Cazeau / 3D Panel Office-Warehouse

“Overhauling Haiti’s building code alone won’t do much without broader education, retraining programs and financial support…..there is no quick, cheap or easy path to resolving the multiple issues that were so harshly exposed by last week’s earthquake”

Cletus Springer/OAS-Department of Sustainable Development

The Miami Herald 01.24.10

In 2005, the Cazeau 3D Panel Office and Warehouse for Signa Enterprise SA. was completed. The 6,000 sq. ft. two story monolithic concrete building, was designed and engineered to demonstrate an alternative construction technique for Haiti. The Cazeau location was strategically located on the periphery of the International Airport of Port-au-Prince, next to a primary U.N. depot and adjacent to a 150-bed hotel. During the Jan 12th earthquake all buildings in the Cazeau region were either destroyed or deverly damaged, except for the Cazeau, Signa Enterprise SA. structure, which went unharmed.

The 3D panel system is an extremely strong construction technique, consisting of a super-insulated core of rigid expanded polystyrene sandwiched between two-engineered sheets of eleven-gauge steel welded wire fabric mesh.

The panel form process is completed by piercing a nine-gauge steel truss wire through the polystyrene core at of set angles for superior strength, then welded to each of the outer layer sheets of eleven-gauge stall welded wire fabric mesh.

These three elements are joined producing a three-dimensional lightweight panel that due to its characteristics makes it one of the strongest building materials you can find.

The 3D panel systems benefits include:

• strength & safety/with exceptional resistance to hurricanes, earthquakes and unparalleled fire protection;
• versatile & easy to use/the recessed, welded steel ties provide solid, secure attachments for any interior or exterior finish. The panels can be cut and shaped to create virtually any design;
• insulation/the panel system reduces air infiltration by 75%, thus providing added R-value ratings;
• environmentally responsible/by directly reducing the use of lumber and using no harmful CFS’s (chlorofluorcarbons) in its manufacturing.

The training of local Cazeau Haitians, was a valued added element of the overall intent of Signa Enterprise SA., where Signa Enterprise SA brought in certified engineers/technicians from the U.S. for instruction. Several teams of ‘hands-on’ training were given the opportunity to learn the new 3D Panel construction techniques. It is the intent of Sign Enterprise SA. to proceed with this same model, in educating Haitian youths, ‘on-site’ at each of their new 3D Panel building locations. Thus, not only providing local job creation but also improving upon the Haitian future structural building integrity.