Biophilic Micro-Modular Architecture as a Resilient Framework for Emergency Response and Temporary Healthcare
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38027/jsalutogenic_vol5no1_8Keywords:
Biophilic Architecture, Micro-Modular Design, Emergency Healthcare, Salutogenic Architecture, Temporary FacilitiesAbstract
Temporary healthcare facilities routinely treat environmental quality as secondary to deployment speed and clinical capacity, leaving biophilic, emergency-healthcare, and modular-construction research disconnected. This study evaluates three deployed precedents, UNHCR/IKEA Better Shelter, Shigeru Ban's Paper Partition System, and the CURA pod, selected via purposive sampling for distinct construction logics with sufficient technical documentation. A nine-criterion Performance Evaluation Matrix was developed from published standards and top-tier peer-reviewed journals (five architectural and four environmental criteria) and used to evaluate the case studies. Each precedent was scored using an ordinal scale (low, moderate, or high). Daylight and Glare were simulated in Climate Studio, under the tropical climate of Dhaka, where point-in-time illuminance, spatial daylight autonomy (sDA), and spatial disturbing glare (sDG) were evaluated. All the precedents scored poorly on all of the nine criteria, with deficits concentrated in environmental comfort, natural ventilation, and biophilic integration. Simulations further reveal that high daylight availability does not ensure visual comfort, as unshaded designs suffer severe glare. Building on these evaluation findings, the study conceptually develops the Biophilic Micro-Modular Healthcare Unit framework: three spatial tiers governed by five design principles embedding environmental quality at the fabrication stage. The findings support extending emergency healthcare standards to include environmental and psychological performance criteria.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nawshin Ahmed, Emam Meraj Hossain, Ashikur Rahman Joarder (Author)
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