A charitable engineering project has successfully supported the construction of La Référence de Ganthier, a new secondary school in Haiti providing classrooms for 600 students.
2022 AIANY Design Awards — Honour
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2019 IStructE Award Structure in Extreme Conditions — Shortlisted
Eckersley O’Callaghan contributed engineering expertise to support the building of La Référence de Ganthier, with charity KONEKTE and New York-based architects Studio PHH. Our involvement in the project forms part of our commitment to charitable causes.
The earthquake in January 2010 destroyed many schools, homes and livelihoods. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere where 70% of children do not attend secondary school and the illiteracy rate is about 60%.
Phase 1 of the project began on site on disused land in July 2017 and completed in October 2018, providing classrooms for 150 students. Phase 2 completed in 2020, adding three further modules and accommodating another 300 students. With the completion of Phase 3, the school now offers education for a total of 600 students.
The structural design was suitable for local materials and basic building skills; developing a robust, safe, yet flexible building system that is resilient to seismic loading. The structures were compliant with the new building code CNBH 2012 that was based on US building standards and established after the earthquake.
© Eckersley O’Callaghan 2025
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