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Reflections and Next Steps
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 8:25AM Key Issues:
- Variation in size of housing
- Indoor cooking and eating area
- Car access to houses
- Consideration of the ridge in relation to house placement
Traveling to Haiti had a huge influence on our perceptions of the country and it’s people. While it was helpful to complete precedent studies and have skype interviews with Jean and Joy Thomas, nothing can compare to actually interacting with the landscape and people. Due to the fact that Forrest had been to Haiti before, our team was able to have initial conversations about the culture and building styles that gave us a stronger framework to begin with. As a result, the majority of our design ideas and concepts could become successful with some tweaking.
Our perception of the site has changed significantly since traveling to Fond-des-Blancs. What we perceived as a gradual slope in some areas is much more significant and will force changes in positioning and design of some structures on our site. Having the opportunity to walk the site and document existing vegetation as well as views will make our ideas stronger. One of the main considerations that we took away from our visit is the placement of the road throughout the site. We will need to be sure to have vehicular access to each house, while maximizing the number of houses to be included. Each house will need ample yard space as well.
Another change in perception was the issue of outdoor cooking. While it is true that the vast majority of Haitians do their cooking outside using charcoal, this will not be the main form of cooking in the houses that we will be designing. In dialogue with Jean and Joy during our presentations, Joy emphasized the desire for a formal kitchen in each house. The use of charcoal is not a sustainable practice and is killing the majority of native hardwoods on the island. Jean and Joy want to encourage the use of gas for cooking and will be providing propane to do so. In addition, a majority of the target audience for this housing development is ex-patriots who will be relocating to Haiti. These individuals will be used to more modern methods of cooking and will need traditional kitchens as well as space to eat their meals indoors. While not eliminating a way to cook with charcoal entirely, the design of our housing will shift to provide more dining accommodations indoors.
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