UMN DESIGN 4 HAITI

Paul Farmer on Minnesota Public Radio discussing Haiti since...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:56:56 -0400

Paul Farmer on Minnesota Public Radio discussing Haiti since the 2010 earthquake.

The students in the class participated in several Mind Mapping...

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:55:00 -0400

Mind Mapping Exercise for Field Guide

Maggie Breslin as Guest Critic

The students in the class participated in several Mind Mapping exercises as a way to formulate the critical topic areas to focus their research for the collaborative Field Guide. We then invited several outside experts from a variety of fields and disciplines to evaluate the progress of the Field Guide while under production. Pictured here is Maggie Breslin, Senior Designer & Researcher at the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation.

Haiti Seminar Field Guide available as soft-cover book on Blurb.com

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:45:00 -0400

Haiti Seminar Field Guide available as soft-cover book on Blurb.com:

This Field Guide is the product of a seven-week, graduate-level Architecture seminar offered during the first half of the spring 2011 semester by the School of Architecture in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. You can also download the free PDF version of the FIELD GUIDE from this blog.

This is a brief documentary on the planning process for Delmas...

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:45:02 -0400

This is a brief documentary on the planning process for Delmas 32 neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. NYU students and faculty hired Fountainhead Films to document their work with SODADE, an architecture and planning firm in Haiti led by Marc Roger and Sabrine Malabranche with their planning advisor T. Luke Young.

Link to the Blog from the UMN Team working in Haiti with Architecture for Humanity (March - May 2011)

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:44:15 -0400

Link to the Blog from the UMN Team working in Haiti with Architecture for Humanity (March - May 2011):

Following the 7-week research seminar, 6 students led by Jim Lutz, Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture traveled to Haiti to work with Architecture for Humanity developing ongoing projects with local communities. Here is link to the blog begun by the team in Haiti that will chronicle their efforts (March - May 2011). The team consists of:

Jim Luzt, Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture

Abby Kurlinkus, M.Arch

Amanda Pederson, M.Arch

Cody Stadler, M.Arch

Kaitlin Schalow, M.Arch

Brent Suski, M.Arch

Emerson Stepp, M.Arch

NPR - The Story: "Boots on the Ground Philanthropy"

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:35:00 -0400

NPR - The Story: "Boots on the Ground Philanthropy":

Jim Ansara made millions after he sold his construction company in 2006. Now he spends most of his time involved in charity work, but writing checks is not enough. His latest project is building the first new hospital in Haiti since the quake hit. Once the new hospital is finished, it’s slated to be the most advanced training hospital in the country.

Urban Systems - Infrastructure Annotated Bibliography

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:45:00 -0400

Grand Valley State University. 2010. “Safe and Sustainable Water for Haiti.” Last modified December 20th, 2010. http://www.gvsu.edu/haitiwater/

“This web site is dedicated to compiling and cataloging data and information about providing safe and sustainable water for Haiti.”

Guy, Shoshana. 2004. “Haiti: The Stuggle for Water.” Last modified October 2004. http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/haiti/indexb.html

A frontlne/pbs story about various aspects of water, such as its use, distribution, and cultural importance. It was written after Hurricane Jeanne struck.

Lasar, Matthew. 2011. “New media helped, but radio delivered for earthquake-struck Haiti.” Accessed Febuary 1st, 2011. http://haitirewired.wired.com/profiles/blogs/new-media-helped-but-radio

Article about advances in disaster relief communication technology as well as the importance of radio - an established communication technology.

Mengel, Jimmy. 2010. “Making Haiti 100% Renewable. U.S. Company Joins with Clinton Global Initiative for Ambitious Project.” Last modified October 11th, 2010. http://www.greenchipstocks.com/articles/making-haiti-100-renewable/1127

Article about the current state of Haiti’s energy and one strategy for creating a distributed network of various renewable energies.

Noula. 2011. “Crisis management portal made in Haiti.” Accessed Febuary 1st, 2011. http://www.noula.ht/index.aspx

Communication website which receives, sends, and maps messages via text and phone related to jobs, food, water, sanitation, education, infrastructure, security, etc.

Pilloton, Emily. 2009. Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People. Metropolis Books.

A compilation of humanitarian product designs categorized into education, enterprise, water, energy, mobility, food, well-being, and play.

Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. 2011. “Haiti: Nestled by the Sea, with no clean water to be found.” Last modifed January 8th, 2011. http://www.rfkcenter.org/news/haiti-nestled-sea-no-clean-water-be-found

A compelling narrative with associated statistics that paints a grim a picture of the current state of Haiti’s water issues.

UNICEF. 2001. “At a Glance: Haiti, Newsline.” Accessed January 28th, 2011. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_newsline.html

This is a database that is continually updated with news related to the work UNICEF is doing in Haiti and the particular needs they have identified.

World Health Organization. 2011. “Water Sanitation and Health (WSH) ” Accessed January 29th, 2011. http://www.who.int/water_ sanitation_health/en/

“WHO works on aspects of water, sanitation and hygiene where the health burden is high, where interventions could make a major difference and where the present state of knowledge is poor.”

Water Infrastructure Case Studies

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:33:00 -0400

Clean Water for Haiti and the Haiti Water Project are two organizations that are working on providing safe water solutions in Haiti.

Clean Water for Haiti primarily distributes BioSand water filters into homes. More info about BioSand water filters and other small-scale and low-tech water treatment systems can be found here. A video summarizing the water situation and the work Clean Water for Haiti is doing can be found here.

Haiti Water Project primarily works with community organizations (often churches) to “determine the specific water needs in the community, to implement wells, cisterns, and filters, to provide hygiene education, and to discuss maintenance plans.”

Both of these organizations could be potential partners in establishing water infrastructure with the school that is being designed.

Urban Systems - Infrastructure Glossary

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:54:00 -0400

Decentralized Systems

Not dependent on a central source. Often having multiple ‘nodes’ that are interconnected.

Centralized Systems

Large scale systems that have a central “node’. Can be vulnerable.

Distributed Systems

A series of scattered ‘nodes’ that are highly interconnected and provide a significant amount of resiliency relative to centralized systems.

SNEP

Service National d’Eau Potable (National Water Supply Service) The main public institution responsible for the water sector in rural Haiti and smaller cities.

CAMEP

Centrale Autonome Metropolitaine d’Eau Potable (Independent Metropolitan Water Company) The main public institution responsible for the water sector in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

DINEPA

Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable et de l’Assainissement (National Directorate for Water Supply and Sanitation) A new public institution created in 2009 to address the shortcomings of SNEP and CAMEP, including sanitation.

IRC

(International Water and Sanitation Centre) “Since its foundation in 1968, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre has facilitated the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge so that governments, professionals and organizations can better support poor men, women and children in developing countries to obtain water and sanitation services they will use and maintain.”

Truitier

The only dump site near Port-Au-Prince

WASH Cluster

(Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) “The development of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster provides an open formal platform for all emergency WASH actors and working together, the development of a work plan which addresses the key gaps as identified both by those key actors, but also verification from the field. The cluster approach presents many opportunities to bring the sector as a whole closer together in ensuring a predictable, effective, timely and coherent WASH humanitarian response.”

WHO

(World Health Organization) “WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.”

Materials (current/traditional) Glossary

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:04:00 -0500

CMU

Concrete Masonry Unit (Also, cement block or concrete block.)

This is one of the most prevalent building materials in Haiti.

Creole House

Traditional Haitian housing type characterized by a hipped roof, full surround porch, and an entrance under the eves of the broad side.

Earthbag

A method of masonry construction where the “bricks” are made by filling a light flexible (usually polypropylene) bag with sand or dirt. They are then stacked and reinforced to create a load bearing wall which is often skim-coated with plaster or stucco to protect it from the elements.

Gingerbread House

A highly ornate and colorful housing style that shares many traits with the Victorian Revival movement.

Haitian Kay

Traditional Haitian housing type characterized by a low-slope gabled roof and a small porch/entrance on the gabled end

Hackability

This word was used in Wired Magazine to describe the ability of a structure to be modified, expanded, and added on to.

Shotgun House

A long, narrow, and inexpensive housing type characterized by its lack of hallways and large front porch. This style of house is particularly well suited for hot climates because one can open the front and back doors allowing the breeze to flow through the entire house.

The Haiti Project: Dignified Disaster Housing

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:17:00 -0500

The Haiti Project: Dignified Disaster Housing:

This document details a proposal for culturally appropriate disaster relief housing in Haiti. Notable are the references to potential personalization/customization by Haitian craftsmen and awareness of the Haitian tradition of living with extended family and adding on to buildings to accommodate a growing family.

Haitian Wisdom for Aid Buildings

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:15:00 -0500

Haitian Wisdom for Aid Buildings:

This document is extremely rich in information about many aspects of Haitian architectural history and provides a number of recommendations for integrating that knowledge into the construction of relief buildings.

The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:13:00 -0500

The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan:

This document characterizes the Kay, a traditional Haitian housing type, as a culturally appropriate model for “temporary” housing in Haiti; it focuses primarily on how earthbags could be used to build structures that can later be modified and improved to provide more permanent shelter for internally displaced people.

This diagram shows the interconnectivity of systems in Haiti....

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:09:00 -0500

This diagram shows the interconnectivity of systems in Haiti. Material Systems, being the smallest in scale, is influenced directly and indirectly by almost every other category/force at play.

Deforestation Summary

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:08:09 -0500

Haiti has been plagued by both economic and natural resource issues related to the environmental problems associated with deforestation. Haiti is now a country that is 98% deforested. This deforestation has caused major floods, desertification, and erosion. Consequently, Haiti has faced a drop in agricultural production due to the loss of critical topsoil.

Since the earthquake, Haiti’s situation is even more severe. Haiti no longer has any of its natural forest cover, with its mountains eroding to bedrock, directly impacting the economic resources of the Haitian people. Haitians, most notably members of rural communities, continually rely on cutting down trees as a source of income. The trees are used to produce charcoal, which they can sell for fuel. For this reason, all trees must be protected with security measures.

The following statistics are summarizing the devastation caused by deforestation in Haiti:

Between 10 and 20 million trees are cut down each year
The annual reforestation rate is 0.7%
53,300 trees per year are cut down for businesses to operate
Over 80% of the Haitian population has no access to electricity and over 90% uses wood-based charcoal for their daily cooking needs.
The Haitian government has not made the environment a priority.
The sale of charcoal is the main source of income for 9% fo the rural population of Haiti.

Sources:

Lewis, L. and Coffey, W., 1985. The Continuing Deforestation of Haiti. Ambio, Vol. 14, No. 3 (1985), pp. 158-160.

ReliefWeb, 2008. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations. “Haiti: Deforestation and Disasters – Humanitarian Snapshot 2008.” Webpage available at: www.reliefweb.int.

Stevenson, G., 1989. “The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Fuelwood in Haiti.” The Journal of Developing Areas. 24 (October 1989) 59-76.

Large reforestation project in Bayone

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:34:00 -0500

AFKB is an organization with 155 members
goal of producing 120,000 seedlings - fruit and forest trees - over two years that will permit the reforestation of 2 Vesan valleys in Haiti
funded by the Lambi Fund, which will also provide training on agro forestation techniques, tools and the equipment to buil 6 tree nurseries.

Source: Lambi Fund, 2011. 2010 Projects, The Lambi Fund of Haiti. http://www.lambifund.org/programs_new.shtml.

Dominican Republic plans to reforest border with Haiti

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:33:00 -0500

The Dominican Republic plans to reforest its border with Haiti - first step is to plant 5 million seedlings

In the first stage, seedlings will be planted in nurseries, consisting of pine (3.2 million); mahogany (500,000); mango (200,000); oak, San Domigo boxwood, and black olive (250,000 each); and tamarind and guayacan (150,000 each).
work is expected to cost 35 million pesos (approximately US $980,000). On June 15, 2010, the DR’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry signed an agreement with the Border Development Agency to go ahead with the project.
The goal is to restore land at risk from natural disasters in the Haitian border area and provide jobs.

Source: Navarro, M., 2011. “Dominican Republic plans to reforest border with Haiti.” InfoSur Hoy. Webpage available at: www.infosurhoy.com. January 10, 2011.

Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project (HTRIP)

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:27:00 -0500

is a community-based forestry in Haiti - began from a partnership between Hospital Albert Schweitzer haiti, interested members of the American forest industry, and other private donors.
began in 2006 to enable Haitians to re-create productive forests to improve their environment and health.
assists Haitians in growing commercially valuable timber tree species on marginal hillside lands
provides the trees and technical expertise while the farmer provides the land and labor (i.e., land in exchange for seedlings)
In 2006, over 1,300 trees were planted, with the participation of more than 175 Haitians
project is located in the mid-to-upper Artibonite Valley, an area with 40 inches of rain per year, with a dry period from November to March. The soils are very eroded and calcareous due to their limestone parent material.
livestock has been a significant challenge to reforestation, as the animals are rarely kept in enclosures
chose to begin reforestation with hard, fast-growing tree species: one native species (Cedrela odorata, Spanish Cedar), one naturalized species (Eucalyptus camadulensis), and one species that had not been previously introduced to Haiti (Paulownia sp., Empress Tree). Paulownia is a fast-growing commercial species which re-sprouts after harvesting for up to 8 generations. One citrus tree and one nitrogen-fixing tree (Enterlobium cyclocarpum and Lysiloma sabicu) were also planted for every three timber trees.
word about the project is spread to communities at churches and meeting within a 9.3 mile radius of Deschapelles.
there has been an average mortality rate of 27%
once the trees begin to mature (5-7 yrs.), the understory will become shaded, requiring a change in crop type. HTRIP will assist transition to coffee, chocolate, animal forage…

Source: Sprenkle, S.D., Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti, Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project. Deschapelles, Haiti and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Deforestation Annotated Bibliography

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:20:00 -0500

Auch, 2011. Wasteland – Charcoal in Haiti. http://jonathanauch.com/charbon/

Jonathan Auch documents deforestation and charcoal production in Haiti through a series of powerful black and white images.

Lambi Fund, 2011. 2010 Projects, The Lambi Fund of Haiti. http://www.lambifund.org/programs_new.shtml.

The Lambi Fund has donated funding to support a large reforestation project in Bayone in Haiti. The Lambi Fund all provided training on agro forestation techniques, tools and the equipment to build 6 tree nurseries.

Lewis, L. and Coffey, W., 1985. The Continuing Deforestation of Haiti. Ambio, Vol. 14, No. 3 (1985), pp. 158-160.

Lewis and Coffey document the devastation from deforestation in Haiti, including the drop in agricultural productivity from the erosion of critical topsoil.

National Geographic, 2010. http://wildlifeprofessional.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Haiti_deforestation1.jpg,

Image of border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Navarro, M., 2011. “Dominican Republic plans to reforest border with Haiti.” InfoSur Hoy. Webpage available at: www.infosurhoy.com. January 10, 2011.

A review of the Dominican Republics plans to reforest the border with Haiti. In the first stage, over five million seedlings are planned to be planted to prevent natural disasters along the Haitian border area and to provide jobs.

ReliefWeb, 2008. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations. “Haiti: Deforestation and Disasters – Humanitarian Snapshot 2008.” Webpage available at: www.reliefweb.int.

An infographic that visually summarizes the connected relationship between deforestation, erosion, and natural disasters in Haiti.

Roc, N., 2008. “Haiti-Environment: from the Pearl of the Antilles to desolation.” Fride, September 2008.

Nancy Roc, a freelance journalist, reviews the history of ecological devastation in Haiti, discussing many of the historical natural disaster events and causes of deforestation.

Stevenson, G., 1989. “The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Fuelwood in Haiti.” The Journal of Developing Areas. 24 (October 1989) 59-76.

This paper discusses the production, distribution, and consumption of firewood and charcoal as a contributor to deforestation in Haiti.

Sprenkle, S.D., 2011. Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti, Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project. Deschapelles, Haiti and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. E-mail: starry@friendsofhas.org

A review of the Haiti Timber Re-Introduction Project (HTRIP), a community-based forestry program in Haiti. HTRIP, an excellent reforestation case study, began in 2006 to enable Haitians to re-create productive forests to improve their environment and health.

The University of Texas at Austin, Perry-Castaneda Map Collection. http://map.primorye.ru/raster/maps/americas/haiti_land_1970.jpg

A set of maps of the natural systems in Haiti.

Deforestation Glossary

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:13:00 -0500

Biomass – plant materials and animal waste used as fuel

Charbonniere – charcoal market worker

Charcoal – a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air

Coniferous – of or relating to part of trees or shrubs bearing cones and evergreen leaves.

Deciduous – shedding foliage at the end of the growing season

Hectare – a unit area defined as 10,000 square meters or 0.00386 square miles, primarily used in the measurement of land.