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IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN

The term 'disaster' connotes large scale losses oflife, the destruction of property and habitation, awide range of injury and illness, and the displace-ment of large numbers of people. In other words, adisaster is a situation of extreme (usually irremedia-ble) devastation that causes the collapse of thesocial fabric. Accordingly, the affected community isunable to cope with the disaster and external assis-tance is often required (Rautela, 2006). Whilemany attempts have been made to define disasters,the Center for Research on the Epidemiology ofDisasters (CRED) presents a clearer definition of theterm as "a situation or event which overwhelmslocal capacity, necessitating a request to a nationalor international level for external assistance; anunforeseen and often sudden event that causesgreat damage, destruction and human suffering"(CRED, undated). There are principally two types ofdisaster: (i) natural disaster, which includes hydro-meteorological disasters (floods and wave surges,storms, droughts, forest/scrub fires, landslides andavalanches), geophysical disasters (earthquakes,tsunamis and volcanic eruptions) and biologicaldisasters (epidemics and insect infestations) (EM-

DAT, 2004), and (ii) man-made disaster, whichincludes conflict (clash, war, violence, riot, and ter-rorism), technological failure (dam failure, industri-al, fire, mining, and pollution) and so-called com-plex emergencies (sometimes natural disaster or thecombination of both natural and man-made disas-ter also causes famine).

Apart from taking a mass number of lives, dis-asters further impact the situation by destroyinginhabitation and social and economical structureson a catastrophic scale. Although various effortshave been carried out to reduce disasters and dam-age during the last decade, data (accumulated byISDR-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction)on post-disaster impacts regarding the loss of lives,injuries, and economical damages from 1991 to2005 reveal a failure to reduce natural disastersand related damage. Moreover, post-disaster envi-ronmental impact of generating debris and rubblemakes the affected region unlivable, creatingaquatic and terrestrial pollution, and resulting insoil contamination and salt and sand intrusion ofwater sources. This vulnerable situation is exacer-bated when victims begin to suffer the impact ofthese conditions, physically and psychologically.Such a state is referred to as a humanitarian disas-

Iasef Md Rian, Dongkuk Chang*, Jin-Ho Park* and Hyung Uk Ahn

Abs t rac tThis paper presents a pop-up technique based on origamic architecture as a technological design solution for post-

disaster temporary shelter systems. First of all, the concepts of disaster and post-disaster are briefly introduced, and theroles and needs of post-disaster temporary shelter systems, particularly in emergency periods, are reviewed. Second,pop-up techniques based on origamic architecture are briefly discussed. Third, a formal language for opening the cardsof origamic architecture is introduced, out of which a geometric elasticity has been developed. With the language, avariety of flexible and expandable designs for shelter structures can be generated by incorporating different pop-uptechniques. Finally, a prototype shelter has been constructed to demonstrate the adaptability and sustainability of theshelter within the local environment and the affected society, considering portability, low-cost, and easy in assemblingby any unskilled person.

Keywords: Origamic Architecture, Pop-up Technique, Deployable Structure, Temporary Shelter, Post-Disaster.

POP-UUP TTECHNIQUE OOF OORIGAMIC AARCHITECTUREFOR PPOST-DDISASTER EEMERGENCY SSHELTERS

* Corresponding authors

ter (UNEP, 2005). It may take several months toyears to recover from this situation. During thisphase, victims have an urgent need of shelter,which should play the role of protection rather thanan emergency object such as a tent (Babister andKelman, 2002).

Based on the period of recovery and resettle-ment for a displaced community, post-disaster shel-ters are categorized as emergency (or temporary),transitional, or permanent shelters. Whereas a tem-porary shelter entails the sheltering or protecting ofvictims during an emergency situation through theprovision of basic living facilities, a permanent shel-ter entails reconstruction of the livelihood andaccommodation of victims for a sustained period. Atransitional shelter is provided for victims during theperiod after recovering from the emergency situa-tion until they can return to permanent accommo-dation.

Throughout the relief process, the efficient coor-dination of the different stakeholders' efforts fromvarious bodies including local and national gov-ernment, the army, NGOs (None GovernmentalOrganizations), etc. is needed for the successfulprovision of aid to the victims. In particular, the pri-mary objective of temporary shelter for the emer-gency period is to provide adequate shelter to vic-tims who are deprived of the essential needs of lifefollowing a disaster or conflict until they can beaccommodated in transitional or permanent shel-ters. Aside from recovering from post-disaster fearand damage, the affected community seeks to con-tinue life as it was before as soon as possible.

After conducting onsite and offsite investigationson sheltering systems and settlements to uncoverthe inherent sources of crises in the affected com-munity, Davis (1978) recognized that "… sheltermust be considered as a process, not an object."The process specifies the reformation of social, cul-tural, and economical structures with the mitigationof post-disaster hazards, and management of aidto victims. The other reason that may cause failureof the post-disaster sheltering system lies in igno-rance of the harmony of cultures and social struc-tures while designing transitional, permanent, andespecially emergency settlements, as Schilderman(2004) noted. By focusing on the very meaning of'recovery', Wisner and Walker (2006) have identi-fied the failure of reconstruction in terms of

'accountability, transparency, and the unevenness'with which the international community responds tocrises.

Architects such as Nader Khalili and ShigeruBan have proposed a number of post-disaster sus-tainable structures by considering socio-culturalaspects of the affected community. A team fromIstanbul Technical University developed the "Urbanm3 - Respect for Life Project" in 2000 based onresearch findings on bringing livelihood to dislocat-ed communities due to a massive earthquake inTurkey in 1999. This project offered an alternativedesign solution that provides not only environmen-tal protection and disaster mitigation but also ahigh level of socio-cultural satisfaction (Saglamer,et al., 2006). Nevertheless, most of theseapproaches are tailored to post-emergency periodsor transitional settlement, whereas relatively littlework has focused on the emergency period - thetime immediately after being struck by a natural dis-aster or conflict when victims are more desperatelyseeking rapid recovery.

11..11.. TTeemmppoorraarryy SShheelltteerrss There are two different approaches to sheltering thevictims temporarily in a post-disaster emergencyperiod. One is in-situ construction of temporarybuildings that is carried out on the building siteusing raw materials with the intention of transform-ing the structure into permanent accommodation.The other is a kit-supply, which consists of a pre-fabricated temporary building structure includingbasic survival needs such as food, water, and sani-tation and immediate medical assistance facilities.Undamaged buildings (especially institutionalbuildings) are at times converted to temporary liv-ing place for groups of affected families; however,this system is not feasible for a mass number of vic-tims. Although in-situ construction systems are moredurable and desirable for victims than kit-supplypackages, a large number of in-situ constructionsare not be possible within a few days just after theimmediate natural disaster. Furthermore, in-situconstruction, which usually also aims for transfor-mation into a permanent structure, requires sus-tainable planning and strategic arrangement ofshelter structures in accordance with the national orregional planned framework developed by a teamof policy makers, planners, architects, and the local

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community. It may take a few days to months toimplement this planning on-site during the disasteremergency period.

Temporary and quickly deployable prefabricatedshelter structures are employed in the emergencyperiod with the intention that the shelter can bereutilized for transitional and permanent structures.For this, the erection of temporary shelters shouldnot only be limited for disaster victims in major dis-asters or emergencies but also for other emergencyprograms, such as education, health, child care,post-trauma counseling, relief-materials distribu-tion, and so on. The general basic pros and consof in-situ solutions and that of kit-supply solutionswith regard to sheltering in a post-disaster emer-gency period are as shown below:

11..22.. AAiimm aanndd SSccooppeeAfter a disaster strikes, the foremost physical loss ofsurvivors is their home, which provides security, pri-vacy, and human dignity. It is a physical base with-in which they live, and a physical component uponwhich a community is formed. The presence andarrangement of these physical components, i.e.,homes and other buildings, determine the socialinfrastructure and social environment of a society.Accordingly, a relationship among infrastructure,environment, and livelihood exists in a communityand preserves the tradition and culture of the soci-ety. When a disaster occurs, this relationship canreadily collapse, thus destroying the social structureof the affected community. Hence, a new relation-ship among those three components should bereestablished in order to reform the social structureof the community, a process that includes both shel-tering and settlement.

Although a shelter structure should be construct-ed immediately, as one of the fundamental physicalelements of sheltering and settlement processes it

must be 'a habitable covered living space, provid-ing a secure, healthy living environment with priva-cy and dignity to those within it' (Foster and Fowler,2003). During the post-disaster period, the emer-gency settlement process requires fulfilling theneeds of those who have lost their home with themost appropriate type of response (Babister andKelman, 2002). In this regard, the first need is ahome, some sort of dwelling-shelter. Shelters forrecovery and social programs, based on which thesheltering and resettlement processes will be car-ried out, should thereafter be established.

The present study focuses on the physical ele-ment of the sheltering and settlement process, i.e.,on the structural shelter item. By identifying theproblems of post-disaster (and post-conflict) recon-struction and rehabilitation as discussed earlier, thispaper has initially attempted to point out theresponsibilities and roles of the structural shelterthat directly or indirectly influence the post-disaster(and post-conflict) resettlement process and socialstructure. The scope of this paper is limited to atechnological design solution for an emergencyshelter structure that provides spatial and formalstructural contributions to the immediate post-dis-aster resettlement and reconstruction processes.Specifically, a pop-up technique of origami archi-tecture is suggested. The technique is used to erectthe structure rapidly and efficiently with various geo-metric possibilities, thus creating a variety of need-ed spaces.

The shelter design offers flexibility and expand-ability so that victims can customize their dwellingsto suit their needs and express their values. Thosewho will live in a space need to be involved in itsplanning, and also the building needs to be able toaccommodate unforeseeable events (Habraken,1972 [1961]). However, poor quality and highercosts of the shelters, and disputes and loss of deci-

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sion flexibility among disaster relief organizations,manufacturers, designers, constructors, suppliers,distributors, and users should be avoided in theprocess of producing the system (Kendall andTeicher, 1999). Furthermore, the use of local or uni-versal, durable, sustainable, and reusable materialsshould be considered. Lightweight, cheap materi-als, insulated panels, and simple deployable sys-tems should also be considered to make the shelterportable, economical, weather resistant, and easyto erect by any unskilled person.

22.. OORRIIGGAAMMIICC AARRCCHHIITTEECCTTUURREE AANNDDPPOOPP-UUPP TTEECCHHNNIIQQUUEE

Origamic architecture is the art of paper foldingwhere buildings are reproduced by paper folding incards. When a card is opened, the reproducedbuilding is erected immediately (Figure 1). Thesecret behind the immediate erection of a three-dimensionally mimicked building from a two-dimensional card in origamic architecture lies in thepop-up technique. In this technique, a small num-ber of different folds are used according to thedesired product by making creases on flat paper.Apart from reproducing buildings in origami art, anumber of geometric patterns and everyday objectscan also be produced on various scales (Chatani,

1984). If the origamic architecture system is imagined

on a large scale, i.e., the scale of actual buildings,then the possibility of constructing a house or abuilding within a few minutes can readily be con-sidered. Such a system could be practically adopt-ed for small scale structures such as shelters andalso for large buildings having a modular structure.This system was applied in practice for the first timeto make deployable large solar panel arrays forspace satellites, and is known as the 'Miura MapFold' (Miura, et al., 1980). In this project, paperwas replaced by a metal sheet and hinges wereemployed in lieu of creases. This type of origami isknown as Mura's 'rigid origami'. This concept hasbeen applied to our pop-up origamic architecturetechnique for realization of post-disaster shelters,where immediate construction of shelters and mul-tiple spaces for various programs regarding post-disaster situations are needed. Among varioustechniques, folding, sliding, scissor, and rolling sys-tems in origamic architecture are considered interms of how to erect a three-dimensional papermodel from a two-dimensional unfolded card.

22..11.. FFoollddiinngg SSyysstteemmThe most common pop-up technique in origamicarchitecture is folding systems. In this system, first,folding lines or creases are drawn on a paper

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Fig 1. Origamic architecture when the card is closed, half-open, or opened (from left to right)

Fig 2. a - Folding system, b - Pop-up of a card by using folding system

according to the design of the desired product orbuilding before unfolding the card. The paper isthen cut-out by following the creases and folds or,without cutting, the paper is directly folded insidethe card following the creases. When the card isopened, the folded paper pops up to make thedesired product or building (Figure 2a). A foldingsystem adopted in a card, opened 90o vertically, isshown in Figure 2b.

22..22.. SSlliiddiinngg SSyysstteemmIn a sliding system, similar panels are stackedtogether one on top of another. When one of anyend panel is pulled, each panel starts to move overthe surface of its lower panel while maintainingsmooth continuous contact, thus covering a largespace (Figure 3a). In the case of applying this sys-tem to a card, opened 90o vertically, similar chan-nel-shaped panels with triangular ends are placedtogether one on top of another on a plane by keep-ing the open ends fixed concentrically (Figure 3b).When the card is opened, panels start to slide up toform a three-dimensional volume.

22..33.. SScciissssoorr SSyysstteemm Scissor rods in a scissor system are hinged at themiddle and their corresponding side ends are con-

nected to a single bar along which the ends canmove freely. Thus, a number of scissor units areconnected with bars to form a network. When oneend of the network is pulled, it starts to elongate,covering a larger space (Figure 4a). The scissors actas a frame when they are applied to a card opened90o vertically. When the card is closed, the scissorsare laid on one line at the edges of the card.However, while opening the card, the scissor rodsstart to erect, thus producing a frame of three-dimensional volume (Figure 4b).

22..44.. RRoolllliinngg Fabric or any malleable sheet is rolled over a tubebar by fixing one end of the sheet to the same barand the other end to another tube bar. Bars areassembled together in a line at the open edges ofa card. When one bar is pulled, the sheet starts tounroll, expanding the space (Figure 5a).When therolling system is applied to a card, opened 90o ver-tically, the end of the rolled sheet is fixed with a barattached to one end of the card and the other endof the sheet is fixed with another bar attached to theother end of the card. When the card is opened, thesheet starts to unroll and thus makes a three-dimensional volume (Figure 5b).

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Fig 3. a - Sliding system, b - Pop-up of a card by using sliding system

Fig 4. a - Scissor system, b - Pop-up of a card produced using the scissor system

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33.. GGEEOOMMEETTRRIICC CCHHAARRAACCTTEERRIISSTTIICCSS OOFFOOPPEENNIINNGG TTHHEE CCAARRDDSS

There are various ways to open a card, thus lead-ing to the creation of numerous geometric formsthrough the adoption of one of the above discussedpop-up techniques. The opening of a card can behorizontal, vertical, or a combination of the two.Numerous flexible designs can be achieved byusing compositions of different openings. To obtaina desired shape, geometrical compositions areconsidered before folding the cards. Furthermore, avariety of distinctive forms can also be produced onthe basis of the angle of the opening.

In order to compose the desired shape and towiden the possibilities of creating various forms, aformal language of opening the card has beendeveloped here. This language serves to direct theopening of the card by following a defined rule orformula. The formula defines the number of open-ings, and types and angles of openings as well.First, the initial composition is folded in a cardbased on a definite formula. The card is thenopened by following the formula to produce theimagined outcome.

In the language of opening the card, verticaland horizontal openings are denoted by LVR andLHR, respectively, where L indicates the line of fold-

ing or crease and R defines the angle of rotation orangle of opening. The combination of two or morethan two openings is denoted by NS(V,H) or NS(V)or NS(H) , where the combinations are vertical andhorizontal openings, or a combination of consecu-tive vertical openings or consecutive horizontalopenings, respectively (Figure 6). The notation Nrepresents the number of total openings.

Consecutive N numbers of vertical openings,i.e., NS(V) , can be briefly represented by NS[(L1,L2, L3,….,Ln)V(R1, R2,R3,…..,Rn)] whereasNS[(L1, L2, L3,….,Ln)H(R1, R2,R3,…..,Rn)] repre-sents consecutive N numbers of horizontal open-ings, i.e., NS(H). In the formulas of combinedopenings, R1, R2, R3,……Rn are the correspond-ing opening angles at creases L1, L2, L3, ….., Ln,respectively. Some combined openings on the basisof these formulas are shown in Figure 7.

By applying the formal language for openingthe cards and on the basis of the formulas derivedfrom this language, a number of flexible two-dimensional geometric forms can be predeter-mined. Conversely, after selecting the desired geo-metric form first, the primary folded shape can alsobe determined by employing the same formula.Some two-dimensional flexible and expandablegeometric forms produced from various combinedopenings are shown in Figure 8.

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Fig 5. a - Rolling system, b - Pop-up of a card produced using the rolling system

Fig 6. Various possibilities to open the card; a - Vertical opening, b - Horizontal opening, c - Combined opening.

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44.. PPOOPP-UUPP TTEECCHHNNIIQQUUEESS AAPPPPLL IIEEDD TTOOPPOOSSTT-DDIISSAASSTTEERR SSHHEELLTTEERRSS

By taking the above discussed forms as units andapplying them to different types of combined open-ings, as shown in Figure 7, various plan forms canbe readily produced (Figure 9). Principles of thesegeometric possibilities for making flexible andexpandable shapes from single or pairs of closedcards have been applied to a post-disaster shelter

system. The flexibility and expandability of the shel-ter designs are expected to play a major role inachieving social and cultural harmony. Accordingly,the formal language of opening the cards has thepotentiality to build a local pseudo-society byreforming various shelter structures for usual (dailylife) as well as emergency and recovery programsafter the disaster.

Different types of flexible and expandable formsfor the shelter can be produced by assembling theabove units according to the new formal languageof opening the cards, as discussed earlier (Figure10). For a particular disaster affected area, a suit-able flexible form can be selected for the shelter onthe basis of post-disaster recovery programs as wellas the local environment and culture, and can bethereupon erected within a few minutes. Becauseonly one or two "pulls" will pop up various sizes ofneeded shelters from the folded units, infrastruc-tures for a pseudo-society can be established with-in a few hours or days.

Different types of flexible and expandable formsfor the shelter can be produced by assembling theabove units according to the new formal language

Fig 7. Various combined openings of cards and their formulas

Fig 8. Various flexible and expandable plan formsaccording to formulas for opening the cards

Fig 9. Structure produced from a - vertical opening, b - horizontal opening and c - inverse opening.

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of opening the cards, as discussed earlier (Figure10). For a particular disaster affected area, a suit-able flexible form can be selected for the shelter onthe basis of post-disaster recovery programs as wellas the local environment and culture, and can bethereupon erected within a few minutes. Becauseonly one or two "pulls" will pop up various sizes ofneeded shelters from the folded units, infrastruc-tures for a pseudo-society can be established with-

in a few hours or days.In addition to the above styles of opening for

creating various flexible and expandable designs,there are other possibilities of openings that canalso produce numerous shapes and a variety offlexible designs using the same pop-up techniques.Among others, a lateral opening is shown in Figure11, where a sliding system pop-up technique hasbeen adopted. The lateral opening system allows

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Fig 10. Opening possibilities of cards and their respective structures by using a pop-up technique

Fig 11. Flexibility and expandability of spaces produced from lateral openings by using a sliding pop-up tech-nique (Left. Top view; Right: Perspective view)

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the creation of various long and expansive struc-tures. In this system, rectangular panels are assem-bled one by one according to decreasing size, thusmaking a folded shelter unit. When one end of theunit is pulled, a cubical shelter structure is createdby sliding the rectangular panels. The length of thistype of shelter can be elongated by increasing thenumber of panels in a unit. To add flexibility, i.e., tochange the direction of a lateral expanding unit, ahorizontal opening system can be added accordingto the desired product (Figure 11).

Application of the same lateral pulling system fordifferent shaped panels will also produce a differentkind of shelter form. By adopting suitable shapedpanels, we can create shelter forms that reflect thelocal cultural identity. For example, if an area orsociety that has been hit by tsunami is architectural-ly characterized by arched roofs on houses, then asa post-tsunami deployable shelter we can adopt thesystem shown in Figure 12 to restore this local iden-tity. In short, the proposed system partly focuses onthe formal aspect of the shelter structure along withits spatial elasticity, resonating with the indigenousidentity of the affected locale.

Various shapes and sizes of shelter units will bemade through the shelter manufacturing industryusing light-weight, local, durable, and weather-proof materials. The target group of the proposedsolution is basically the most vulnerable people:those who have lost their homes in a disaster orconflict, particularly the most heavily affected com-munity. This includes the poor, disabled, elderly,and single parent or child headed households. Inaddition, national or regional government, NGOs,and the local community are also included in thetarget groups who serve and require institutions(social, cultural, educational, and medical infra-structures). However, at different places, some man-

ufacturing cells can be set up where the shelterunits, especially roof and wall panels (includingdoor and window panels), are to be manufacturedusing locally available, sustainable materials.

By employing the above pop-up system, theunits can be designed and produced in such a waythat shelter structures can harmonize with the localbuildings of the region and fit into the area's socialand cultural features. For example, shelter units orpanels can be made with bamboo straw and bam-boo branches in a region where bamboo is amplyavailable. A shelter structure made with bamboowill have greater affinity with the people of thatregion. In this way, the system allows for local pro-duction of the shelter structure using the aforemen-tioned pop-up technology.

Nevertheless, the utilization of cardboard as themain building material for the shelter is convenient,since cardboard is a common building material inalmost all regions around the world and can beproduced using locally available wood, straw,paper, or recycled cardboard. Although shelterunits produced from cardboard are preferable interms of technical implementation and weatherprotection and durability, locally produced buildingmaterials are more preferable from the perspectiveof maintaining cultural identity. However, card-board has been chosen for demonstrating theimplementation of the proposed technical solutionand prototypical shelter.

55.. PPRROOTTOOTTYYPPEE SSHHEELLTTEERR:: DDEESS IIGGNNAANNDD CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN

In this research, a sliding system has been chosento design a prototype of a post-disaster emergencydeployable shelter as part of an experimental

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Fig 12. Lateral openings for expandable spaces by using different panel (Left. Plan view; Right: Perspective view)

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demonstration. In the shelter prototype, a smallnumber of light-weight shelter-components areconsidered for simplicity in assembling the compo-nents and to make the shelter units rapidly on thesite. According to numerous case studies of post-disaster recovery programs, it has been observedthat after recovery it becomes impractical to returnthe shelter structure to the donor for use in a futuredisaster situation on another site. Instead, victimstend to reuse the shelter materials for the construc-tion of a permanent settlement (Babister andKelman, 2002). It is thus preferable that such mate-rials can be reused during the transitional or per-manent settlement, or can be recycled. For this rea-son, corrugated cardboard sandwiched by plaincardboard surfaces has been chosen as the mainbuilding material for the shelter for its excellentenvironmental sustainability. It is cheap, strong,widely available, durable, and recyclable. It is asrigid and can withstand heavy wind-load from sag-ging, and flexible enough to be reformed into anyshape (Damatty, et al., 2000). In addition, it can besawed, nailed, sealed, laminated, and coated withfire retardant or waterproof surface treatment(Cripps, 2004). For the prototype, proper treatmentat joints and edges is critical to protect the shelterfrom the weather and to provide adequate strength.Cardboard is painted by intumescent varnish, andpolyurethane is employed over the varnish; the var-nish makes the board fireproof and polyurethanemakes it waterproof and damp-proof. Since card-board can be manufactured cheaply via small and

simple machinery, there is also the potential to pro-duce the materials on-site and thereby reducetransportation costs (Ban, 1998).

55..11.. CCoommppoonneennttss aanndd tthheeiirr aasssseemmbbllyy The components mainly consist of two supportingbars of height 330cm and 280cm, five 3cm thickinverted L-shaped cardboard panels with triangulartops, sloping 10o downwards (named 'roof-wallpanel 1'), and five 3cm thick inverted L-shapedcardboard panels with triangular tops, sloping 10oupwards (named 'roof-wall panel 2'). These L-shaped elements are used for making the roof andwalls, where the triangular top part of the paneldefines the roof, and the vertical rectangular part ofthe panel defines the wall. Slopes are provided fordrainage of rainwater. The height and width of five'roof-wall panel 1' segments decrementallydecrease by 3cm such that the panels can beassembled one below another by fixing their trian-gular ends at the same center. The same design hasalso been executed for 'roof-wall panel 2'. Theslopes are taken oppositely for two types of L-shaped panels in order to continue to make a flex-ible and expandable space by maintaining a com-mon slope on the roof of the final shelter as theunits are joined. Apart from these components,there are also four 3cm thick trapezoidal wall mod-ules having two different sizes according to the sizesof the end L-shaped panels of a unit (Figure 13).

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Fig 13. Principal components of the prototype post-disaster deployable shelter

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All L-shaped elements for the single unit areassembled as shown in Figure 14. They can revolveby sliding them one by one, where the supportingbar is located at the center by pulling one of the firstor the last elements. The wall components are thenattached to the end L-shaped elements accordingto the desired structure size (Figure 14a). In thisfashion, the horizontal opening of a closed unit cre-ates a shelter space. By increasing the number of L-

shaped elements in a unit, different shapes of shel-ters can be achieved. Thus, a variety of possibleshapes can be produced according to the rotation-al angle of the horizontal opening. Figure 14bshows the assembly of two units.

55..22.. PPrrootteeccttiioonnA 1cm galvanized iron (GI) bar fixed with one edgeof each panel acts as a beam for the roof part and

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Fig 14. a - Assembly of one unit, b - Assembly of two units.

Fig 15. Left - Roof Section-Details; a - Before pulling, b - After pulling; Right - Wall Section-Details; c - BeforePulling, d - After pulling.

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as a column for the wall part. When the unit isopened by pulling, GI brackets of the lower panelare anchored with the projecting 3mm thick GI barof the upper panel, both at the roof and wall (Figure15 and 16). After the panels are anchored andfixed together, they are further tightened to eachother by bolting at the anchored part. For furtherprotection from rain and weather, the board-barjoints and bolting parts are sealed by a sealant.

After opening a unit by pulling, a small gap iscreated at the supporting bar by the trapezoidalshaped end walls, which are not full length for easeof panel rotations (Figure 16a). This gap is filled byan extra cardboard wall panel reaching to theunderside of the roof from the ground and fixed bybolting it with the end walls (Figure 16b). Finally, the

gap is sealed with sealants to make the structureweatherproof.

Before erecting the shelter, a raised plane plat-form is made by gathering soil on the site. The soilis bordered by bricks or wood or other hard panelscollected from structures destroyed by the naturaldisaster. The earth is then compacted to make thefloor plane and subsequently covered by a plasticPVC sheet to provide floor durability. The plasticsheet protects the cardboard wall panels fromdampness caused by the earth or surroundingground during and after rainfall. Once the platformis made, the supporting bar is affixed deeply intothe platform so that the roof-wall panels can bemoved easily to erect the shelter structure. Aftererecting and adjusting the structure on the platform,

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Fig 17. Sections: a - bottom of door panel, b - bottom of end wall panel, c - bottom of roof-wall panel.

Fig 16. Details of the concentric assembly of roof-wall panels at supporting bar; Up- Plans, Below- Views

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the walls are anchored by channel-shaped anchorson the floor so that the structure is secured tightly tothe ground. The cardboard panels are weather-proofed by coating only the exterior surfaces of thepanels. Otherwise, leakage through the cardboardwould allow water to enter and thereby weaken thestrength of the cardboard and cause the panel tosag. For this reason, when anchoring the walls tothe ground, the bottom edges of the panels arefixed by a 3mm GI bar (Figure 17) to avoid dam-age or leakage caused by nailing the anchor. Inaddition, the GI bar serves as a hard base for thewall and protects the cross-section of the card-board panel from dampness in the ground.

55..33.. TTrraannssppoorrttaattiioonnThe shelter units assembled with cardboard com-ponents will be manufactured in factory andstocked in the factory store room, local shelterstoreroom, or shipped to different shelter targetgroups, as noted earlier. The units are designed tobe not longer than 3 meters so that a standard sizetruck can deliver roughly fifty shelter units. When adisaster or conflict occurs, the readymade deploy-able shelter units will be supplied by truck to theaffected area for the most critical relief programs,such as the construction of dwellings, trauma cen-ters, sanitation and food distribution facilities, etc.Soon after, a number of shelters will be erected forother social programs, such as schools, markets,religious facilities, etc. as well as for recovery pro-

grams. In cases where transportation by land trans-porters is not feasible, a medium to large size boator a helicopter will bring a number of shelter unitsto the disaster hit area. Once the transporter bringsthe units to the distributor at the affected area, twopersons can easily carry one shelter unit to the con-struction site.

55..44.. GGrroouuppiinngg ooff uunniittss By using the formal language for opening thecards, the unfolded shelter units can be groupedtogether in such a way that when the units areopened, larger flexible and expandable designswith a variety of geometric configurations can berealized (Figure 18). In the prototype fabricatedhere, the formula for combined consecutive hori-zontal openings, i.e., NS[(L1,L2,….,Ln)H(R1,R2,…,Rn)] is employed.

The diverse resultant plan layouts followed bythe formulas for opening the cards can provide awide variety of designs. Any layout that is suitablefor a particular program can be selected. In addi-tion, a preferred design can be flexibly and conve-niently achieved by grouping units. Flexibility ofinner spaces can also be attained by providing oreliminating inner wall panels during the grouping ofunits. Furthermore, a variety of shelter designs canbe produced by controlling the number of L-shapedelements in a unit. The number of L-shaped ele-ments defines the angle of the horizontal openingand different opening angles create different forms

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Fig 18. Various possibilities of flexible shelters by grouping units

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of shelter structures, as shown in Figure 18. As aresult, the sliding pop-up technique adopted tomake deployable shelter units has considerablepotential to rapidly make the infrastructure of apseudo-society for different social programsthrough the opening and grouping of shelter units.Some other flexible shaped shelter structures areshown in Figure 19. These are produced by usingthe formula for opening the cards where the foldingor opening line L and the opening angle R are con-tinuously changed.

66.. CCOONNCCLLUUSSIIOONN

Users and inhabitants are the best architects andcritics of their own building environment. Sincepeople first began living in permanent dwellings,they have been constantly changing, renovating,remodeling, and otherwise updating their livingspaces (Brand, 1994). Through changing lifestylesand needs inhabitants render their environmentsuitable to them and continue to adapt their sur-roundings accordingly. Disasters destroy not onlylives and property but also these self-made envi-ronments, be it a single house or an entire com-munity. Conventional temporary emergency shel-ters are generally of one or two types having a rigidspace in which the victims are forced to reside,regardless of their desired living environment.During the emergency period, temporary sheltersare indispensable as homes rather than mere resi-dences. Therefore, in order to reestablish socio-cul-tural continuity and livelihoods, flexibility in shelter

design is necessary so that users can mold thespace as needed or desired.

In summing up, this study proposes the designand construction process of a post-disaster shelter.The strengths of the design include systematic useof the pop-up technique of origamic architecture,geometric elasticity, and simplicity of constructionby any unskilled person, thus providing extraordi-nary variety of flexible spatial designs needed forpost-disaster shelters. In addition, local committeeand local volunteers will be trained to distribute andassist users to erect the shelter. At this time, variouslocal skills and knowledge will be assimilated.

The scope of this solution is limited to setting upthe basic infrastructure, i.e., the fundamental basefor the process of sheltering only, but does not sin-gle-handedly solve all the problems identified at thebeginning of this paper. The proposed solutioncontributes to the required solutions that directly orindirectly rely on each other.

Whereas this paper attempts to solve theseproblems from a technological point of view, atechnical solution is not sufficient to fully bring liveli-hood and socio-cultural continuity to the affectedcommunity from economical, educational, politi-cal, and physical perspectives. Accordingly, theimplementation of community-based approachesto disaster mitigation is imperative for bringing thesuccessful recovery and sustainable development inthe community (Maskrey, 1989).

Awareness of the need for precaution and safe-ty in any kind of disaster or conflict is of foremostimportance. As Spence (2004) pointed out: "thesuccess of any government action depends equally

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Fig 19. Various possibilities of flexible shelters by grouping units

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. on the development in a society of a 'safety culture'in which citizens both understand the risks they faceand are prepared to participate in the managementof them." Therefore, the strong involvement of peo-ple from technological, social, and politicalspheres, as well as members of the civil communi-ty, is needed to minimize loss of lives, protect sur-vivors from hazard and vulnerability, and toreestablish social and cultural continuity of theaffected area in the event of small scale to largescale disasters or conflicts (Lorch, 2005).

AACCKKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGEEMMEENNTTThis work was supported by a Korea ResearchFoundation Grant funded by the KoreanGovernment.

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Author’s AAddress:Iasef Md Rian, Jin-Ho Park, Hyung Uk AhnInha UniversityIncheon, Koreajinhopark@inha.ac.kr

Dongkuk Chang, Chosun University, Korea,cdass@chosun.ac.krwww.cdass.net

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