[GSBN] Bales for Haiti

Fri Feb 19 01:18:41 UTC 2010

Derek and everyone,

I read with great interest the thread re: SB in Haiti and all the
surrounding issues.  I especially appreciate the thorough moisture analysis
from Robert Riversong (thanks ej and Robert) as well as the various
challenges to stated opinions.

I'm headed for Haiti on Feb 28 with a team from EERI (Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute based in Oakland, CA) to assess the performance of
various building types in different locations.  I'll look at vernacular
buildings in the south coast city of Jacmel.  This city has many examples of
³colombage², a traditional timber frame with masonry infill method of
construction related to methods in other parts of the world such as dajji
dewari (Indian Kashmir) and bhatar (Pakistan) as well as methods of
half-timber construction in Europe.

Buildings using these construction methods have proven remarkably resistant
to earthquakes (e.g., 2005 Kashmir), and I'm interested to see how they
performed in Haiti (very well from initial view of photographs).  If they
fared well they should be repaired as needed, and not torn down, but I'm not
as sure about building this way for reconstruction.  Too timber intensive,
although there is certainly loads of concrete or masonry rubble that could
be used for the infill.  I've learned a lot from a local expert on this
subject, former UC Berkeley professor, and former FEMA personnel Randolph
Langenbach.  Anyone interested in more can visit his website
www.traditional-is-modern.com.  He's also put together a great website/blog
on Haiti at www. haiti-patrimoine.org.

Back to strawbale.  I'll stay in Haiti a second week on my own, hoping to
connect with others of like mind (Andy Mueller?, others)  to better
understand the culture and available resources to form opinions about what
types of reconstruction make sense.  Like others on this list I'm interested
in the viability of straw bale, but I don't want to preconceive what's
appropriate, which is always the central question.  What¹s appropriate?

That said, I've thought a lot and had discussions (including with Bob Theis,
Catherine W., and Tim Kennedy of this list) about much of the what's been
presented in the GSBN and NBNE threads.  I'll stay open to whatever makes
sense, but here's where I currently land in terms of one viable
reconstruction system.  From the ground up.

* Rubble trench foundations.
* Rubble-filled gabion (wire mesh baskets) walls to window sill height.
* Strawbale walls from window sill to roof, with lime exterior plaster and
clay interior plaster
* Framed (wood, light steel, bamboo) roof structure with corrugated steel
roof, with break-away eaves.
* Earthen or stabilized earth floors.

There are numerous details (especially connections to be worked out) that I
won¹t go into, but conceptually I think this system has potential in terms
of resource use, affordability, and seismic, hurricane, and weather
resistance.  It can also be used to build buildings with culturally
acceptable forms and appearance.  The Haitians could be trained in such a
system using skills they already have.  There¹s no shortage of rubble, it
stays light on the top half of the building, and it gets the bales (and
window sills) more out of reach of rain and ground moisture.  The gabion
wire mesh might need to come from outside of Haiti.

Re: the bale discussion, I understand a large amount of rice is grown.  How
dry, or where it is, are questions.  I would forget about bringing bales in
from Florida.  Other than assessing availability and quality of straw, the
first thing I would do is get a compression mold made and find a jack (or
something else) to make bales.  The system Darcey Donovan is using in
Pakistan works well in many ways, although a more mechanized method would be
better for quantity if SB is determined to make sense.

There are many other issues that surround reconstruction, but I¹ll only
mention what I see as the most important one (after determining what¹s
appropriate).  That is that government and non-government entities are
deciding how the reconstruction will occur, including how it will be funded
and what types of construction will be acceptable (to the extent they can
control this, with $ issued being a primary means).  I already know the
World Bank is involved, which concerns me.  If this becomes anything like
the reconstruction in Pakistan, the World Bank will fund it through the
funnel of the national government (or agency created).  When Darcey and I
had initial discussions with Pakistan¹s ERRA, a year after the 2005 quake,
one comment they made was ³We wish you were here a year earlier.²  (In
addition to ³Have you done a shake table test?²)(Now done!).  In the first
year, their only approved method of construction was steel reinforced
concrete block, which cost twice the money given each household to rebuild.
Ultimately ERRA gave at least limited endorsement to PAKBAB¹s SB system, as
well as a more affordable/sustainable timber-reinforced masonry (like the
bhatar I mentioned earlier).

The point here is in Haiti there is great need for people from the
appropriate building realm to somehow get a seat at the table of those
making the decisions at the top.  If I can find a way to dig myself in there
I will, and I encourage networking from any on this list to good points of
contact to allow this.

A long e-mail, but there¹s a lot at hand.  In closing I can¹t help but
mention the plight of the Haitian people, who certainly didn¹t need this
earthquake.  An inspiring but mostly tragic history, from being the first
slave state (French) to free itself (1804), but then suffering decades of
economic, political, and sometimes violent oppression, often assisted by the
U.S.  The spirited, resilient people eventually saw their first
democratically elected leader in 1991 (Jean-Bertrand Aristide) only to have
him overthrown by a military coup twice, including in 2004 with direct
involvement by the U.S.

I hope this earthquake, as traumatic and devastating as it is, allows Haiti
to reemerge in a way that does justice to all of its good people.

Martin Hammer

On 2/18/10 9:01 AM, "Derek Roff" <derek at unm.edu> wrote:

> It looks like a team of three people will be heading to Haiti in early
> March to build a prototype strawbale building, as part of the relief
> efforts.  Builders Without Borders is trying to support and collaborate
> (with this and other projects).  An immediate need is a source of straw
> and/or bales.  There is rice grown in Haiti, but no evidence of bales,
> and unknown quantities of available straw.  Hand baling, or rebaling,
> may be necessary.  Shipping bales to Haiti has its ironies, but is
> better than many of the toxic and unsustainable materials being shipped
> there right now.
> 
> Does anyone know of a source for bales in Florida?  Along the Gulf
> Coast?  In the Caribbean, including Colombia and Venzeuela?  Most of
> the obvious sources, such as The Last Straw and straw bale finder have
> been investigated, I'm told.  Either regular or jumbo bales might be of
> interest.  Please contact me and Catherine Wanek, if you have any good
> leads.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Derelict
> 
> Catherine Wanek <bwb at zianet.com>
> Derek Roff <derek at unm.edu>
> 
> Derek Roff
> Language Learning Center
> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
> 505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
> Internet: derek at unm.edu
> 
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