Caleb House_Team 04

PROJECT:

The Caleb Program exists in Haiti as a young adult leadership development program. This would be for adults that are wishing to build their communities and improve the quality of life in those communities. The home for the young adults in this program has thus been dubbed the "Caleb House." This house would be a roommate situation home and would house its occupants for approximately two years. 

CONCEPT:

Our concept for this home was to have a large central space that would allow maximum communication between its occupants. We found this extremely important because these young adults would more than likely be away from their families for a long period of time. We wanted to give them the opportunity to create solid bonds with their roommates and give them a home away from home. However, we wanted to give their living quarters a more intimate feel and as much individual space as possible so they are also able to have time to themselves. 

PROGRAM:

• 4 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• kitchen
• living room
• diningroom
• large porch

floor plan and reflected ceiling plan

FORM:

We let the program and concept of our project dictate the form of the house as we saw appropriate. We have two main zones: public and private. The public space is central to the plan and on either side of this we have the bedroom areas. We decided to shift this central area away from the flanking masses so as to give the space a sense of hierarchy as well as its more functional purpose to allow for a large front porch. Over the bedroom areas we chose to use a flat concrete roof that resulted in lower ceilings and a more intimate space. For the common space, we chose to use a sawtooth roof. This, again, gave the space a sense of hierarchy. It also allowed for optimal ventilation and indirect sunlight. Another amenity that in vital in this design for ventilation is our front door system. This system consists of a series of panels that allow the entire entrance of the home to open. Due to the overhang of the sawtooth roof, we have managed to avoid direct sunlight into the living areas.

All in all, we feel that we have achieved what were attempting to accomplish with our original concept. We hope this home will be built and will succeed in making its occupants feel at home while training to help their communities as young leaders.

Young Professional Expatriate House

 

In this house for a young professional expatriate couple, there were several factors that influenced our design. The first was a heightened sense of public space versus private space. This was done through the creation of separate living zones within the home. The first and more private zone contains the bedrooms and bathroom, with a more public zone containing the kitchen, living and dining rooms on the other side of the house. These zones are separated by the thinner zone of circulation, which is delineated by the custom walls designed for our project.

Our second emphasis was on a relational response to the site, in particular the central node where much of the community activity will be. This site response determined the angle at which the house meets the site and also the condition in the living area, where the home steps out to give it more presence on the node. This area is also given more presence with the trellis which will bring the softening effect of hanging plants to the home.

The roof form with its open structure serves several purposes at once. First, in addition to deep overhangs that shed water, the roof was also designed with water collection in mind. The sections of the roof all come to the same point in order to give a definitive collection point for rainwater. Guttering can be used to bring this water into an underground storage tank. We left the structure of the roof exposed, choosing to use horizontal louvers with mesh screen behind to promote natural ventilation. The louvers will also block unwanted light from entering the space and causing heat gain.

Reflection in the Aftermath

ASSIGNMENT #3

After our visit to Haiti, we were able to reflect on the things we saw and experienced. Through these reflections, we analyzed many components of the project and found the most prominent things that have changed in our minds since the visit. The first of these things that will profoundly change our project is the need to preserve the vegetation on the site. Not only are the existing elements beautiful, but they also create and frame important views for the site as well as create a natural canopy in which to shield the future development from harsh direct sunlight. 

The next element we understood to much greater depth after visiting is the slope of the site. In the first phases of design, we were envisioning the site with a slope but nothing very dramatic. In reality we found the slope of the ravine to be impractical to build on and with very thick vegetation, something we need to work with and not against. 

The last element that was clarified on our trip was the necessary relationship between indoor and outdoor space. Before we travelled to Fond-des-Blancs, we were informed that porches area very necessary element to the lifestyle of the Haitian people due to the shade it offers. We were also imagining a larger outdoor kitchen and dining area for the homes we would design. We found this to be untrue. Though porches are extremely necessary to their lifestyle, it is not in the way we view porches here. The porch of a home should be viewed as an actual room of the house and is where most of the social interaction takes place. The porch is used more as a living room and the living room is actually a much more private place where only good friends and family would be invited. We also found that, although there is a lot of outdoor charcoal cooking, Fond-des-Blancs wishes to move to a more efficient indoor electric kitchen and the dinning would be contained within the home.

With all that being said, the trip to Haiti proved to be extremely beneficial to our design process. We were able to discover elements within the culture and the site that we would have otherwise neglected to realize. We are optimistic about ability to further develop our project with a greater understanding of the Haitian culture and site conditions.

Our Experience

ASSIGNMENT #2

CULTURE

From the minute our plane landed in Port-au-Prince, we knew that our experience in Haiti was going to change us. In the short walk from the plane to the bus that would take us to Fond-des-Blancs, our senses were flooded with the unfamiliar. All around us we could hear voices speaking a language we did not know, the feel of the hot air heavy with moisture and the ground of large crushed rock beneath us, and most vividly of all: the smell which was somewhere between the heavy remnants of gunpowder and the deep smokiness of burning wood. 

Our journey from Port-au-Prince to Fond-des-Blancs was nothing if not memorable. After a mere four-hour trip (on a road that could otherwise be defined as a construction site with an opposing car attempting to play chicken about once every five minutes) we arrived unscathed at our destination. Upon arrival we proceeded to eat our meal outside at night with very little light and retire to bedrooms where the "windows" were, in actuality, nothing but holes in a concrete wall. 

Prior to our trip, we were prepared for things such as very little electricity and no running water, but it is things like the scent of the air, the conditions of the roads, and the holes in the walls that everyone failed to mention. Perhaps it is because electricity and running water seem to be the most important things that we, as Americans, would suffer the greatest loss. However it is the voices we heard, the scents we smelled, and the people and architecture we saw that began to shape our view of a culture. Through elements such as these, we begin to experience a profound change within ourselves in relationship to the people of Fond-des-Blancs.

It is impossible to explain something like culture, with all of its depths, to someone that has not experienced it themselves. Before our trip we had researched, heard first hand accounts, and viewed images of Haiti to the point that we believed we were adequately prepared for the trip. In truth, we were completely blind. The ways in which the people of Haiti live their lives was so beyond the scope through which we were looking. People riding four to a motorcycle, tying up their livestock just about anywhere you can think of, riding donkeys to the river to collect water, and selling anything from rice to a telephone in the market, are all things that quickly became familiar to us.

It is so hard to grasp the culture of a place so completely different from our own. Looking at it from where we stand now, even after visiting, it is hard to imagine ourselves living the way the people of Haiti do, and being able to thrive in such conditions. But in a way, it is also so peaceful. Yes, they have to walk to the spring to collect water, do laundry in the river, and potentially walk miles to get to the market, yet the way they live, though difficult, is simple. They do what they have to do to survive yet they still maintain close family ties and friendships with one another and are, for the most part, simply happy. 

We cannot wait to create a community in Fond-des-Blancs that will offer not only housing, but opportunity to the people that reside their. Though our views have changed since we travelled to Haiti, our understanding of the country is much deeper and our love for it is much stronger. We are so excited for this opportunity and cannot wait to be a part of such a special project. We love Haiti! 

SITE OVERVIEW

After investigating the site for several hours on Saturday, we realized that our overall site design would actually work quite well, given the existing site conditions.  We began our tour of the site at the northern end where the initial housing would be placed.  After walking down into the river basin, we realized how important the approach from the river would be.  Continuing through the site and across the stream, we immediately noticed much of the land on the western side of the stream was extremely steep and not buildable.  Crossing the stream back to the main part of the site, we noted a rocky outcrop that could potentially become a location for the footbridge.  Upon entering the lower leg of the site we realized that much of this area was relatively flat and buildable.  This would be the area where we would place a large amount of our housing, utilizing the flat landscape.  Approaching the proposed commercial area, near the road on the southern end of our site, we sought shelter from the sun under the canopy of large palm trees.  We had previously dismissed the importance of these trees; upon seeking refuge under their canopy we unanimously decided to keep these trees in our design proposal and utilize the shade they provide for a public space.  

SITE ANALYSIS

We were assigned the task of determining soil infiltration rates around the site.  Provided with a base map with various locations we began work.  The process was simple; dig a hole approximately 6” x 6” x 6”, fill it with water, record the amount of time required for the hole to completely drain.  We preformed this process at nine locations around the site, which represented various soil conditions.  The data from each point was recorded and is represented in the map we created.  We realized there is very little clay soil on our site, and the majority of the test holes contained a silty soil or a combination of silt and sand in the soil.  Our findings will affect where our field lines and sewage systems will be located, as well as, where drainage from the site can be filtered and returned to the water table safely.

Precedent to Proposal

ASSIGNMENT #1

RESEARCH AND PRECEDENT

Our team looked at the Winner of the Open Source Housing Competition, Emerging Ghana.

This was the work of the Portuguese architecture firm, Blaanc, together with Brazilian architect Joao Caiero.  Their goal was to create a new kind of housing for the people of Ghana that will be scalable, affordable, sustainable and will offer amenities to the people of Ghana that they do not necessarily have access to at the present time.

Strategies were used to incorporate the traditional values of the people of Ghana, and some traditional building techniques, with a new and efficient infrastructure (solar water heater, modern toiletry, rainwater collection and filtering, etc.)  Blaanc and Caiero used the very open facades to promote cross ventilation.  The project also used operable woven bamboo shutters both to shield the house from direct sunlight and to continue to allow airflow through the space.

Emerging Ghana Board

While working on this project, the team members were all struck by similarities between Emerging Ghana and the community we will be working on in Haiti this semester.

Sources:

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/10692/blaanc-and-joao-caeiro-architects-emerging-ghana.html

www.blaanc.com

http://www.facebook.com/opensourcehouse

http://www.archdaily.com/67279/winners-of-open-source-housing-competition/

http://www.ifesh.org/news/16/62/IFESH-Volunteer-Conducts-Sanitation-Campaign-in-Ghana/d,Field%20template/

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/schools_humanitarian/Transitional_Classrooms/Transitional_Clas

srooms.asp

DESIGN PROPOSAL

After evaluating the key principles of the Emerging Ghana project, whose site and conditions are very comparable to our site in Fond-des-Blancs, and speaking with our clients, Jean and Joy Thomas, our team was able to come up with key issues that we felt were must be addressed in order to form a design proposal. 

As far as the site plan is concerned, we wanted the value for the exisiting natural environment to show through. We created roads that would give the people of the community direct access to their homes, yet did not cut the roads through much of the site, in order to promote pedestrian traffic. We also chose not to build houses near the river. We saw this area as sacred and wanted to keep the existing conditions as to not disturb the rituals the people of the town partake in in their everyday life. Another way of keeping the natural area pristine is by berming the infrastructure into the steep slope that leads to the river. This will hide the ghauty structure of such a necessity as well as must the sound it creates.

It was our vision to create a development that would hold a strong sense of community and focus on the interactions these people experience with each other on a daily basis. From these ideas, our team decided that the courtyard and porch elements of the the community would hold the highest priority in our design process. We came up with multiple schemes that would allow for an interactive courtyard area connecting pods of three houses. These houses would experience an intimate courtyard interaction as individuals to one another in the pod, as well as the interaction of one pod to another. The lower leg of the site has a slightly different language in that the courtyard areas of the pods become a larger mall-like area. 

Another aspect that our group found extremely important was the ability to give the future residents of the community choices. Because there will be different sized families who will all have a different vision for their future home. We wanted the footprints of the homes seen in the site plan to remain the way they are so that the community offers diversity, however, we thought it was completely necessary to offer different plans for each footprint, so that the future residents would be able to choose the plan that fits their needs. 

The last elements that should be mentioned for our design are the prospects of commercial space and future development. Our vision for the commercial area would consist of a main building that would house a convenient store as well as a small restaurant with a gas pump in front. This would be loctated at the very edge of the site at the main road. This location is ideal due to its visibility to the rest of the town and the ability for everyone in the community to utlize it. 

Our vision for the future development of the community is that the pods would continue in the three pre-established bars on the other side of the river. These pods could possibly take new forms so as to keep the diversity of the community consistant, however,  it is our intention that all future pods would keep the exisiting courtyard conditions we created with phase one.

Review from Robert Thew on Vimeo.

Here was the commentary we received while in Haiti.