Healing Hands for Haiti Rehabilitation Center and Prosthetics & Orthotics Teaching Workshop

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

After the former Healing Hands for Haiti (HHH) buildings collapsed in the earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the International Committee of the Red Cross Special Fund for the Disabled funded this project and asked for Msaada’s assistance with design and construction supervision. The new facility is fully handicap accessible, featuring a ramp that allows ease of access to all levels of the building and doubles as an extension of the physiotherapy gym. The interior courtyard, spanning all three levels of the building is covered by a large skylight, bringing filtered natural light deep into the building. Fresh air is also drawn in the building from the lower level and exhausted through vents at the level of the skylight.

In addition to the Rehabilitation Center, Msaada designed a new state-of-the-art Prosthetics and Orthotics Teaching Workshop that provides space for twenty students and training staff. The workshop is cleverly constructed of ten recycled steel shipping containers from Haiti’s nearby port. Generous windows provide natural illumination, reducing the need for electric lighting. The design of the roof’s venting clerestory keeps the space comfortably cool in Haiti’s hot sun.

Client: Healing Hands for Haiti (HHH), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Type of Project: Education, Healthcare

Project Area: 1,344 square m (Rehabilitation Center) and 381 square m (Training Workshop)

Services provided: Concept Design, Master Planning, Construction Documents, Construction Supervision