ARCHIVE Institute’s Health and Housing For Haiti Winners are Clean, Green, Off-Grid Homes

Last week the winners, finalists, and other entries for <a href="http://www.archiveinstitute.org/" target="_blank">ARCHIVE Institute</a>'s Kay e Santé Nan Ayiti (<a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-teaching-hospital-currently-under-construction-in-haiti/" target="_blank">Health and Housing in Haiti</a>) competition were officially unveiled in New York City's West Village, and all proceeds from the exhibit will help pay for the construction of 5 designs. The houses, part of an open design competition last year, emphasize healthy transitional living for HIV and Tuberculosis outpatients from Fondation Esther Boucicault-Stanislas (FEBS), a non-profit that provides health care, counseling, and job training for HIV-positive persons in St. Marc, Haiti. The international competition brought together architects, engineers, students, health professionals, and sustainability consultants to create inexpensive solutions to the housing shortage affecting this population. Given the rural setting and low budget, green off-the-grid designs emerged as the most appropriate to fulfill ARCHIVE's mission of<a href="http://inhabitat.com/uc-davis-modern-student-health-center-targets-leed-gold/" target="_blank"> health-oriented architecture</a>. All five winning designs will be constructed in phase I of the project, with the first home breaking ground today, June 17th - read on for a rundown of the winning designs!

The winning design is Breathe House, pictured in the previous image. Second place in the competition was awarded to Maison Canopy, by architects Lilian and Brook Sherrard. An open plan creates a protected yet open place to engage new neighbors and build new friendships. Maison Canopy is a low-tech, user-friendly design that utilizes familiar building technologies.

Shutter Dwelling blends Haitian culture and building practices with high performance elements (like steel reinforcement that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/unique-bamboo-living-pod-concept-is-a-study-in-disaster-proof-design/" target="_blank">withstand hurricane winds</a>) into a familiar, durable and healthy home.

Through the extensive use of sustainable building systems, the colorful Bois L'Etat house hopes to bring a dignified, off-the-grid living solution to FEBS patients.

The most interesting feature of Cycle House, are two<a href="http://inhabitat.com/wireless-shadow-ebike-allows-cyclists-to-charge-their-phones/" target="_blank"> bicycle powered generators</a> located within an "exercise room," where residents can improve their health while powering their home.

Finalist Kay Play proposes that a good psychological setting will improve the well-being of all inhabitants. Cultural familiarity is critical, but also suggested is the use of bright traditional colors and the critical element of play to aid in the recovery process.

Finalist Axis House is designed on the premise that the road to healing is based on the premise of 3 axes: medical (medical, sanitation and security), communal (family/private, connection, education) and social (town, infrastructure).

Deyo House, another Finalist, is designed around the bamboo-reinforced concrete structure as well as ensuring a high ventilation rate inside the proposed house through a purposefully designed overall geometry.

Based on Haiti’s tradition, the kitchen is the place where the family meets the most and where everyone unites. The additional rooms in competition Finalist Exo-House radiate around the hearth of this home.

The foundation of this Finalist design is the Flux Core which utilizes the natural ventilation and a cistern-based water collection and distribution system, maximizing renewable natural resources.

The Lakou Dwelling, another finalist, functions around a central bamboo-enclose courtyard and exterior kitchen, which encourages social interaction through the linking of bedrooms to the main communal area.

Finalist Nou Ti Kwen Paradi is made of a structural bamboo system, which is used because it is a moisture-resistant material and minimizes the use of concrete. This project proposes a bamboo floor slab system capped with recycled plastic bottles.

Competition finalist Settled Box is noteworthy for its simplicity: easy to apply, quickly assembled, dried solutions (dry work), no heavy lifting (machines), easily dismantled (if necessary) and cost effective.

The Stack House, a two-story competition finalist, includes two innovative building systems: the stack-driven ventilation in the proposed solar chimney and the compressed stabilized earth blocks as carbon-absorbing concrete.