A Meta-study of Architectural Design Processes in Post-disaster Housing Reconstruction in Iran

Background and objective:

 Despite conducting numerous studies in the two areas of “architectural design process” and “post-disaster housing reconstruction” in recent years in Iran, limited studies have been conducted for the meta-study of these two areas. Therefore, to redefine the “post-disaster housing reconstruction” and strengthen the common theoretical foundations, the current study aims to review the related studies to obtain in-depth knowledge of the concepts common between post-disaster housing reconstruction and architectural design process, extract operational concepts, and formulate a proposed conceptual model.

Method :

This is a mixed-method meta-study using an interpretive-naturalistic approach. The articles published in Persian over the last twenty years were searched using the keywords “housing architecture design process”, “post-disaster housing reconstruction,” and “participatory architecture design process and post-disaster housing “. The initial search yielded 168 articles. After several stages of screening, 66 articles were selected for further review. Quantitative analysis was done using descriptive statistics in Excel software. Qualitative analysis was done using the coding technique and MaxQDA software.

Results:

 The studies in the field of Iranian architecture are mainly subject-oriented and independent of time and place, based on theoretical knowledge along with the global knowledge of architecture and in line with the third generation of design processes (mental processes of architects). Meanwhile, the articles in the field of post-disaster housing reconstruction in Iran are mainly experience-oriented and location-oriented, with an applied design and using a case study method. 

Conclusion :

The “post-disaster housing design process,” due to its nature, includes all three generations of architectural design processes, including systematic, collaborative, and mental processes. Recognizing and redefining the “steps of post-disaster housing design and planning”, “roles and responsibilities”, and “managing the implementation of plans and programs” related to the systematic processes; “participatory design and participatory architects”, “participation in post-disaster design and supply of housing”, “effective factors, barriers, and facilitators of participation” related to the collaborative processes; and “architect- and problem-focused design factors”, “architect’s post-disaster knowledge and attitude towards the situation”, “redefining the post-disaster contextual architecture” and “ mentalizing factors of the architect and disaster survivors” related to the mental processes are the most important issues involved in the three generations of the post-disaster housing design process.