Vol :37 Issue No.1 2012 - Open House International

Table 1. Importance placed on the various aspects of renovation
C ONC LU SION
In this paper, an example each of the bottom-up
and top down approaches is described, based on
field studies; the comparison highlights the need for
more flexible models of the reconstruction process.
The rural lifestyle and economy calls for different
spaces and their arrangement within and without
the dwellings, such as barns, bread ovens and food
storage. A failure to cater to these needs within the
framework of the reconstruction project will lead to
the PDH being abandoned, sooner or later. This
would be tantamount to the failure of the project
and a failed project means a waste of resources
which cannot be justified to the public at large.
As usual in the field of building and construction,
the fundamental question concerns selecting
the priorities for reconstruction projects and deciding
who determines them. To what degree are construction-convenience
and associated cost savings
more important than variety of housing types and
the fit with user requirements? In other words, is it
better to build more cheaply and provide housing
for more beneficiaries or to build, at greater cost,
houses that are adapted to their occupants’ lifestyles?
Another important issue concerns the beneficiaries’
capabilities. Within the objective of empowering
the beneficiary, is he or she being placed in a
situation where delegated responsibility requires
more skills than he or she can have? Does he or
she know how to recognize what user requirements
are and how to ensure that they are provided?
There is no standard response to such questions,
if only because of the unavoidable impact of
local traditions and cultural norms. Nevertheless,
findings of the two post-disaster housing case-studies
persuade us that the sustainability of a reconstruction
project in rural areas can be ensured if
certain precautions are taken in both procurement
methods. It is recommended that a bottom-up
approach be adopted to improve the success rate
of the project; although, this is not always possible
when the funding agency cannot be convinced of
its advantages. Hence, if a top-down procurement
approach cannot be avoided then the following
precautions are recommended:
• Involve all parties in decision making processes
related to the housing project
• Incorporate the requirements and lifestyle of the
beneficiaries in the design brief of the housing unit
• Respect the opinions of the beneficiaries with
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open house international Vol.37 No.1, March 2012 Comparison Of Post-Disaster Housing... Nese Dikmen, Soofia Tahira Elias-Ozkan, Colin Davidson