Shipping Containers as Emergency Housing for Socio-Natural Disasters in Hot Climates

In Colombia, and particularly in the city of Cúcuta, the characteristics of the warm climate and natural hazards generate disasters whose effects are reversed in the partial or total affectation of homes and affected people who require temporary housing solutions. Therefore, the main objective of the project was to generate an urbanarchitectural proposa for emergent housing through the use of containers.

The mixed methodological structure is complemented by a cross-sectional interpretative and propositional process, developed in three stages: conceptual, contextual and propositional, which made possible the identification of theoretical foundations on disaster risk management, emerging housing trends and main characteristics of the container; the characterization of socio natural disasters associated with the semi-arid tropical and dry tropical savanna climate in Colombia, and the socio-environmental conditions of Cúcuta in terms of natural hazards and vulnerability of the local population.

Finally, the design of a flexible and adaptive emerging housing alternative with basic conditions of temporary habitability was obtained, which evidences the applicability of the container as an effective emerging housing solution that can provide spatial quality, safety and bioclimatic comfort.