A HOLISTIC DESIGN FOR THE SELF-CONSTRUCTION OF THE CORE OF A MODULAR SMALL HOUSE AND ITS SERVICES FOR DISASTER ZONES

  Haiti´s catastrophic systemic collapse after the ...earthquake is a dramatic example of the connection between a natural phenomena and the social and economic organization in an underdeveloped country. The earthquake had a much smaller magnitude than the ...Chile´s earthquake, but had a much larger effect. In Haiti there was a widespread destruction of its infrastructure, the reconstruction had to begin from scrape. Today a large part of the refuges is living in temporal living lodgings there are not enough funds to restore the fragile housing infrastructure of the country. The poor regions of different countries have a very fragile infrastructure that can be severely affected by natural disasters. When a catastrophic event happens, a widespread destruction occurs. After the event, an international effort is made to reconstruct the houses, and services that where destroyed. The relief effort does not last for a long time, and after the initial effort the population is abandoned, they have to solve their problems with their own scarce resources. In the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN), the National Polytechnic Institute, a large and influential Mexican public university, a project is being developed for the construction of a strong modular transportable mini house (bathroom and kitchen, and its services) as a first step in the rebuilding effort in disaster zones. The first step in the reconstruction of the housing infrastructure and its water service (with the recycling of water) can be a strong central core of the medium and long term rebuilding houses and their services. The construction process of this small central core of housing is the beginning of a participative self-sufficient effort of organized communities, a gradual medium or long term rebuilding process of their complete houses and services, with their own resources and knowledge. It is an integral, or holistic open socio-technical process that links the design of water infrastructure, with a social process (linking rational, emotional, cultural and spiritual dimensions) in a particular geo-cultural context.. The modular core, is the first part of a participative self-help construction process with local materials after training and workshops. Actually, we already are in the first step of this process (workshop and training) in Haiti, with some other partners as Caritas and Misereo