Hati Earthquake Disaster

Hati Earthquake Disaster
It is my intent to research what type of concrete building system would be most appropriate to construct a three story multi-unit hotel building that could withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in order to bring income through tourism to benefit Haiti’s economy.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Research Proposal

HAITI:
A SRUGGLING ECONOMY IN NEED OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
By: Bradley Veenstra

Summary Statement of Proposed Project

After the earthquake that rocked the Caribbean island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, the country has been struggling to rebuild what is left of their cities and bring hope back to its people. With help and supplies coming from all over the world to aid them in their endeavors, they have managed to stabilize their country’s economy, but they are not yet self-sustainable. Haiti is a tropical paradise, located on the northern part of the Caribbean Sea that shares an island with Dominican Republic, a popular vacation hotspot for Canadians. Their number one resource and means of income is tourism. It is my intent to research which earthquake design technology would be the most reasonable to build a high-rise hotel resort and bring income through tourism to benefit Haiti’s economy.

Purpose

The people of Haiti are in need of help now more than ever, and with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimating a literacy rate of 45%, it is up to us, the well educated and economically developed nations, to do our part and research the most reasonable approach to build a sustainable economy for a wounded nation. The purpose of this research project is to provide information on developing reliable architecture in Haiti that may be used to produce income and possible disaster shelters in the future. It will also benefit my personal ideals and those of others when it comes to possible future designs in unstable parts of the world.

Goals and Objectives of the Project

There are many different levels of earthquake sustainable design technologies in the construction marketplace. My goal is to find out what will be the most reasonable way to build a high-rise hotel resort, incorporating earthquake sustainable design technology, so that it may be used by developers to improve Haiti’s Gross National Product (GNP). The income generated by the developers using the information found will improve Haiti’s economic crisis and eventually Haiti will become completely self-sustainable. Determining the reasonable level of sustainability will also determine whether or not these hotels could act as disaster shelters in case of future earthquakes or other natural disasters.

Methodology and Analytical Approach

In order to find the most reasonable earthquake resistant technology for a high-rise hotel resort in Haiti, I will research the different types of technology on the market taking into consideration local materials, availability and cost. I will base my research on projects that have already been built and other related research in order to determine a conclusive outcome.
I will also research the impact that it will have on Haiti’s economy. I will need to be in contact with local resorts and residents to ascertain jobs, wages, accommodations for locals, education, and how much of the revenue will benefit the locals rather than international business owners. The information collected can be used in the construction and re-construction of high-rise hotels in Haiti and provide information for those prospecting earthquake resistant high-rise construction for other parts of the world.

Previous Studies/ Related Information

Since this is a region specific research due to a recent disaster, this will be a completely unique study that has never been done before. However, Seismic Engineering is a field that searches for ways to make structures, such as buildings and bridges, resistant to earthquake damage. Extensive research has been made to write building code regulations as well as region specific research for projects in the past. This research study will provide information for Haiti and its neighboring region to better its infrastructure’s resilience to future earthquakes. It will outline a project specific area of research conforming to the earthquake parameters for engineering design in the Caribbean determined during the first Caribbean conference on earthquake engineering in 1978.

Morelli, Ugo (2004) "Preventing Earthquake Disasters – The Grand Challenge in Earthquake Engineering – A Research Agenda for the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)," Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: 1(4), Article 410.
Tomblin, John F. (1978), The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive: Earthquake parameters for engineering design in the Caribbean,
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    Hi Brad,

    I read an interesting article in Popular Science a while ago about replaceable seismic fuses in buildings. Here's the link. I hope it helps!

    http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/new-earthquake-resistant-design-keeps-buildings-standing-during-violent-quakes

    Mikayla

    ReplyDelete
  2. bveenstrFebruary 8, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    Thanks Mikayla, Hey i don't know if you know this but In Dubai, United Arab Emerats, they've creatd man made islands in the shape of palm trees in order to get more ocean front property. You should look into it. Here's the link to a site I found. http://www.thatsdubai.com/dubai-islands.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 18, 2011 at 3:28 PM

    Brad,

    I should've picked your topic! I'm finding much more concepts and information for yours than mine.

    Here's a concept for prefab and carbon neutral housing in Haiti. Not too sure how seismic piles differentiate from normal piles but it could be interesting to incorporate into your project. Hope it helps at all.

    http://inhabitat.com/vincent-callebaut-unveils-coral-inspired-carbon-neutral-eco-village-for-haiti/callebautcoral-ed01/?extend=1

    Mikayla.

    ReplyDelete
  4. bveenstrFebruary 21, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    This Project, looks amazing but it is very unrealistic. Haitians don't have yachts like shown in the pictures and can't afford to build either the building or the manufactured pier that it sits on. It also doesn't take into account other disasters such as rising sea levels and hurricanes. I think it's more of a ego project than an eco project, but thanks Mikayla, i might take a few ideas from his project and incorporate them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brittany BerkenstockMarch 12, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    Brad,
    While I was reading the news I stumbled upon an interesting website regarding the sizemic problems in Japan and the nuclear powerplant nearby. http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/2505

    ReplyDelete
  6. bveenstrMarch 20, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    thanks Britt,
    Any information relevant to earthquake design is great for my research project.

    ReplyDelete

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