The primary objective of the project is to not only manifest the gigantic challenges of recovering after hurricane Irma which took place in 2017 but also to point out the socioeconomic disarray in the island before the hurricane itself.
Irma clearly had a tremendous influence on numerous issues. However, the island had been struggling with many problems far beforehand. Consequently, the recovery program is still extremely difficult as the rebuilding/construction issue is not the only problem calling for resolution. Destroyed buildings and people struggling with rebuilding their houses are only the tip of the iceberg.
Sint Maarten’s history is strongly interconnected with natural disasters and - simultaneously - lack of proper governance and preparedness plans against more and more frequent hurricanes in the region. The above context triggered my interest in disaster relief methods and post-disaster projects which, later on, formed the base of my design. Researching into the best possible contemporary disaster relief frameworks, showed effective ways of tackling natural disaster related problems. This also helped with designing a solution that results in effective community based relief. Thus the outcome of my research is directly translated into the design by creating ‘a building learning centre’, an institution which promotes hurricane-proof building knowledge among communities on Sint Maarten. The centre helps to create an optimised and self-sufficient disaster relief on the island and - hopefully - even beyond. The long-term goal is to enable gaining knowledge around building methods which would be held by skilled construction workers. These people would gradually improve building environment over the years. This will eventually contribute to minimising damages with every hurricane to come. The school's program and specific knowledge of 'hurricane-proof craftsmanship' could help in creating communities that actively participate in strengthening and speeding up the recovery time after possible future disasters. The design would not only bring potential relief programme but also a way for diverse income generating solution for local communities. The programme of the school includes also traineeship which enables locals to combine employment and training in order to gain a nationally recognised qualification. In this way many people, who struggle economically, could gain new opportunities. These contribute to creating financial stability and help with rebuilding homes faster after hurricane.
The centre’s design and program are both based on the effective disaster relief elements. They bring knowledge, contains co-planning and co-designing aspects, which - as a consequence - create trust within the community and other actors. All the above can be accomplished by creating an on-spot fixed building, which hosts facility working on the resilience and at the same time building itself being a community facility as an asset-based design.
The relief method (i.e. building learning centre), merged with economic diversification program, would hopefully provide people with knowledge and experience in order to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on outside help. The inspiration of hurricane preparedness and post-disaster projects not only aims to deal with the ‘tip of the iceberg’ problems but also to create a long term strategy.