Haiti Project by UT College of Architecture and Design

THE HAITI PROJECT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

INTRODUCTION Nearly 30 years ago, Professor John McRae,

students and the tremendous needs of the

former dean of the College of Architecture

nation. Thus, the Haiti Project was established,

and Design, traveled to Haiti and became

creating an interdisciplinary approach to

intrigued

people,

help solve multiple issues of health, safety,

colorful history, and deep rooted culture

and sustainability. The collaborative group

and pride. During his travels he established a

of students, including architecture, nursing,

relationship with Jean and Joy Thomas of the

engineering, interior design, and landscape

Haiti Christian Development Fund, who were

architecture, began working on the first design

doing work in the village of Fond-des-Blancs.

project – L’Exode Secondary School in Fond-

Upon hearing about the tragic earthquake

des-Blancs – during Fall 2010. The exposure

in January 2010, John contacted Jean and

to another culture, a new set of design

Joy to see how he and the students at the

parameters,

University of Tennessee could assist in Haiti’s

will continue to give students invaluable

“build back better” campaign. The timing

lessons and equip them to become better

appeared to be ripe with opportunity for a

professionals with more sensitivity towards

mutually beneficial relationship between the

different cultures and the context of others.

with

the

spirit

its

and

real-world

“Working with a group of dedicated students and architects to reach a common goal has been an experience unmatched by any other” Marianela D’ Aprile, First Year Architecture Student

experiences

CONSTRAINTS Haitians are disproportionately vulnerable to

Due to the lack of resources and infrastructure,

earthquakes and other natural disasters due

the challenges of designing in Haiti are:

to socioeconomic factors, among others. As designers, economic constraints and exposure to another culture can offer an opportunity to supplement our technical skills with empathy, acute problem solving, and cultural sensitivity. While

architecture

students

are

often

encouraged to design structures that test the limits of materials and technology, those involved in the Haiti Project learn to design with a sense of restraint and pragmatism.

• using cost effective local materials and construction methods • utilizing natural lighting and ventilation methods • incorporating health, water, and sanitation considerations • designing structures that will withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and flooding • planning for phased construction

Being creative in a setting with low resources can be more difficult, but it makes the outcome that much more rewarding.

“The constant negotiation between cultural, economic, climatic, and tectonic constraints has created a fascinating arena in which to practice our craft and our humanity” Andy Ruff, Fifth Year Undergraduate Architecture Student

COLLABORATION Architecture + Design “Whether it is professional or personal, I think we can all say from the bottom of our hearts that we have benefited from this experience in ways that we will never be able to truly explain.” Laura Sherborne, Undergraduate Architecture

Engineering “The experience of getting to know and learn from people who are different from you is beneficial and enjoyable in ways that go beyond the professional.” Jeremy Mefford, Graduate Civil Engineering Student

Nursing “The Nursing program recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the complex problems facing the world’s most vulnerable populations. Because health and wellness are shaped largely by socioeconomic and environmental factors, nursing’s partnership with architecture was a natural fit. As nursing faculty, we may have initially perceived our role in the collaboration as predominantly informative: Teach architecture and design students the fundamentals of infection control and describe how healthcare workers and patients interact in clinical settings so that students can design a building suitable to the purpose of health promotion. However, it was not long before we realized how much we had to learn from our creative counterparts.” Moriah McArthur, MSc, Clinical Instructor, College of Nursing

SECONDARY SCHOOL PHASE 1 Master Plan The first phase of the Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Exode Secondary School, designed by COAD students in a spring 2011 seminar course, was completed for the community of Fond-des-Blancs in August 2012. Some of our students and faculty were able to attend the grand opening in September 2012, with over 300 attendees. The first phase includes five classrooms and the cafeteria. The school, designed in three phases, will include a total of 500 students.

Classrooms Eventually there will be a total of 18 classrooms along with dormitories. Built in phases, the number of classrooms will grow as the student body does. The classrooms each seat 25-30 students with separate entrances and natural ventilation and lighting. This approach provides for productive teaching and learning, allowing students to focus on lessons.

Cafeteria Many students attending school depend on in-house meals to get them though the day. While students attend Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Exode Secondary School, they are able to dine in an environment that allows for community bonding and wholesome meals. Many students from the community have limited resources and the meal they have at school may be their only daily nutrition.

HOUSING COMMUNITY There are four different housing types that

relatively small in plan. The retiree home would

the designers were asked to consider for

also be small due to the number of members in

the proposed community of this spring 2012

the household. For both of these types, more

studio. They included the young professional,

modern amenities would be included in order

retiree, typical Haitian family and roommate.

to sustain the lifestyles these families would

The 14 houses were all designed as part of

have acquired from living in more developed

a master plan within a tract near the school.

areas. The third housing type was designed

Part of the concept was to provide housing for

for the typical Haitian family, which generally

school staff. The young professional and the

includes between four and ten members, and

retiree housing types were designed for Haitian

requires more space than homes designed for

expatriates. The expatriate families might have

smaller family units. The final housing type was

either come from the city of Port-au-Prince or

for a roommate situation. These homes would

were originally natives of the more rural areas

not be as intimate as those designed for a

of Haiti and lived for an extended period of time

family and would require an amount of space

in either Port-au-Prince or the United States. In

that would allow for comfort to an individual

both of these scenarios, these families would

but also have common space. The designs were

have spent time living in more developed areas

carried through the “design development”

and now wish to return to the countryside. The

stage and submitted to the Haiti Christian

homes of the young professional expatriates

Development Fund for implementation. The

would likely be categorized in the United

first house began construction in fall 2013.

States as a “starter home” and would be

STORAGE

POTENTIAL ADDITION

FULL BATHROOM

BEDROOM

LIVING ROOM

BACK PORCH

MASTER BEDROOM

FRONT PORCH

MASTER BATHROOM

KITCHEN

EBEN-EZER MEDICAL CLINIC Mobile Medical Unit

Nursing Perspective

Student teams proposed a system for delivering health care to rural Haitians in the response to natural disaster. The design had to address the realities of the Haitian communication and

The devastation inflicted by the earthquake

opportunity to incorporate nursing students

transportation infrastructure, cultural expectations of delivering medical care, and the ergonomic

presented a unique opportunity for nursing

into their design teams and utilized their

and human factor issues of transporting supplies.

and architecture to unite under a shared â&#x20AC;&#x153;build

knowledge base in design process. Throughout

back betterâ&#x20AC;? philosophy and contribute to the

the semester, nursing students reflected on the

reconstruction of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ailing healthcare

challenges and ultimate benefits of working

infrastructure. The new Eben-Ezer Medical

so closely with another discipline including:

Clinic is located in the community of Ft. Liberte.

learning a common language to transcend

Faculty in both disciplines had prior experience

discipline specific jargon, embracing new ways

working in Haiti which facilitated greater

of thinking about health, and overcoming

understanding of Haitian culture and way of life.

logistical/technological challenges to ensure all

Haiti offers extraordinary creative opportunities for people to think and work differently. Design

As nurses, the goal was to provide insight into

voices were heard despite the rapid pace and

thinking techniques were implemented, and transdisciplinary collaboration was incorporated in

the challenges Haitian people face accessing

tight deadlines of the project. These skills are

the studio experience. These approaches were provided to foster success through relationship

healthcare as well as the typical services and

necessary and transferable to many aspects

and practicing a deeper sense of empathy when making decisions. Design thinking is a universal

operations of rural clinics. The architecture and

of life, and this unique project exemplified the

process of creating original ideas, objects, spaces, or experiences with meaning. Imagination and

interior design students were extraordinarily

power of collaboration for interdisciplinary

integrity developed by the students were able to reach beyond the traditions of visual/spatial

perceptive and engaged us in thoughtful

education and practice.

design associated with the building arts. They learned to merge and synthesize the tangible and

discourse about the needs of both patients and

intangible aspects of the world into new holistic human experiences. Design thinking is an inclusive

healthcare providers. Students also seized the

Design Thinking

process with emphasis on empathy and collaboration. This approach contributed significantly to the successful efforts of the studio.

Student Projects The spring 2013 studio, with 23 students in architecture, interior design and nursing, developed a total of 11 different solutions for the Ft. Liberte Medical Clinic. The projects provided a significant level of creative thinking and idea generation across a range of considerations. It is anticipated that a composite - selected by the client, friends of Ft. Liberte - will be built in the fairly near future.

Moriah McArthur, MSc, Clinical Instructor

CONSTRUCTION EXPLORATIONS This fall 2013 seminar built on the work of the

The course was supported by input from the

seminar in fall 2012, in which an interdisciplinary

Colleges of Nursing and Engineering. The

group of students researched and developed

results of the seminar will be incorporated into

best practices for single family home design

the Construction/User Manual, LIFEHouse. The

and construction. There was a particular

material will be translated into both Creole and

emphasis on critical “low tech” systems that

French, and will be distributed throughout the

include strategies for harvesting, filtering, and

country to leaders and builders in an effort

conveying clean water, managing sunlight, and

to provide safer, better, and more sustainable

creating window screening. The students were

guidelines

asked to individually identify, through research

country.

for

residential

building

the

and precedent studies, a problem condition and design a solution strategy using full scale models and real construction materials.

“The class gained a new perspective into the constraints that a Haitian builder faces through limited tools and materials, by having the opportunity to construct our designs, and experience the challenges inherent in the building process.” Mallory Barga, 3rd Year Graduate Architecture Student

LIFEHouse: Improving the Quality of Life Through Better Design LIFEHouse represents an innovative approach

users manual. The research will help to support

to addressing the urgent need for adequate

ten design principles, which will highlight

building standards in Haiti. While including

step-by-step ways to mitigate disease, ensure

basic safety instructions, the unique feature

safety, and create sustainable ways of life

of LIFEHouse is its emphasis on a less-well-

while utilizing local resources and observing

known relationship between housing design

cultural sensitivities. These design principles

and disease prevention. With a focus on health

will be illustrated and translated to Creole,

and well-being, LIFEHouse offers a broader

allowing them to relate directly to the people.

awareness of how adhering to adequate

They will be strategically disseminated by

building standards can lead to safer homes

Haitian community leaders to ensure wider

and an overall improved quality of life.

acceptance and utilization.

As evidence mounts that there are no plans

Broader objectives include evaluating the

to implement a national building code, an

design principles used in the construction of a

urgent need exists to disseminate research-

test house in Haiti by Haitians. This process will

based design principles and resources to

reveal the strengths, as well as possible gaps,

individual citizens and communities who are

in the research conducted so far, providing

attempting to rebuild. The term LIFEHouse

a framework for further refinement of the

refers to a house designed to promote life. It

principles.

encompasses a multi-faceted research project that will explore how culturally sensitive ideas,

This is an ongoing project that has involved

along with health and safety conscious design

many faculty and students from the Colleges

can contribute directly to a better quality of

of Architecture and Design, Nursing, and

life.

Engineering.

Research

editors,

Susanne

Tarovella, Andy Godwin, and Joleen Darragh, The

objective

incorporate

student

academic and field research, conducted in

plan to draft the publication during spring 2014.

recent design laboratories, into a construction/

A LIFEHouse is a home designed to promote life. It breathes, takes root, grows over time, comforts, brightens, supports, withstands, is resilient, hydrates, and refreshes.

UPCOMING WORK Secondary School Phase 2 + 3 The second and third phases of the school construction will be completed over the next few years. A multi-purpose building, dormitories, additional classrooms, and the library are the next buildings to be constructed. There are presently 60 seventh and eighth grade students. The facility will eventually support 500 students through all secondary levels. The school has been visited for a post occupancy evaluation to test classroom lighting levels, ventilation, site water runoff, and other factors. These results will be incorporated into planning of future phases.

Housing Community Work on the school, together with subsequent plans, has spurred the college to conduct a more general research study, funded through the UT Office of Research, developing and documenting â&#x20AC;&#x153;best practicesâ&#x20AC;? in single family house designs. The housing studies described in this publication are now complete, with construction documents for 14 houses. Construction started on the first home in fall 2013.

For More Information To see more student work, please visit http://tiny.utk.edu/haiti-project To donate to the project, go to Impact Big Ideas at https://tiny.utk.edu/big-impact-haiti

The 2010 earthquake shook Haiti to the core; not just physically but also socially, politically and economically. Almost three years later the emotional aftershocks are still being felt. In the months following the quake there were enough blames to pass around from individual responsibilities to governmental neglects. But there were also some very constructive conversations around building a better Haiti. At the forefront of those discussions was the concept of ‘decentralization’. So many young students died in overcrowded schools. So many century old government buildings collapsed along with countless substandard homes. ‘Build better’ became a universal slogan. Almost three years later, it is sad to say that not much has improved. The chatter has subsided. The NGO’s have moved on. Thankfully, a few visionaries have remained committed to the dream of a better Haiti. The University of TennesseeKnoxville is one of the few. Working with leaders in the rural community of Fonddes-Blancs, professors and students have invested their skills to design a better academic environment aimed at providing a quality education in a modern and safe environment. Not satisfied with just the needs of the students, they also created blueprints for a totally modern residential community where relocation from anywhere in Haiti and the world can happen without a downgrade in living comfort and amenities. In so doing the University has addressed the two core issues of the post-earthquake Haiti: safety and decentralization. For this they have earned the respect and appreciation of the people of Fond-des-Blancs and created a model that should be replicated in the rest of the country.

Rev. Jean Thomas, Executive Director of the Haiti Christian Development Fund Fond-des-Blancs, Haiti