Hiati Project: Designing Disaster Response gets Green Light from NewSchool of Architecture & Design Student Council

The Haiti Project:
Designing Disaster ResponseExecutive Summary



This proposal for a Disaster Response Design Charrette at NewSchool of Architecture & Design provides students learning opportunities and enables the community to respond to the recent crisis in Haiti.

Problem Statement:
• Seeming conundrum of heavy hurricane-resistant vs light earthquake- resistant construction.
• Vernacular structure and poverty may lead to quick repeat of history.
• Communication of potential dangers of return to existing vernacular buildings is critical.

Proposal:
• Design charrette with students and professionals creates new possibilities.
• Cross-cultural education with industries’ best practices to benefit students and the people of Haiti.

Timeframe:
• Spring Quarter charette at NewSchool benefits students, faculty and the institution, enhances curriculum with real practical problems.
• Four-day NewSchool charrette, beginning April 8, 2010.
• Charrette Thursday, 8 April 2010 through Sunday, 11 April 2010
• Exhibition Friday, Saturday and Sunday 16-18 April 2010
Looking Ahead:
Sponsored teams to build designed solutions in Haiti, possibly in Summer 2010.

Budget Considerations:
Budgeting will be the first priority for newly established committee of the board pending program participation requirements from NewSchool faculty.


Conclusion:
Ultimately, creating real and lasting good to the benefit of the people of Haiti is the goal.

Recommendation:
Commitment of the NewSchool of Architecture & Design Student Council solicited.
Pending the commitment of the Student Council, several factors have been explored that will place this project on a very fast-track. The administration of NewSchool has “given a green light” to explore this process and indicated support for the ideas presented. The Faculty of NewSchool will review this proposal at their meeting on Monday, 8 February 2010 (Coinciding with the Student Council Meeting). The faculty will be considering how it fits into curriculum plans for Spring Quarter, 2010. Initial, informal, faculty and student response has been generally positive including strong positive feedback from members of AIAS.







The Haiti Project:
Designing Disaster Response

Note: Executive summary in bold italics at the beginning of each paragraph.

Introduction:
NewSchool of Architecture & Design students respond to crisis in Haiti.In response to the overwhelming destruction of life and property in Haiti following the January Earthquake there, it occurs that a great opportunity to do real and lasting good is upon us. As architecture students, we at NewSchool of Architecture & Design, located in San Diego, CA, have a unique opportunity to help. Being in a seismic activity zone with similar risk, we are surrounded by architectural design and structural engineering professionals who are experts in the challenges of seismic design suitable for Haiti.

Statement of the Problem:
Vernacular structure and poverty may lead to quick repeat of history.The destruction of property in Haiti was in large part due to a vernacular construction type that is directly counter to modern seismic theory. Inexpensive, un-reinforced masonry buildings of one or two stories are precisely the type of heavy, rigid buildings that absorb the energy of an earthquake and quickly crumble under the strain. This fact, coupled with the lack of earthquake understanding (there hasn’t been a significant seismic event in the collective memory of the last several generations) and the poverty of available means of building, creates an unfortunate opportunity for history to quickly repeat itself. Add to this the frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean (for which heavy buildings are the proper engineering solution) and a seemingly unsolvable conundrum is created.

Communication of potential dangers of return to existing buildings is critical.
A significant challenge is the communication of information about the potentials for earthquakes and new responses to vernacular building. With precious resources thinly spread, the natural inclination may be for Haitians to rebuild quickly without seeking additional information. Providing information, in easily understandable terms and visuals, about earthquake conditions and other environmental concerns will be an important part of a solution in Haiti. With critical civic infrastructure hobbled by their own facilities being reduced to rubble, assistance with this basic communication need is more critical.

Project Proposal:
Design charrette with students and professionals creates new possibilities.The project I am proposing is a design charrette which would bring together interested NewSchool of Architecture & Design students with affiliated professionals in Southern California, including NewSchool faculty and other advisors to produce a design charrette. This charrette will be a response to the unique conditions surrounding disaster response in Haiti. It is my vision that the design teams would be provided leadership, encouragement and material support through corporate donations / sponsorships and the involvement of captains of industry in Southern California.



Cross-cultural education with industries’ best practices to benefit students.
This project is of educational benefit to the students at NewSchool as it provides a real-world experience, in addition to the opportunities for mentorship and exposure to the architectural design, structural engineering and construction industries’ best practices. The opportunity to work with students on ground-breaking new designs and the opportunity for exposure to the captains of industry will be the primary motivations for the industry professionals. And the opportunity to lead, mentor and learn about architecture and construction while providing a visible response to the crisis in Haiti represents a major PR opportunity for corporate and community leadership.

Timeframe:
Spring charette at NewSchool benefits students, faculty and the institution.This charrette would take place at NewSchool of Architecture & Design during the first two weeks of class in Spring Quarter, 2010, when all students are in attendance. Pending design studio instructors syllabi and intentions, the design charrette could be a part of creditable work for the quarter. It is perhaps no small consequence that NewSchool of Architecture and Design would reap the public relations benefits of a special initiative project not unlike the now infamous Rural Studio work of the late Samuel Mockbee, of Auburn University.

Schedule:
Four-day NewSchool charrette, beginning April 8, 2010.
Beginning on Thursday, 8 April, 2010:
A session titled Culture of Haiti opens the charrette. Participants will be treated to multi-media presentations about the norms, values and conditions of Haitian life, its cultural institutions, and its opportunities and resources. Speakers with significant endeavors in Haiti and citizens of Haiti will be invited to present relevant personal experiences.

Friday, 9 April, 2010:
This Workshop Series will be an opportunity to prepare the participants to understand Haitian vernacular architecture, available technologies and tectonic opportunities, island seismology, and environmental concerns including soil and climate conditions. The presentation of identified sites for various design typologies will be made at this time. At the end of the day, informal teams will be created with an architecture professional, an engineering professional, a faculty member, and students at a minimum.

Saturday, 10 April, 2010:
Design Day participants will work in teams to create design solutions to selected typological problems. Emphasis will be on design ideas and development of design response. Documentation can be in many forms including the typical sketches, drawings and other 2-D media. 3-D media and multi-media will be encouraged.

Sunday, 11 April, 2010:
Design solutions created in the previous day will be presented to the participants. At this time, the designs will be schematic and informally developed (due to time constraints). This session could be organized to evaluate and synthesize information and recommend “best” solutions. Further development of preliminary documentation is possible by student participants prior to exhibition.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 16-18, 2010
A Public Exhibition at NewSchool of Architecture & Design (Main Hall and Auditorium). This event would work best with student docents stationed to explain the exhibits and solicit contributions toward construction of the various solutions.


Looking ahead:
Sponsored teams might build designed solutions in Haiti in Summer 2010.While many non-government organizations (NGO) are having difficulty operating missions to Haiti as of this writing, it may be challenging to propose that actually building some of the developed solutions could be the ultimate goal of this process. Further, it may be risky for students to deal with issues of liability and safety of participants traveling to Haiti during the near future due to compromised infrastructure. Still, I would like to propose that the some (or perhaps all) of the design teams’ solutions could actually be funded and constructed in Haiti (ideally by teams of NewSchool of Architecture & Design students, faculty, and interested charrette team members, sponsors and others during the Summer of 2010).

Building charrette results in Haiti would require significant financial and international political support and contributions from NewSchool sponsors as well as cooperation with the team(s) of design professionals already organized in Haiti. This project could represent an opportunity to collaborate with Architecture for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity, and other NGOs. This collaboration might include grant funding and gifts-in-kind from corporations, foundations and other sources. Funds for materials, travel expenditures, and construction costs would need to be pledged and collected during the late-Winter and Spring of 2010 for this to happen. And this project could continue long into the future as further resources are secured to fund the construction of additional solutions in Haiti.

Required Resources:
Basic resource needs will include the following; pending detailed analysis. (in no particular order):
1) Grant writer to secure funding / underwriting / sponsorship commitments from industry, foundations, and other givers

2) Use of IRS designation “501 (3) c” entity status and special banking accounts to secure and manage funds; grant tax-deductible status to contributors

3) Administrative staff time to assist with management of funds, official NewSchool correspondence, public relations and related tasks

4) Location (NewSchool is proposed) suitable for large-group participation with resources for design materials production / reproduction

5) Location and fees for electronic meetings to coordinate, plan and facilitate international communication with Haitian representatives, possibly requiring video

6) Travel / housing expenditures associated with bringing Haitian representatives to NewSchool for the design charrette

7) Travel / housing expenditures associated with sending NewSchool students to Haiti in Summer 2010 to build designed solutions

8) In-kind donations of studio and building materials and resources necessary to complete the charrette and any required modeling

9) In-kind donations of services from architecture and structural engineering and other professionals to assist with design charrette

10) A designated faculty member to provide mentorship and advise students regarding the charrette process, networking with professionals, and corporate sponsorship opportunities


11) Student volunteer time and resources to prepare documentation, secure resources, invite design professionals, solicit donations, record events, create models, build mock-ups, and -pending funding- to construct solutions in Haiti

12) NewSchool faculty participation to teach , coach, and mentor the process and facilitate results, assist with scheduling, and participate in charrette, and lead student construction teams

13) French language interpreters may be required for facilitation of some communications

14) Food and beverages for participants in design charrette, guests at receptions, visitors


Budget Considerations:
Budgeting will be the first priority for newly established committee of the board pending program participation requirements from NewSchool faculty.The primary considerations for this project will be guaranteeing expenditures that are over- and-above proceeds of grants or gifts specific to the project. It is difficult, in advance of approval and creation of acceptable preliminary plans, and determining the number of participants to estimate a budget. Typical expenses might include:

1) Supplies for charrette process (can be donated) including typical studio materials
2) Food and Beverage for charrette participants: Opening reception refreshments, Continental breakfasts, Box lunches for participants, Exhibition Opening refreshments
3) Hospitality and travel arrangements for guest speakers, Haitian participants
4) Digital resources including “Go-to-Meeting” or similar, file-sharing (BIM) and others
5) Video, photographic, and website documentation of process, outcomes
6) Publicity, networking and marketing expenses for press-kits, posters, advertisements, postage for mailers and communication processes, “courtship” of local professionals’ participation, etc…

Conclusion:
Ultimately, creating real and lasting good to the benefit of Haiti is the goal.Design professionals have been meeting, daily, in Haiti since the morning after the earthquake on 12 January 2010. They are working to envision a new Haiti; frankly aware that the old Haiti did not work. This charrette process will be best suited to help the people of Haiti if it also incorporates the culture of leadership of these design professionals. This process might involve some international electronic meeting techniques and if possible, the inclusion of representatives of the Haitian design-professionals community. While the change they envision may be greater than the subject of this project, any steps toward their goals will include providing for the shelter and health safety and welfare of the community at large.

Recommendation and Request:
Commitment of the NewSchool of Architecture & Design Student Council solicited.It is with great enthusiasm and some fear that I present this proposal to the student council for consideration. My enthusiasm for the project is perhaps self-evident. The desire to do real and lasting good comes of my upbringing and my values. It has been my motto to leave each situation I encounter better than I found it. While this encounter with the disaster in Haiti presents a new level of challenge, it is one I believe we can accomplish together. However, it will only be accomplished as a project of the student body, working in conjunction with our institutional support, and the in-kind and financial support and goodwill of a community of professionals and leaders in Southern California.


I ask that the Student Council establish a committee of the board to explore, budget, create process, and solicit participation in The Haiti Project: Designing Disaster Response. I offer my services to the board to chair such a committee and to further develop the communications with the board of the Student Council, the administration of NewSchool, and Faculty as well as the professional communities for which participation will be appropriate.

The challenge of opening this project represents engagement in a culture and a way of life that is quite foreign to our experience of living in Southern California (regardless of our origins). My fear is that we, as students trained in the art and science of architecture, are accustomed to the high aspirations that often accompany exclusive design. We may be, perhaps, blind to this real opportunity to create something new that comes from nothing. This project may require the design of mundane and simple systems and projects, to be built of recycled and reused materials the origins of which many among us may not be able to conceive.

While the interface with industry professionals and community leadership will have its benefits, and the public relations values are important considerations, this project represents far more. Participation with industry best practices will encourage practical application of our knowledge. Engagement in another culture, with a unique history and opportunity, provides a shared experience of cross-cultural learning and architectural practice that is of pragmatic benefit in our increasingly global design industry. Construction of systems and shelters and buildings built of available materials will be a unique tectonic challenge. However, it is ultimately the opportunity to create hope, working with and for the people of Haiti (for whom hope has long been a dream) that provides the real meaning of this project.

Respectfully submitted,
R. Lyle Boatman, ASID, NewSchool of Architecture & Design, B-Arch, Class of 2012

For further information, please contact me as follows:

R. Lyle Boatman, ASID
lyle@boatmandesign.com