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EFFECTS OF ARCHITECTURAL STABILITY,

ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT AND BUILDING
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 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

EFFECTS OF ARCHITECTURAL STABILITY, ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT AND BUILDING

ELEMENTS ON DISASTER RESILIENT IN ARCHITECTURE

BY
MUHAMMAD AMINU MUSA
Department Of Architecture, Faculty Of Environmental Design, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria
ammusa@abu.edu.ng

ABSTRACT.
Developing Countries like Nigeria are presently being aggrieved more by flood, erosion and wind storm, whereas the
danger of desertification and seaside blizzard are being fortified due to climate change, consequently the need to study
disaster architecture is very important so that buildings which are mostly affected could be rescued in future. Disaster
is simply a condition overpowers dweller’s capability, necessitating appeal to a national level for outside support. It
can also be explained to as unexpected also frequently abrupt happening that bring-about pronounced destruction,
impairment plus social suffering. Houses epitomize the uppermost misses due to natural disaster. The research is
designed to investigate the effects of stability, concept and building elements, on the disaster resilient in Architecture.
This is done by using 12 case studies spread all over the world, to find out the effects of architectural stability(s) on
disaster resilient in buildings; examining the relationship between architectural elements and the buildings disaster
resilient and lastly to identify whether architectural concept has anything to do with buildings disaster resilient. The
result found out that, Architectural concept is resilient to four out of five types of natural disasters which includes:
Geophysical; climatological; Meteorological; and Hydrological, while the other two; element of Architecture and
Architectural stability are resilient to only one out of five types of natural disaster, which is Meteorological disaster.
It further recommends that, architects when designing in disaster prone areas should give more emphasize to the
concept to produce disaster resistant buildings.
Keywords. Disaster Resilient; Concept; Stability; Elements of Architecture

INTRODUCTION
There are range of natural disaster which are dangerous to environment from erosion, climate change,
drought, heat wave, flood, hailstorm, earthquake, landslide, natural wild fire, volcano, tsunami, and
desertification, among others. Lyons (2009) thoughts that, houses represent large percentage loss, owing to
the natural disaster. The Vietnam’s authority according to, Monre (2008), considers housing as one of the
4 supreme helpless areas to harsh climate. Misadventures have sustained to cause stark shattering moments
in the forfeiture of human lives. For instance, conferring to James, Shaba. Zubair, Teslim, Yusuf, and Nuhu,
(2013), about hundred persons perished in Ibadan owing to deluge in 2011 whereas 5,000 persons were
expatriated with unembellished fiscal effects, Likewise, Niekerk and Dewald, (2007) said that, Hurricane
Katrina in the Harbor of Mexico steered to 1,400 losses amid 23th August, and 30th August, 2005, with
severe economic losses. Additional one by Twig (2004), is the 9.2 magnitude of earthquake that happened
in Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 instigated a huge tsunami disaster which submerged more
than 10 shoreline nations then capped in nearby 300,000 demises with critical financial and ecological
effects. The measure of devastation of these natural calamities was more in the continent of Asia, followed
by North America and least in Africa (Odjugo, 2012). Nigeria is currently being afflicted more by flood,
wind storm, and erosion while the menace of desertification and coastal inundation are being reinforced
due to climate change, consequently the need to study disaster architecture is very important so that
buildings which are mostly affected could be salvaged. The following questions are raised concerning the
menace; are there buildings that resist disaster menace? What are the likely causes of buildings’ resilient in
architecture? Are these causes be related to typology of disaster? The exploration is pointed at examining
the effects of stability, concept and Building elements on the disaster resilient in Architecture. This is
achieved by using 12 case study to find out the effects of architectural stability(s) on disaster resilient in

12
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

buildings; and also to explore the relationship between architectural elements and the buildings disaster
resilient and lastly to identify whether architectural concept has anything to do with buildings disaster
resilient.
Architectural concept is the philosophy behind a design, whereas building element covers all
essentials that are mainly part of the construction of a building. For instance; roof, wall, eave. Architectural
stability denotes the degree to which a building system can bear changes while leaving the architecture of
the structure undamaged. There are a number of definition of disaster such include: A Merriam Lexicon
outlines misadventure as an unexpected disastrous experience causes serious mutilation, forfeiture, or
annihilation; also Quarentelly (1957), believed that, Disaster is a emergency condition instigating extensive
spread destruction which far surpasses our aptitude to recuperate. The most acceptable definition is by the
Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disaster (CRED) at Brussels, Belgium, in Annual Disaster
Statistical Review (2015), which describes Adversity as “a situation or event overwhelms local capacity,
necessitating request to a national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often
sudden event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering.” Calamities are classified into
two categories: Natural disasters, which consists of floods, earthquakes, landslides; and artificial disasters
which include, explosives, war, chemical leaks. Moreover, the complete EM-DAT classified disaster into
two categories, CRED (2015): technological; and natural disasters, and further sub organize natural disaster
into 5 which are; Geophysical, are actions initiating from solid earth; Meteorological, are occasions
triggered by brief to meso-scale atmospheric processes; Hydrological are happenings affected by
aberrations in the standard water cycle and bodies of water triggered by wind set-up; Climatological are
events produced by prolonged/ meso- to macro-scale courses; and Biological which is cataclysm caused
by the acquaintance of living organisms to germs and noxious matter.
RESEARCH DESIGN
In conducting this research, an intensive literature review was conducted from published and unpublished
materials: books, journals, papers, thesis and internet (references of past works) were selected and reviewed.
The case study method was used to measure the relationship between variables and disaster resilient
typology on the affected buildings within the disaster prone areas around the world. It is done by using
statistical tools to show the relationships.
CASE STUDIES
In this section, twelve (12) disaster resilient cases are examined as case studies in the disaster prone areas
worldwide, and extract the possible architectural reasons for the subsequent cases that may happen in
Nigeria and globally.
Housing Vulnerability in Danang Vietnam
The following were inferred in Vietnam by Centro canadiense de Estudios Cooperación Internacional
(CECI) after a storm and typhoon, from 2000 to 2008: Observation was made by CECI (2003) that, Houses
with altitude higher than 3.6m are grater susceptible towards tempest and cyclone. According to CECI
(2003) and Duy, Wanner, Meda, Wirén, Soll, Philippar (2007) , building shapes like T,L and U-forms as
shown in figure 1, are more to be devastated than other shapes, as they produce wind-pressure gears through
blizzard and tornado. Duy et al.(2007) also detected that, lengthy quadrangular designs with the ratio of
length to breadth greater than 2.5, are likewise helpless to squall and monsoon.

13
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

Fig.1 Different building shapes.

Moreover, roof shape has specific effect to disaster, such as twin roof which creates gable walls directly
open to winds (CECI, 2003) as indicated in figure 2. So also, CECI (2008) observed that, Long roof eaves
are simply damaged by strong winds.

Fig.2 Twin roof fig.3 Long Roof Eaves

Another factor to be considered is link beam on the top of adjoining walls; the long rectangular plan
produces the lengthy gable barriers deprived from one united dividers in-between, to

Fig.4 bond beam on the top of surrounding walls

decrease impacts of breeze. CECI (2003), thoughts this will be very susceptible to storm.
Shingle Walls in Reaction to Storm used in Ehime Japan
Archaeologically, a province's calamities are carefully linked to its microclimate and topography, also these
surroundings had advanced some area distinguishing patois schemes. According to Rudofsky (1965),
termed building of argot, unidentified, natural, native, in addition to rural in the domain, in Architecture
14
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

with no Architects. Though, it will be noticed that, such local communities from the perspective of
misadventure’s supervision. Snapshot bellow, shows Sotodomari’s stone walls, a hilly community in Ehime
District. During the 19th century stone walls were raised up to avoid destruction from both brackish rust in
addition to robust storm squalls.

Fig.5. shows stone walls of Sotodomari

Earth Quake Resistant ‘Coral Reef Island’ At Haiti:

when gigantic 2009’s earthquake Dabbed out in Haiti and its considerable infrastructure, the state was
quiet pugnacious to reconstruct, when the inventive architect Vincent Callebaut advocated what he called
a calamity -resistant floating housing, stimulated by coral reefs, as presented below:

Fig.6. disaster-proof floating housing

The Coral Reef Scheme entails a thousand linked dwellings in twofold curly piles as shown in figure 6,
braced on an synthetic dock erected on seismic heaps in the Caribbean. By means of vigor collected from
the water-turbines, waves, and sea heat energy conversion, the edifice develops the average of living, giving
green balconies for every pad-in shell besides streamlining distribution of deliveries.

Using Pinewoods in Akita japan to retort Tsunami

The seaside zone in Akita District, precisely Noshiro City, is bounded by pine plants as displayed in figure
7. below. Though the plants were initially ingrained to work as a screening device and to avoid soil
extenuation from seaside, they also backed to lessen the destruction bring-about by

15
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

Fig.7. Akita Prefecture, surrounded by pine trees

the tsunami which charted the Nihonkai Chubu Earthquake in 1983. That ecosystem proves both
proficiency and the prospect of ecological schemes in the mischance avoidance and alleviation in seaside
zone. This method of shoreline foliage likewise evidenced to be operative counter to tsunami in a number
of other nations when in 2004 tsunami occurred, in India.

Noah’s Ark – A Floating Hotel Singapore:

it was designed by Remistudio, to repel seismic effect, besides, it has an exclusively see-through portico
to fashion an environment that could let food production if required. Shell-shaped hotel would endure tidal
waves and other natural calamities and the daylight sieved through internal rooms to ease need for lighting.

Fig.8. Noah’s Ark Shell-shaped hotel

Sun energy plates and precipitation assortment will offer occupants with liveliness plus water and the lowest
half of the hotel seats in a depression in the earth, allowing it to derive slack and hover.

Nagaski Improvised Dam in Reaction to Volcanic Explosion, Japan:

When Volcanic upsurge in Unzen, Nagasaki erupted in 1990 after being dormant for two hundred years,
there were a number of destructions in neighboring communities, killing about 43 citizens of Shimabara
city alone. When the volcano stopped its actions, the authority constructed an improvised dam in reaction
to the situation to avoid future spread of flows in future cases.

Spherical shaped Floating Homes

16
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

this is an Earth quake resistant structure, designed to look like a foot-ball and to resist natural adversity, as
shown below
;

Fig.9. earthquake-proof home

The 32-lateral urethane-barricaded outward of the home distributes pressure, also the base stands as a
stabilizer, warranting it halts erect if cleaned away by tsunami.

Adhesive Rice Sealant in China

Early Chinese building workforces used a undisclosed
technique for sealant that has helped their structures to last for a long period of time: this was prepared with
tacky rice. Researchers in 2010 concluded that, a multifaceted carbohydrate in the ‘gluey rice soup’ was
assorted with lime and used to seal in-between stones that were used for construction

Fig.10. buildings survive for centuries built with sticky rice as motar.

more than 1500 years ago which is largely responsible for the strength of the edifices, which have endured
many earthquakes together with earthmovers.

Earth Quake-Resilient Buttressing Effort, Japan

A record shows that, about 90% of causalities during the Hanshin Earth Quake were caused by the smashed
buildings. Consequently, consolidation structures should be encouraged as an important action which is to
be occupied in expectation of subsequent quakes. Base on the experience of 1995 Earthquake, the
government of Japan introduced some serious measures on earthquake-resistant strengthening designs.

Hurricane-Proof Dome House in Florida

17
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

The figure 11 is a unique dome resident in a Florida Beach known as Pensacola. It was able to scale through
4 hurricanes such as the overwhelming Katrina, Dennis and Ivan. The owners by names Valerie Sigler and
Mark gathered $7 million for the Hurricane resistant house to be constructed, this was because their resident
was completely destroyed in 1995, leaving them homeless for 1 year and 2 months.

Fig.11. hurricane proof dome house.

when another Hurricane came in 2004, after the construction of Hurricane proof dome house, a crew of
NBC News hang around in the house and said after the disaster that: “You have a one-piece concrete house
with five miles of steel in it. The house did exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
Shirahige Higashu Catastrophe Deterrence in Japan
Thousands of citizens in Tokyo were perished when the Kanto Earthquake occurred in 1923. This caused
a hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed. In order to reduce the probability of impending
damages, the authorities considered disaster avoidance design in 1960s. The designed consists of a intricate
set of open departure cosmoses, urban cataclysm amenities, and a sequence of high rise apartments structure
that would oblige as a 1.2 km stretched fire partitions meant at averting the escalate of fires from the choked
section of the city to other. The design, which is called as Shirahige
Higashi Misadventure Anticipation Base, completed in 1986, as seen in the figure 12 below. The
catastrophe prevention base contains various facilities including firewalls, a school, a kindergartens, a
hospital, evacuation areas, ground, storage areas, shutter, drencher, water tanks, and other assets.

fig.12: The concept, Tokyo (Murakami, 1986)

Raised Home Escapes Hurricane, Brush Fires & Floods

the owners of this raised house, situated on an island off the coast of South Carolina, were determined that
their home be able to endure brush fires, storms and floods. The subsequent off-grid pre-fabricated house
made of recycled steel and SIP panels is engineered to FEMA flood zone requirements and built on helical
foundations to withstand 140-mile-per-hour winds.

18
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

All that space under the house isn’t wasted – in fair weather, it functions as a screened-in shade porch.
Fig.13. Raised Home Escapes

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The aim of this study is to find out the effects of stability, concept and Building elements on the disaster
resilient Buildings. After careful study of 12 different case studies, the followings results are obtained are
Table1 and 2. The result on Table 1 and 2 which is further represented in figure 14 shows that, Architectural
concept is resilient to four out of five types of natural disasters which are: Geophysical; climatological;
Meteorological; and Hydrological. The other two: building elements; and Architectural stability, are
resilient to only one out of the five types of natural disaster, which is Meteorological disaster.
So also, the above shows that, Architects should be more concern with ‘Concept’ to make the buildings
natural disaster resilient than other two. All the three constructs have effect on the metrological disaster and
therefore it is recommended the 3 should be employ in prone metrological disaster area. Architectural
Concept has significant effect on Geophysical natural disaster as seen in the figure 15. Daniel
Libeskind also supposed that, to afford meaningful architecture is not to caricature history but to articulate
it.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The research was done to investigate the effect of Stability, Concept, and Building elements on disaster
resilient buildings. In conclusion, it was established that, there is strong correlation between building
resilient and constructs, (Architectural concept, Building elements and stability). It further recommends
that architects when designing in a disaster prone areas should give more emphasize to the concept to
produce disaster resistant buildings.

Table 1: Summary of findings of disaster resilient buildings in 12 different case studies.

S/NO RESEACH TERMS DESCRIPTION EFFECTS ON
VARIABLES DISASTER(S)

1 Architectural Concept Building height Houses with height less than less vulnerable to storm
3.6m and typhoon
2 Architectural Concept Building Shape T-shape, L-shape and U-shape more vulnerable to
plans are storm and typhoon
3 Architectural Concept Roof Shape Twin roof makes the gable walls more vulnerable to wind
directly exposed to winds
4 Building Element Roof Eaves Long roof eaves more vulnerable to
strong wind and fire.
5 Architectural bond beam bond beam on the top of stable during typhoon
Stability surrounding walls
19
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

6 Architectural strong walls The stone walls Less vulnerable to salt

Stability corrosion and strong
typhoon winds
7 Architectural Concept Design concept Using a concept inspired by earthquake-proof
coral reefs
8 Architectural Concept Landscaping pinewoods Tsunami proof and wind
breakers.
9 Architectural Concept Shell-shaped Shell-shaped hotel Resist tidal waves and
seismic
10 Architectural Concept Water Dam sand-trap dam response to volcanic
eruption
11 Architectural Concept Design Concept Soccer ball concept earthquake-proof
12 Architectural Concept Stylistic dome dome house Hurricane proof
13 Architectural Concept disaster prevention urban complex set of open evacuation Earthquakes proof and
plan spaces, and urban disaster fire resistance
facilities(firewalls)
14 Architectural Concept Pillotis building Raised homes Escapes hurricane,
brush fire and floods

TABLE.2: Relationship between the variables and disaster types

S/NO RESEACH TALLY/ FREQUENCY EFFECTS ON DISASTER TYPES OF DISASTER
VARIABLES
1 Architectural Concept 3 Tidal waves Geophysical
3 Earth quake Geophysical
3 Fire resistant climatological
2 typhoon meteorological
1 tsunami Geophysical
1 Volcanic eruption Geophysical
2 hurricane meteorological
1 flood Hydrological
2 Building Element 1 Strong wind meteorological

3 Architectural Stability 1 Typhoon meteorological

1 Corrosion Meteorological

15
10
ARCH. CONCEPT
5
0 BUILDING ELEMENTS
ARCH. STABILITY

Fig. 14: relationship between research constructs and Natural Disaster Typology

20
 Musa M.A (2016). Effects of Architectural Stability, Architectural Concept and Building Elements on Disaster Resilient in Architecture.
The Built Environment: Achieving Environmental Sustainability, inclusive Growth and Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century.
Proceedings of the First International Conference Of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Federal University of Uyo Nigeria, (Pp12-
20). Uyo

10
5 ARCH. CONCEPT
0 BUILDING ELEMENTS
ARCH. STABILITY

Fig.15. relationship between the factors and types of natural disaster.

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