From 2016 to 2018, Studio PHH, a young architecture company, worked pro bono with the staff of La Référence to design a school campus that met their vision. Using local materials found in Haiti, the project achieved a design that ensures students will learn in a comfortable and safe environment with beautiful architecture.
A Studio PHH architect said: “The building emerged from carefully studying and combining typical Haitian materials while providing natural light, control sound transmission between classrooms, and security. The undulating roof is painted green to mimic the trees around the school perimeter.”
Studio PHH worked with Eckersley O’Callaghan, an international engineering company also working pro bono, on the sustainable and seismic structural aspects of the building.
The construction was carried out by JSC Construction, a Haiti based construction company, funded by a private group of KONEKTE donors.
In 2019, the new school building was granted a prestigious international award for sustainable design for its outstanding commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment in the structural components of the project’s design.
“This school project not only exemplifies a resistant structural solution, but it does so in close collaboration with local engineers and construction teams,” expressed the judges.
News of the construction was also featured in a Caribbean newspaper.