Residential Development for UNAH
by: Wendell T. Joseph
On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered one of the largest and most catastrophic earthquakes in theCaribbean in many years. Hundreds of thousands of lives and homes were damaged or lost. Thousands of schools and hospitals were decimated and countless other buildings were ruined and/or rendered uninhabitable. The physical damage was unbelievable, not to mention the enduring psychological toll this natural disaster took on those that remain. In light of such a catastrophe of this magnitude, the question loomed, “What happens now?” The objective of the Haiti Ideas Challenge, initiated by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), dealt more with long-term solutions rather than short-term answers. Participants were challenged with creating designs that were sustainable and culturally appropriate. Design solutions ought to be “a balance ofcultural, environmental and economic sustainability.”
One of the first issues that I addressed was sustainability. UNAH, our client, has a cinder block factory on campus that produces about 2000 blocks per day. Each of these blocks are individually tested for strength and are up to U.S. standards. Also, there are some qualms about concrete buildings stemming from the fact that many of them were destroyed during the massive earthquake. This is due, however, to the fact that they were not properly constructed. If CMU blocks are made up to the correct standards, there will not be an issue. And so, I chose to go with CMU construction in order to cut down on cost and to provide some work for the locals.
Haiti has a strong culture of porches and outside living spaces. Given the favorable weather almost year round, people spend just as much time, if not more, outside than inside. Each one of my designs has a porch located at the main entrance of the house and on the north side of the house, the direction of prevailing winds. It is my intent that cool breezes be allowed to flow freely through these homes. In the student and guesthouse, I’ve designed a clerestory that features louvers to allow hot air to rise up and out of the house. Even if, in the future, air conditioning units are introduced, they won’t be needed.
One of the first issues that I addressed was sustainability. UNAH, our client, has a cinder block factory on campus that produces about 2000 blocks per day. Each of these blocks are individually tested for strength and are up to U.S. standards. Also, there are some qualms about concrete buildings stemming from the fact that many of them were destroyed during the massive earthquake. This is due, however, to the fact that they were not properly constructed. If CMU blocks are made up to the correct standards, there will not be an issue. And so, I chose to go with CMU construction in order to cut down on cost and to provide some work for the locals.
Haiti has a strong culture of porches and outside living spaces. Given the favorable weather almost year round, people spend just as much time, if not more, outside than inside. Each one of my designs has a porch located at the main entrance of the house and on the north side of the house, the direction of prevailing winds. It is my intent that cool breezes be allowed to flow freely through these homes. In the student and guesthouse, I’ve designed a clerestory that features louvers to allow hot air to rise up and out of the house. Even if, in the future, air conditioning units are introduced, they won’t be needed.
The roof finish is standing seam metal. Initial costs would be fairly high, but I feel this will pay off in the end. Hurricane clips could be introduced in the near future to keep the roofs fastened the the building during strong winds. UNAH also intends to look into solar panels in the future and standing seam roofs make the installation of these panels fairly easy.
Given the topography of the site, I've implemented a series of steps where the slope of the site would be steeper in order to achieve a less extreme incline around the houses. Towards the end of the site, it opens up so that, in the future, a vegetable garden can be introduced and be able to feed the faculty, students and guests that will be living there.
