Community CentresShared spaces in Bercy-Cavaillon, Jérémie and Baradères

Hidden in the rich tropical vegetation of southern Haiti, the project consists of a community centre for the rural community of Bercy-Cavaillon and the office of the local farmers’ association APTEKKA. The only shared facility in this remote area, it hosts training, cultural events, collective gatherings and rest.

Funded by FOKAL, it is one of three projects — Bercy-Cavaillon, Jérémie and Baradères — in Haiti’s Southern Peninsula, a region severely affected by climatic and socio-economic instability. Food insecurity has become chronic; local organisations such as APTEKKA support smallholder farmers and strengthen community resilience.

Developed through extensive community engagement, the building has two storeys: a multipurpose hall, an office and a cafeteria on the ground floor; local produce storage and a dormitory for participants from distant villages upstairs. The upper floor is inspired by the Haitian galata, a cross-ventilated granary. A covered outdoor gallery encircles the building; rainwater catchment, cross-ventilation and ridge openings support interior comfort.

Apart from the steel structure and roof, designed to be dismantled and reused, the project uses stones from a nearby river and excavated soil for the earth plaster. Inspired by the lakay riral, the Haitian rural house, it combines local steelwork know-how with traditional techniques that are simple to maintain — a seismic-resistant, comfortable and easily replicable system in a region struck by Hurricane Matthew (2016) and the 2021 earthquake.

With agronomists from Jardin Botanique des Cayes, and inspired by the jardin kreyòl, more than 100 trees and plants were introduced around the site, including endemic and endangered species.