2023 Theses Master's

Modular Units in Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction

Zhou, Vic Sartre

In this scientific abstract, the deployment of modular units or prefabricated homes as a potential solution for post-disaster housing provision is examined. Despite the numerous benefits of using prefabs, such as streamlined construction, efficient deployment, and cost-effectiveness, their adoption has been slow, and it is unclear why they have not been more widely adopted.

The author explores the Build it Back program (BiB), which was initiated in response to Hurricane Sandy, but failed to provide prefabs until several years later, leading to a dysfunctional rebuilding process. The study aims to investigate the reasons for the slow adoption of prefabricated housing units in the post-disaster scenario and examines the strategic site selection to ease the negative socioeconomic impacts on the receiving community.

The study concludes that prefabs can be used at any stage of post-disaster lodging and can be transformed into permanent housing or repurposed.