Re-start from straw

This paper describes the concept and realization of an earthquake-proof prototype to verify the appropriateness of an orphanage to be built in Haiti. The construction system utilizes mainly natural and local materials like rice straw bales and bamboo. This work is the result of a master thesis in Architecture at the Politecnico di Torino. It originates from the collaboration with Architettura senza frontiere Piemonte, an Italian NGO. The wider scope of the project is to contribute to returning to rice farming and to recognizing rice straw as an appropriate building material for Haiti. Both goals would constitute a step towards establishing an integrated social, economic, environmental, agricultural, and architectural process.