Visiting Haiti: Changing Perceptions

I believe that we each had our own expectations for what Haiti would be like, and yet each of us were equally amazed when we arrived.  It is so cliché to say that you have to experience something yourself to fully understand it, but it is so true.  I thought I was prepared to see the poverty, trash, and prejudice, and in a sense I was, but it still does not take away from the shock of experiencing it for ones self.  Experiencing Haiti helped us better understand their way of life and current living traditions and assisted us in defining some key issues that our design must meet.

Before heading to Haiti we were told about the local impulse to gather in the shade. I thought that because of our habit to seek the sun we might enjoy meeting in the sunshine. In all actuality, after hiking the mountainous, dry terrain our group was hot and tired. We all crowded under porches and tree canopies to cool off as much as possible. Experiencing this first hand has given us the understanding of the importance of designing plenty of shaded areas: porches, pavilions, and tree covered zones.

Another key issue to consider is the need for passive ventilation. The traditional houses use vent blocks in the walls to allow breezes to pass through the interior.  Since there will not be any air conditioning this is a necessity.  Whether our design accommodates CMU walls and vent blocks or openings in the roof for a stack effect, the ventilation issue needs to be a major priority.

While we were in Haiti we were constantly running out of water.  When we ran our of drinking water, someone would have to go all the way to the spring, fill our cooler, and bring it back to the house for us to fill our water bottles.  When we ran out of grey water we would have to wait to flush the toilets until absolutely necessary.  This was a new experience for most of us, because we have never had to go without or ration water.  We are just so blessed in our state of living.  So, something that will be considered in the design of this community is a more convenient and available water system.  We believe that each structure should have rain water collection, and a well with a hand pump should be made available for when the generator is not working properly.

These issues were brought to our attention through a first hand experience in Haiti.  Perhaps that will help engrain the importance of these matters. We would not want to live in a condition without shade, natural ventilation, and easy access to water, so why would we design that for someone else?

Sra Pou Vocational School: A Study of Color, Material, and Ventilation

By looking at the Sra Pou vocational school our group really started to understand the relationship between color and texture in architecture in rural societies in the world today.While looking at this precedent we saw different aspects of the school that we could take into consideration when starting our designs for Haiti.

Color was what really drew us in to the project. Adding color to the housing and commercial areas would intice prospective resedents.

Materials were also another important factor in the Sra Pou school. All materials that the used for the school were indigenous to the area, a great alternative to importing materials or just using CMU.

Natural Ventilation is important to buildings in Haiti due to the lack of electricity. The Sra Pou school elegantly accomplishes this by allowing spaces in the red brick on parallel walls to allow a cross wind to flow across the space.

Haiti Home Design - Round 1

For today's class, each group was given the task of completing a first iteration of two house designs. Our group focused on designing an expatriate family house and a patriate family house. We split into two smaller groups to discuss our focuses and come up with plans, sections, and elevations. 

 

A Patriate Family House

In thinking about the qualities that we wanted to focus on, the distinction between public and private spaces and allowing ventilation throughout the house became priorities. We zoned the house into a private band - the bedrooms and bathrooms, a semi-private band - the living, dining, and kitchen areas, and a public band consisting of the porch. We began a study of how to best provide ventilation through the pitch and form of the roof and the areas that might contain vent block on the house. 

In our critique, our professors gave us further suggestions and ideas on how to best form the roof. We will look into changing our design to a butterfly roof in order to promote both ventilation and rainwater collection. We will also further analyse the connection between the living area and the porch. We want to design our house so that we can take advantage of the climate in Haiti. We will also change the current location of the dining area so that it is incorporated into the rest of the living space. These changes will help reinforce our ideas and distinctions between public and private spaces.

ExPatriate Family House

Our team came up with the initial design for this house as part of the schematics that we took down to Haiti to present to Jean and Joy. We modified it based on the feedback that was given while in Haiti. Ventilation, daylight, and ease of construction were the focus for this design.

Moving forward with this design will require a deeper look into the layout of the core spaces. The parti of the house is working well and just needs a little refinement, but the design needs to reflect it more. This will be accomplished by analyzing the adjacency of spaces, working on organization, and refining the interior layout so that it reflects the concept.  

Madame Yanick

 

Not long before the clock strikes five, Madame Yanick suddenly jumps up from her restless night. She had a nightmare about the tragic happening that occurred in Port-au-Prince some time ago. When the earthquake hit her home was one of many that collapsed and like many other citizens, Madame Yanick relocated to Fond-des-Blanc to pursue her career and start anew. Just as the clock turned fifteen past five, as the sun peeped through the vent block openings, she turned over in her bed to gain comfort from the sun gazing over the picture that stood on her nightstand. It was a picture of her mother, the only memory she managed to take with her from her damaged home in Port-au-Prince. Madame Yanick kisses her middle and pointer fingers and slowly sweeps them across the photo, then gets out of bed. She begins to prepare for her busy day ahead of her by taking care of personal hygiene and slipping into her favorite dress. She then goes into the kitchen to prepare her breakfast, packs a lunch, then begins her morning stroll to school.

Along her morning stroll, the same one she usually walks, she is joined by the sounds of chickens, kids laughter, and donkeys trotting. Madame Yanick finally makes it to school where she emerges into the presence of all of her students in their uniforms ready to dive into today’s lesson. Madame Yanick teaches elementary students, she has a die-hard passion for kids and their education.

 

School comes to an end and Madame Yanick begins her daily strut back home, only this time with a trail of kids to follow. Along the walk, two young boys detour to “fetch a pail of water” as the other continues to her home.

Upon arrival to her home, they’re invited to sit on the porch as she reads stories to them.

 

Meanwhile the gentlemen return with the water for everyone to enjoy. Before it gets too late Madame Yanick thanks the kids for joining her and encourages them to start their two-mile walk home. As the children all leave, Madame Yanick prepares her evening meal with two neighbors underneath the mango tree, where the most shade is provided. As the smell of red beans, rice, and fried chicken linger in the air; food is ready.She enjoys her meal, cleans dishes afterward, and empties trash on the side of her home.

 

By now the sun is beginning to set, Madame Yanick prepares for the next day, says a prayer, and reminds herself of the amazing day she had, “Bondye bon!” To sleep she goes to begin again the next day.

Diary entry of Fond-des-Blancs

Dear Diary,

Today is February 2, and one of the coldest days I’ve experienced in New York this winter. As you know I am a civil engineer student studying at NYC University, and I plan to travel home to Fond des Blancs for our spring recess. I shall miss the city and its many amenities, but I look forward to the warm weather and the smiles of my family and people. Their strength and prosperity through these hard times after the earthquake have made me more determined to learn all I can in school, so I can return home and create stable homes for my people. Creating a functional community that will stand as the trademark for design is my true goal. So, I boarded the plane for home, I plan to study and sketch all of my experiences for my design. 

Dear Diary,

Today is February 3, and I have finally made it home and embraced all of the cultural transitions. The smell of charcoal burning fills the warm humid air. Seeing farm animals graze the lands is something that I have not missed living in New York.  But I have missed the great conversations of people gathering around the stream to wash their clothes. I do wish that my people had my stable systems of water and electricity, but this has never stopped them from conversing together at night. This is something I need to keep in mind for my community design. As the day sets I sit and watch the sun set behind the mountains, a warm glow fills the sky as the dark sky starts to set in. This is always the highlight of my day at home for time seems to slow down and the beauty of the country begins to show.

Dear Diary,

Today is February 4, and I have begun writing down things for my desired community in Fond des Blancs. I want to create a place that is organized, has amenities, and is catered to the culture of my people. I plan to make the pedestrian circulation priority and moving the car to the exterior. I also want to keep a lot of the natural trees for they create shade, food, and other gathering spaces. Making structural stable homes is very important for my people have feared living in concrete homes since the earthquake. With my education and connections with construction workers in Haiti, I feel I can make a community that everyone will enjoy and most of all feel safe in.