Application of multi-criteria decision-making in the design of a post-disaster transitional shelter

• Main Author: Chan, Ryan Sylvester S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Public shelters—Design and construction; Multiple criteria decision making; Civil Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_civ/27
• Institution: De La Salle University

As a disaster-prone country, the Philippines relies on post-disaster shelters to assist displaced households during a period of transition when damaged houses and other infrastructure are being rebuilt. The recurring demand for these shelters highlights the importance of enhancing their design. This research proposes to improve the B7 Philippine transitional shelter used in Mindanao from an environmental, social, and economic standpoint. Specifically, the suitability of different partitions, namely concrete hollow blocks (CHB), autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) and rice husk ash composite concrete (RHAC), roofs, namely corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets and insulated sandwich panels, as well as opening configurations was analyzed. In ranking these alternatives, the global warming potential (GWP), thermal comfort in terms of predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) occupants, and shelter cost were evaluated and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) was applied. Findings showed that the modified shelters generally perform better than the original. The best design has more openings and adopts AAC partitions while maintaining a CGI sheet roofing; this combination results in a 10.44% lower GWP and a 67.68% lower PPD. Increasing the number of openings yields the highest reduction in PPD; this is followed by the AAC partitions, the RHAC partitions, and lastly the insulated panels. In terms of environmental impact, the GWP of the AAC partition is 31.29% less than the CHB while the GWP of the RHAC and CHB partitions are almost equal. In contrast, there is a tradeoff for using insulated panels as its GWP is over four times that of the CGI sheets. Cost is another tradeoff as AAC and RHAC shelters are at least 15.72% and 7.11% more expensive than CHB counterparts respectively. Similarly, insulated shelters are at least 37.67% more expensive than non-insulated counterparts. Overall, the advantages of adding openings and using either AAC or RHAC partitions outweigh their disadvantages. However, the use of insulated sandwich panels is impractical due to its high environmental impact and cost.