ABSTRACT
Housing has evolved as a continuous emergency in the past century, from the cycle of wars, natural disasters and poverty. Slums and squatters sprout as a result of displacement and forced migration induced by either urbanization or natural catastrophes. Humanitarian Architecture has the earliest evidence of organized Shelter Aid design during the San Francisco Earthquake and Fires which had then claimed the lives of over 3000 where 5610 cottages were designed by the Army Engineers to house the victims. Following to which after the Great Fire in London Public Housing Laws were formed redlining areas that were vulnerable and needed housing intervention. The formation of the United Nations after the second world war shows a significant increase of NGO work in development works starting from providing sanitation, development projects and construction of low-cost housing. The 2004 Asian tsunami was the greatest natural disaster in recent times, and this event contributed to a major change in the way countries specifically India responded to Disasters. The formation of the Disaster Management Act in 2005 is a step in this regard. Internationally several Architects have contributed their expertise in assisting the reconstruction of the Tsunami affected people. This paper reviews the evolution of the Humanitarian Architecture since its early inception, followed by a study of quarantine housing in the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper concludes with a list of recommendations for future Pandemic Housing requirement and urban housing development post-COVID 19 pandemic.
