Earthquake and Typhoon-Resilient Houses in Low Income, Tropical Asia

Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda) hit the Philippines on November 8th, 2013, killing at least 6.300 people and caused catastrophic damages throughout the country; particularly in Leyte - where large parts of cities and towns were destroyed. Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, and storms are a recurring problem in the Philippines. The Philippines is also situated in a high risk zone for earthquakes. On October 15th, 2013, just one month before Typhoon Haiyan, there was an earthquake in Bohol - 200km south of Leyte. The magnitude of the earthquake was Mw 7.2, which resulted in the release of energy equivalent to 32 Hiroshima bombs - causing 222 deaths and massive destructions across a wide radius.

In response to the frequent earthquakes and typhoons in the Philippines, a robust, climate-optimised and naturally ventilated house was designed and built. The walls are made from light materials (fiber-cement), in order to minimize thermal gain. All spaces are extensively cross-ventilated in order to increase thermal comfort. The building was completed at the beginning of 2013. The Tabogon Caretaker house is close to the epicentre of both the typhoon and the earthquake, but survived both events without any damages. Most of the neighbouring buildings suffered severe damages, with roofs being frequently ripped off houses.

The next step in this project is the construction of a novel prototype with the following objectives:

• To build an adequately sized house with limited funds by carefully selecting what to build rather than cutting down on overall space.

• To protect the inhabitants against earthquakes by building a strong but simple concrete frame. By elevating the building on stilts, the building is naturally cooled and is protected against floods in the traditional way of Asian constructions.

• The building is covered by a well-secured, corrugated iron roof with an open, well-ventilated roof cavity. This design allows the cooling of the building all-year-round and prevents the roof from being ripped off by storms - as it allows high winds to escape.

• To provide safe water supply and sanitation. In order to lower costs, only the most essential parts of the building are constructed and it is left to the residents to complete the building. There are initially only walls around the bathrooms. The inhabitants build walls from bamboo or other light materials themselves. As time goes by they may choose to replace the walls with more permanent materials.

A strong but simple concrete frame protects the inhabitants against earthquakes. Also, the building is raised on stilts in order to cool it down and protect against floods in the traditional Asian way.

The building is covered by a well-secured corrugate iron roof with an open, well ventilated roof cavity. This design allows the cooling of the building all-year-round and prevents the roof from being ripped off by storms, as it allows high winds to escape. 

In order to lower costs, only the most essential parts of the building are constructed and it is left to the residents to complete the building. There are initially only walls around the bathroom and one bedroom. The inhabitants build walls from bamboo or other light materials themselves. As time goes by they may choose to replace the walls with more permanent materials.