Clearwater architects hope design can help Haiti's homeless

The hut looks something like a kid's playhouse, or summer camp cabin in the United States. But the sparse design of this shelter could provide something invaluable to tens of thousands of Haitians - a semi-permanent but durable home.

The design comes from the Tampa architecture firm of Design Styles in Clearwater, selected from among firms around the world to help solve the problem of more than a million people left homeless by the devastating earthquake in Port au Prince.

"After the earthquake, we really wanted to help out. Not often does one get to use their trade to help so many in need," said Derek Ray, director of architecture at Design Styles.

The Haitian government is still struggling to house refugees from the quake. And, in one sense, if this temporary house design from Tampa is ultimately selected, Design Styles could become one of the largest homebuilders in Florida by volume.

The project started this summer when the Haitian government and several humanitarian groups put out a global call for designers who could build stable, durable shelters.

This month, Design Styles was selected along with about 20 others to fly to Haiti for final presentations. Rather than a winner-take-all competition, the selection committee will likely pick several designs to help spread out all the labor required.

The selection group will include the Haitian government, the Interim Haitian Reconstruction Committee co-chaired by former President Bill Clinton, and non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity International and Architecture for Humanity.

The Design Styles bllueprint focuses on basic building materials readily available, like two-by-fours and corrugated steel. The roof of the structure was made extra large to collect water - a scarce resource in tent cities. A basic wood panel frame would attach to a cement pad to hold up against storms. One unit would range from $7,000 to $12,000 and house up to 14 people.

If the proposal is selected, Design Styles will organize what architect Peter Fertig called "the mother of all Ikea self-assembly projects."

Construction companies in Tampa would assemble hundreds of house panels a week then ship them from the Port of Tampa. Panels would be light enough to carry where needed for final assembly on site.

While some have proposed shipping containers for homes, such structures would be too heavy for local people to move and not easily customized, Fertig said. The two-by-four structure envisioned by Design Styles could also be disassembled and moved.

A final design selection could come in November.

As for who would pay for all the houses, Fertig said, that's ultimately up to the fundraisers who have committed their names to help people in Haiti.