Reconstruction projects by using core housing method in Iran Case study: Gilan Province experience Mahmood Fayazi Architectural and Urban Planning Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare rural houses reconstructed by core housing method after the Manjil earthquake in 1990 and traditional housing. Also, other factors such as residential space needs of residents, the role of the used structure in building the core units and the role of climatic conditions in the expansion of residential units have been investigated. Design/methodology/approach – Some rural houses which were reconstructed by using core housing method – 86 rural houses – in 20 different villages were investigated using quantity and quality method. Also, the rate of satisfaction of inhabitants with their reconstructed houses was evaluated. Findings – Although rural houses were reconstructed with inhabitants’ participation and with use of local technology and materials, those houses had some characteristics contrary to traditional houses. Another problem was in the gradual expansion of spaces, which led to disharmonious and unbalanced growth and converted the houses into a complex and closed entity. It caused trouble in privacy and connections of family members and in the use of spaces. Originality/value – The paper reports research generally done on rural houses which were reconstructed after the Manjil earthquake in 1990 and shows that this reconstruction experience was done by using core housing method. Also, how the core units were expanded was analyzed and advantages and disadvantages of this reconstruction experience were extracted. These results can be useful in planning and designing shelters for survivors of future disasters. Keywords Iran, Earthquakes, Housing Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction In many of the reconstructions done by the Iranian Government in the natural disasters before Manjil earthquake, the government designed houses with modern technology and building materials. Moreover, the government did not ask for the survivors’ active participation in reconstructing the houses. This led to the survivors’ dissatisfaction of the houses or not using them at all (Fallahi, 1994a, b; Razani, 1984). In the reconstruction of the destroyed housing units of Manjil earthquake (1990), the government changed its policy, seeking the survivors’ participation and using local technology and building materials. Hence, this time the reconstructed houses were used by the survivors (Fallahi, 1994a, b). In the reconstruction of Gilan Province’s rural housing units after Manjil earthquake (1990), the primary core unit of the building was set up in the temporary sheltering stage and was then expanded to the permanent sheltering stage using the survivors’ participation (Bahreyni and Akhondi, 2000). In fact, the reconstruction program has been a core housing method. Hence, considering the use of local technology and building The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1759-5908.htm IJDRBE 2,1 74 International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment Vol. 2 No. 1, 2011 pp. 74-85 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1759-5908 DOI 10.1108/17595901111108380