When designing a post-disaster temporary shelter that houses people, for a small period of time, it is imperative that the designer consider various domicile interactions that can occur within that structure. In addition, the designer must consider how the possible users will view and interact within the space. These areas include: what makes a home, thermal comfort zones, and personal distance comfort zones.
What makes a “Home”
When designing a temporary shelter, a number of aspects need to be examined. Due to the fact that the human body is not universal, human comfort, including concepts such as spatial relationships, temperature zoning, and, cultural aspects, needs to be analyzed before designing a shelter. Therefore, past shelters, the failures and successes, need to be researched to develop the best shelter in response to creating a home-like atmosphere that promotes well-being to the inhabitant on their transition from a temporary shelter to permanent housing.
It is mandatory, when designing any form of domicile structure, to create a comfortable place to call home, as well as a place that promotes well-being. To do this, we first need to define what makes a “home,” and what is considered “well-being.” As defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “home” is an environment that provides security and well-being, as well as a place where one’s affections are centered (Home, n.d.). In addition, well-being is a satisfactory condition of existence that is characterized by health, happiness, and prosperity (Well-being, n.d.). In the events following a hurricane, well-being would have a slightly different meaning, due to the change in situation. Well-being would then mean being alive and gaining shelter from the elements.
Image 1 - Home is where the HEART is
Humans and their Comfort Zone
Due to the human body not being universal, people in different locations view comfort temperature zones differently. As described by Victor Olgyay, “the shelter is the main instrument for fulfilling the requirement of comfort” (Olgyay, 1973, p. 15). According to Roberto Barrios, an anthropologist at SIUC, the human body is not universal; therefore, the comfort level depends on the person, their location, and the society they belong to (Barrios, n.d.). In an environment, there are four elements that can affect ones human comfort: relative humidity, radiation, air movement, and air temperature.
Using the effective temperature scale, American scientists Yagloa and Dinker, discovered that the temperature comfort zone for the United States is between 63 -75 degree Fahrenheit. In addition, they also discovered that the relative humidity comfort zone is between 30 and 70%. However, scientists from the British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research shifted their temperature zone to fit their location. Dr. T. Bedford believes the British comfort zone is between 56 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. To contradict Bedford, C.E.D. Brooks located the British comfort zone between 58 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. However, Brooks concluded the United States comfort zone lies between 69 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, in tropic areas, the comfort zone is located between 74 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, author Victor Olgyay discovered that age plays a role in thermal comfort. Men and women over 40 years of age prefer an increase of one degree Fahrenheit to those of younger ages (Olgyay, 1973).
Image 2 - Table of winter and summer human comfor zones
Anthropologist, Edward Hall has studied personal distance zones. The following came after an interaction Hall encountered after a lecture:
[A member of the audience] came to the front of the class at the end of the lecture. We started out facing each other, and as he talked I became dimly aware that he was standing a little too close and that I was beginning to back up. By experimenting I was able to observe that as I moved away slightly, there was an associated shift in the pattern of [our] interaction (Henslin, 2003, p. 97).
Through his studies and interactions, Hall has concluded that within the United States, there are four personal zones: intimate, personal, social, and public. Intimate zones, extending 18 inches from our bodies, are reserved for activities such as protecting and comforting. Personal zones, extending 18 inches to 4 feet, are reserved for ordinary conversation. Social zones, extending 4 to 12 feet, are reserved for impersonal relationships. However, public zones, extending beyond 12 feet, are reserved for formal relationships (Henslin, 2003). In addition, after doing a pilot study on the sizes of displaced families living within FEMA trailers, out of fifty families, 22 consisted of 1-2 people, 19 consisted of 3-4 people, and 9 consisted of 5 or more people. Therefore, there is a need to design a expandable shelter to fulfill the needs of various family sizes (A Study of the Family, n.d.). In the case of a shelter atmosphere, a personal zone would need to be used to provide enough interior space to provide a sense of privacy.
Image 3 - Depiction of distances for social interaction types
Text
The Study of the Family Sizes Living Within a FEMA Trailer. Pilot Study. September 18, 2010.
Barrios, R. Personal Communication.September 13, 2010.
Henslin, J. (2003). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, Fifth Edition. New York:Allyn Bacon.
Home. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/home.
Olgyay, V. (1973). Design with Climate: Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism. New York: Princeton
University Press.
Well-being. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well-being.
Images
Image 1 - http://oels.byu.edu/student/idioms/proverbs/image/home.jpg
Image 2 - http://talbottradiant.com/images/RadConEvap5.jpg
Image 3 - http://jumpingthroughpuddles.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/20070403_personal_space_
comfort_zones.png
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