The Portland State Department of Architecture recently learned that it will receive part of a Partner University Fund $485,000 grant, which will fund collaborative efforts between PSU and Ecole Speciale d’Architecture de Paris in designing and building sustainable orphanages in Haiti.
PSU to build orphanages in Haiti
The Portland State Department of Architecture recently learned that it will receive part of a Partner University Fund $485,000 grant, which will fund collaborative efforts between PSU and Ecole Speciale d’Architecture de Paris in designing and building sustainable orphanages in Haiti.
Sergio Palleroni, associate professor of architecture at PSU, feels that the nature of the grant itself is significant.
“It’s not so much the amount,” Palleroni said, “but usually it is received by [Ivy League schools], by Harvard.”
Palleroni believes that continued recognition and opportunities such as this will allow PSU to be a world leader in the field of sustainable projects.
PUF, launched by the Embassy of France to the United States, is a partnership promoting collaboration in research and education between French and American universities.
Palleroni explained that the application for the grant grew out of such a collaborative effort with Marie Aquilino of Paris, who contributed to the writing of “Beyond Shelter,” a book approaching the subject of architecture and human dignity.
Professor Evan Thomas of PSU’s engineering department and director of SWEET LAB (Sustainable Water, Energy and Environmental Technologies) said that the scope of the project in Haiti was noteworthy as well.
“This is going to be a long-term project…a lot of students involved,” Thomas said.
In fact, an estimated 140 students between the architecture and engineering departments at PSU and those from Ecole Speciale d’Architecture de Paris will be involved in the project over the course of three years.
However, the initial focus will be the design and construction of the orphanages outside Port-au-Prince. The orphanages themselves will be unique in that they will be both sustainable and also serve as schools with a focus on teaching local trades, according to Palleroni.
The project will ultimately include an education exchange, sending PSU students to France and hosting French students here at PSU.
Palleroni was frank in his appraisal of student motives for involvement in the project.
“There’s a growing interest among the students to change the world,” he said.
Commenting on the role of the project’s participants, Palleroni said, “We’re essentially activists that believe that architects and engineers should serve the public good.”
While both Palleroni and Thomas do currently have projects in Haiti, Thomas explained that they are currently only in the initial project design phase for work on the orphanages.
Both Palleroni and Thomas said that the grant will help the project become an “umbrella” effort, serving to unify a number of projects already in progress. ?
