Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
HAITIAN
TRANSITIONAL
HOUSE PLAN
Earthbag is an
n inexpensive and simple material
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The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan
Overall it is a labor intensive process using hand tools. This simple and
visually obvious process works well for one-story buildings, but can easily
support upper levels.
Haitian Buildings
Many of the familiar building forms of Haiti are suited to both the climate and
the culture. Yet, even a traditional building will create a dismaying cookie-
cutter neighborhood if mass-produced.
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The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan
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The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan
A lintel support above a door or window opening can be concrete cast in place,
or made from wood or metal. Because it is difficult to cut openings in earthbag
after the soil cures, a doorway at the rear can be framed out for the future and
then filled with earthbags that are not woven into the rear wall.
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The Kay: A Haitian Transitional House Plan
covered with a tarp to keep the sun off of the bags. After walls are plastered
and roofing is finished, they can be painted in bright colors. Haitian carpenters
can embellish them with trim just as any other kay.
Additional Information:
Few books include information about Haitian styles of building. Haitian Wisdom for Aid
Buildings, by the author has 29 pages about the types of buildings and cultural forces
that shape them is. Available online at www.scribd.com/doc/28552969/Haitian-Wisdom.
It also contains a list of web sites and articles about Haitian vernacular architecture.
For information about earthbag aid buildings, see the public pages at
http://www.earthbagstructures.com which include construction guidelines, project
reports, and free building plans, including an L-shaped Kay house. If you are involved in
or planning an earthbag project for Haiti, request a membership in the Earthbag
Structures private shelter blog to discuss issues and get additional help.
Photographs
From www.commons.wikimedia: Cover: Sondra-Kay Kneen, Page 2 bot: Remi Kaupp, used with permission.
Page 2 middle: Christine Therese Neptune, used with permission. Other photos by various photographers, used
with permission of www.earthbagbuilding.com. Computer sketches by Patti Stouter.
i Information about tests by engineering departments at West Point, Queens College, and the California building
code enforcement officials are detailed at http://earthbagbuilding.com/testing.htm
ii Jay D. Edwards,/ Comments on ‘Haitian Wisdom for Aid Buildings, (unpublished paper: 2010), 2
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