An old Chinese proverb sums up several projects that mark the dawn of seismic-resistant design and construction in earthquake-devastated Haiti: "If you give a person a fish, you feed that person for a day. If you teach a person to fish, you feed that person for a lifetime." The aim of the projects—one of which concentrates on training for seismic design of commercial buildings and the other on the manufacture of hurricane- and seismic-resistant manufactured single-story buildings—is to prevent a repeat of the kind of death and destruction that occurred on Jan. 12, 2010, when a magnitude-7 quake killed an
Though almost all describe the situation in Haiti as a crisis, there are some small advances since the quake. In February 2010, the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communication, called MTPTC, as an interim measure authorized the use of five international building codes and standards while it studied the development of a local code. The five building codes and standards are the Canadian National Building Code, the American Concrete Institute Standard 318, the International Code Council's International Building Code, the Eurocode 8: Design of Structures for Earthquake Resistance and the Caribbean Uniform Building Code. Last February, MTPTC hired an
All S2H systems comply with U.S. codes. The buildings are designed to resist, at a minimum, magnitude-7 temblors and hurricane winds of up to 145 mph, with gusts up to 225 mph, says Stevens. Among other things, the system uses diaphragms for lateral-load resistance made from high-strength structural stucco cladding in lieu of drywall. As much as possible, S2H tries to use local materials, including cement, sand, gravel, paint, doors, windows, hardware, plumbing and electrical fixtures. For the Miami-based non-governmental organization Cross International, a 1,418-sq-ft school cost $81,200. To date, S2H-H has completed four dormitories at two sites, at cost.
The rectilinear concrete structure, with columns and beams in one direction and two-story shear walls at its ends, was "highly inspired" by an example given in the seminar, says Filiatrault, who had reviewed the drawings and offered suggestions to Wolfield. "When I taught in August, I didn't have to show [the class] drawings," says Filiatrault, whose new classroom was on the second floor. "I could point to [the elements]." The building, 120 ft x 40 ft in plan, stands as "an example of improvement coming from teaching," adds Filiatrault. UniQ, the second-largest university in Haiti, had dedicated its new campus
The AIA's Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) has selected seven communities to receive pro bono design and planning services. Click on the slide show button to view additional images. Students work with the Regional UDAT team members on the Pratt City disaster response project in Alabama after tornadoes devastated the neighborhood. Thanks to The American Institute of Architects’ Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program, seven communities will receive pro bono design and planning services to help them in their quest for sustainability. The program has assisted more than 50 communities with development planning since 2005. Cities submit applications outlining the
A design that calls for a grove of trees reflected infinitely by 12-foot-long mirrors was selected today for New York’s first large-scale AIDS memorial.
Today, the Miami City Commission is expected to give a nonprofit group the green light to rehabilitate Miami Marine Stadium, an abandoned Modernist landmark designed in 1963 by then 27-year-old Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela.
@AIALobbyist’s Twitter page. On Sunday, the American Institute of Architects’ branch devoted to governmental issues and advocacy tweeted its congratulations to Newt Gingrich on winning the South Carolina GOP primary. The @AIALobbyist tweet read: “Congrats to #Newt on SC win . . . But more importantly, go #Giants!!!” This was the first time @AIALobbyist had congratulated a specific candidate. A lot of people tweet about political candidates. The issue here, however, is that the AIA’s Washington D.C.-based lobbying arm represents the professional interests of nearly 90,000 members. And while the @AIALobbyist Twitter feed is managed by one person—Andrew Goldberg, the
No Shades of Gray: Ellsworth Kelly has been collaborating with architects since the 1950s, and his latest project with Peter Zellner turns an L.A. gallery into public art.
When architect Peter Zellner first unveiled his design for the new Matthew Marks Gallery in West Hollywood, it was met with enthusiasm from the planning department and the mayor. But the city has strict design guidelines on the books: New buildings must have windows and architectural detail. The gallery was, well, an “ice cube,” says Zellner, and Marks was in uncharted territory, choosing to make his West Coast debut in the scruffy neighborhood between La Brea and Fairfax Avenues rather than the established art scene in Culver City.
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