Conversation with Francois
While the rest of the class was in Haiti, a few of the graduate students who did not go to Haiti found a Haitian living here in Knoxville who was willing to talk to us.
François Lundy grew up in Petit-Trou-de Nippes, and went to high school and college in Port-au-Prince, about 152 km from his home. He left Haiti when Port-au-Prince was devastated by the earthquake two years ago. He has a unique perspective on the way of life in Haiti and what would be important to consider when approaching the design for a community like the projected community in Fond-des-Blanc.
François spoke to us about the typical scenarios in homes in Haiti, and he gave us suggestions to pass on to the studio, including the possibility of a professional school where high school graduates can learn the skills to continue to be productive and earn money.