THINKING DEVELOPMENT
IN SUMMARY This presentation is the result of 34 months of planning, communicating, documenting, designing, and the voluntary effort of over 100 people worldwide. It outlines phase 1 of a unique project to: 1. sustainably rebuild and expand a Haitian schools complex for 1,250 students 2. build local planning and construction capacity 3. document the process in video 4. share the lessons learned with the local and international development community.
5%
ADMINISTRATION
10%
PROFESSIONAL
85%
CONSTRUCTION
ESTIMATED PHASE 1 CONSTRUCTION COST £760,000
We now need the funds to begin the technical design process with the local community and planning authorities, and to see this project implemented as soon as possible!
NEW CENTRE ROSALIE JAVOUHEY: PHASE 1
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
Thinking Development is a post-disaster planning consultancy that was founded in 2010 to connect development specialists in London - including architects, engineers, and videographers associated with University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction - with a community of nuns, teachers and school girls in downtown Port-au-Prince.
HOLISTIC MASTERPLAN PASSIVE DESIGN - LOW MAINTENANCE COST BUILT-IN OUR MISSION INCOME-GENERATION TO FUND FUTURE PHASES DOCUMENTED PROCESS FOR ADDED VALUE PROVEN RECORD IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MOST IN NEED AND VULNERABLE KNOWLEDGE-SHARING DIVERSE PROFESSIONAL VOLUNTEERS LOCAL LAND TENURE COMMUNITY-LED DESIGN
PRIORITY ZONE IN MUNICIPAL RECONSTRUCTION PLAN COMPETITIVE PRICE BEYOND
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE AND DISASTER-RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT IN HAITI AND
CASE STUDY FOR DISASTER-RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION
SAFE SPACE FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER
Our mission is to design and build a beautiful, sustainable, inspiring, and multi-functional educational complex in the heart of Haiti’s capital city. We’re working with the best-established educators in the country, the Sisters of St. Joesph of Cluny, and their school community to make sure that it’s a truly local and representative plan that maximally meets the needs of the local community.
But that’s not all. This is a Thinking Development project. Our plan is designed to address Haiti’s wider vulnerabilities too. CONSTRUCTION TRAINING
It will support construction skills training for safe, high-density buildings. For this reason, our proposal is based on an easy-tobuild, 3-storey concrete-frame module.
DOCUMENTATION
We are documenting the process in video, and engaging as many partners in the process to make sure that the case study is highly accessible to local and international audiences.
REPLICATION PACKAGE
Ultimately, we hope that the well-documented planning and construction process will enable easy replication and knowledge sharing.
This plan provides a much-needed model for low cost, safe, environmentally efficient and high-capacity school construction that can be replciated elsewhere in urban Haiti. Thinking Development is an associate of the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction
Construction cost calculations generously supplied by Bruce Shaw Quantity Surveyors, Dublin, Ireland
With a special thanks to www.meliorenterprises.com for our lovely new website!
© Thinking Development 2012
www.thinkingdevelopment.org
Registered Charity: 1147071 thoughts@thinkingdevelopment.org
NEEDS IDENTIFIED
OUR PRINCIPLES HOLISTIC Projects must be planned with the bigger picture in mind; they must consider all local needs, resources, infrastructure and ambitions for the future. This ensures that we only implement projects that are needed and that lead to empowering, equitable, and sustainable development.
DISASTER RESILIENT All designs and implementation plans must be resilient to environmental and social threats, like earthquakes, hurricanes, poor materials and poor construction skills.
INCLUSIVE The design and planning process has to include all groups who are immediately effected by the project. This should ensure a nonpartisan outcome that is maximally useful. It should also empower all collaborators to look after their collective creation and continue sustainable development planning.
OUR SITE is a unique oasis of wooded land in the heart of Port-au-Prince. Bordering
the densely populated slum of Fort National, it provides local children a rare opportunity to enjoy some nature and play space. Most site facilities were destroyed by the 2010 earthquake. Moreover, the school managers, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, lost land tenure nearby and had to move another school to the same site. Our challenge, therefore, is to double the site capacity while preserving nature and play space for over 1,250 children.
SOLAR PANELS
To maximise selfsufficiency: excess power fed back into the national grid.
• additional classrooms • additional educational facilities (e.g. library, science lab) • livelihoods training facilities • unintimidating, safe buildings • low maintenance costs • improved access to water and power • more toilets and washing facilities • community gathering facilities • proper kitchen, food store and canteen facilities • infirmary • diverse shady spaces for play and meetings • nature and garden classrooms • storm shelter • site masterplan
INTERNAL TEACHING PARTITIONS Enable flexible use of rooms, opening to create one large space or two spaces when closed.
SHADING SYSTEMS
Roof overhang, brise soleil and louvred shutters combine to allow maximum light and breeze in, and keep uncomfortable heat, glare and weather out.
GLASS BLOCKS
PASSIVE
Located at walls where the buildings overlap, to still allow in light but minimise noise pollution between spaces.
Buildings must be naturally lit and ventilated during daylight hours. When electricity is required, such as for computing and water purification, it should be sustainably sourced. This is good for the environment, and cheaper to maintain.
INSPIRING
SEISMIC AND STORM RESILIENT STRUCTURE
School spaces must be childfriendly; they must inspire learning, play and creativity; they must allow local children to learn the skills their communities need; and they must feel safe, secure, and welcoming to all they serve.
Reinforced concrete structure enables higherdensity building that can withstand earthquakes and extreme weather.
EFFICIENT Designs must use materials, styles and skills on the local market. They must also be modular and easy to replicate. This makes the building cheaper and easy to maintain, and enables people to improve the construction skills that they need.
NATURAL VENTILATION
Maximum window openings, combined with green wall and shades maximise cooling ventilation and allow only indirect sunlight inside the building.
PHASE 1 CLASSROOM BUIDING: section showing retaining wall, classroom building, and play area