| This thesis investigates the architecture of transitional housing in regions recovering from natural disasters as a 'hybrid' architecture a type of architecture that is neither permanent nor temporary rather, it is permanent and temporary.The economic and cultural characteristics of the Sichuan province and areas affected by the earthquake bring a unique complexity to the project. This complexity also embodies a wide range of traditional building expertise and knowledge of methods such as adobe, rammed earth and timber construction. The hybrid dwelling will examine the possibilities opened up by the confluence of these specific yet divergent building techniques and materials to provide a well-balanced and intimate transitional space for the family, or in other words a space for healing in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.Using the 'Great Sichuan Earthquake' which took place on May 12, 2008 in the Sichuan Province as a study model, the construction of the proposed transitional homes will address the concept of 'hybridity' by working with both traditional methods and ideologies, as well as implementing new disaster relief strategies. |
