JParks

I realize that GBC and related subject matter is hot right now. However, I think you are hurting the quality of the content of your magazine with ecophobic "Green" articles to drive the "Green" fad further.

Why not just sum up the whole article in a sentence, PEX tubing for potable water distribution . . . green enough!

Along with remembering that Haiti is for all practical purposes denuded of trees, you must remember how that impacts the transportation infrastructure.

The lack of vegetation causes severe runoff and erosion. Dirt and gravel roads predominate, but even concrete and asphalt roads with well-prepared bases can not withstand the runoff and erosion problems. So new construction must take into account transportation of materials.

The average annual income in Haiti is $390 to $399! The population is 9,780,000 approximately assuming average of 4/unit and that 70% of housing is habitable that still means 730,000 units must be built. Assuming the predictions of President Obama's pledge and others to be $200,000,000 that works out to $273 available per unit needed. Even if other donations covered food, rescue and medical.

Also one needs to think of the construction skills of who will be building these structures and how to convey the methodology and the almost total unavailability of the utilities infrastructure, even isolated rural, we are accustomed to here.

I don't want to be overly pessimistic, but we need to find methodologies and materials that are fiscally realistic and somewhat sustainable in that environment.

I think that whatever solution is arrived at the structures must have flexibility to resist earthquake and hurricane wind loadings, the materials will need both tensile and compression strength to provide the flexibility and resistance, the materials will require lightness for reduction of injuries and entrapment in an earthquake collapse and transportation, the materials will need both tensile and compression strength to provide the flexibility and resistance.

The empirical and indigenous building technologies of the Japanese developed in response to seismic and typhoon storms should be studied as a guide and potential idea source. Wood and steel are more ideally suitable for seismic and wind stress because of both high tensile and compressive possibilities, but all steel and iron must be imported and wood for the near and intermediate future.

So what materials can be generated locally with those properties? Fiber reinforced cement lumber? Recycled lumber of plastics and wood byproducts (sawdust, chips, etc). How can you build with those products. How do you make foundations that will take the compressive loads and not transmit the lateral seismic stresses.

What are the Haitian minimums for water, sewer, heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and how does one provide or accommodate them and provide a building for $100 25% of average annual income. These are all problems that our proposed solutions should attempt to solve or ammeliorate.

1) Living in a Hot-Humid climate, an article on the energy usage (both heating and cooling) of construction with insulated floors over ventilated crawl space with microclimatic amelioration at vents by continuous foundation plantings versus slab on grade with earth fill bermed up 3-4 feet.

In other words, is traditional versus the passive energy conservation of earth massing better and in which climate locations.

2) Comparative configurations or detailing and life-cycle costs of surface bonded masonry construction to provide base interior and exterior finish integral with structural wall construction versus wood framing with fiber reinforced cement siding and wallboard interiors. The focus would be on labor savings and costs of air and moisture barriers implementation in the two different construction types.

3) Heating and cooling systems and strategies for transitional seasons where simple ventilation with natural historical empirical methods can accomplish the needed sensible comfort amelioration without heating or cooling from fuel oxidation or cooled compressed fluid expansion and whether this results in energy savings.