Aid Housing Review, (Indonesia)

While in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, conducting research for my Masters, I became involved reviewing beneficiary housing rebuilt by NGOs after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. My findings highlighted how, over the following 10 years, occupants modified these standardised houses to suit their evolving needs—converting stairs to ramps to accommodate mopeds and expanding structures to include second floors. These observations revealed gaps in the initial design assumptions, suggesting that future NGO-built housing should incorporate adaptable foundations to allow for vertical expansion, and design for accessibility from the outset to better reflect community needs.