Bellevue-Lamontagne, Haiti

For this pro-bono project, FTF worked closely with volunteer architects from BAR Architects and Ken Linsteadt Architects to design a 3-story, 12,000 square foot classroom building with a cistern beneath the first-floor balcony to capture and store rainwater. This earthquake- and hurricane-resistant building for the Haiti Partners’ Academy is located on a mountainside above the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The priority was to meet programmatic, aesthetic, and functional needs, all while designing with locally available materials that could be easily assembled by local labor sources, many of whom were parents of students at the school.

FTF also designed a third-floor addition to the existing school building which provides additional classroom space for approximately 90 students, as well as bathrooms and storage space. Due to the nature of Haiti being hurricane- and earthquake-prone, our engineering process was very careful and deliberate to keep the building safe during frequent, severe events. This building was designed to be a holistic structure that has an appropriate response to nature and its communities and users.

“Completing the 2nd building by adding the 3rd floor not only adds significant space for learning and meetings, but it also keeps the momentum of progress going. This construction reflects a commitment to a vision, which brings hope. With Haiti’s current state of insecurity, political strife, and continued economic deterioration, the Haitian proverb ‘Espwa fè viv’ is as true as ever: ‘Hope brings life.’”  —Merline and John Engle, Co-Founders, Haiti Partners

To learn more about FTF’s involvement in the Haiti Project, you can read an interview with Randy here..

To see how the Haiti Project team is helping Haitians harness their own creative potential to create better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities, please visit haitipartners.org