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Brice Aarrestad

Brice Aarrestad

Minneapolis, MN, US

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Presentation Board
Presentation Board

Samaritan's Purse School/Church Prototype

This was a conceptual design for Samaritan's Purse, a non-profit relief/development organization, while I was in Haiti on a Disaster Response trip with Engineering Ministries International. They approached our team with a vision to rebuild 100 churches and schools that were destroyed by the January 2010 earthquake and aftershocks using prefabricated construction methods. 
Designing one building for two different functions for over 100 sites with a multiple of nuances requires a multitude of flexibility! This design starts with a stand-alone open 'Core' structure, which becomes the sanctuary for a church or a multi-purpose space for a school. Depending on the site-specific and program specific needs, other structures connect to the Core. Those 'Node' structures are composed of a Kit-of-Parts: a selection of standardized wall components that inform the function of the Node. Classroom Nodes use different wall types than storage or office Nodes. The Core can also expand with additional Core sections. This Kit-of-Parts allows a Plug & Play configuration to provide flexibility in the building's function and flexibility for differing site conditions. 
Samaritan's Purse had plans to fast-track this program for construction but the mass Cholera outbreak in fall/winter 2010 put the project indefinitely on hold. 

 
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Status: Unbuilt
Location: Multiple Earthquake Affected Sites throughout Haiti