Optimization of the Construction System of Relief Tents Used in Emergency Accommodation

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of natural disasters is high in Iran due to its special climatic and geophysical conditions. However, the provision of better services to trauma victims requires further research. Decisions on emergency accommodation and meeting the needs of the victims are often made in conditions of uncertainty, and the lack of appropriate studies leads to the provision of low-quality and intermittent services. METHODS: This applied and descriptive-analytical study was conducted to determine the advantages and disadvantages of relief tents using documentary and library resources, observation, and interviews with officials and experts, and the effective standards for the construction system of emergency accommodation. The thermal comfort of the victims was then investigated using the guidelines of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), interviews with the victims, and field tests. Moreover, solutions are introduced for the improvement and optimization of relief tents, and a new building system is introduced for the emergency accommodation of victims in incidents by removing the disadvantages of the systems previously used in emergency accommodation. FINDINGS: According to the observations and investigations, the previously used emergency shelters do not meet the needs of the accident survivors properly and their design does not correspond to the users’ culture and needs. The problems with the current accommodating methods include lack of privacy, lack of protection against disturbing cold and heat, and inappropriate and non-standard dimensions of the existing tents. Solutions have been presented to solve the existing problems and a new system for emergency accommodation has been introduced based on field observations and interviews with experts. CONCLUSION: It is noteworthy that the votes of 22 percent of people are in the range of slightly warm to slightly cold; which shows that these people are satisfied with their accommodation regarding thermal comfort. 78 percent of the people's votes were outside the satisfaction range. Due to the chambered structure of the tent, direct sunlight in the summer, the lack of proper air exchange, the weakness of the structural components of the tent and the lack of heat retention in the winter, proper mechanical systems should be used to provide thermal comfort, which is not feasible in practice due to the extent of the incidents and large amounts of equipment and resources needed which bolds the importance of the proposed construction system.