Week 2

How the understanding of home has changed over time.

• The understand used to be a place for shelter as protection against the elements
• Used for a place to sleep and for recreational purposes
• Things that a home provided then:
• shelter
• shade
• some privacy
• some security

• In the present times homes have become a lot more personal, safe, private, friendly.
• although it is still used for these primitive aspects, (shelter, protection etc...) 
• Things that are a lot more important about a house now:
• comfort
• privacy
• safety
• recreation
• social
• identity

Clients

Who have been affected? 

13 suburbs in southern and eastern

How have they been affected?
Homes are flooded and destroyed. Suburbs remain underwater and are not inhabitable, 1.6 million people have been evacuated.

What are they're needs and vulnerabilities?
Basic needs, food, water and shelter are needed. because most areas remained underwater for extended periods of time, staying dry and warm are essential for the victims comfort and health.

What are they're location?
Urban, relatively flat ground. (13 suburbs in central China)

What housing existed before the natural disaster?
These images are not before the disaster but are a good indicator of the housing in southern and eastern China

http://goodlawd.com/millions-evacuate-chinas-epic-flood-pictures/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2011/jun/20/china-affected-by-violent-floods-in-pictures

How did it deal with the division of space, privacy, security, climate control?
The land is relatively flat so the water had nowhere to go and stayed in the area for a long time, houses and whole suburbs where uninhabitable, leaving no security, privacy or climate control.

What are the climate conditions?
In the northeast the summers are hot and dry and the winters are freezing cold. In the southeast there is plenty of rainfall, semi-tropical summers and cool winters. Flooding can occur in the central, southern and western regions and the country in general can experience earthquakes.

Do the displaced dwellers have any cultural or religious traditions which influence the apparel, day to day activities, or social interactions?
Religion is probably not such a major influence in China, however Chinese culture could affect the way you go about setting up and designing temporary disaster relief housing. 



Principals of universal design:

Principal 4:    Perceptible information:
The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.