajendraDesai094What about Our Cities? Rebuilding Muzaffarabad
MaggieStephenson,SheikhAhsanAhmed,andZahidAmin
part 3: urban risk and recoVery112Below the Sill Plate: New Orleans East Struggles
to RecoverDeborahGanswithJamesDart126Slumlifting: An Informal Toolbox for a New Architecture
AlfredoBrillembourgandHubertKlumpner140Sustainable Communities: Avoiding Disaster in the
Informal CityArleneLusterio152Camouflaging Disaster: 60 Linear Miles of Local
Transborder Urban ConflictTeddyCruz166Cultural Heritage and Disaster Mitigation:
A New AllianceRohitJigyasu
contents
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Twohundredmillionpeople(thatstwo-thirdsofthepopulationoftheUnitedStates)havebeenaffectedbynaturaldisastersandhazardsinthelastdecade.Foreverypersonwhodies,some3,000areleftfacingterriblerisks.Ninety-eightpercentofthesevictimsareinthedevelopingworld,wherebillionsofdollarsinaidareabsorbedannuallybyclimaticandgeologiccrises.Nowwearelearningthatextremetemperatures,intenseheatwaves,increasedflooding,anddroughtsduetoclimatechangeareexpectedtoexposevastnumbersofpeopletothestatusofeco-refugee,aconditionthatposesarealthreattohumansecurityaspeopleareforcedtomigrate.TwentymillionpeoplearecurrentlyonthemoveinPakistan,wheretorrentsofmudandwaterhaveforcedthemfromtheirhomes.Expertsarealsofindingthatasthesenaturalhazardsincreaseannuallyinfrequencyandseverity,theabilitytopro-tectcommunitiesoncethoughtsafewilldiminish,leadingtoever-greaterlossoflife.
In2008over100,000peoplediedintheChineseprovinceofSichuanwhenbuildingscollapsedduringanearthquake.Amongthem,19,000schoolchildrenwereburiedinrubblewhenunsafeschoolbuildingsfailed.Suddenlyquestionswereraisedabouttheroleofarchitects.Lookingtoassignblame,officialsturnedonarchitectstoaccountforwhathadhap-pened,andinalmostthesamebreathturnedtoarchitectsandengineersfromaroundtheworldforsolutionsthatwouldcalmoutragedfamilies.AfewmonthslaterinMyanmarastormsurgeinthelow-lying,denselypopulatedIrrawaddyRiverdeltacalledNargisleftanestimated140,000peopledead.InHaitionJanuary12,2010,anearthquakeshookpoor-qualitymateri-alsandconstructionintotwentymillioncubicyardsofbouldersanddust,interringatleast220,570peopleandleavingamillionandahalfhomeless.Thenumberofchildrenwhoperishedhasnotbeenpublished,thoughhalfthepopulationofPort-au-Princewasunderage.Yetinanevenmorepowerfulearthquakein
Chilethatsameyearabout500peopledied.TheHaitiearth-quake,thoughsevere,wasnottheonlycauseofsohighatoll:theotherculpritwasunsafebuildings.
Urgentquestionsabouttheroleandresponsibilityofarchi-tectshavebeencirculatingsincetheIndianOceantsunamikilledmorethan200,000peoplein2004.Atthattimethereliefeffortexposedtroublinggapsbetweenhumanitarianaidthattargetstheshorttermandourabilitytorebuildhomes,infra-structure,andcommunitieswell.Whileaidagenciesarewilling,theydonothaveanarchitectsknowledgeorinsights;consequently,thebuildingsthatreplacedestroyedcommuni-tiesarefrequentlyunsafe.
Unfortunately,thisisastruetodayasitwassevenyearsago.Howevercorruptorappallingthepolitics(andpolicies)behindthecatastrophesinSichuanandHaiti,professionalarchitectswhetherinthedevelopingordevelopedworldarenotablyabsentfromeffortstoprotectpeoplefromdisaster.Yetarchitectshaverecentlybeenveryactiveinotherareasofpublicinterestforexample,theyhaveinstigatedarangeofcreativestrategiestoimprovesocial,environmental,andeco-nomicequity,someofwhichhavebecomebooksabouthowtoalterthewaywethinkaboutthedesignprocess.Butinextremecircumstances,incrises,architectsoffernocoherentresponse.Theyplaynosustainedroleinshapingpolicyandhavehadlittleactivepresenceorvoiceinleadingbestpracticesindisasterprevention,mitigation,andrecovery.Thereisstillnocareerpaththatpreparesstudentstoworkasurgentistesdesignprofessionalswhointerveneatacrucialmomentintherecoveryprocesstoproduceenduringsolutions.
Whichispreciselywhythisbookisaboutthearchitectswhoarehelpingsavelives.Innovative,fascinatingworkisbeingdonebysmallteamsofoutstandingprofessionalsinAsia,LatinAmerica,Africa,andtheUnitedStates,whoareprovingtobecritical,relevantpartnershelpingcommunitiesrecoverfrom
prefacebeyond shelter:architecture and huMan dignityMarie J. aquilinocole spciale darchitecture, paris
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theneedforefficiency,whichmaystifletheopportunityforinvention.Yetarchitectsarenotonlyskilledtechnicians;theyarealsocreativeartists,andthosetalentsareneededinsuchcircumstances.Freshapproachesthatlessenthevulnerabilityoffragilepopulationsandstrengthentheirresilienceandpotentialwillonlycomefromthecombinedresourcesandexperienceofthesegroupsworkingcollaboratively.Simplyput,wemuststartspeakingwithothers.
Openandsustaineddebateisalsoneededtoholdevery-oneinvolvedaccountabletoproducecrediblesolutionsandcoherentstrategiesthataddressthemyriadproblems:spatialandenvironmentalplanning,theneedforvernacularandappropriatehousing,theoverwhelmingscaleoftodaysdisas-ters,preservationofculturalintegrity,fundingstreams,andhowbesttofunctionontheground.Therehasbeenatendencyintheaidcommunitytoacceptmassivewasteasacorollaryofspeed;theyplaydowntheabandonedprojects,thesystematicdemolitionofundamagedhomes,poorlandchoices,andenvi-ronmentaldegradationthatroutinelyaccompanytherecoveryprocess.Homeshavefailedbeforeanyonehadachancetoliveinthem,andsomepost-disastersettlementshaveledtoseriousphysicalandmental-healthproblemsfortheirnewresi-dents.Theabsenceofexpertiseisatrespassthatleavescommunitiesmorevulnerablethanbefore.Thebestintentionsarerarelygoodenough,especiallyiftheyarenotscrutinizedinlightoftheiroutcomes.
Beyond Shelterisintendedtohelpthisdiversegroupofdecisionmakersunderstand,value,andengagearchitectsas partnersinshapingprinciplesthatrespondtothegrowingthreatofdisasterriskinurbanandruralsettingsaroundtheworld.Wecannotwait.Tohelpre-createadecentqualityoflifeatscaleisanenormouschallenge.Tomeetitwemustreinvestarchitecturewiththecapacitytobeapowerful,disruptiveforce,asourceofdiscoveryandchange.
havewide-rangingexperience.Inadditiontotheirabilitytoerectsecure,durablestructures,theyareexpertcontractmanagerscapableofcalculatingneeds,resources,andbudgetsthroughthearcofaprogram.Allofthishelpssavemoneyandimprovehumanitarianaction.
Representationisthesecondarea:architectsworkinginclosecollaborationwithcommunitiescanhelpthemactontheirownbehalf.Playingtherolesofdesigner,historian,nego-tiator,andadvocate,architectsdevelopsitealternativesthathelpsecurelandtenure,reblockovercrowdedslums,affordbetteraccesstowater,sanitation,air,andlight,introducepublicspaces,andimprovetherelationshipwiththelocalecol-ogy.Theycanthenrepresentcommunityconsensusonviableprojectstointransigentorindifferentgovernments,andthis,inturn,promoteslocalindependence.Itisterriblydifficultforcommunitiestosuccessfullyrepresenttheirownbestinterestsinthefaceofintractablepolitics.
Thethirdfunctionisvision.Recoveryextendswellbeyondtheneedforshelter.Inastateofemergencyitisdifficultfordesperateindividualstoimagineabetterfuture.Architecturalexpertisecanpromotepublichealth,encourageinvestinginnewskillsandenvironmentalawareness,andadvocateformiti-gatingrisk,whichtogetherhelpensureasustainableandsafewayoflife.
Butforthesequalitiestotakeholdaftercrises,architectsandplannersmustengageinabroaderconversation,amongtheexpertsinhumanitarianaid,anthropologists,conservationecologists,bankersandeconomists,structuralengineers,public-healthofficials,surveyors,andwithinthecontextofpolicymakersandcommunities.Thesegroupsalsoneedtoknowwhomtoturntoandwheretoputtheirconfidence.Andpractitionersincludingarchitectsmustguardagainstthetendencytofallintoroteresponsesandconvenientsolutions.Industry-wide,goodideasandknow-howsuccumbtohabitand
Myriadorganizationsworldwiderespondtocatastrophicevents,someprovidingemergencyandtransitionalshelters,othersbuildingpermanenthomesforhundredsofthousandsofdisplacedpeople.Inthelasttenyearsthemajorinterna-tionalNGOs(Oxfam,UN-Habitat,Care,RedCrossSocieties,Caritas,andothers)havetakenontheresponsibilityofprop-erlyhousingpeopleafterdisasters.Andtheireffortshaveledtosuccessstories.TheInternationalFederationoftheRedCrossnowoffersoversightandassistancetoless-experiencedagencies,althoughonlyonavoluntarybasis.Thereisstillnocoordinatedresponse.Nooneisultimatelyheldresponsible(beyondoperationswithinindividualagencies).
Asaresultthousandsofsmallergroupsplayacriticalroleinprotectingthehomeless,andthesevarywidelyinscope,competence,approach,andeffectiveness.Fewamongthemspecializeinbuildinghomesorinfrastructurebeforedisasterstrikes,andrarelyaretheyscreenedforexpertise.Worse,manyofthesegroupsdonothavethecapacitytojudgethequalityofexpertstheyemploy.Ironically,theplethoraofpub-lishedguidesandinternationallyacceptedstandardsforgoodpractice,intendedtohelpprofessionalizethesector,canjustaswellempowerindividualswhodonothavetheoperationalortechnicalskillstoworkonthegroundinreconstruction.Competingmandatesanddonorpriorities,weakcoordination,fragmentedknowledge,andablatantdisregardforenvironmen-talhealthoftencharacterizethefailedpracticesthatprevailafteradisaster,andthatleadtonewdangersaswellasintolerablewaste.Morethaneverthereisacrucialandimmediateneedforarchitects(alongwithotherbuilt-environmentprofession-als)tobringtheirtraining,competence,andingenuitytodisaster-riskprevention,mitigation,response,andrecovery.
Herearejustthreeofthemanywaysinwhicharchitecturalknow-howiscriticalinpost-crisissituations.Thefirsthastodowithcapacity.Well-trainedarchitectswhoareactivelybuilding
disasterandrebuild.Thehighlyskilledarchitectsandleadersinotherfieldswhohavesogenerouslycontributedtothisbookareprovidingresilientsolutionsthatensurethesafetyofnewhomesandbringcoherencetoland-useplanning.Theseteamsassessdamagebutalsoresearchinnovativebuildingtechnolo-gies.Theyareattheforefrontoftheuseoflow-cost,energy-saving,environmentallysoundmaterialsandnewmethodsofprefabrication.Theyhavediscoveredwaystobringaffordablehigh-techsolutionstovulnerablecommunities.Theseteamsareexpertsinhowbesttobridgethegapthatseparatesshort-termemergencyneedsfromlong-termsustainablerecovery.Andtheyareexperiencedinhelpingreducefuturerisk,pro-moteawareness,andprotectreliefinvestment.Admittedly,thislevelofexpertiseisrare,concentratedinthehandsoffartoofewprofessionalsworkingworldwide.
Beyond Shelterisacalltoaction. WhenIstartedwritingthisbookandsearchedforpracticingarchitectsskilledatworkingwithriskalmosteveryoneaskedmethesamequestion:whyarchitects?Asiftosay,whatisittous?AttheconferenceRisquesMajeurs2008(MajorRisks2008)sponsoredbytheEuropeanUnion,twoorthreearchitectswerepresent.Theoffi-cialsandministersIspokewithremindedmethatonaveragearchitectscontributetoonly3percentoftheworldsbuiltenvi-ronment.Theirindifferenceorworse,irrelevancetotheworldsmostvulnerablecommunitiesmadethemseemhardlyworthtalkingabout.Threepercentisaterriblenumber.
Butifnotarchitectsandplanners,whoisinchargeofrebuildingtownsandvillagesleveledbyearthquakesandcyclones?Theanswerisdisquieting:nooneisincharge.Typically,apatchworkofnongovernmentalcharities,govern-mentagencies,andresidentsthemselvescobbletogethersolutions.Inlarge-scaledisasters,evenwhenaidpoursin,theexpertiseandplanninginfrastructureneededtomakebestuseofthemoneyarelacking.
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Sothisisalsoabookforstudentsinthedesignfieldstoinspireandstirapassionforreform.Theurgentneedtoaffordthenextgenerationofarchitectsnewrelevancehascompelledahandfulofprofessionalstochangethewaywethinkaboutarchitecturaleducation.AtColumbiaandMIT,atschoolsinPortland,SanDiego,NewOrleans,Montreal,Paris,Caracas,SoPaolo,andSantiago,andatnewuniversitiesbeingestab-lishedinJapanandIndia,studentsareworkingonprojectsthatrevolutionizesocialhousing,tacklepoverty,segregation,andviolenceincitiesandrethinkourresponsetorisk.Theseinno-vativeprogramsareprovidingalternativestothetraditionaldesignstudiosthatpromoteself-interestandflightsoffantasythoughthesequalitiesarenotinthemselvesbad.Rather,whenaspiringarchitectsareconfrontedwiththerealworld,whentheytesttheirmettleagainstsocialinjustice,andespeciallywhentheyaregiventheopportunitytoworkdirectlywithcommunitiesinneed,theydrawuponhonesty,lifeexperience,andfear,whichunleashfreshinsightsandleadtohighlycreativesolutions.
Allofthisisinourbestinterests.Wewholiveinwealthynationsarenotimmunefromdisasters,andwe,too,strugglewithourowndisinvestedcommunities,inequalities,andpoverty.Wehavealottolearnfromourpoorerneighborsaboutdealingwithcrisisathome.Learningfromextremeconditionsinthe
developingworldisapowerfulsourceofcreativity.Evolvingriskrequiresnewwaysofthinking.Forinstance,theemerginguseofmicrofinanceandmicroinsurance,whichhelpsincreaseresilienceinpoorcommunities,isbringingnewbusinessmodelstoaffluentmarketsatatimewhenthebusinessclimateisother-wisenotfavorable.Citizen-ledreconstruction,anempoweringandcollaborativeprocessthatsupportssociallyequitabledevelopment,isteachingushowtovalueandforgecollabora-tionsandsynergisticpartnershipsrootedinlocalpriorities.Streamliningcostly,complexinnovationshasledtothedevel-opmentofsuchcleverdevicesasportableultrasoundreaders,LEDlights,andpoint-of-originwaterpurifiers,aswellasstrate-giesforalow-carbonfutureandgreaterbiodiversity.Thestridesbeingmadetoaddresspovertyandscarcityarealreadyimprovingouruseoftechnology.Similar trickle-upapproachesarebeingtestedineducation.Certainly,newwaysofsolvingtheingrainedproblemsthatputusatriskwillcomefromanarrayofcultures,economies,andgeographiesthatshareourdesireforgreatersecurity.
Whatdoesitmeantobesafe?Safety,Ihavelearned,isnotonlyanchoredinbettertechnologiesorbetterbuildings.Safetyliessomewherebeyondshelter,inthefreedomofbeingsecureenoughtorelax,play,aspire,anddreamforgenerations.
AschoolinPtionville,Haiti,aftertheearth-quakeof2010.Nearly5,000schoolsweredestroyedorseverelydamaged.
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Afteraconflictordisasteraretheriskspeoplefaceaddressedpoorlybythesprawlingcommunityofdisaster-reliefanddevel-opmentspecialists?Canthehumanitariansectorimprovethewayitresponds?Ibelievetheansweris yes,andthatbetterarchitectureandconstructionarecrucialtotemperingpeo-plesvulnerabilityafterdisasters.BybetterImeanmoredurable,moresound,morefit-for-purpose:buildingsthatservetheiroccupantsincomfortandsafety.Ialsomeanbuiltbetter,inthesensethatabetterprocessofbuildingisfollowed.Thebuildingprocesscanbeimprovedtoincludetraininglocalbuilders,engaginglocalmarkets,andensuringthateverystructurefunctionswithinalargerdevelopmentscheme.Further,therearenotenoughgoodlong-termbuildingprojectsspearheadedbyNGOsanddonors,asituationthatperpetu-atesvulnerabilityindevelopingcommunitiesandleadstocatastrophewhennaturalcalamitiesstrike.Simplyput:thereisnotenougharchitecturalanddesignexpertisewithinmostorganizationsandagenciestoaddressandsolvethisproblem.
Thismeansthatarchitects(alongsideotherbuilt-environmentprofessionals)arevitaltocreatingsignificantchangeinhowdisasterreliefanddevelopmentarepracticed.InMarch2006HilaryBenn,thentheUKSecretaryofStateforInternationalDevelopment,declared,Rarelydodisastersjusthappentheyoftenresultfromfailuresofdevelopmentwhichincreasevul-nerability.1Oneofthemostsignificantfailuresoftheaidanddevelopmentprocessis,quitefrankly,intheunintendedresultsofourinterventionsinthenameofrecovery.
the role of the architect
Thespecificskillsthatarchitectsbringtopost-disasterrecon-structionincludetheabilitytodomorewithless.ThebestNGOsperseveretomakethegreatestdifferenceforthepeoplethey
serve.DuringreconstructionNGOsoftenfindthemselvesresponsiblefordeployingsignificantfundingwithoutnecessarilyknowingmuchaboutconstruction:theyareneitherdesignersnorbuilders;theyhavenoexperiencemanagingcontracts;theyarenotsurewhattoexpectfromprofessionals;andtheymaynothavethecapacitytoevaluateexpertise.
Article25isacharitybasedintheUnitedKingdomthatoffersadesign-consultancyservicetonongovernmentalorga-nizations,orNGOs.Thestaffmembersarebuilt-environmentprofessionalsfromalldisciplines.ItisapartofourmissiontoprovideNGOswithdesignandconstructionexpertise.ManyNGOscometousbecauseconstructionprojectshavegonewrongcontractorshavewalkedoffthesite,structuresareinadequateorcrumbling,theyareoverbudgetorpasttheirdeadline,andcommunitiesaredividedovertheoutcome.Thearchitectistheprofessionalwhoseroleitistomanageallthepartiesonaproject.Architectsaredesignersandbuilders,cer-tainly,buttheyarealsoexpertcontractmanagers,abletoseethearcofaproject.Architectsarethepartyresponsiblefortakingthebudgetandresourcesavailabletoacredible,perti-nent,long-termbuiltsolution,alonganoptimalpath.
This,ofcourse,isnotthepopularviewofanarchitect.Atbestthepublicseesarchitectsasartists,atworstassuperfluousprofligatespenderschargedwithexecutingthewhimsandfanciesofaclientsvision.Andheavenknowsthepressandmediaoutletshavenothelpedchangethisperception.IftheonlinereadercommentsonanarticlepublishedinCNN OpinionafterthemassiveHaitiearthquakein2010areanyindication,manypeoplethinkthatarchitectsexisttomakethingslookpretty.2Butnowmorethaneverarchitectswhomwerarelyhearaboutareusingtheirskillstosolveproblemsandimprovebuildingindevelopingcountries.Thisincludeserectingschoolsandsustainablehousingaswellasparticipat-inginpost-disasterreconstructionprojectsaroundtheworld.
introductionthe architecture of riskVictoria l. harrisarticle 25 deVelopMent and disaster relief, london
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Thislastiscrucial:reliefandreconstructionofferanopportunitytostimulateandsupportlocalbusinesses.Unfortunately,throughlackofexpertise,vision,orstaff,manyNGOstakethepathofleastresistanceanduseasinglecontractor,whichoftenmeansthattheeconomicbenefittothelocaleconomyleavestownwhenhedoes.NGOsshouldnotmisstheopportunitytobringinformalmarketsandlocallaborforcesintoaproject;thisleadstoreducedvulnerabilitybyincreasingfuturecapacity,providingamorecohesiveandcoherentproject,andaffordingthecommunityagreatersenseofownership.Goodcommunityconsultationandplanningcanbeapowerfulengineforchange.Architectsareadeptatsuchplanningmethods.
Theseinteractionsneednotbeelaborateorfraught.InourfirstprojectatArticle25wedesignedaschoolforstreetchil-dreninGoa,India.Duringthedesignprocessweconsultedthechildrenandteacherswhowouldbeusingthefacilityanddis-coveredthatwhattheymostwantedwasatheater.Wemadeasimple,cost-freechangetotheplan,shapingthedoublestepatthefrontofthebuildingtocurveoutwardtoformastage.TwoyearsafterthebuildingwascompletedIreceivedaflyeradvertisingaperformancebythechildrentoentertainthelocalcommunityandtouristsinthearea.
the experts
Beforethe2004tsunamiintheIndianOcean,architectshadhardlyfiguredinthetaskofpost-disasteraid.Butwhentheenormouswavesdestroyedhomes,property,andinfrastruc-tureovervastcoastalareasineightcountries,theneedforshelterbecameanemergencyonanunprecedentedscale.Suddenly,reconstructionenteredthedisaster-reliefagenda.Itquicklybecameclearthattheskillsofarchitectswerenotbeingemployedinthiseffort;worse,theywerebeingneither
Architectscanfindsolutionsthatmakestructuresmoreefficient,cheaper,moreresilient,andbettersuitedtotheirpurpose.Theystewardthehopes,needs,andfundingofaclientthroughtoprojectcompletion.So,ifarchitectsareactiveinmanyNGOandgovernment-sponsoredprojects,whatisgoingwrongindisasterrelief?
Theansweriscomplex.WestartedArticle25specificallytohelpbuildsaferbuildingsinthecontextofdevelopmentanddisasterrelief.Ifwearetotakepeoplesvulnerabilityseriously,wemustdeployandinsistonmuchgreatertechnicalexper-tiseinarchitectureandconstruction.Architectscanprovidesomeofthisexpertise,buttheirskillsarenotbeingeffectivelytransmittedtotheworkerswhoexecuteprojectson-sitethatis,tothepermanentresidentsofthecommunitywhowillbuildthereinthefuture.GeorgeOforioftheUniversityofSingaporehasstudiedthefactorsaffectingresilienceincommunitiesafteradisaster;headvocatesdevelopingtheconstructionindustriesofthepoorernationsinordertoequipthemtomanagedisas-tersandconcludes,Itisimportanttoenhanceknowledgeonthelinkagebetweengoodplanning,designandconstruction,anddisasterpreventionandmanagement.Akeymissingele-mentisawarenessamongpractitioners.3Thereissignificantawarenessofthisdeficiencyamongthebestorganizations,butithasnotyetledtoconsistentindustry-wideactionontheground.Wearefailingtotransmitexpertisetothelowestpracti-callevel.Thismaybebecausethereisagapbetweenwhatarchitectsareperceivedtodoandwhattheyactuallycando.
Ifarchitectsaremuchmorethandesignexperts,gooddesignismuchmorethanaesthetics.IntheNGOsectortheskilledarchitectcancoordinatetherolesofprojectpartici-pants,whichallowsmembersofthecommunitytheclientsorbeneficiariestogetinvolvedinlinewiththeirabilities.Theprocessofconstructioncanincludetraining,skillsharing,andcreatingeconomicbenefitsforlocalsuppliersandmarkets.
pWhendisasterdoesnotmeetdevelopment:Gujaratafterthefloodof2008
ppMicrotilesbeingmoldedlocally,inNepal
sChildrenparticipateinadesignworkshopaspartoftheplanningprocessforaschoolbuiltbyArticle25inGoa,India.
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offerednorsought.Wewereallcaughtflat-footed.Sincethentheprofessionhasrecognizedthatithasskillsofcriticalvaluetolong-termrecovery.
Still,thenumberofcompetentarchitectsinvolvedinnon-profitworkremainssmall.Alltoofrequentlylipserviceispaidtotheneedforrealexpertiseinconstructionandarchitecturewhileatthesametime,ontheground,NGOsareputtingmostoftheireffortsintotrainingnovicestoexecuteonlybasicskills.ThereisaplethoraofbookletsproducedbyNGOs,targetedatthosewithnoexperienceorprofessionalexpertise.Thisservesonlytopromotetheuseofunskilled,barelytrained,well-intentionedvolunteers,whoarrivefromallcornersoftheglobeinthewakeofadisaster,attheexpenseofputtingtrulyskilledbestprac-ticesinplay.Thus,lackofexpertstaffsiscommoninNGOs.Meanwhile,afteradisasterlocalexpertsmayhavediedor,iftheyarepresent,maybepreoccupiedwithpersonalcrisesorinneedofretrainingtorespondtothestructuralproblemsraisedbytheevent.
Theuseofexpertiseshouldnotbeconfusedwithimposingtop-downsolutions.Onthecontrary:expertiseisakeytooltointegrateanNGOprojectwithacommunity.Itgenuinelybringscapacity,notprescription.Italsobringscredibilitythatisvitaltopersuadinglocalandnationalgovernmentstoact,aswellasinnovativeideasthatcommunitiesneedtobetterstewarddonorfunds.Yetatconferencesaroundtheworldwecontinuetotalkaboutplasticsheetsandlean-tostructurestemporaryfixeswhileNGOsplowaheadwithouttheprofessionalskillstheyneedtorebuildproperly.
the donors
Largedonorshavearoletoplayhere.Donorsrarelyfundtheplacementofinnovativeconstructionexpertiseinthefield.
Theydosometimesprovidefundingforbasictraining,butthisisrarelyagoodidea.
Itdoesnothelpthatmostsheltergroupsdefinethemselvessolelyintermsofhumanitarianoremergencywork.Theyhavenotruckwiththelong-term,complexmatterofbuildingsustain-able,resilientsystems.Emergencyfundinganddisasterreliefaretheirdomain.Shelterprovisioninthesesilosofpracticeisbasic,temporary,inadequateforsecurity,anddoesnothingtohelprestorepeopleslivelihoods.Thissortofpractice,fueledbycompetitionamongagencies,impairsthehumanrightsofthosesufferingafteradisaster.Further,emergencyhumanitar-ianfundingstopsabruptlyatthetransitional-shelterstage,precludinglong-termsolutionsandeffectivelycondemningpeopleforyearstoinadequateshelter.
Donorshavebeencalledontoincreasefundingtime-scalesandlinkdisasterresponsetolong-termdevelopment.Thisiswisebutnoteasy.Forexample,oneexperiencedNGOiniti-atedapolicyin2006thatallowsfundingtobeusedoverthreeyears,whereonly30percentcanbespentinthefirstsixmonths.Unfortunately,inpractice,theunintendedresultisthattheemergency-shelterphasegetsdraggedout,whilereliefisstillnotlinkedtolong-termreconstruction.Indeed,inpractice,emergency-reliefsheltergroupsgooutoftheirwaytoexclude,evenignore,thegoalsoflonger-termdevelopmentandrecov-ery.Thethree-yearwindow,adoptedbymanyNGOs,hasbecomeameanstoextendtheirterritory,prolongingbasicemergency-shelterresponselongpasttheimmediatemomentofcrisisandcondemningcommunitiestoaprotractedstateofprovisionalshelter.
Forthelarger,well-knownagenciesemergencyfundingiseasytocomeby.Theoutpouringofsympathythatdevelopednationsmusterafternaturaldisastersisusuallyimmense;ithasevensometimesforcedinternationalaidagenciestoturndowndonationsbecausetheylackedthecapacitytodeploythe
hugesumsavailable.Theresponsibilitytoresolvethisquan-darylieswithdonornationsandgovernments,whomusttaketheleadindemandingthatorganizationsseekhigh-valuesolu-tions,andmatchingtheiroffersoffundstomuchlongertimeframes.Atpresent,unfortunately,theoppositeiscommonpractice:donorsofteninsistuponatermlimittoaredevelop-mentproject.Theywantaclearenddatetobeestablishedinadvanceandmayrequirethatmillionsofdollarsbespentinjustayearortwo.Asaresultmoneymaygounspentorbereturned;medicalsuppliesarethrownout,suppliesbottleneck,andresourcesarewasted.Thisisinexcusable.
Anobviouswaytousemoneywiselyafterdisastersistobuildbetter,saferbuildingsthatembracelong-terminfrastructuralandenvironmentalplanning.Itisanoldtruismthatearthquakesdontkillpeople;buildingsdo.Inadisasterthedeathtolliscom-poundedbythelossofinfrastructure.ThisisnowheremoreevidentthanintheheartbreakingrealityoftheearthquakeinHaiti,wherecriticalbuildingssuchashospitalswerelost.Donoragenciesmustpromotesafebuiltsolutions,andthisrequiresthattheyallowfundstobespentgradually,acrosstenaciousprogramsoverseenbyinternationalaswellaslocalNGOs.Disasterreliefandlong-termdevelopmentmustbeinextricablylinked,anddevelopmentopportunitiesassessedandinsisteduponineveryaspectofthereconstructionprocess.
article 25: what we do
Article25isagroupofarchitects,engineers,surveyors,devel-opmentprofessionals,planners,communicationexperts,andfinancialanalysts.Forustheprocessofdevelopmentandtheprocess ofbuildingareseamlesslyintertwined.Theopportu-nitytouseabuildingasacatalystforlastingchangeisnottobemissedinthedesignandconstructionphases.Projectdesign
isimbeddednotonlyinbuildingdesignbutinhowthewholeconstructionprocessiscoordinated.Thisiswherearchitectsbecomenotonlyrelevant,butvital.
InSierraLeonewearedevelopingschools.Thecountryisextremelypoor,withheavilydamagedinfrastructurefollowingacivilwar.Ourbriefwastodesignanewmodelschoolthatwoulddrasticallyimprovethequalityofthebuildingsand,therefore,education.Article25sdesignsmatchorimproveonthecostsofthePlan,Care,andUNICEFmodelspersquarefoot.Andwegoconsiderablyfurther,improvingcoolingandventilationsystems,usingspacemoreintelligently,andaddressingchildsafety.Wealsoaccommodatestructuralvariables,suchasallowingfortheinterchangeableuseofeithersawntimberorbush-polescol-lectedlocallyduringconstruction.Asthesefeaturessuggest,ourdesignsenablecommunity-basedsolutionsratherthanrely-ingsolelyonaprescriptive,contractor-orientedapproach.
Expertsonthegroundcanleveragefundinganddesignparameters.InPakistananArticle25teammemberwaschargedwithensuringsafebuildingpracticeswhiletrainingthelocallaborforcetoconstructtheseismicallyresistanthomesthatwehaddesigned.Hehadlimitedfundingbuthispresencemadeallthedifference.Whilethedesignhadworkedwellonpaper,heintroducedchangesthatsavedthebudget:forexample,amore-than-adequate6mm-gaugerebarwasusedinsteadoftheproposed8mmrebar,reducingbothtransportandmaterialcosts.Inaprojectofthisnature,inremote,mountainousvillages,transportcanbetwo-thirdsofthecostofmaterials.Havingsavedmoneyontransportation,hewasabletoconstructretainingwallsonthemountainwherethehouseswerebeingbuilt.Beingflexibleandabletoadapttotheterrainsaveslivesatnoadditionalcost,andshowstheleveragearchitecturalexpertisebringstoaproject.
Evenone-offfundingofabuildinginpost-disasterdevelop-menthasgreatpotentialforthecommunity.Goodprocesses
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reverberatelongafterthecamerasaregone.ArecentstudyfortheWorldBankconcludesthatschoolconstructionprogramsareirreplaceableopportunitiestoimprovetheskillsoftheinformalsector,iftheyaregiventheopportunitytocompeteforlocalsmallcontractsandreceiveadequate site supervision.4
Maintenanceisacentralissuethatisoftenoverlookedbydevelopmentorganizationswithashort-termremit.Thesamestudyalsopointsoutthatthedurabilityofschoolbuildingsindevelopingcountriesnotonlyresultsfromdesignandqualityconstruction,butalsoreliesheavilyonmaintenance.Embed-dingskillsandasenseofownershipinthebeneficiarygroupcanguaranteethatmaintenancewillbemanagedbythelocalcommunity,whichthusisabletosafeguardtheinitialinvest-mentandmaximizethebuildingslong-termutility.Alltoooftenwehearofbrand-newhomes,builtbywell-intentionedNGOs,whoseupkeepwastooexpensive,sothattheyareabandonedbytheirresidents,leavingcrumblingwhiteelephants.TheopportunitytoinvolvelocalsmallcontractorsandlaborandsupervisethemwellisanotherassetthatthearchitecturallyadeptNGObringstotheprojectcycle.
poVerty
Despitevigorousrecentargumentsthatdevelopmentopportu-nitiesshouldgohandinhandwithpost-disasterreconstruction,littlehaschangedinpractice.Weneedtoaskwhetherourtaskshouldbeundertakenwithoutaddressingtherootproblemsthatcontributetothescopeofacatastrophe.Rootcausesrevolvearoundpoverty,inmanycasesabjectpoverty,whichgrosslyincreasespeoplesvulnerabilitytocatastrophicevents.PeopleslivingincountrieslowontheUnitedNationsHumanDevelopmentIndexarefarmorelikelytoliveinunsafe,poorlybuilt,poorlylocatedaccommodations,andarefarlesslikelytohavethe
resourcestocopewithorrecoverfromcatastrophicpressure.Povertyiseverybitasmuchadisasterasanearthquakeor
tsunami.Butitislong,slow,anddrawn-out,anemergencymiss-ingtheinitialprecipitatingevent.Antipovertydevelopmentshouldbehigherontheglobalagenda,butitmakesforpoormediacopycomparedtoasuddenandhorrifyingsingleeventsuchasanaturaldisaster.TheCNNEffect,inwhichrelentlessnewscoverageofanimmediateandvivideventstimulatesmassinterestinit,affectstheperceptionofaneedforaction.Forexample,byFebruary2005,onemonthaftertheIndianOceantsunami,theinternationalcommunityhaddonated$500perpersonaffectedbythetsunami,comparedtothe$0.50receivedforeachpersonaffectedbyUganda'seighteen-yearwar.
Further,nottakinganthropicriskintoaccountleavespeopleinharmsway.Countriesrecoveringfromhuman-createddisastersfallintoagameofRussianroulette,tousethephraseoftheeconomistPaulCollierofOxfordUniversity.Afteracivilwarends,heexplains,inthepoorestcountriesthereisaoneinsixchancethatanationwillreturntowarwithintenyears,becauseacriticaldemographic,youngmen,areleftoutofrecoveryplanning.5Effectivepost-conflictreconstructioncanaddressthisdirectly.Reconstructionisaprogrammatic,sys-temictask,notasurgicalintervention;itislabor-intensiveandassuchcangeneratelivelihoods.Buildingbuildscapacitybuildssecurity.Buildingfundamentallyreducesvulnerability.
paying the way
Collierisabletocommenteffectivelyonthisbecauseheiswell-equippedtoassessincentives,risk-and-rewardscenarios,andmarketforces.Wemeasurethedevelopmentofthepoor-estcountriesthebottombillionwiththeUNsMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,eightrulesofthumbthatremindusof
fAnearthquake-safehousewithareinforcedtimberframeandcorrugatedgalvanizedironroofunderconstructioninJareed,Pakistan,2008
d/sAhouseinBagh,Pakistan,usingthesameconstructiontechniquesandshownatlaterstages.Thewallsareoftimber,mud,andstone.Aroof-trussridgeandwall-platecolumn,featuresdesignedtowithstandearth-quakes,wereaddedbythearchitecton-site.
iAcurrentschoolbuildinginSierraLeone
oAnewschoolhasbeendesignedbyArticle25tomaximizeitsenvironmentalperformanceandprovideflexibilityinhowclassesareconducted.
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whatwewouldliketoachieveasaglobalsocietyby2015.6Everygoalimplicitlydependsonabuilding:schoolsarerequiredforeducationandhospitalsandclinicsforhealthcare.Alternativeproposalsforinstance,thosethatfavoropen-aireducationorstreet-cornerschoolingareavainandidealistichope.AUNESCOreportfoundthatoutdoorlearningmayhavebeenaviableemergencyexpedientinIndiawhenitwasanewlyemergingcountry[but]thenobuildingsolutionisunsatisfac-tory....schoolswithouttheirownbuilding...tendtohavelowattendanceandthosewhodoattendareinclinedtohaveapooracademicperformance.7AWorldBankstudyinGhanashowedthatsimplyimprovingthephysicalqualityofschoolbuildingsmendingleakyroofs,forexampleimprovedmathandliteracyscoresbyover2standarddeviations,ormorethan97percent.Thisimprovementisgreaterthanwhatwasachievedbyprovid-ingbasicteachingequipmentsuchasblackboards.Thereportargues,Acost-benefitanalysis...showsthatrepairingclass-rooms(apolicyoptionignoredinmosteducationstudies)isacost-effectiveinvestmentinGhana,relativetoprovidingmoreinstructionalmaterialsandimprovingteacherquality.8
Atpresentthewayemergenciesarehandledandfundedmilitatesagainstmitigationandsustainedrecovery.Itisintheinterestoftheglobaleconomytogetdisasterreliefanddevel-opment right,yetwedonotassesstheriskscorrectly;changesinthewaydonorsfundpost-disasterrecoveryandinthewayorganizationsallocatethefundsreceivedarecriticalifwewanttoincreasetheinvestmentinexpertiseovertime.Currently,risksassociatedwithshortemergenciesprecipitatingeventsareusuallyprioritizedoverlongemergenciessuchasendemicpoverty.Consequently,wedoapoorjobofassessingriskinrelationtoongoingissuessuchaslivelihoods.Weprefertorespondtosuddenemergencies;weattendtothempsychologi-callyandsoaredrawntooverreacttoevent-drivendisasters,whileoverlookinglong-termcriseslikeHIV/AIDSandotherdis-eases,poverty,orongoingcivilunrest.Donorsfocustooexclusivelyonemergencyreliefpreciselybecausetheyareonlyhuman,butourindifferencetothelargerandlongeremer-genciesperpetuatesthem.Asamatterofprinciple,theprojectcycleofanydevelopmentorreliefeffortshouldincludecapac-itybuilding.
So,ifwearenotgoodatevaluatingrisk,shoulditbedoneimpartially,usingaformula?Financialmanagersuseasimpleoption-pricingequation,Risk=HazardxVulnerability,toana-lyzeventures.Thisequationhasbeenadoptedbyresearchersinotherdisciplines,butdevelopmentandshelterpractitionersusuallyseeitasananalogyandnotastrictmathematicalrela-tiontobeapplieddirectlytotheirwork.Theyaremistaken.R=HxVcanbeillustratedinthesimpleactofbuyingalotteryticket.TheHazard(inthiscaseagoodhazard)iswinningthelottery.TheVulnerabilityisthechanceofwinningoneinfour-teenmillionintheUKNationalLottery,forinstance.ThismeansthatmultiplyingHazardbyVulnerabilityshowsusthatafairpur-chasepriceforaticket,ifthejackpotis7million,wouldbe50pence(i.e.,7millionx1/14).Onarolloverweek,ifthejackpot
iThecourtyardoftheNkoranzaChildrensHomeandSchool,inNkoranza,Ghana
pTheChildrensHomeandSchool,builtbyArticle25,replacedadilapidatedareaschool.
ppSchoolboysinNkoranzaworkingontheirowndesignfortheschool.Article25devel-opedthefinaldesignwithcommunityinput.
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is14millionitwouldbefairtopricetheriskat1perticketanditwouldbereasonabletorisk1inthiscase.ThisexampleshowsthatriskassessmentcanbeafairlyprecisecalculationiftheHazardandVulnerabilitycanbewell-quantified.Developmentspecialistscanbenefitenormouslyfrombringinginskillsthatarenotpartoftheircoreset.Thesemaywellcomefromecono-mists,whocanoptimizethecostsandbenefitsofinterventions,aswellasfrombuilt-environmentprofessionals.
Article25wasfoundedonthepremisethatdevelopment,andconstructioninparticular,shouldbebroughttotheforeasanintegralpartofdisaster-riskreductionandemergencyreliefbecausedecreasedvulnerabilitytodisasterdependsonresil-ienceonhavingalong-termsolution.Oneofthekeystoresilienceisalastingphysicalfabric.Asnaturalandman-madedisastersincreaseandtheyareontheriseitisourresponsi-bilitytoprovidethemeansofmitigatingvulnerability.
Itseemssoobvious.ButIstillfindmyselfasking,willwebeluckyandsmart?Willwebeabletolookback,forexample,onourcurrentworkinHaitiandsay,forthefirsttime,yes,wehavetakentheethosofresiliencetrulytoheart?Atthetimeoftheearthquake,formerpresidentBillClintonwasappointedUNspecialenvoyfortheisland;onJanuary14,twodaysaftertheevent,hewroteinthe Washington Post,Aswecleartherubble,wewillcreatebettertomorrowsbybuildingHaitibackbetter:withstrongerbuildings,betterschoolsandhealthcare.9Thisisnotatrivialresponsibility;takingbettertoheartmeansthatNGOsmustrequirethattheexpertiseofbuilt-environmentprofessionalsbeattheforefrontofrebuildingefforts.Wemustchangeourapproachtobuildingtoconsiderhowaswellaswhatwebuild.Ifweintendtrulytobuildbackbetterandleavesafercommunitiesthereneedstobeaseachangeinthewayhumanitarianworkiscarriedout.Itwouldbeterribleifthebil-lionsofdollarsindisaster-relieffundingthataregoingtoHaitionlyleavepeopleatgreaterrisk.
Notes1 ReducingtheRiskofDisastersHelpingtoAchieveSustainablePovertyReductioninaVulnerableWorld:ADFIDPolicyPaper(London:DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment),March2006,1.
2 BuildingHousestoResistEarthquakes,postedonlineonFebruary3,2010,atwww.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/02/03/cross.quake.resistant.housing/index.html?hpt=C2,accessedJuly12,2010.Thearticle,aninterviewwithRobinCrossofArticle25,describestheworkoftheorganizationinPakistananditsplanstoassistinrebuildingHaiti.
3 GeorgeOfori,ConstructionIndustryDevelopmentforDisasterPreventionandResponse,paperdeliveredatthe2ndInternationalConferenceonPost-DisasterReconstruction:PlanningforReconstruction,Coventry,UK,April2223,2004,onlineatwww.grif.umontreal.ca/pages/i-rec%20papers/ofori.pdf,accessedJuly12,2010.
4 Emphasisadded;seeSergeTheunynck,SchoolConstructionStrategiesforUniversalPrimaryEducationinAfrica:ShouldCommunitiesBeEmpoweredtoBuildTheirSchools?(Washington,DC:InternationalBankforReconstructionandDevelopment/WorldBank,2009),32,125.
5 SeePaulCollieretal.,Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy(Oxford,UK:OxfordUniversityPress,2003);andPaulCollier,The Bottom Billion(Oxford,UK:OxfordUniversityPress,2007)andfurtherbibliographycitedthere.
6 Seewww.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml.
7 JohnBeynon,Physical Facilities for Education: What Planners Need to Know,FundamentalsofEducationPlanningseries57(Paris:UNESCO,1997),18.
8 PaulGlewweandHananJacoby,StudentAchievementandSchoolingChoiceinLowIncomeCountries:EvidencefromGhana,Journal of Human Resources29,no.3(1994):84364.
9 BillClinton,WhatWeCanDotoHelpHaiti,NowandBeyond,Washington Post, January14,2010,onlineatwww.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13/AR2010011304604.html,accessedJuly12,2010.
Communitybrick-makinginGujarat,India
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architecture after disaster
part 1
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we presented an alternative plan that under scored the wisdom of allowing residents to rebuild where they lived. andrea fitrianto
uplink, Jakarta
learning froM aceh
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1.1learning froM aceh
organizationuplink
proJect locale banda aceh, indonesia
(previousspread)BandaAceh,Indonesia,afterthetsunamiof2004
ffBandaAceh,beforeandafterthetsunami
iResidentsreturnedtoAsoenanggroevillage,nearBandaAceh,inFebruary2005.Littleremainedatthesitebutdebris.
fTheIndonesiangovernmentsoriginal2005relocationpolicyforthedisplacedcoastalresidentsofBandaAcehrequiredthemtomoveinland.Yellow=high-densityurbanpopulationsRedsquare=existingcitycenterPinksquare=proposednewcitycenter
the background
OnSunday,December26,2004,at8:45inthemorning,apow-erfulearthquake,measuring9.2Mw,struckBandaAcehandothercoastalcitiesintheAcehprovinceofIndonesia.1ThemassivetectonicshiftatthebottomoftheIndianOceandis-placedabodyofwaterthattraveledatthespeedofajetairlinertothecoastsofThailand,Bangladesh,India,SriLanka,Somalia,andelsewhereineastAfrica.ThecityofBandaAceh,some6miles(9.7km)fromthequakesepicenter,washitthehardest,weakenedfirstbytheearthquakeandthenwashedawaybyawallofwater65feet(20m)high.Therewasnothingleftoftheoriginalcoastlinefor3miles(5km)inland.Thetsu-namidevastatedonethirdofthecity,took128,000lives,anddisplacedahalfmillionpeople.
IarrivedinBandaAceh,justoutofarchitectureschool,threedaysafterthecatastrophe,asamemberofanemergency-responseteamsentbytheaidorganizationUplink.2Wejoinedthelargesthumanitarianeffortinhistory.Initially,ourteamdeliveredfoodandmedicinetorefugeecampsandorganized
stress-reliefactivitiesforadultsandchildren.Later,weworkedonhousingreconstructionandadvocacy.
ThescaleofdestructioninAcehshockedtheworld.Mediacoveragegalvanizedglobalsympathyandsupportfortheaffectedcommunities.Moneystartedpouringin.Thiswasbothgoodandbad.Inaveryshortperiodoftimetherewassomuchmoneythattheprocessofrecoveryquicklybecamecompli-cated,competitive,andsuspect.
Further,itledtheIndonesiangovernmenttobeginverylarge-scaleplanning.AsearlyasFebruary2005theNationalDevelopmentPlanningAgencybannedallconstructionwithinamileandahalf(2.4km)ofthecoastline.Initially,thegovern-mentintendedtorelocatethemassofaffectedpopulationstoanew,moderncitytobebuiltinland,southeastofBandaAceh.Theplanamountedtoastatutoryevictionthatwouldseizethecoastforfuturedevelopment.UplinkcampaignedintenselyinJakartaagainsttheforcedrelocation.Wepresentedanalterna-tiveplanthatunderscoredthewisdomofallowingresidentstorebuildwheretheylived.Thegovernmentsplanwassounpop-ularthatitwasdismissedoutrightaftertwomonthsofdebate
andnonewcitywasbuilt. Areplacementpolicywasdeveloped,addressingthemainurbanpopulationbutnotthesmaller,difficult-to-reachvillagesinremoteareasontheurbanperiph-ery.AsaresultinApril2007Misereor,ourdonorpartnerinGermany,askedustostayonandgaveusagranttocarryoutacomprehensive,people-drivenreconstructionprograminthosevillages.
early Measures, back to the kaMpung
TheIndonesiangovernmentcalledonmilitarypersonneltoconstruct190temporarybarracksthroughoutAcehandNiastoreplacetheprovisional,short-livedtentsthathadbeensup-pliedinthefirstweeksoftheemergency.Thearmywasfastandefficientbutpaidlittleattentiontoindividualorcommunityneeds.Siteselection,forexample,wasbasedonfearofnewtsunamisorquakes,andonkeepingpeopleawayfromthecoast.Thebarracksweresoremotethatrefugeescouldnotreturntoworkorhelpreconstitutetheirvillages.Acehisrichin
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naturalresourcesbuthadbeenravagedbytwenty-fiveyearsofcivilwarthathadpittedthegovernmentsarmyagainstGAM,theFreeAcehMovement.3Therewasalonghistoryofcivilianabusesbythemilitary,sothelocalpeopledistrustedthearmyandhadlittlefaithinitsabilitytooverseeaidorrebuildfairly.
Moreover,humanitarianaidwasdeliveredliterallytothefrontdoorofvictims,anactofmisguidedkindnessthatexag-geratedthepeoplessenseofdependencyandlackofself-confidence.InfactthemajorityoftsunamisurvivorsinAcehwereadultmaleswhowereworkingandthereforenotinthekampungs(villages)whenthetsunamistruck.4Veryfewaidinitiativesrecognizedtheirpotential.Inthefirstyearthesemenweresystematicallyexcludedfromthereconstructionprocess;theirknowledgeofcommunitylifeandtheirphysicalcapacitytorebuildtheirvillageswerelargelyignored.Thiswasterriblyunfortunate,asoneofthemostproductivewaystotemperpsy-chologicaltraumaistoengagepeopleinpositivecollectiveaction.Whatsmore,cash-for-workprogramswereadoptedbysomeofthelargeragencies,includingOxfam:villagerswerepaidincashforclearingthelandofdebrisandpreparingitforreconstruction.Buttherewasnoviablemonitoringsystem,sofraudandcorruptionwerewidespread.Assoonasvillagerslearnedtospeakthelanguageofmoneytherewasnoreasontoactuallydothework.Itwasasifasecondtsunamihadhitthecommunities.Thecarelessaiddeliveryandmisusedfundsunderminedthesurvivorsconfidence,initiatives,andself-reli-ancenonphysicalassetsthathadbeensparedbythewaves.
Uplinksapproachtothereconstructioneffortwassignifi-cantlydifferentfromthatofthegovernmentorthelargerinternationalaidagencies.Weworkedwithdisadvantagedcommunitiesalongthecityswesternperiphery,towardthehillsofUjungPancu.Initially,thezonecomprisedfourteencommunitiesinadjacentvillages.ThesitehadservedasthebasecampforGAMbeforethetsunami,andalthoughthe
insurgentsweregoneitbecameasortofgroundzeroforthoseleftoutoftheformalaidprogram.Thefirststepwastoreturnpeopletotheirkampungsandprotecttheirlandfromappropri-ation,whetherbythegovernmentorbyotherresidentsfromthearea.Weprovidedtentsandfoodandsetupacommunalkitchen.Themajorityofofficialsuppliesweredistributedonlytotheauthorizedcamps,sowedeliveredbasicnecessitieson-siteandencouragedsurvivorstofocusonrebuilding.
building back better
Plannersandpolicymakersliketotalkaboutbuildingbackbetter,butlongintotheprocessatAcehthisphraseremainedmoreasloganthanapractice.Delaysinplanning,especiallyatthegovernmentlevel,inhibitedthesortofspontaneousinitia-tivesthatcanemergefromrealneed.Plannersfollowingaconventionalapproachfailedtoconsiderthattsunamisurvi-vorswantedtoreconstitutetheirlivesastheyhadbeenbefore.Reconcilingthesetwoopposinglogicsbuildingbackbetterandworkingquickly,withtherhythmofthepeopleisthemostimportantchallengearchitectsandplannersfaceinpost-disasterreconstruction.
ToovercomethiscontradictionwemovedtheUplinkplan-ningdeskintothefieldandjoinedthevillagers.(WecontinuedtomaintainanofficeinBandaAcehaswell.)Wewerelookingforasolutionon-site.Thefirstfacilitywebuiltthatspringwasinthemiddleofanemptylandscape,atemporarymeunasah,ortradi-tionalcommunitycenter.In2006wereplaceditwiththefirstmajornewpermanentbuilding.Theopeninsidespaceservedasaheadquartersforfurtherplanningbythecommunity.
Thecommunitycenterwasintendedfirstandforemosttohelpmanagetheintakeofaidfromdonorandgovernmentagenciesandforgeasenseofcommongroundamongthe
shelters.Theseprefabswereoftwotypes:one,madefromimportedlightsteelframesandwoodpanels,cost$4,500each.Theother,prefabricatedconcretemodules,weretoobrittletobeearthquake-safe.Andneithermodelincludedinstructionsforpost-emergencyuseordisposal.AsaresultabandonedtemporarysheltersalloverBandaAcehbecamecommon,sadremindersofhoweasyitistowastemoneyandresources.
CommunitylaborprovidedbytheJUBcollectedtsunamidebristimberandrecoveredandstraightenednails,whichUplinkrecycledfornewconstruction.Recyclingencouragesefficiency.Wealsodistributedcorrugatedmetalsheetingandadditionalnails.Infivemonthswebuilt450temporarysheltersintwenty-threekampungswithalmostnoexternalhelp.Ourgoalwastoprovidetemporarysheltersthataddressedarangeofurgentneedsenvironmental,economic,psychological,andsocial.
coMMunity surVey and Mapping
Thefirststepinthereconstructionprocessisacommunitysurvey.Communitysurveysandmapsformthebasisofareli-abledatabase.Basemapsarenotonlycrucialforplanning;theyalsohelpavoidfuturelanddisputes,unjustlanddistribu-tion,and,intheworsecases,inadvertentexclusionofthemostvulnerablesurvivors.Accountable,equitablesurveys,basedoncommunityparticipationandcreatedwithtransparency,serveasthebasisforreconstruction.Atypicalcommunitysurveyidentifiesanddescribesallresidentsofthearea.AttheUplinksitelistingthestatusofeachindividualwasslowbecausesomefamilieshadbeenscatteredintobarracks,awayfromtheirhomes.Butoncethelistwascompleteandsignedbyakampung representativeitbecamethereferenceforthenextstep:theneedsassessment.
variouscommunitiesinthearea.Usingthecenterasourbase,onMarch7,2005,weassistedintheformationofanorganiza-tioncalledJaringanUdeepBeusaree,orJUB,anetworkforlivingtogether.TheJUB,whichlatergrewtoincludetwenty-sixaffectedcommunities,playedanindispensablerole.Notonlydidmembersanimateandcoordinatethereconstructionpro-cess,buttheyactedasacounterparttoourpresenceasanexternal(albeitIndonesian),aidorganization.JUBadministra-torswereelectedlocally,andweeklymeetingsservedasaforumwhereproblemsandsolutionsweresharedandcollec-tivedecisionstaken.Theentireexperiencewasnewtotheparticipants,whohadbarelyknownoneanotherpriortothetsunami.TheJUBalsohelpedrestorethesocialinfrastructurebyestablishingothercommunityorganizations.WequicklylearnedfromtheJUBthatbuildingbackbettermeansmuchmorethanbuildingbetterfacilities;itisfundamentallyaboutbuildingbetterrelationships.Foralocalcommunitytotakesuchastrongleadershiproleisstillrareindisasterrecovery.
teMporary shelter
Togetherwiththeprovisionalcommunitycenter,Uplinkinstalledtemporaryshelters,madeoutofrecycledmaterials,toreplacethetents.Theseservedasreliableprotectionandhelpedsurvi-vorsmovequicklyfromemergencyaidtorecovery.Theirformandplacementwerechosenwithcommunityparticipation.
Manyofthelargerinternationalorganizations,suchastheInternationalOrganizationforMigration,providedprefabricatedshelterunitsmadeoutsidethecountry.Thesewerenotonlyexpensive,butpreventedaidfrombeingrootedinlocalinvest-ment.Theprefabricateddesignswereadhoc,andtheunitsweretime-consumingtoassemble.IttooktheInternationalRedCrossandRedCrescentsocietiessixmonthstostartdistributing
reconciling these two opposing logicsbuilding back better and working quickly, with the rhythm of the peopleis the most important challenge architects and planners face in post-disaster reconstruction.
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attentiontoagriculturallands.Houseswereplacedaccordingtothereconstructedpre-tsunamivillageplanbutowners,whilerequiredtorespecttherulesforeasementsandoffsets,werefreetodecidetheiractualposition.
house design
Westarteddesigninghouseswithindividualownersfourmonthsafterthetsunami.Thesessionswereparticularlywellattendedbywomen,whowereveryenthusiasticaboutpartici-patinginthedesignsandworkedcloselywithUplinksarchitects.Thisdidnothappenbyaccident.Fromtheoutsetwehadbeenespeciallyconcernedtorepresentwomensneedsandpriorities.Butinthebeginningonlymenhadattendedcommunitymeetings;womenwereexcluded,andlookedonfromoutsidethemeunasah.Uplinktheninsistedthatwomenbepresentatallcommunitygatherings.Themenresistedbutsoonacceptedtheidea.
SinceIndonesiaispronetotremors,earthquakesafetywasthemainfocusofhousedesign.WithMisereorwebroughtinarchitectsandengineersfromHunnarshaala,atechnical-assis-tanceNGObasedinBhuj,Gujarat,India.TheIndianteamhadhelpedwiththerecoverythereafterabigearthquakein2001,leadingowner-drivenreconstruction.Thesizeofeachhousewasfixedat388squarefeet(36sq.m),thestandardsetbytheAcehreconstructionauthority.Inthefirststagetwolandedhouses(thatis,notraisedonstilts)withdifferentoptionsfortheorientationoftheroofwereapproved.Atthispointresi-dentswereadamantlyopposedtotraditionalstilthouses.Asithappens,thetraditionalwooden-stiltAcehnesehouse,withitsthatchedroof,iswell-adaptedtolocalconditions:itisnotonlyclimaticallyefficient,butearthquake-safe.Thelightconstruc-tionandtheflexiblefootingallowthehousetoswayfreely,
Makingmapsisalsoakeyearlytask.Kampungmapsformedabridgefromthecommunityspasttoitspost-tsunamifuture.Collectivememoryofthekampungsastheyhadbeenbeforethedisasterbecomespartofthedocument.Individualkampungmembersusedtheirmaptoasserttheirassetsinthevillage.Usingthekampungmapswemadeascaledmapandthenadigitaltopographicsurveyofeachkampungthatrecorded,amongotherdetails,thetracesoffloorsandfounda-tionsofbuildingslargelyerasedbythetsunami.Survivorsthenmarkedoutplotboundaries,usingthesetracesasguides.Thelandsurveyalsoidentifiedplotsthathadbeendeformedorlosttotheseaorthathadbecomepartofanewcoastline.Peoplewhohadlostplotsweregivenlandfromthecommonholdingsofthecommunity.
kaMpung planning and Mitigation
Post-tsunamispatialplanningwasdevelopedwiththeJUB.Ourspatialplansinvolvedprovidingbetteraccesstoroadsandescaperoutesaswellasclearvistastowardtheseaandhill-side.Wewantedtobringthebeautyofthenaturalsettingbackintokampungdailylife.Theconceptforakampungmasterplanwasbasedonthetraditionalprincipleofgampong loen sayang,ormybelovedkampung,aphilosophythatempha-sizestheneedtobalanceenvironmental,cultural,andspirituallifebyminimizingtheimpactofhumanpresence.Theprogramthereforeincorporatedtreeplanting,eco-farming,greenarchi-tecture,greenenergy,andasoundsanitationsystem.Amitigationplanwasputinplacetoraiseawarenessoftheriskofnaturalhazards,whichrequiredthatwesometimesmodifythedispositionofthe kampungslightly.Forexample,culs-de-sac wereremovedbuttheroadnetworks,whichhelpmaintainastrongsenseofplace,werepreserved.Wepaidparticular
gThetemporarycommunitycenterinCotLamKuevillagewasanopen-walledshelterwithanelevatedfloor.Weheldourearlyplan-ningsessionshere.
fThenewcommunitycenterwasbuiltinanAcehnesestyleonraisedpylonsandwithasteeplypitchedroof.
iiPrefabtemporaryhousesprovidedin2005bytheInternationalOrganizationforMigrationcontinuetolittertheAcehlandscape.
iMapsandmodelsreconstructingdestroyedvillagesgaveresidentsthechancetoestablishwheretheirhouseshadbeen.
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Still,stilthouseswereahardsell.WeconstructedpilothomesinseveralkampungsandpromotedthemwithprintedT-shirts.Weinvitedcommunitymemberstovisitthemodelhomesandtalkedabouttheiradvantages.Ownersquicklyrealizedthatalthough344squarefeet(32sq.m)wasslightlysmallerthanthepromisedlandedhouse(acost-savingmeasure),theraiseddesignmeantthateachfamilywouldeffectivelygetdoublethefloorspace.
building Materials
Themostdifficultproblemwefacedwashowtoacquirebuild-ingmaterials.Intheaftermathofthedisastertherewasahighdemandforbrick,cement,steel,andwood.ThemarketforwoodriskedputtingterriblepressureontheforestsinAceh,potentiallycausingasecondaryenvironmentaldisaster.Clay,sand,gravel,andstonewereharvestedatratesthatwilltaketwogenerationstoreplace.Uplinkpurchasedwoodfromacer-tifiedworkshopinKalimantan,inIndonesianBorneo.Wealso
absorbingshocks.However,mostpeoplenolongerbuildtradi-tionalhomes.Themodernhouse,withitsmasonrywalls,concretecolumnsandbeams,ceramic-tilefloor,andearthen-tileroof,isacreatureofurbandesign,unfortunatelyoftenfatalduringanearthquakeortsunami.
WorkingwithcommunitymembersUplinksarchitectsdevelopedfivemodelsofearthquake-safemodernhomes(withdifferentfloorplans)thatwouldsuitpeoplesdailyneeds.Despiteresistancewefeltstronglythatraisedhousesonstiltswerethebestbasicform.Inadditiontotheircapacitytowith-standearthquakes,stilthousesrespondwelltothelocalclimate:airseepsupfromunderthefloor,loweringtheindoortemperature.Raisedhousesareaswell-suitedtofishermanastofarmersthetwoprincipleprofessionsoftheregion.Thegroundlevelcanbeusedforstorage,asaworkarea,orasaplaygroundforchildren.Itprovidesasemiprivatespacewheremembersofthekampungcangatherandreinforcetheirsenseofneighborhood.Weraisedourhouses61/2feet(2m)offthegroundtokeepthefloordryduringmonsoonsandprotectcoastalhomesfromhighseasonaltides.
iAlanded(ground-level)houseunderconstruction
fAtraditionalAcehnesehouse,raisedonstiltsandwithasteeppeakedroofofthatch
pThefivehousedesignsincludedreinforce-menttoresistearthquakes,suchaswindbracesandconcretefootings.Theywerepub-licizedwithplans,drawings,models,anddescriptionspostedatthecommunitycenter.
ppVillagersmakingstabilizedsoil-cementblocks
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boughteverythingwethoughtwemightneedinbulkearlyintheprocess.Thiswascritical.Theconstructionboomdoubledtheunitcostofhomesinoneyear(from$3,000in2005to$6,000in2006).Asaresultmanyprojectswereforcedtoradi-callydecreasethenumberofhousestheyhadpromised.
Wewerelargelyabletoavoidthepricehikesandkeepthecostofeachhouseundercontrol.Weavoidedcontractors,whooftenusesubcontractors,whichaddsexpensetothepro-cess.Insteadweaskedownerstofindthebestdealsforbuild-ingmaterialsandaccessories.TheJUBprovidedstorageandsetupadistributionsystemwithineachcommunity,makingkampungmembersresponsibleforkeepingmaterialssecureandingoodcondition. Conventionalredbrickstakealotoftimetoprepareandmustbebaked,whichusesconsiderableenergy.AsanalternativeHunnarshaalataughtourcommuni-tiestoproduceastabilizedsoil-cementblockusingasimplepress.Pressurizedblockstakefourteendaystomake,useasmallamountofcement,andareenvironmentallysound.Tooperateapressrequiresfivepeople(oftenwomen),whichassuredtemporaryemploymentwithinthekampungs.Uplinkalsoestablishedcommunity-basedworkshopswhereownersreceivedtraininginsteelrebarconstructionandrehabilitatedsalvagedsteelforreuse.
construction ManageMent
Homeownerswereresponsibleformanagingtheconstructionoftheirhouses.Eachkampungformedacommitteeforhousingconstructionandinfrastructure.ThegrantfromMisereorwasallocatedtofamiliesandpaidintwoparts.Laborcostsweregrantedat10millionrupiahs(about$1,100)andmaterialsratedat26millionrupiahs(about$2,900).Laborcostswerereim-bursedattheendofeachoffourstagesofbuilding:substructure,
wall,roof,andfinishing.Buildingmaterialsweredistributedusingavouchersystem.Asetofcardswasgiventoeachhomeowner;eachcardrepresentedaparticularbuildingmaterialanddefinedthequalityandquantityneeded,asdeterminedbyUplinkexperts.Homeownersgavethecardtotheselectedmaterialsupplieratthetimeofdelivery.Localsupplierswereused,apracticethatincreasedaccountabilityandreinvestedaidinthecommunity.
Inthefirstroundweconstructedonehouseineachvillage.Weusedthepilothouseasasortofclassroomforvillagers.Inthesecondroundthekampungseachtookonconstructionoftwentytofortyhouses,dependingonlocalcapabilitiesandmanagerialskills.Wefoundthatalthoughparticipatoryreconstruction,tiedtocommunitydevelopment,isslowinthebeginning,itpicksupspeedwithexperience,becomesefficientthroughtraining,andissustainablepreciselybecausetimeisinvestedindevelopingexperienceandskillswithinthecommunity.5
Technicalassistancewasessential.Toensurethatthenewhouseswouldmeethighersafetyandqualitystandards,Uplinksyoungengineerslivedinthecommunity.Eachengi-neerwasresponsiblefortwoorthreevillages.Wealsosentarchitectstosuperviseconstruction.Wetrainedhomeownerstoassessthequantityandqualityofbuildingmaterialsandactasmonitorsandbuildinginspectors.Tofurtherensureagoodminimumstandardofskillandknowledge,weofferedtrainingsessionsforbuilders.
what we learned
UplinkturnedtheprojectovertotheindividualcommunitiesinFebruary2007.Wefinished3,500houses,twelvecommunitycenters,andonemosqueintwoyears.Becausewehadinvolvedthecommunityfromthebeginningtherewasnoneedforan
fUplinksowner-constructedhousesontheAcehcoast
sNewstilthousesinthevillageofLamIsek
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Notes1 ForfurtherreadingseeBrunoDerconandMarcoKusumawijaya,Two Years of Settlement Recovery in Aceh and Nias: What Should the Planners Have Learned?FirstAsia-PacificHousingForum:SocialPractitionersMeettheMarketonHabitatMatters,Singapore,September2426,2007;andAbdulJaliletal.,The World BankFinanced Reconstruction of the Aceh Land Administration System (RALAS),InternationalNGOForumonIndonesianDevelopment,2008. TheIndo-AustralianPlatecollideswiththeEurasianPlateattheSundaTrench,tothesouth,offtheshoreofSumatra.Theaccumulatedenergyoccasionallyeruptsasanearthquake.
2 Foundedin2002UrbanPoorLinkage,orUplink,isanetworkofnongovern-mentalandcommunity-basedadvocacyanddevelopmentorganizationsinthirteenIndonesiancities,dedicatedtoimprovingconditionsfortheurbanpoorthroughpublicpolicyandgrassrootsprograms.Ourstrategyisbasedonadvo-cacy,organization,andnetworking.InAcehwedeployedsocial-servicesandtechnicalteamstoassistinimmediatereliefeffortsaswellaslonger-termrecon-struction.Wecommittedourselvestoasmallterritorywithintheareaaffectedbythedisasterandinsistedonaholistic,integratedapproach,fromprovidingfoodandsheltertorehabilitatinglivelihoods.Wehavefoundthatourapproachsavesprecioustimeandresourcestypicallyallocatedforintersectorandinterorganiza-tionalcoordination.Andweclosethegapseparatingtheaidorganizationfromthecommunityitassists.UplinkisaffiliatedwiththeAsianCoalitionforHousingRights,ACHR,andamemberoftheHabitatInternationalCoalition, HIC,aninde-pendent,internationalnonprofitallianceoforganizationsworkingonshelterandhousingissues.In2008ourprojectinAcehwontheDubaiInternationalAwardforbestpracticestoimprovethelivingenvironment.
3 OneofthefewblessingsofthetsunamiwasthepeaceagreementreachedbetweentheIndonesiangovernmentandGAM.Theaccord,whichwassignedinHelsinkionAugust15,2005,significantlyhelpedfacilitateaiddeliveryandotherfieldactivities.
4 TheregionwhereUplinkwasworkingsuffereda23percentmortalityrate,thehighestinthecountry:twowomendiedforeverymankilled;childrenundernineandpeopleoverseventyweredisproportionatelyvictims.
5 AsurveybyUN-HabitatandSyahKualaUniversityinBandaAcehfoundthatUplinkshousesperformedbestinqualityandownersatisfaction.Seewww.unhabitat-indonesia.org/newsletter/07/index.html,accessedAugust21,2010.
6 Savingsgroups,commoninmuchofthedevelopingworld,actasinformalbanksandmaybeempoweredtoofferloans.Typically,thecommunitysmoneyismanagedbydesignatedtrustedmembers.
demonstratesthattrustinthepeoplesresilienceandwisdomeveninextremecrisisiscrucialtoanysuccessfulintervention.
local wisdoM
Wearetheseapeoplebornatthesea,weliveatthesea,sowewillstayhereasourancestorsdid.Theywerebornandburiedhere.Mr.Baharuddin,age45,residentofLamTeungohvillage,Aceh,2005
AtsunamihadstruckAcehoncebefore,in1907,inundatingthesmallislandofSimeulue,offSumatra.Soin2004thepeopleofSimeulueknewthattheyshouldrunintothehillswhentheysawtheseawithdrawsuddenlyandflocksofbirdsfleetowardland.Unfortunately,thepeopleofthetownofLhokSeumaweh,onAcehsnortheastcoast,hurriedtothebeachestocollectthefishstrandedbytherecedingwaters,unawareofthedanger,andweredrowned.Theoraltraditionsofanisolatedandancientpeoplearelosttourbancommuni-tieslikeLhokSeumaweh.IndigenousAcehneseknewthewarningsignsofatsunami,ascertainaspeopleinruralVietnamrecognizeacomingtyphooninthemotionsofthebambootree.
Asweenteranewanduncertainworld,inwhichnatureislesspredictableandclimatechangethreatensmorefrequentandseverenaturalcrises,weshouldaffordtheseancientwaysofunderstandingnaturemorerespectintheprocessesandprac-ticeofdisastermitigation.Forlocalwisdomisindispensable.
exitstrategy.Forexample,managementofbrickandrebarfac-torieswastransferredtotheJUB.
HousinginIndonesiahadtraditionallybeentheresponsibilityofthecommunityuntil,afterthetsunami,thegovernmentandprivatesectortookovertheroleofbuildinghomes.Unlikesomanyoftheinternationalaidagenciesthatsweptinafterthedisaster,weaskedthetsunamisurvivorstohelpdesignandbuildtheirhomeswithourassistance,shiftingtheprocessofpost-disasterreconstructionbacktothepeople.
Thisdecisionmayseemtrivialbutitwascrucialtobeingacceptedandrespectedbythecommunity.OurofficesinBandaAcehwereopentovillagerstwenty-fourhoursaday,sevendaysaweek.Theyweremodeststructures,withoutair-conditioning,thatdoubledasourhome.WeneverdroveSUVsintothekampungs.Ourpersonnelusedroadmotorcy-clesandbicycles.Communitygroupsoftenviewaidagencieswithagooddealofsuspicion.Toovercomethis,successfulreconstructioninvolvesthesurvivorsfromtheoutsetandawell-coordinatedstrategyincludeslocalinstitutions.InspiteofcivilwarAcehhasmaintaineditstraditionalinstitutionsandhasnumerousassociations(religiousandsecular)suchasfishermensgroupsandsavingsgroupswithwhomweformedproductiverelationships.6
Inrealitymasterplansarecumbersome;typically,theyaretooslowandrarelykeeppacewiththeworkaccomplishedontheground.Wefindthatitismoreproductivetodisseminateaveryshortlistofprinciplesthantodesignamasterplan.Weusedcommunitymeetings,popularmedia,T-shirts,posters,andleafletstocommunicateandreiterateUplinksprinciplesofadvocacy,organization,andnetworking.Intheend,togetherwere-createdinfrastructure,revivedthelocaleconomy,reinforcedsocialrelationsandculturalcohesion,enactedpolicychange,andhelpedregeneratetheenvironmentbyreplantingmangrovesandtrainingvillagersineco-farming.OurexperienceinAceh
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our common efforts must serve to assure thatthe worlds most vulnerable people can access tools and techniques, ideas and innovations, strate-gies and solutions to build better futures. Judith rodin
andrea nield eMergency architects australia, sydney
beyond shelter in the soloMon islands
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(previousspread)/iThe2007earthquakeandtsunamileveledtraditionalhomesaswellasconcretestructures.
1.2beyond shelter in the soloMon islands
organizationeMergency architects australia
proJect locale soloMon islandsOnApril1,2007,apowerfulearthquakehittheWestern
ProvinceoftheSolomonIslands;atsunamifollowed.Thirty-sixthousandpeopleweredisplaced,6,000homesdestroyed(8,000damaged),and165schoolswereeitherleveledorleftinneedofextensiverebuilding.Fortunately,mostpeoplewereoutside,sawthetsunamicoming,andtooktohigherground.Onlysixty-fivepeoplewerekilled,anumberfartoolowtoattractinternationalmediaattentionormuchinthewayofout-sideaid.Thecombinedforceofthefloodandthequakealsocausedsevereenvironmentaldamage.Closesttothequake,whichmeasured8.1Mw,RanonggaIslandwasliftedupbysome13feet(4m).Thereefssufferedmajortrauma;therewerelandslidesandflooding;andsubsistencefarmsandfishstocksweredestroyed.Aftershockswerefeltformonths.WhenEmergencyArchitectsAustralia(EAA)arrivedinAprilanxiousresidentswerelivingintentsandsettlements.Incon-trasttothetremendousresponsetothedevastatingIndianOceantsunamitwoyearsearlier,whichhadgalvanizedtheworld,itseemedthatnoonewasgoingtohelptheseremotecommunitiesrecover.
Inastateofemergencyitisnearlyimpossiblefordesperateindividualsandcommunitiestoimagineabetterfutureortocarryoutthedetailedplanningrequiredtorestoreasenseofnormalitytolife.Architectscanbeinstrumentalinhelpingthemmakethetransitionfromtheemergencyphasetolong-termredevelopment.Theycanpromotecomprehensiveplanning,saferbuildingandhabitationpractices,andbetteraccesstocleanwaterandsanitation,whichinturncanleadtoeconomicandecologicalimprovements.
TheaimofEmergencyArchitectsistobringtechnicalaidtovictimsofnaturalandhumandisasters,initiallybuildingforsafetyandsecuringthepopulationbutalsoassistingitinpost-disasterreconstructionprogramsthatfocusonlong-termrecovery.1Ourcoreprinciplesareafundamentalrespectfor
thevaluesandneedsofthecommunitiesweassist;account-ability;andprofessional,well-researchedadvice.Wealsosupport,train,andguidevolunteerprofessionalarchitects,whoworkwithuson-site.Inourviewitisimperativeforarchitectstoincludepost-constructionconditionsintheirareaofresponsi-bility:topromotegoodhealth,recycling,andlocalskills;andtoensuremanageableandcost-effectivemaintenance,materialsupply,andriskmitigation,whichtogetherensureresiliency.Workinginsituationsbroughtonbycatastrophicevents,archi-tectsmustbemorethantechnicians.Wehavethecapacityandtrainingtoprovideacoordinatedvisionifwearewillingtodevelopprojectscollaborativelywiththoseweintendtohelp.
IntheSolomonIslands,EmergencyArchitectsAustraliadevelopedanincrementalresponse,workingwiththegovern-mentandpartnerNGOs.Stepsincludedmapmakingandsurveys,damageassessment,andworkshopdemonstrations,allofwhichleduptodesigningbuildingandconstructingpro-totypes.Wealsoseizedtheopportunitytoinitiateaschoolinfrastructureprogram.Wewantedtoshowvillagersandgov-ernmentministersalikethatwell-conceivedremedieswouldmakecommunitiesstrongeranapproachthatdeepensandbroadensastheprocessdevelopsovertime.Ourarchitectsandtheirtechnicalassistantsremainedinthebackground,givingtheislanderstheknow-howtorebuildforthemselves.Ourlowprofileallowedthemtothinkbeyondtheworldsneglectandtakepleasureinacquiringself-sufficiency.
preparation
Basedonarapidassessment(completedinthefirstdays),theEAAteamproducedabasicreport,includingsatelliteimagesandnewsfeedsfromvarioussources,outliningthelocationandextentofthedamage.Wethenrecruitedaidprofessionals
whomweknewinthedisasterzoneandAustralianarchitectsandengineerswhohadworkedintheSolomonIslands.SinceatypicalnewhousecostaboutAU$2,000andanislandersaver-ageannualincomeisaroundAU$200,fund-raiserswereheldtogetusunderway.ProjectfundingalsocamefromWorldVision,Caritas,andtheFrenchRedCross.Planninganddesignworkweredonated.2
ForthefirstsixmonthsGizoIsland,theprovincialcapital,wasourbasecampandresearchcenter.Fromhereweevalu-atedthelevelofdestructioninneighboringvillagesandislands,reportedonpopulationsecurity,andidentifiedtheactionstobetakenbythefollow-upteam.Duringtheassessmentperiodwealsotaughtworkshopsonwhyearthquakeshappen,demon-stratedhowtosetoutandsquareupasalvagedbuildingcorrectly,andhowtopullandjackshakenstructuresthatwerehabitablebutleaningseverely.Homeshadfailedbecauseofpoorfoundations;therewasnocross-bracingbetweenthepostsandthebearerswerepoorlytied.Wewroteamanualwithsimplediagramsshowingresidentshowtorestoreabuildingsbracingandfixitsfootingproblemsbypullingitbackontoitspilesaparticularlyeffectivemethodforrestoringbuildingsinearthquakezones.Residentsalsolearnedhowtoremoveandsafelyburydamagedasbestossheeting.
Threelocalcarpentersactedascommunityteachersfortheworkshops.TheyweregivenEAAbackupteachingmateri-alsandassistedbythreeEAAarchitects,whofieldedquestions.Constructiontools,donatedbypartneragencies,weretakentoeachsite.Insomecases,wherefeasible,webroughtlumber(takenfromsustainableforestryprojects)toislandswhosetimbertreeshadbeendecimated.Toreachsmallvillagesscatteredovermanyislandsisalogisticalchal-lenge;nevertheless,inthefirsttwomonthswewereabletoreachsomeseventyvillageclustersontwenty-twoislandswithoneormoreoftheseservices.
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beyond surViVal
ForthenewhousesanEAAarchitect,DavidKaunitz,workedcloselywithcommunitiestodesignatypethatcombinesspe-cificculturalrequirements,suchasroof-ridgedetails,withsustainablematerials.Thesehomeshadtobeaffordablenotonlytobuildbuttomaintain.Hedrewupsimplifiedconstruc-tiondrawingswithattachedcuttinglists.Thelistsallowedhomeownerseithertogointothebush,buytrees,andcutthemtosizewithachainsawortoorderthelotfromthelocallumberyard.Womenwerealsogiventraininginbasicconstruc-tiontechniquesandhowtoreaddrawings.Duringconstructionwomencarriedmostofthetoolsandmaterials,includingtimber.Therefore,timbersizeshadtobeadjustedtotheirstrength.Wealsopaidwomentomakelunchatthesite,whichencouragedtheirhusbandstoassistwiththeconstructionandgavefamiliesalittleextraincome.
Togetherwithlocalcarpenterswebuiltdemonstrationhomesonthetwoislandsthathadsufferedtheworstdamage.Thedesignwasasimpleelevated,extendablehousewithanoutsidebushkitchenthatlocalpeoplecouldbuildunderanysiteconditions. Prototypesareimportant,astheyallowustoconfirmwhetherpeoplehaveadequatecuttingandbuildingskillsandiftheycaneasilyobtainandtransportbasicsuppliessuchasnailsandscrews.Prototypesalsohelpusassessthelevelofthecommunitysdeterminationtorebuild.Forexample,inKeigold,onGizoIsland,thecommunitybuiltafinehousethattheynowuseasacommunityclinic;asimilarstructureonnearbyTapparihadstillnotbeencompletedthreeyearslater.Commitmentandgoodorganizationalstructureinacommu-nityareimportanttoasuccessfulreconstructionprocess.
Therewasanenvironmentaladvantageinreusingallthebuildings,orsalvagedmaterialsfrombuildings,thatwecouldsafelysave,andthiswasapriority.TheSolomonsaretimber
countryandprotectingtheirtreesisessential,soitsbettertosalvagewoodthantousenewstock.Unfortunately,theplanta-tiontimbergrownintheIslandsismainlyforexport;moreover,thesearenonindigenous,fast-growingsoftwoods.Themajorityoffootingandpilingtimbersforhomeshadtobetermite-resis-tanthardwood,buthardwoodshavebecomescarce.Aftertheearthquakethesituationwasworse.Inadditiontolackofwood,severalcommunitiesdidnothaveenoughroofingleaf(sagopalmfrondsareusedforthatching)ornoneatall.Leafthatchismoresustainable,easiertomaintain,andmuchcoolerthantheinferiorimportedcorrugated-ironroofs.IntheSolomonIslandseverytreeisownedbyamemberofthecom-munity,whosellsitforgeneraluse.Itistheninthesellersinteresttoreplacethattree,sowemadeeveryefforttoencour-agethereplantingofindigenoushardwoodandleaftrees.
rebuilding schools
Thisinitialhousingdemonstrationprogramwasasuccess.Oncewehadprovidedtrainingandarchitecturaladvice,otherNGOswithafocusonconstructiondistributedmaterialsforabout6,000homes.AsaresultcommunitiesaskedtheMinistryofEducationandHumanResourcesDevelopment(MEHRD)toallowustoestablishaprocessthatwouldhelpthemreplace165schoolsthathadbeendamagedordestroyed.TheministryestablishedtheReconstructionandRehabilitationProgramtodeterminetheextentofdamageandcostofadditionalsupplies.Theprogrampermittedanycommunitywhoseschoolhadbeendestroyedtoaskfordrawingsforasimilarorappropriatebuildingtype;rebuildingwastobecarriedoutcommunally.Onehundredandtenschoolswereidentifiedforreplacementorrenovation.
WithapprovalfromtheministryweselectedNgari,onGizoIsland,asasiteforprototypeschoolbuildings.Theresidents
sHousedesignsweredevelopedwiththecommunity,combiningspe-cificculturalrequirementswithsustainablematerials.
ssMembersofacommunitycollaborateonrebuilding.
p/aTraditionalhousesintheSolomonsareraisedonpilesandhavesteepthatchedroofsandcurvedeaves.Theyareconstructedoftiedpostsandlocallygrownthatch.Sagopalmorbambooisusedfortheroofandwalls.
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shatteredduringtheearthquake,cuttingthechildrensfeetastheyescaped.Soinsteadofglass,thenewclassroomwindowswerewovenofpalmleafusingtraditionalpatternsandtechniquesnormallyfoundinmats. Theweaveisstrongandflexibleinhighwindsandprovidesamellowlightandgoodcross-ventilation.Forschooldormitoriesweemployedwoodenshuttersinsteadofwovenwindowstomaketheroomssomewhatmoresecure.Roomwallsindormswerewoventoallowbothairflowandpri-vacy.Familiesinthevillageshavenowadoptedshuttersaspartoftheirlocalvernacularstyle.
InTatiana,onGizoIsland,brightlycoloredhouseswerebuiltforteachers,andthese,too,usedwooden-slatshutters,woven-matwindows,andsteepwoven-leaformetalroofs,andwereraisedonstilts.Thevillagehadcompletelydisappearedinthetsunami,soresidentswerereluctanttoreturnuntiltheyunder-stoodthattheirnewhomeswouldbebuiltonhigherground.
Planningfortheschoolprogramwascompletedinearly2010.TheMinistryofEducationisnowpreparedtorollout800newschoolsthroughoutthearchipelago.Thisisaremarkableexampleofhowdisasterresponsecangeneratearesilientpro-gramforanentirecountry.Undernormalcircumstancestherewouldnothavebeentheimpetusortheinternationalfundingtogoforwardwithsuchalargeproject.
latrines
Movingvillagerstohighergroundmeanttheycouldnolongerusethebeachasapubliclavatory.Safeandsanitarytoiletshadtobebuiltandacceptedinthenewvillages.Forinstance,onRanonggaIsland theearthquakehadsentthevillageofMondointotheocean,sothereplacementvillageofKeigoldwassitedinthecenteroftheisland,whereresidentsnolongerhadaccesstotheseaforwashing.InJune2009EAAbegan
therewereplanningtotransformtheirprimaryschoolintoacommunityhighschool,soitwasagoodmomenttobuildanewstructure.Theschoolhadanexcellentheadmistress,awellorga-nizedParentsandCitizensAssociation,anactivelyinvolvedcommunity,andanexcellentsiteforexpansion.
Tobeginwith,ademonstrationschoolwasbuiltbyfourEAAarchitectswiththelocalcommunity.Theyfinisheditintwelveweeks,inDecember2008.In2009twomoreEAAarchitectswereaddedtotheteamanddormitories,adininghall,andteachershouseswerebuiltoverthecourseofsixmonths.Localcarpenters,trainedbytheteam,becameprojectmanag-ersforsubsequentconstruction.
Subsequently,classroomshavebeenbuiltinover100schoolsandmorethanfiftydormitoriesareinprogressorslatedforconstruction;newschoolscontinuetobeerected.
Wewerewellawarethatthesecommunitiesmightagainfaceextremeeventsontheirown,sotheprototypesweredesignedtowithstandearthquakesandothernaturaldisasters.Thedesignsaccommodatedtraditionalbuildingtechniques,localculture,andavailablematerials.Aspartofthedesignprocess,weheldworkshopswithstakeholders,includinglocalengineersinHoniara(thenationalcapital)andintheWesternProvinceregionaloffice.AvolunteerdesignteaminBrisbanesketcheduptherecommendationsmadeinthesemeetingsandaddedmaster-planningbestpractices.Thesketchdesignswerethenreassessedinworkshopswiththedirectorsoftheschools.
TheSolomonscomprise922islands(one-thirduninhab-ited)scatteredover460,000squaremiles(nearly750,000sq.km)ofocean,andwithacombinedlandareaof11,200squaremiles(29,000sq.km).Thearchipelagois1,200miles(nearly2,000km)fromthecoastofAustralia.Inshort60percentofthecostofmaterialsisintransportation.Ourdesignshadtouseasfewimportedmaterialsaspossible.Theimportedlouveredglasswindowsthathadpreviouslybeenutilizedinschoolshad
gAteamofcommunitymemberspullsanewthatchedroofintoplaceonaboysdormitoryinNgari.
i/ffWeavingtheroofforadormitorytakesmanyhands.
f/dDormitoriesfeaturereinforcedbracingforstabilityinanearthquake,andlouveredwindowswithwoodenslats.
sInTatianaroofleafhadbeendestroyed,socorrugatedmetalwasusedforateachershouse.
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done?Arethereimprovementsthatthecommunitynowfeelsshouldbeincorporatedintothedesigns?
Aprogramisnotconsideredreadytohandofftothelocalcommunityuntilthesequestionshavebeenansweredsatis-factorily.Ifsomecomponentscallforimprovement,theprocessforaddressingthemishandledbyEAAstaffwithalocalmanager.Forexample,thecommunitiespreferredthatschoolsnothavelargeverandas,sothatpupilswouldnotloiterthereafterclasses.
EAAworksinmanypost-disastersitesworldwide.Ourproj-ectintheSolomonsoffersaparticularlyclearexampleofhowacollaborationwithlocalpeoplecantakeholdandevolve.Melanesiansstillendureasubsistenceeconomy,withfewamenitiesandnoelectricity.Butdespitethedepredationsofstormsandlogging,treesarestillabundantthere.Thepeople,whohavetheskillsanddesiretobeself-sufficient,werewilling,engagedpartnersineveryaspectofthereconstructionprocess.Theycame,withfirmopinions,fromallsectorsofcommunitylife.InNgari,forinstance,mothersthoughttheirchildrenshouldtakeprideintheirnewschool,sotheydesignedandsewednewuniforms.AsweworkedwesawtheParentsandCitizensAssociationbecomingstrongerandmoreactiveasaresultofthecollaborativeprocess.
grassroots participation
Aidisonlyaseffectiveastheextentofgrassrootsparticipation.Noreconstructionprocessshouldbeundertakenwithoutcon-sultingandworkinglocallywithcommunitiesnotonlyattheoutsetbutthroughoutaproject.Workingthiswaywelearnedatremendousamountaboutlocalbuildingpracticesandtradi-tions,andabouttherichassociationandsenseofownershipSolomonIslandershavewiththeirenvironment.Wealso
avillagelatrine-buildingprogramattherequestofKeigoldsparticularlyproactivecommunity.Theconstruction,whichwefundedwithanAustralianengineeringnonprofitcalledPartnershipHousing,tookthreeweeksandinvolvedfifteenstudentsfromtheUniversityofQueenslandandtwofromLae,PapuaNewGuinea.Thestudentshelpedbuildfourteenback-ventedlatrines.RanonggaIslandcommunitieshavesincetakenovertheprogram;todatefifty-fourlatrineshavebeenbuiltandthedesignshavebeenmadeavailable.Theimpor-tanceofthehygieneprogramshouldnotbeunderestimated:somethingassimpleashandwashingradicallyimproveslocalhealth.Apaidprojectmanager,thelocalalderman,wasgivenane-mailaccounttokeepusupdatedontheprojectssuccessandanyproblems.Wehavefoundthataccesstomodernmeansofcommunication(theInternet,mobilephones)isessentialforindependentlocalaction.
Monitoring and eValuation
ItisEAAfieldpracticetokeepateamworkingcontinuouslyinacommunityduringaprogramtoensurethatbestbuildingprac-ticesarelearnedandmaintained.Wealsowanttobesurethatthecommunityhasareferencepointforquestionsandcanmakechangestotheprototypeswehavedesignedthatarepertinenttotheirlifestyles,whilestillbeingsafe.Thispracticealsomaintainsmomentum.Eachteamevaluatesitscompletedprojectbeforeleaving.Aformalevaluationanswersasetofquestions:arethebuildingssuitablefortheiruse?Havetheysurvivedweather,insectattack,andseismicevents?Aretheywellbuilt?Aretheycost-effective?Isthecommunitymotivatedtocontinuethereconstructionprocess?Areallthematerialsusedsustainable?Canwemakethetimbersizessmallerorreducetheamountoftimberneeded?Ismaintenancebeing
p/ppOneofthelatrinesbuiltforthenewvil-lageofKeigold.Thesearesimplestructures,placedatashortdistancefromhousing.
sStudentscelebratetheirnewschoolwithnewuniforms,hand-sewnbytheirmothers.
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schoolstoteachgoodengineeringandconstructionpracticescompoundedtheproblem.Asmanyas300,000peoplediedandmuchofthebuiltenvironmentinandaroundthecityofPort-au-Princewasdestroyed.Notably,manyofthetimberbuildingssurvived.
constructiVe aid
OurworkintheSolomonIslandshastaughtusthatevolving,collaborativeeffortstorebuildcommunitiesafterdisastercanleadtosustainedchange.Forthistohappenwemustrememberthatcommunitiesarelivingsystemsthatmayshiftdirection.Oneoftheadvantagesofarchitectsworkingasvolunteersandadvocatesinthecontextofemergenciesratherthanasacommercialenterpriseisthatwecanactindependentlyandtransparently,withoutourownorin-countrygovernmentscoercingusintopoliticallyexpedientresults.Ourroleasarchi-tectsistoadvocateforpeople,todevelopalternativesthatpromotesafetyandhealth,andtopushforcollectivepoliticalaction.Aslongasinternationalassistanceremainsepisodic,withexternalteamsrollinginwhenthereisacrisis,therewillbelittlemoneyandevenlesspoliticalwilltoinvestinmitigatingpotentialhazardsbeforetheyhappen.Greateremphasismustbeplacedonself-management,independence,andlocalability.
OurexperienceintheSolomonshasforcedustoleavebehindearliermodelsandprinciplesthatwehadthoughtwouldalwaysguideourwork.AsaresultEAAhasanewrelationshipwithourneighbors.We,too,haveevolvedwiththosecommunitieswithwhomwehavehadtheopportunityandpleasuretowork.
risk.Soweworktowardthesegoals.ButEmergencyArchitectsisitselfdependentonthewillingnessofastateornationalgov-ernmenttoaskforexternalprofessionalassistance.CountriessuchasIndiaandChinaareinternallyself-sufficientandgener-allyabletomanagedisasterswithoutoutsideassistance.Butsmaller,poorernationsrequirehelp,especiallyinzoneswherecatastrophicweatherisfrequentbutinsurancevirtuallyunheardof.Ourexperiencehastaughtusthattheonlywaytohelppro-motesafetyistoreinforcethecapacityofthesecommunitiestorebuildindependently.
Making preVention work
Themostnotablechallengewefaceinourworkis,surpris-ingly,notaquestionofmaterialsortechniques,butthefundamentallackofcollectivememory.Themagnitudeanddevastationofevenalarge-scalenaturaldisasterisforgottenwithinagenerationortwo.Tocounteractthisforgetfulness,buildingskillsandconstructionmethodscanberitualizedtokeepmemoryalive.InhighlyseismicJapan,theShikinenSengu(Reconstruction)Festival,inwhichtheIseShrineisrebuiltcompletely,isheldeverytwentyyears.Theshrineisthusrebuilt,usingthesamemethodsemployedsincethesev-enthcentury,ineverygeneration.Repeatedlyrebuildinganearthquake-resistantstructure,inthiscaseanimportantreli-giousartifact,ensuresthattheseessentialskillsremaininthecommunity.InHaiti,wherefewsevereearthquakeshaveoccurredinthepast200years,mostpeoplehadforgottenthetolltheycantake.Earthquake-resistantbuildingtechniques,particularlyintimber,werereplacedwithreinforcedconcrete.InJanuary2010thepowerfulearthquakethatstrucktheislandwasrenderedfarmorelethalbypoorconstructionandcorruptpracticesthatignoredearthquakeloads;alackof
buildingtoorisky.Obviously,subsistencecommunitiescannotpaypremiums,letaloneconformtobuildingstandards,manyofwhichareincompatiblewiththeirbuildingmethodsanduseofmaterials.Whatsmore,qualitymaterialsareofteneitherunavailableorfartoocostly.Ingeneral,standardsarewrittenforamodernsupplychainandstandardizedenvironments.
ThecommunitiesoftheSolomonIslandsusetried-and-testedhistoricalmethods;sometimesthesearereliableandwelladaptedtotheenvironment,butsometimestheyarecorruptedbyinappropriatecolonialistmaterialsandpracticesorleadtoenvironmentaldegradation,suchasrampantdeforestation.Introducedmaterialssuchasasbestoshavebeenusedwidely,withnorecognitionofthehealthriskstheypose.Thewidespreaduseofconcreteisalsoproblematic.Concreteisadifficultmaterialthatrequiresadequatecuringandcorrectlyplacedreinforcement.Itisveryeasy,tooeasy,touseinwaysthatmakeitweak,unreliable,anddangerous,yetithastheappear-anceofgreatdurability.Inthisregionitispopularbecauseitischeapandassociatedwithwesternstandardsofliving,butmostbuilderslacktheeducationandtrainingtobuildsafelywithit,letalonetoanearthquake-resistantstandard.
ThisproblemisnotconfinedtotheSolomonIslands,ofcourse.Agreatpercentageoftheworldspopulation,particularlyinremotelocations,buildswithoutguidanceoraccesstospecial-izedexpertiseandthenfendsforitselfinanemergency.Inalarge-scalecatastrophenationalandeveninternationalsup-portisoftenshort-livedandthesolutionsofferedshort-term.Inrespondingtodisastersweconstantlyfaceadifficultquestion:whenisitcriticaltoassistaffectedpeoplesandwhencanthecommunityrecoveronitsown?Theissueofdependencyisvexing:outsideaidmayitselfretardthegrowthofself-sufficiencyandbeanunderlyingcauseoffailuretodevelop.Inmyviewriskpreventionandmitigationarethesolemeanstoenablecommunitiestoovercomecyclesoffierceweatheranddisaster
uncoveredwidespreaduseofdangerousbuildingmaterialssuchasasbestos,leftbehindbycolonialpowersandgrosslypromotedbyreligiousorganizations,aidagencies,andcom-mercialcompanies.Beforethecolonialperiodtherehadbeengoodbuildingtraditionsthatinvolvedbracingandtyinghomeswithbushropetoresistearthquakes,butthetraditionhadbeenlost.Tosuccessfullycompleteareconstructionproject,onemustteaseoutallofthisinformation,andtakeitintoaccountinbuildingdesignandexecution.Thehistoryofbuild-ingintheSolomonIslandsexplainswhyrecentstructuresfailsoofteninanareapronetonaturaldisasters.
Astrongcivilsocietyisalsocriticaltoasuccessfulprogram.Moreandmore,empoweredcommunitiesintheAsia-Pacificaredemandingtherighttotakeresponsibilityforandpartici-pateinthereconstructionprocess,withsupportfromtheirgovernment.EmergencyArchitectsAustraliahasanimportantroletoplayinthismovementtoself-sufficiency,beyondsimplyhelpingworkupdesignsorassistinginrebuilding.Wemustalsobeadvocates,expertsassistingthesecommunitiestofindviable,safe,pertinentsolutionsthatimprovetheirqualityoflifejustaswewouldforpayingclients.
rebuilding
Foragencieslikeours,whichworktoreconstructthebuiltenvironmentindisasterzonesaswellastoencouragelong-termrecoveryanddevelopment,theworldissplitintwo:therearecountrieswithdisasterinsuranceandthosewithoutit.Historically,insuranceisonlyavailable,evenpossible,incountrieswithplanninglaws,legalizedland-ownershipsystems,andminimumbuildingstandards,whicharenotonlywell-establishedbutimplementedandenforcedwithinspections.Withouttheseprerequisitesmostinsurancecompaniesconsiderinsuringany
a great percentage of the worlds population, particularly in remote locations, builds without guidance or access to specialized expertise and then fends for itself in an emergency.
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NotesThequotationonp.41isfromJudithRodin,PresidentsLetter,inSmart Globalization: Benefiting More People, More Fully, in More Places(NewYork:TheRockefellerFoundation,2008),andonlineatwww.rockefellerfoundation.org/uploads/files/03a6dd2d-2292-466e-9a21-8e92af518d58.pdf,accessedDecember28,2010.
1 Foundedin2005EmergencyArchitectsAustraliaisanaccreditednonprofitagencyandasignatorytotheAustralianCouncilforInternationalDevelopment(ACFID)CodeofConduct,withtax-deductiblestatusasaninternationalorganiza-tion.WerespondtodisastersintheAsia-PacificregionandarepartofalargernetworkofEmergencyArchitects,togetherwithArchitectesdelUrgence,France,andEmergencyArchitectsCanada.Weprovidehumanitarianassistanceintimesofdisaster,armedconflict,populationdisplacement,andprotractedcrisisaccordingtointernationallyagreed-uponstandardsandprinciplesforethicalpractice.
2 IwouldliketothankmycolleaguesontheEAAarchitecturalteamintheSolomonIslands:forrapidassessment,PatrickCoulombel(ArchitectesdelUrgence)andNielsenWarren;forearlyschooldesign(MEHRDEUStabex),PeterBraunandAntoinetteWickham(programdirectors)andGuyLuscombe(EAA);DavidKaunitz,in-countryprojectdirectorandworkshoparchitect;work-shoparchitectsJonCrothersandTriciaHelyar;workshoppartneragenciesWorldVision,theFrenchRedCross,andCaritas;andfortheschooldrawingteams,JamesDavidson(Brisbane)andDavidRapaport,NicolasEwald,SimpsonAssociates(Sydney).
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getting the affected families involved in creative work had a positive effect on their mental health after the loss and grief they had experienced.
sandra durzoarchitect and post-disaster shelter adVisor, paris
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(previousspread)AmanlooksoutofhisdestroyedhouseonthesouthcoastofSriLanka,soonafterthetsunamiofDecember2004.
iAwomanplacesasolarpanelontheroofofhertransitionalshelterontheruraleastcoastofSriLanka,nearTagalle.Allfamiliesreceivedsolar-poweredlanternstoimprovelighting.
AfterthetsunamiofDecember2004Ispentnearlythreeyears,fromFebruary2005throughDecember2007,ontheso-calledTeardropIsland,SriLanka,offthesoutherntipofIndia.Myeyeshaverandomlyrecordedmomentsandchangesthatoccurredduringthisdramaticperiodofdestructionandrebuilding.Now,in2010,themud-coloroceanoftheearlydayshasturnedagainintoaturquoisesea,tonsofbricksandmortarhavebecomenewschoolsandhomes,governmentshavechanged,andmostoftheaidagencieshavelefttown.
MymissionstartedinTangalle,asmallvillagenestledintothesouthcoastoftheisland,wherethetsunamihadstruckhard.AsashelteradvisorforOxfamGreatBritain,alargeNGOwithalong-termpresenceinthecountry,Iwasaskedtodevelopashelterstrategyintheimmediateaftermathofthetsunamisvastdestruction,whichaffectedsome900,000SriLankans.Atthatpointfamilieswerelivingunderplasticsheetsorintents;ourtaskwastoofferthemmorecomfortableandlastingalternativesnotonlyinTangallebutthroughoutthesoutherncoastalregion.Weknewthatwefacedanunprece-dentedcollectiveeffort.Topro