Haiti Orphanage by HOK

HOK and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) are teaming up on the项目海地孤儿院和儿童中心，a rebuilding of an orphanage and children’s center in Port-au-Prince that was demolished by the earthquake. HOK is a global architecture firm that specializes in sustainable buildings and communities. The Project Haiti Orphanage and Children's Center will be built with sustainability in mind and will “tell many of these children for the first time in their lives they are valued, they deserve to breathe clean air, they have the right to live in comfort, and they are cared about,” according to the USGBC website.

HOK的该项目的目标是建立与净零水和废物的设施。采用仿生学，HOK和美国绿色建筑委员会正在努力，以满足需求LEED Platinum认证。（仿生学之后那些发生在自然界设计流程或系统）项目海地孤儿院和儿童中心是由海地木棉树，具有低辐射，热分散的“第二皮肤”的启发;该中心的独特深陷阳台系统的木棉树的分支支持系统为蓝本。木棉花的根源是由工厂的地面以下的区域，将清洁和储存水表示。独特的闭环系统收集，零食和水储存在现场，为居民和工作人员提供洁净水。生物消化器，其中回收的营养物质从废为沼气用于做饭，也将在以下级区域。

树的主干是由建筑物的前三个故事代表。以木棉花的行李箱类似，该基金的边界层阻止来自外部的人行道阳光直射，同时还提供必要的自然采光和通风。在工厂的屋顶庭院提供更多的绿色空间，支持太阳能系统，并代表木棉花的枝叶。

HOK utilized passive design principles to plan a facility that will consider the surrounding climate to maximize comfort while minimizing energy use. The three-story facility features an L-shaped courtyard that will serve as a social center of sorts, consisting of a dining area, kitchen, and training spaces. All spaces around the courtyard face east, which will help the structure to withstand powerful easterly trade winds. The building systems are designed to be virtually self-sufficient and will require minimal maintenance. The facility’s power will be generated separately from the rest of the city, which will help increase independence and reduce the orphanage’s reliance on Port-Au-Prince’s often unreliable power grid. The excess energy will be used for street lighting and public charging stations.

The design of the facility is also tailored to suit Haitian culture. The building, with deep outdoor balconies, surrounds the courtyard and is consistent with Haiti’s traditional gingerbread-style buildings. Local artwork, such as murals, wooden crafts, and ironwork, will be used throughout the facility to pay homage to Haiti’s artistic heritage as well as to provide an authentic-feeling, homey environment for the children.

在addition to environmental considerations, security was a critical factor in the facility’s design. Areas within the facility will have limited access for various groups – public, semi-private, and private. A designated “safe zone” will provide additional protection in the event of a natural disaster.

该项目是项目海地倡议，这是救援工作，以帮助那些生活被地震和帮助重建海地的基础设施也受到了影响的一部分。项目设计海地团队由志愿者工程师，建筑师，设计师和可持续发展专家。HOK与USGBC希望儿童中心将作为可持续建筑实践的模式，在将来再次利用。