Interior comfort performance and improvement approaches of temporary housing units in disaster zones

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2026.v7i2214

Keywords:

anova analysis, comfort performance, disaster, indoor environment, temporary housing units

Abstract

Temporary housing units are developed to meet the urgent shelter needs emerging after disasters, and container structures are widely used due to their features such as low cost, rapid production, and portability. However, in post-disaster housing processes, quantity and speed often take precedence; the indoor quality and comfort conditions of the provided temporary units are largely ignored. Yet, in the post-trauma recovery processes of disaster victims, the physical quality and indoor spatial characteristics of the space they live in play a determining role. The aim of this study is to evaluate the indoor comfort of temporary housing units in container cities established after the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes based on user experiences, to reveal the main indoor spatial problem areas, and to develop improvement strategies in line with human-centered interior architecture approaches. The research was conducted in the Osmangazi Neighborhood container city established in the İslahiye district of Gaziantep province. As a method, field observations were conducted along with a survey study involving 90 users. Within the scope of the survey, thermal comfort, visual comfort and lighting, auditory (acoustic) comfort, indoor air quality, and ergonomics and spatial design parameters were evaluated. In the analysis of the obtained data, alongside descriptive statistics, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effect of demographic variables on comfort perception. The findings prove that noise, odor, inadequate air conditioning, and spatial limitations reduce the quality of life; ANOVA results prove that as household size increases (especially in families of 6-7 people), comfort satisfaction decreases, and education level is a determining factor in perception. The study contributes to the field by presenting a holistic interior architecture and improvement framework that prioritizes indoor quality and user comfort for post-disaster temporary housing units.

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Author Biographies

  • Esra Avlanmaz Bilecen, Hasan Kalyoncu University

    Esra Avlanmaz Bilecen is currently an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Hasan Kalyoncu University. She received her Bachelor's degree from the Department of Architecture at Eskişehir Osmangazi University (ESOGU), and completed her Master's and Ph.D. degrees in the Department of Interior Architecture at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSU). Following over 20 years of professional experience as an Architect and Interior Architect in the private sector, she has been serving as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Hasan Kalyoncu University since 2020. Her current research focuses on materials, building details, seismic-resistant design, temporary housing, indoor comfort conditions, resilient built environments, residential buildings, and children's spaces.

  • Buse Büyükkömürcü, Hasan Kalyoncu University

    Buse Büyükkömürcü is currently a Master's student in the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Hasan Kalyoncu University, Türkiye. She received her Bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture and Environmental Design from Hasan Kalyoncu University in 2023, graduating with distinction. She has contributed to research projects focusing on indoor environmental quality in post-disaster temporary housing. Her research interests include post-disaster housing, indoor environmental quality, spatial organization, user-centered design, and resilient built environments.

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Published

2026-08-30

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Esra Avlanmaz Bilecen, Buse Büyükkömürcü

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Avlanmaz Bilecen, E., & Büyükkömürcü, B. (2026). Interior comfort performance and improvement approaches of temporary housing units in disaster zones. Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning, 7(2), 265-283. https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2026.v7i2214

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