Ariel Flores
Supervisor: Dr David O'Brien
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Exploring suitable methods of housing in adverse locations. Originally exploring research of natural hazards and disasters, this opened avenues into exploring existing typological housing models in place and by understanding the success and failures from these cases, how can this project address the issues they are facing and evolve the housing model even further.
At the beginning of this thesis, attempting to deal with disaster-related architecture and through research, it became apparent that building for disaster is quite a complex issue. This persisted with disaster-related architecture, and how architecture responds to such disasters and natural hazards. When building in a location with any amount of populace and hard structures, when a natural hazard occurs in this area then it is called a disaster. The term ‘natural disaster’ started to become foreign and the focus was to minimise risk and destruction. While an inner humanitarian wanted to resolve this issue, this is something that could not be resolved with a single building or even an architectural premise.
This prompted the exploration of architecture and building that rebuilds from disaster-affected areas and accommodates displaced persons. ‘Build back Better’ became apparent when attempting to design in this manner. A building system and architectural typology that alludes to do this in incremental housing, this way of building can be seen informally, where the additions and modifications are built over time to accommodate the spatial needs of the inhabitant. Formally in a building system and architecture, the housing location is provided with a ‘sites and services’ method and the inhabitant build upon their home and making expansions where needed. This type of building system is intriguing which prompted to explore more how this system can be applied and if it can benefit a location like the Philippines.
This thesis challenges the issues relating to incremental housing and cultural appropriability. It responds by manipulating standardised building systems. The result is aimed to provide an alternative form using modular processes and Elemental’s strategy of resident managed improvements; one that better appreciates the cultural diversity and looking to reveal strategies in design located in Baguio, Philippines. Using examples of the existing locale to provide expectations of future outcomes; can iterate anticipated modular designs that accommodate the residents’ changing needs, which ultimately functions as a resilient system to endure the current and future generations to come.
