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Monday, February 01, 2010
Haitian Housing Posthaste - Update
UPDATE: Duany has been in Haiti with General Wesley Clark and others, scouting sites for emergency camps.ANDRÉS DUANY and Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. have designed some emergency housing for Haiti. Pictures here. Miami Herald story here.
February 1, 2010 in Architecture, Current Affairs, New Urbanism | Permalink
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This "new" house is not as new as Mr. Duany believes. We've been manufacturing disaster housing for many years. For those who think the above diagram represents a revolution they may be interested in what is already being mass produced to house potentially millions:
The HaitiHouse™ division of our company, Harbor Homes LLC, (http://www.haitihouse.org) is the creator of the HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™, the FlatPackQuad™, the cargo2™ container series of bunkhouses, showers, kitchens, laundry, and office units, FEMA approved travel trailers, park models, mobile homes and support facilities for use as temporary AND permanent shelters.
Until the Haitian disaster we only worked privately with the government and its agencies, as in after hurricane Katrina. We produced thousands of portable homes exceeding stringent testing standards. We have the best air quality testing results in the industry, and we formed the HaitiHouse™ division to directly assist every charity, mission group, government or non-profit with rebuilding Haiti called Haitihouse.org.
With all due respect to the architect, Mr. Duany, who may be a wonderful planner for urban environments, we are not dealing with the same issues in Haiti as in Miami. While his creation is novel, we believe it won’t function as needed. He only addressed some of the fabrication and construction issues. We will clearly define the issues solved by our products and explain why his supposed solution is no solution at all. In fact, his shelter may present many physical dangers.
HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ and FlatPackQuad™ homes are already being produced. We manufacture a superior, easy-to-assemble home, far better than the one you are discussing here today - because we spent many years developing methods for alternate housing construction by actually constructing and field testing houses of many types. We fabricate our own frames, aluminum and steel structures, ourselves in our own factories. See http://www.haitihouse.org for plans for immediate mass production online.
We are already manufacturing a home that folds out in 15 minutes, packs down to less than 10 inches and fits 16 to a single cargo container. The HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ is 7’6”x18’9” long comparable to the creation pictured. We also manufacture a larger version, and an entire FlatPackQuad™ line which creates private interior courtyard spaces for residents. Our unique FlatPackHome™ is engineer certified to withstand 130 mile an hour winds and has a Seismic D rating. People are safer in such structures. The entire integrated raised floor frame sits on the ground with clearance for water to pass through but it does not have to be set up on blocks as the shelter in the photo you show. Plus, the HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ is already rated for 30-year use, is fireproof, waterproof and impervious to insects and rot. You can a time lapse video of the house being assembled with a wrench and a ladder by a few men in 15 minutes from placement on the ground at www.youtube.com/haitihouseorg1. And because all walls and roof elements of our home are pre-joined by industrial steel hinges, welded and integrated to the galvanized steel studs that encase the entire structure, our HaitiHouse™ does not rely on small pieces of hardware, properly installed to hold pieces together after arrival. The Duany approach relies too heavily on post-delivery construction, which is completely unreliable as we explain later.
Our home is MUCH safer than what Mr. Duany proposes since his offers absolutely no personal security for the residents. Large open screened areas are fine for enjoying the open air, but the focus of any permanent structure in Haiti has to be on how to keep women and children safe while they go about daily tasks. His temporary shelter woefully misses that mark. It also provides no security for personal belongings or a truly clean and dry interior. Another problem with this architect’s shelter is that the entire side coming up will act as a giant sail in a fierce storm or sudden squall. Even if residents manage to collapse it, the wind pressure can simply lift and remove the entire structure from its foundation. That is why the bulk of weight in a HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ is in the foundation frame and structural steel sides.
Mr. Duany’s temporary shelter is also not a long-term solution for families. They need space to store, and work, and go about daily tasks. His interior is geared towards cramming as many people onto bunks as possible. We could also install bunks, but after consultations with actual Haitians in Haiti, we found they would prefer to have more internal space, and will use cots, blankets, or hang their own bunks rather than be stuck using prepositioned bunks in an unalterable shelter. They prefer a shell approach which is what the HaitiHouse™ FlatPackHome™ has created for them.
Further, the main issue we have with recommendations about any on-site construction of a home using separate pieces is this is not functional in the real world of Haiti. Between the problematic nature of commerce and the impossibility of getting either professional construction crews, methods or materials in place, due to expense and logistics, we know our “whole house” ready-to-deliver approach is more sound to quickly house one to two million people. Various organizations we are supplying at this time agree.
Part of the reason for the scope of the disaster was the inferior mortar used to hold cinder block construction together. Mr. Duany’s barracks only perpetuates the problem by delivering stacks of pieces that can be pilfered as soon as they arrive.
The FlatPackHome™ by HaitiHouse™ has none of those issues since it is entirely a one-piece unit. The whole house unfolds, and can be erected by a small group with a single wrench in less than 15 minutes, with no power tools and no special knowledge. Once assembled it provides complete protection to the inhabitants with sealed screened windows and doors.
The problem with separately assembled pieces like Mr. Duany’s creation, or yurts or tents or any lightweight structure is they cannot survive tropical climates. They are a temporary novelty and waste of money. The house you picture here is not so much a permanent lodging as a temporary shelter. It is novel, but not practical. We haven’t even addressed the fact that the materials Mr. Duany proposes would need to be analyzed chemically to make sure he would not be building a toxic cabin that would destroy the Haitians’ health. We too have investigated and rejected most composite and similar materials for the simple fact that they could not pass rigid testing requirements to safeguard the health of residents. And since we are the de facto testing agent for over $3.2 billion worth of FEMA contract award mobile home manufacturing, we can document that we have the best standard in the industry when it comes to exceeding all testing requirements. We practically wrote the book on methodology for selecting, processing and providing materials and construction methods that exceed the indoor air quality standards.
The company Mr. Duany has targeted to mass produce his open bus stop style bunkhouse is using a “proprietary” adhesive to create its panels with fiberglass and a polyurethane that is absolutely NOT fireproof as he may claim. The material safety data sheet for the components that are available for public review do not support his claims. And the typical method of cooking is open flame in Haiti. The materials he says will be used have a LOW flame point of around 240 degrees (on preliminary review) which is a low oven, and any spark or flame in direct contact with this supposedly miraculous material will ignite the structure. While the material in its post-manufactured sealed form may not be toxic in the short-term, once ignited and the chemicals released, they could cause a toxic cloud and respiratory problems that are very serious. Since sophisticated fire supression and rebreathing equipment is needed there is absolutely no reason to chance building anything in Haiti out of untested, and unproven materials.
Worse, he mentions that the panels are rated for 150 mph winds of Category 4 hurricane-proof. The panel itself might be but his shelter is not. The structure of what he proposes, assembled in the normal manner must be tested by engineers to make that assertion. OUR HaitiHouse™ which HAS been tested IS rated to 130 mph in its final form, anchored into the ground. Mr. Duany’s shelter does not sit on the ground and cannot be properly anchored using the materials and construction he proposes. You cannot use simple straps to cinder block as one might with a large footprint, traditionally-built home. His shelter could literally be lifted away in seconds from a high wind gust.
Finally, the Duany shelter also seems to miss the mark as far as pricing. He is quoted as stating his shelter will cost as much as $6,000 per unit. Given the added costs of transhipment to Haiti and overland trucking, his idea is again unworkable for the millions who need housing. We have already created a bulk pricing strategy to supply units at less than $3,900, a far cry from what only exists on paper. We are actually building them now.
We currently supply the World Health Organization, several combined Church groups, and other entities. We are a long-time and current FEMA vendor ready to create several hundred to thousands of homes every week, and have even begun direct shipment to avoid the damaged port in the Haitian capital.
We feel very fortunate to have been able to spearhead some of the recovery effort and will continue to do so. We have also extended our wholesale pricing to all the groups as we understand the unique nature of this crisis and want to do what we can to be supportive. We are already been in direct consultations with a Haitian ministry, Domincan Republic representatives, the State Department, FEMA, the United Nations, World Health Organization, missions, private distribution firms, individual families and villages, to supply the FlatPackHome™ in an accelerated distribution.
While others anticipate manufacturing “something” at “some time in the future”, or are designing their “prototype units”, our first shipment of cargo2 container products for the United Nations arrives Sunday in Haiti. We were called upon the day after the hurricane to begin production because of our experience and knowledge. Having housed many families around the globe for many years, and having supplied permanent and temporary solutions for many types of needs, we are confident that our established designs and approach will become the standard in this crisis, as we are one of the leading disaster recovery housing specialists in the world.
While we admire Mr. Duany’s attempt, and we understand he is a known architect with some following, we feel his shelter has some very definite drawbacks, that he may have investigated from an architectural point of view, but not from the sociological view needed in Haiti. Overall, we feel Mr. Duany may have designed his shelter without actually looking into the needs of the people and his unit is more an architectural experiment than a real solution. We believe the crisis in Haiti calls for an industrial solution, not an aesthetic one which masquerades as such.
If you are a part of any organization or know one that could benefit from our support or they need to find custom portable buildings for relief efforts, please contact our company directly. Thank you.
- Harbor Homes LLC, http://www.haitihouse.org
Thomasville, GA - All products made in the USA!
Posted by: HaitiHouseOrg at Feb 7, 2010 6:40:16 PM
Dear Haiti House,
You may make a wonderful product, but your competitive attitude is in my opinion inappropriate for the situation.
There is no 'ownership' in rebuilding lives. It sickens me when I hear agencies say their processes are proprietary. If you like what we are doing either support us or steal this plan. We need dozens of tug boat NGO's working together to build back Haiti better. Let's not waste donor dollars on working in silos. Haiti has suffered enough.
Posted by: John Massengale at Feb 7, 2010 8:26:25 PM
We do not feel we have a competitive attitude.
Harbor Homes LLC and its associated companies have been producing lodges, mobile homes, trailers, foldout shelters, cabins, houseboats and other products for retail, government, disaster recovery etc. for two generations. We quietly went about our business after Katrina and filled other disaster requests.
We feel that Mr. Duany is taking some concepts that he feels are important, incorporating them into a unit built with materials he likes, but which we feel are inappropriate. At this time, apparently, so do many NGOs since the current bid requests ask for steel and timber structures, much like what we create.
Further, our latest generation of engineered home will far surpass anything you've seen or heard about to date. It is an entire livable bolt together cottage with even higher wind ratings and extensibility AND the ability to create protected courtyard spaces so women and children are safe as they go about daily tasks.
We are giving credit where it is due, but will argue the merits. We hope that others focus on helping gather manufacturers to the cause. The scale of what is required does go beyond any one person or company. And frankly, you may be sickened by ownership of process but that is what fuels innovation. Without the ability to cover our materials, labor and design costs we would not exist. And please don't equate our position against flammable foam or destructible fiberglass as some failure to recognize suffering.
We were supplying disaster recovery before some architect's made it their fashionable cause. And just because we are a mass manufacturer does not mean we also don't understand the issues surrounding livability and quality of life within a structure. We've experimented for decades and lived and breath the solutions.
Please don't comment on the newest cottages until you actually see them. We believe you will be very pleasantly surprised, not only at the style, space, and appointments, but also at our ability to supply them en masse at a lower price than anything previously imagined by the various designers trying to secure manufacture at this time. We look at how we can reduce this price every few days to get the most value into the product for the people of Haiti.
THAT should be admired not reviled. It is one thing to design a wonderful creation. It is another to make it possible to mass manufacture on the scale presented in a realistic timeframe. Everyone WILL have to pull together to solve this. So as architects, we would appreciate the distractive fanciful solutions be left behind so we can all concentrate on more realistic approaches appropriate for the people, culture and terrain.
Posted by: HaitiHouseOrg at Feb 11, 2010 1:50:48 PM
The Duany solution is not unique. Many of us architects have been working pro bono to improve housing and healthcare in haiti before the earthquake. The issue of "proprietary" does not belong in this mission. What is distressing is how many architects and manufacturers are already joining the bandwagon with diverse solutions. Many of them have sat on the sidelines and offered nothing...with their practices decimated by our economy, only now are they ready to help. Many lack the passion that others of us have had for a while. Most importantly, they know little of the "culture" of Haiti. One cannot force designs and lifestyles through design on any country. We will see if architects and manufacturers can bridle their lust for 15 minutes of fame.
Posted by: Curt at Feb 16, 2010 7:16:45 AM
Curt, When you say, "The Duany solution is not unique," you imply that someone has said it's unique. Who said that?
Although Duany did many "unique" things as a founder and partner of Arquitectonica, his work as a New Urbanist has never been about being unique, but about what works and getting things done.
As you say, "The issue of "proprietary" does not belong in this mission," but when you say "What is distressing is how many architects and manufacturers are already joining the bandwagon with diverse solutions" - why is that distressing? Haiti needs help and solutions that work. People are trying to provide that.
When you say, "Many of them have sat on the sidelines and offered nothing" - that sounds needlessly negative to me. You think Haiti only wants help from those who were there before the earthquake? How does that jibe with "The issue of "proprietary" does not belong in this mission"? It sounds like you are taking a proprietary position.
And when you say, "with their practices decimated by our economy, only now are they ready to help," that is inappropriately derogatory. Duany's firm has a long history of pro bono activity and public involvement. They've worked with the Haitian community in Miami for many years, which is how they got involved in Haiti after the earthquake. As the story says, the house was originally developed as a post-hurricane house.
Posted by: John Massengale at Feb 16, 2010 11:27:33 AM
The haitihouse is indeed an artifact of genius. It is exactly as the manufacturer describes it--and more. Besides being beautifully proportioned, the windows and openings respond to the climate no less perfectly than the plan does to the culture and the lifestyle of the "typical" Haitian--having concluded on firm evidence that the entire nation consists of a single class, with a single set of habits of sleeping, cooking, eating, and socializing. In this regard it is worth noting that the always delicate relationship of the house to its yard is decisively solved once and for all; and that the equally vexing proposition of toilet and water supply has been effortlessly handled. Note also how insulation and all finishes are dispensed with, thus avoiding a waste of resources and construction time when the tactile quality of bare sheet metal in a hot climate is so easily compatible with bare human skin. More impressive yet is how cleverly this single dwelling seems to be adaptable without modification to the full range of urban to rural conditions--both flatland and slope.
The haitihouse is indeed a panacea. Had we but known of it before commencing our own design, we would have stopped on our tracks, prostrate before its mastery of all the relevant issues regarding housing in Haiti, both emergency and permanent. On a personal note: when beholding the single-minded clarity of a concept such as this one, I come to deeply regret having missed out on specialized engineering training. Alas, as it stands now, the haitihouse was brought to our attention too late, and so our own modest proposal must go ahead, no doubt to suffer in comparison. It would seem tragic if ours and other second-rate designs were to be somewhere implemented, thereby deflecting even a single Haitian from the happy prospect of living the rest of their lives in such a root-tooting, eternal tin can.
Posted by: Andrés Duany at Feb 18, 2010 12:23:51 PM
wow, look at that, very creative and inspiring, I wish I could design something like that
Posted by: sara at Feb 18, 2010 9:22:40 PM
It seems a good idea but I agree with John, post-disaster is not a time to capitalize, true commitment to disaster housing and such prodcuts should take the neccessary amount of time for resarch and development, a good product could be cheap and mass manufactured on demand but also sold to governments to stockpile for such events. Haiti was not a chance to make money, instead you should be preparing for the next disaster, of which there have been several since haiti.
Posted by: Social Housing at Apr 23, 2010 9:01:50 AM
I was wondering if a somewhat larger version is available. Seems like if it were a bit larger it could really help people around the world that need some type of very affordable housing.
Posted by: Ron Stone at May 31, 2010 2:42:44 PM
