Abstract

Human settlement along coastal areas has grown dramatically over the last two decades. Unfortunately, coastal areas are prone to natural disasters caused by climate change and tectonic shifts underwater in the adjacent water bodies, resulting in loss of life and property. Tsunami is a form of natural disaster which occurs because of earthquakes under oceans and seas creating large waves which flood or wash out any coastal cities or islands located in the area impacted.

In 2004 the Indian Ocean Tsunami had an enormous impact on the coastal cities in Southeast Asia causing loss of thousands of lives and making millions homeless. One region that bore the worst impacts of this tsunami was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India, located in the Bay of Bengal. Rehousing for those who lost their houses was the biggest post disaster issue as these islands were completely washed out. People built temporary housing until they moved to permanent houses, which took about two years to develop. The temporary houses built by the disaster stuck population were unsustainable. Being an island town, natural disasters such as tsunami due to tectonic shifts or rising water levels globally could reoccur bringing even more damage.

This thesis addresses the development of a resilient house as a solution for preventing homelessness caused by coastal natural disasters and act as an informative guide for houses that are to be built to make them resilient to similar natural disasters. Resilient housing is a viable solution to reduce the loss of housing post a disaster and to protect human lives through the disaster. This proposed prototype design of the core and shell of the house which is resilient and based on the characteristics of the region is based on studying and analyzing existing research in the field of tsunami's and their impact. This thesis takes into account the climate of the region and has features that ensure better comfort levels. The development of this thesis involved a study of Tsunami and its impacts, social aspects of the study area, relationship between structures and their resilience to Tsunami, the regulatory requirements of the government regarding incorporation of resilience in building design, a climate characterization of the region. This was followed by an analysis of the information gathered, based on which a prototype design of a house resilient to impacts of Tsunami has been proposed.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Ecological houses--India--Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Tsunamis--India--Andaman and Nicobar Islands--Safety measures; Emergency management--India--Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Disaster victims--Housing--India--Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Buildings--Repair and reconstruction--India--Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India)--Social conditions

Publication Date

12-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Architecture (M.Arch.)

Department, Program, or Center

Architecture (GIS)

Advisor

Nana-Yaw Andoh

Advisor/Committee Member

Gabrielle Gaustad

Advisor/Committee Member

James Yarrington

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ARCH-MARCH

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