Concrete Homes for Disaster Victims

In May 2006, a devastating earthquake struck the island of Java in Indonesia. The region most seriously affected by the earthquake is densely populated with people living in small villages separated by rice fields. Homes in one such village, Ngelepen [NEL-e-pen], fared worse than in neighboring villages because a catastrophic landslide completely swept the community off its foundations. But the Ngelepen villagers were more fortunate than many others in the region when the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) and Emaar Properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, agreed on a plan to restore Ngelepen.

After completing an extensive feasibility study, the Domes for the World (DFTW) Foundation was asked to rebuild the village on a tract of land set aside by the government especially for the rebuilding. The nonprofit Utah-based organization applied its expertise in building environmentally friendly concrete dome homes capable of withstanding the severe effects of many natural disasters. In April 2007, less than a year after the earthquake, villagers were able to occupy their homes in New Ngelepen.1 The new village had 71 concrete shell houses, arranged in groups of 12 around a shared building containing laundry, toilet, and shower facilities. A new well was dug for each of these clusters, and six independent septic systems were installed.