A Sustainable (Re)Building Solution for Haiti

Berkeley architect Martin Hammer will show slides and discuss the recent construction of a sustainable prototype house in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The "Ti Kay Pay" (Small Straw House) is the first strawbale building in Haiti, and offers a safe, affordable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate (re)building solution for Haiti, as it recovers from the January 2010 earthquake that killed 230,000 and left over 1.5 million homeless. It uses in-country materials including rice straw, bamboo, wood from pallets, site soil, and aggregate from crushed rubble from collapsed buildings. It also features rainwater catchment and photovoltaic systems. Martin is leading a small team of design and building professionals for Builders Without Borders to develop and promote sustainable building solutions in Haiti. Other team members will be present.