Disaster-resilient timber housing in seismic regions: from structural evidence to architecture education

Purpose This paper aims to synthesise evidence on disaster-resilient timber housing in seismic regions and translate this evidence into an educational framework for architecture programmes. Rather than advocating timber housing as a universal post-disaster solution, the study examines how structural seismic performance, post-disaster housing practice and user perception/evacuation can be integrated to inform performance-oriented architectural education, particularly in relation to the TIMBER-EDU initiative. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted covering studies published between 1995 and 2026. Searches were undertaken in Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect and the ASCE Library, supplemented by Google Scholar searching and backward snowballing. Following a PRISMA-type selection process, 198 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. The selected studies were assessed through review-specific quality appraisal criteria and coded across three analytical domains: structural seismic performance, post-disaster timber housing practice and user perception/evacuation. The findings were then interpreted through an evidence-to-education translation process. Findings The review indicates that well-designed timber and mass timber housing systems can achieve favourable seismic performance, reparability and rapid re-occupancy potential when supported by appropriate structural typology, connection detailing, code compliance and construction capacity. However, the post-disaster value of timber housing cannot be assessed through structural performance alone. A persistent gap exists between engineering evidence and users’ perceived safety of timber dwellings, especially where timber is associated with temporariness, fragility or low prestige. The literature also shows that timber-based post-disaster housing can support rapid assembly, adaptability and local capacity building, but these advantages are often disconnected from user perception, long-term adaptability and architectural education. In response, the paper proposes an evidence-to-education framework that links structural performance evidence, post-disaster housing criteria and user-centred considerations with curriculum development, studio teaching and computational design exercises. Originality/value The paper contributes by integrating three knowledge streams that are commonly treated separately: timber seismic performance, post-disaster housing practice and user perception/evacuation. It identifies key cross-domain tensions, particularly between structural evidence and perceived safety and translates them into an educational framework for architecture programmes in seismic regions. By doing so, the study offers a basis for embedding disaster-resilient timber construction, performance-based seismic thinking and user-centred risk awareness into architectural curricula and design-based learning.