Comparative cost assessment of drywall technologies in disaster-induced housing reconstruction

Abstract

The stagnant process of disaster-induced housing reconstruction (DHR) in Sri Lanka (SL) and the reluctance of victims and donors to use expensive technologies for DHR even if disaster-resilient, led to this research. Thus, the research aimed at conducting a comparative cost analysis of different drywall technologies in DHR as alternatives for fulfilling the growing demand for DHR; in doing so, this paper contextualised a mixed research design comprehending a twofold empirical study, which includes a preliminary-expert-interview survey and a questionnaire survey. Content analysis and statistical tools assisted the data analysis. Research outcomes revealed that labour cost-effectiveness, material availability, and sufficiency of unskilled labour are the most influential cost parameters. All ten drywall technologies are effective in terms of the initial cost and can further be tested to choose the best technology for a DHR. Novel aspects of this research are (i) evaluating various cost elements of different drywall technologies for DHR in Sri Lanka, and (ii) presenting research outcomes in a scorecard and a tiered list of drywall technologies, which facilitate choosing economically efficient drywall technologies to accelerate DHR. The scorecard is not restricted to DHR but it is widely practicable for other applications in SL.