Wind Performance Assessment of Postdisaster Housing in the Philippines

Abstract

Although organizations build housing in resource-limited contexts after typhoons and other disasters that is intended to be safer than what existed previously, the performance of these houses in future typhoons—and the factors influencing their performance—is unknown. This study developed a component-level, performance-based wind engineering assessment framework and evaluated the wind performance of 12 semiengineered postdisaster housing designs, representing thousands of houses that were constructed in the Philippines after Typhoon Yolanda. We found that roof panel loss likely occurs first for most designs, at wind speeds equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane/Signal 3 typhoon. Roof shape determines whether this loss is caused by failure at the panel–fastener interface or the purlin-to-truss connection. However, houses with wooden frames and woven bamboo walls also may experience catastrophic racking failures at wind speeds equivalent to Signal 2 or 3 typhoons, a situation exacerbated by strengthening the roof. Results also showed that wind performance varies with roof shape, component spacing, panel thickness, eave length, and connection between purlin and truss. Organizations can use these results to improve housing performance, taking specific care to increase wall capacity. This framework can be expanded to assess housing performance in other resource-limited contexts.