16 Inclusive Resilience: Incorporating the Indigenous …
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In the context of a bure, we can analyse its vulnerabilities and devise solutions.
The shape of the bure, with its rounded corners, and the hipped roof style enables
it to have better aerodynamic performance, in theory, as compared to the sharp
corners, and flat gable roofs that typify contemporary housing structures (Holmes
2001). This could be validated by means of wind tunnel testing and/or numerical
simulations. Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate the quality of the materials
and the construction details used therein. This could be done by performing tests on
indigenous materials. These combined would form a proof of concept which could
then enable the integration of the indigenous housing design and practice into the
code.
In the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, more than 100,000 dhajji dewari
homes were built (Hicyilmaz et al. 2012). Dhajji dewari is an indigenous construction
method prevalent in the Western Himalayas, particularly in Kashmir. It uses timber
framing with intricate connection details packed with masonry infill materials. To
date, this type of structure and construction method has been extensively studied
and its design further developed towards seismic resilience (for instance, Ahmad
et al. 2012, 2017; Ali et al. 2017; Dar and Ahmad 2015) and is now recognised as a
seismic-resistant housing structure.
While globally there is little to no recognition of indigenous materials and methods
in building codes, some countries have already started doing so. For instance, Peru
was able to incorporate provisions for earthen housing into its building code (Vargas
et al. 2006). In 2015, Nepal has also been able to do so for masonry (NBC 203) and
earthen constructions (NBC 204) (Government of Nepal 2015a, b).
Finally, there is a need to be more conscientious in formulating post-disaster
reconstruction policies and programmes that includes everyone in the picture. There
needs to be more focus on how we can leverage traditional knowledge and skills in
developing resilience.
16.7.2 Self-build and Post-disaster Recovery
Fiji is a country of a little over 100 inhabited islands scattered over a 1.3 million square
kilometre area in the South Pacific region. In the aftermath of Cyclone Winston, one
of the biggest challenges in humanitarian aid was the logistics of transporting the
materials and skilled people to the far-flung and isolated islands (P5, P6). Thus, there
arises the need to determine those which can be sourced from within the locality.
Miyaji et al (2017) had demonstrated the contribution of the practice of selfbuild in post-disaster recovery. The bure, which is typically constructed communally
from locally available materials, promotes resilience by decreasing the community’s
reliance on external assistance. Not only does it address the issue of materials needing
to be transported from the major islands, it also addresses the manpower gap postdisaster, which may then lead to a faster recovery.
In the event of a major disaster, the same may be the case for other nations in the
South Pacific, on in the similarly climate-vulnerable nations in the Northwest Pacific,
309
In the context of a bure, we can analyse its vulnerabilities and devise solutions.
The shape of the bure, with its rounded corners, and the hipped roof style enables
it to have better aerodynamic performance, in theory, as compared to the sharp
corners, and flat gable roofs that typify contemporary housing structures (Holmes
2001). This could be validated by means of wind tunnel testing and/or numerical
simulations. Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate the quality of the materials
and the construction details used therein. This could be done by performing tests on
indigenous materials. These combined would form a proof of concept which could
then enable the integration of the indigenous housing design and practice into the
code.
In the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, more than 100,000 dhajji dewari
homes were built (Hicyilmaz et al. 2012). Dhajji dewari is an indigenous construction
method prevalent in the Western Himalayas, particularly in Kashmir. It uses timber
framing with intricate connection details packed with masonry infill materials. To
date, this type of structure and construction method has been extensively studied
and its design further developed towards seismic resilience (for instance, Ahmad
et al. 2012, 2017; Ali et al. 2017; Dar and Ahmad 2015) and is now recognised as a
seismic-resistant housing structure.
While globally there is little to no recognition of indigenous materials and methods
in building codes, some countries have already started doing so. For instance, Peru
was able to incorporate provisions for earthen housing into its building code (Vargas
et al. 2006). In 2015, Nepal has also been able to do so for masonry (NBC 203) and
earthen constructions (NBC 204) (Government of Nepal 2015a, b).
Finally, there is a need to be more conscientious in formulating post-disaster
reconstruction policies and programmes that includes everyone in the picture. There
needs to be more focus on how we can leverage traditional knowledge and skills in
developing resilience.
16.7.2 Self-build and Post-disaster Recovery
Fiji is a country of a little over 100 inhabited islands scattered over a 1.3 million square
kilometre area in the South Pacific region. In the aftermath of Cyclone Winston, one
of the biggest challenges in humanitarian aid was the logistics of transporting the
materials and skilled people to the far-flung and isolated islands (P5, P6). Thus, there
arises the need to determine those which can be sourced from within the locality.
Miyaji et al (2017) had demonstrated the contribution of the practice of selfbuild in post-disaster recovery. The bure, which is typically constructed communally
from locally available materials, promotes resilience by decreasing the community’s
reliance on external assistance. Not only does it address the issue of materials needing
to be transported from the major islands, it also addresses the manpower gap postdisaster, which may then lead to a faster recovery.
In the event of a major disaster, the same may be the case for other nations in the
South Pacific, on in the similarly climate-vulnerable nations in the Northwest Pacific,