Optimising Responsive Forms for Post-Disaster Temporary Shelters in Cold Climates; the Case of Kermanshah, Iran

Millions of people become homeless every year due to natural disasters. Owing to its geographical location, Iran has experienced many earthquakes and floods, with more likely to recur. Paying attention to temporary accommodation is, therefor einevitable. Despite the supposedly definitive approaches, there are many problems in supplying thermal comfort inside the shelter, and high levels of user dissatisfaction is reported, leading to users eventually alter or abandon these spaces. Most problems arise from misconceptions about people’s post-disaster experience. The present research is after proposing optimised forms to provide thermal comfort for disaster victims. It is an applied research, and qualitative when it comes to studies on natural disasters and experiences of making shelter in different places. Design Builder Software is used here for simulations and examining interior environment comfort.  comments can be made related to optimal climatic shelter for post-disaster circumstances by stimulating and internal temperature tests.11 shelter forms are thus examined and compared, with results showing that the dome provides the most suitable indoor temperature conditions, followed by polygonal pyramids, and then cubic shapes with vaulted roofs. In general, curved pyramid roofs, and smoother folds improve the shelter's thermal performance.  The same is true for flat roofs with fewer construction layers. As the layers increase, the curved walls will have a slightly higher temperature than the flat roof. Since the cube and other roof shapes have relatively similar performance, the ease of construction and the user’s demand should be considered in choosing the optimal form. Fiberglass and cork coatings can be proposed as effective materials in improving the temperature quality inside the shelter in cold climates.