Mobile Space Solutions in Post-Disaster Conditions: Design Proposals for Kermanshah, Iran

This study explores the refinement of an existing conceptual direction in post-disaster shelter design for earthquake-affected communities in Kermanshah, Iran. Initial analysis identifies persistent limitations in commonly deployed shelter typologies in Iran, particularly circular tents and rectangular container units, which often fail to adequately address interior spatial organization, privacy, and adaptability. Previous attempts to overcome these limitations include the earth-bag shelter system proposed by Nader Khalili within the Cal-Earth research context. While Khalili’s work represents one of the most influential approaches to disaster housing and has been implemented internationally, its foundation-based construction places it under permanent building regulations in Iran, limiting its use as a temporary post-disaster shelter. Building on this context, the present research refines this conceptual direction through a four-phase design-oriented methodology: problem identification, precedent-based concept refinement, user validation through questionnaire data, and final conceptual translation. Comparative spatial analysis leads to an octagonal spatial framework combined with a foldable modular structure. Questionnaire responses from earthquake survivors and disaster-response professionals serve as a validation filter for spatial priorities, climatic needs, and material direction. The findings support a lightweight panel-based construction approach and confirm the spatial advantages of the octagonal geometry for interior organization, modular expansion, and privacy. Rather than proposing a finalized construction system, the study presents a refined conceptual framework for more adaptable transitional shelters in post-disaster environments.