ARCHIVE Competition Description:

The Kay e Sante nan Ayiti competition seeks to solicit ideas on housing prototypes for PLWHA (Persons Living With HIV or AIDS) that work to reduce the transmission of Tuberculosis in St. Marc, Haiti. Within the stated parameters, submissions may explore various size, scale, layout, grouping, building construction methods, structural responses, materials and form. ARCHIVE hopes to build five single family units and to adhere to a pre-established budget. The wider aim of the project is to provide transient 1-year health housing for PLWHA in addition to vocational and skills training.

Through this competition, we will be building five housing units in St. Marc, Haiti – a coastal town approximately 100 km north of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. What makes our project truly unique is that throughout the entire process - from design, construction through to habitation - health is a key ingredient.

The design and construction of the housing units should make use of common sense principles which seek to minimize the transmission of Tuberculosis. ARCHIVE hopes that the competition will raise awareness of housing’s ability to change the way in which society deals with global health. We like to imagine that all those involved in the project will walk away with a newfound understanding of the interconnected relationship between housing and health.

| CLIENT |
The proposed design scheme addresses core issues surrounding the health of Haitians infected with Tuberculosis. Informative documentation from architects, engineers and NGOs who have had hands on experience with emergency construction efforts were taken into consideration while executing a design that could adapt to the needs of patients over a longer time period. Passive thermal systems and sustainable materials are implemented with the intention of creating a proposal that could go beyond the basic needs of Haitians and satisfy the root issues surrounding those affected by the contagious illness. The design had to be flexible and simple enough to construct and even slightly modified to support the fluctuating weather conditions, economic factors and shifting family sizes.

| HEALING |
Improving the health of the inhabitants is of the utmost importance and is achieved through the use of two key elements: ventilation and sunlight. The design encourages air.ow to freely move throughout the building, cooling the space and continuously cycling in fresh air. This prevents the air-borne bacteria from being trapped within the house, reducing the risk of contagions being spread from one household member to another. Corridors with operable shutters bring in natural light into hallways and separate the three bedrooms, while also serving to bring in additional cross ventilation from easterly and westerly breezes. The overlapped roof ridge allows warm air collecting near the ceiling to vent out while also serving to alleviate unwanted air pressure during adverse weather conditions. Finished concrete floors in the living areas and finished tile in the bedroom and bathrooms are easy to maintain and keep clean. The design also accommodates several of the potential needs of residents including a single story plan to reduce fatigue, large bedrooms, no moisture trapping materials and composting toilets for improved sanitation. Dialogue between family, friends and neighbors is an extremely important part of Haitian daily culture and is also a considerably significant part of the individual’s healing process. It is in these shared spaces of the home that family and friends can sit together and exchange supportive discussion. For this reason, the living room area is generously proportioned allowing for residents to gather and either share meals or rest in the breeze spaces.

| OPEN |
The proposed design is not rigid or static, but instead provides a framework that allows for decisions and customization. The proposed material palette suggests materials that are affordable and convenient to transport to the site. The structure is based on an orthogonal grid system with one to three bedroom allowances should budget or material be limited in the future and more housing be required. By using a standardized grid, the plan can easily expand or contract to meet the needs of the individual families. This open design empowers people to create flexible and diverse communities based on relevant need and acquirable resources. By adjusting the operable screens on the western side of the house, residents can select the level of privacy desired.

| ADAPTIVE |
The design is not reliant on a particular material or innovation, but allows for the regional adaptation of available building resources. We have provided several suggested configurations of materials that can be transported to the site. Given this point, we are proposing the use of the bamboo as the primary material for structural columns and roof supports in conjunction with the widely available CMU block for wall construction. The design is also attentive to recent successful cultivation efforts of bamboo lead by The Organization for the Rehabilitation of the Environment (ORE) based in Port-au-Prince. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth and has numerous properties that satisfy a number of concerns surrounding this project. Faster growing varieties can be harvested on site for soil stabilization purposes and prevention of hillside erosion. We recommend the use of the Guadua Angustifolia species as a structural material for its larger size, resilience during harsh natural disasters and rot resistant properties. This particular species is known for being a viable substitute for the less available hard wood resources and is widely used as a construction material in other developing countries. Initial construction using this material would need to be purchased elsewhere but with time, bamboo seedlings can be planted and, once matured, poles can be harvested and used for repairs, medicinal purposes and new construction. Although bamboo has only recently been introduced and cultivated in Haiti, the design encourages further naturalization of this material.

| CONSTRUCTION |
The house is constructed on a concrete slab-on-grade with steel rebar reinforcement. Guadua Angustifolia bamboo poles provide the primary framework and are supported by hybrid bamboo-concrete columns. Simple bamboo connections are made by manually cutting straightforward configurations to lock poles in place. Connections are braced using locally available sisal or hemp rope. The overlapped roof ridge allows warm air to vent out while also serving to alleviate unwanted air pressure build up during adverse weather conditions. The roof is corrugated metal and braced to the bamboo structure. CMU walls are reinforced using reinforced steel rebar and finished with naturally colored plaster. In an effort to help revive local craft, the window treatment calls for modular natural bamboo screens generating income for local Haitian craftsmen and women.

| SUSTAINING |
Apart from using local sustainable materials, the design incorporates several other sustainable features. The project includes a solar panel installed on the roof due to regular electricity outages in the area. The harvesting of rain water is achieved through the use of a rain water gutter collection system where rainwater collects in large storage tanks on the north side of the house. With the use of a water pump and filtration system, the kitchen and bathroom have access to clean fresh water for use in cooking, washing and bathing. A large community garden with bamboo plantings, fruit and vegetable bearing plants and smaller personal vegetable gardens, provide a nutritional source of food for each family. The proposed site plan makes the best use available space on the site with enough land still available for future expansion. The site plan also lays out potential locations for the additional adult school, clinic and orphanage facilities.

Overall, this design differs from much of the relief housing design efforts in place in it’s ability to offer families simple options based on need and circumstances, yet remains simple in design and construction without straying away from Haitian cultural norms.

Housing Unit. (100 sq. m Total)

3 Bedrooms. 3-4 inhabitants (16 sq. m ea.)
2 Bathrooms. Toilet, Shower/Tub, Sink (5 sq. m ea.)
1 Kitchen. Refrigerator, Cabinets, Sink, Oven/4-Range Stove (12 sq. m)
1 Living room. (20 sq. m)
1 Courtyard / Porch. (3.5 sq. m)
1 Garden. Individual garden or one communal garden. (3 sq. m)