Designing a School in response to Disaster
Arc(h)aven
Challenge
Design a school and community center for the disaster stricken area after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Outcome
This project for a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti proposes a rapid construction based on a single module - the concrete panel arch. The arch defines both structure, enclosure, above and below ground relationships.
Role
Designer in a team of three. Conducted individual and group research into antecedent typology & topology, construction practices & materials, site & environment, history & culture to form concept design, drawings and models. This was project work done while at Cornell in collaboration with other classmates.
Research into local construction processes and materials led to the discovery of the concrete panel arch, often used for infrastructure, to build and form this school.
Global concrete arch producers could import the mold form needed so that local workers could learn and pour concrete locally and on-site.
