HOK/USGBC Team on Orphanage Project

This rendering illustrates a proposed orphanage in Haiti that would replace a facility that was heavily damaged during the earthquake that ravaged the country in 2010.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has teamed with the firm HOK on the design of a new orphanage in Haiti to replace a facility that was extensively damaged by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck two years ago.

The new facility, targeting LEED Platinum certification, will replace a Port-au-Prince orphanage and children’s center. The project seeks to provide a safe, healthy home for the children who will occupy the Fondation Enfant Jesus orphanage and children’s center. And it is a commitment of the Clinton Global Initiative, which convenes global leaders to create innovative solutions to the world's most urgent challenges.

“The challenge — to design, build and operate a highly sustainable project that will help these Haitian children — is an amazing opportunity,” said HOK Director of Sustainable Design Mary Ann Lazarus, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C. “We are creating a replicable, living textbook of sustainable design tailored to the Haitian culture that we hope will influence the future of architecture in the region.”

The main three-story, L-shaped structure is organized around a central courtyard –– a focal point for the orphanage’s social life. It is flanked by kitchen, dining and training spaces. The design responds to the dense urban condition and prevailing easterly trade winds by organizing all the spaces around a courtyard facing east. As with the vernacular “Gingerbread” style of Haiti, the building rises around this courtyard and features deep outdoor balconies.

“Our goal is to create a nurturing and restorative place,” said HOK’s Thomas Knittel, AIA, LEED AP, design leader in the firm’s Seattle studio. “We are striving for net zero water and waste, and for the building to provide a net positive energy source.”

The design of the building massing, orientation, openings and materials take full advantage of passive design principles to provide a healthy, comfortable environment. Building systems will require minimal maintenance and provide independence from the city’s unreliable power grid. They will harness excess energy to power streetlights and public charging stations on the street.

“Creating a healthy, safe environment for children is the most important work we can do in the green building industry, and Project Haiti Orphanage and Children's Center is about helping the children of Haiti who are facing ongoing devastation following the earthquake that took place two years ago,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council.