Origami Housing: A Post-Disaster Temporary Emergency Housing Solution

Over the last two decades, natural disasters have caused over $2.97 trillion in economic losses, 1.23 million deaths, and affected more than 4 billion people through injury, loss of housing, displacement, and/or requiring emergency aid. Data have shown that physical, social, and economic inequities play a significant role in the vulnerability of communities particularly post-disasters. Low-income communities have more than four times as many deaths per disaster, experience more severe and long-lasting infrastructure damage, and often receive delayed disaster recovery. Therefore, this causes prolonged and widespread homelessness as well as an inevitable temporary housing crisis. This research proposes an innovative short-term Origami temporary emergency housing solution, which offers an equitable and affordable solution ensuring potential victims are offered quick shelter post-disasters. This study aims to address the challenges of post-disaster homelessness through (1) understanding existing natural disaster housing solutions, (2) identifying post-disaster vulnerabilities pertaining to temporary housing needs, and (3) proposing Origami shelter solution and validating its feasibility and applicability through surveying engineering and architecture experts. The results of this study show the urgency for quick-assembly temporary emergency housing that allows victims to safely live and return to routine activities while infrastructure systems and homes are being repaired or rebuilt.