Haiti Cabana Prototype
Port Au Prince, Haiti
The devastating magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 12, 2010 left over 890,000 people homeless (along with a death toll of up to 85,000). As a part of the herculean relief effort, GPSI, a Structural Concrete Insulation Panel (SCIP) contractor, contributed their expertise in providing quick and reliable replacement housing. The prototype structure pictured above has a living area the size of a typical garage (20 feet by 20 feet), yet contains two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a living room.
GPSI provided the Therml-Impac Panel product and the technical expertise for this project. The panel installation and plaster finishing was completed by local, unskilled labor.
Though other areas of the Caribbean appeared to have adequate Building Codes, the Building Regulations in Haiti proved to be non-existent. Because this structure was intended to be duplicated across a wide swath of Haiti, Johnson Leifield Structural Engineers, as a catch-all, designed this single-family residence using seismic loads appropriate for downtown Los Angeles and hurricane wind forces for beachfront Miami.
GPSI provided the Therml-Impac Panel product and the technical expertise for this project. The panel installation and plaster finishing was completed by local, unskilled labor.
Though other areas of the Caribbean appeared to have adequate Building Codes, the Building Regulations in Haiti proved to be non-existent. Because this structure was intended to be duplicated across a wide swath of Haiti, Johnson Leifield Structural Engineers, as a catch-all, designed this single-family residence using seismic loads appropriate for downtown Los Angeles and hurricane wind forces for beachfront Miami.
U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti, Former President Bill Clinton and Haitian President Michel Martelly view the GPSI Prototype House at the Haiti BBBC (Building Back Better Communities) Housing Expo on June 5, 2011. This SCIP panel system provides Permanent Homes and Job Creation to Haiti.
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