Transitional Classrooms in Haiti
>> A comprehensive building program to produce transitional school buildings in Haiti. <<
Project Type:
urban planning design strategy
architecture
Project Mission/Goal:
improve the human spirit
respond to our growing need for clean water, power, shelter, healthcare, education
address humanitarian crises
Project Description:
More than six months after January’s catastrophic earthquake, Haiti’s need for new infrastructure remains an urgent challenge for the many nonprofit groups seeking to rebuild nearly 300,000 structures across the country. Among them is Plan International, a children’s development organization that has worked in Haiti since 1973. Having mobilized in the wake of the earthquake to build transitional schools, among other reconstruction projects, this summer Plan completed a cluster of six classrooms in Jacmel, in the country’s southeastern region, as the first step toward an ambitious goal of building 80 classrooms throughout Haiti by September.
Anticipating delivery delays, the organization purchased materials before hiring volunteer architect Jack Ryan of Providence, Rhode Island to design the prototype for the schools. Plan decided to work with wood instead of concrete out of concern for both quality control and the project’s short timeframe. Based on these initial parameters, Ryan was asked to complete the design in slightly over a week.
Because the buildings were constructed by local workers who were well-versed in unreinforced concrete construction and less familiar with wood, Ryan designed buildings that consist of two primary components: wall panels and roof trusses, which can be pre-cut in a workshop by a few skilled workers and assembled on-site. “That way we could ensure more quality control in the sense that we only had one or two people making the cuts,” Ryan explained.
Links and Captions:
http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/8390
http://plan-international.org/
Project Details: (Please complete as applicable)
Project Location: Haiti
Date(s): 2010
Project Phase: Completed and in progress with more structures
Client: school children of haiti
User Client: children
Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Jack Ryan of Providence, Rhode Island
Project Architect(s)/Designer(s): Jack Ryan of Providence, Rhode Island
Nominated by Vasilios Katsavrias
