Spontaneous Sheltering for Self-Recovery: Designing to Overcome the Gulf of Execution in the First 72 Hours After A Disaster

In 2019 alone, there were 1900 naturally triggered disasters in 140 countries and territories. The Global Shelter Cluster estimated 16 million needed shelter in 2017 and the global demand for shelter is escalating. Survivors are the first responders after a disaster and self-recover by building makeshift shelter to start the reconstruction before help arrives. This thesis focuses on the survivor’s vulnerability immediately after a disaster, by developing an approach and design solution to aid them during the construction of a shelter, in the first 72 hours without outside help.