A Home for Haitian Boys

Project Cité Vèt is the renovation and expansion of the Clermont Foundation Center for Homeless Youth in Jacmel, Haiti. The center has been in operation for the past 15 years, providing food, shelter, healthcare, and education to homeless boys from the surrounding area. Through my nonprofit SamanHaus, I have been working on the renovation and expansion of their facility.

Haiti's rich design history and culture has reached as far as New Orleans. In Haitian culture, the "Lakou," or shared outdoor spaces, is very important and so became a focal point of the orphanage design. The screen element serves the dual purpose of shading the home and creating the "Galri," or porch area – another Haitian design element that has made its way to the French colonial architecture of New Orleans.