Petion Ville / 3D Panel Residential

“I had to abandon my 4×4 truck, because I thought it would flip over……..and I walked back to my home 7 miles through crumbling buildings and cries of death, to find my home unharmed.

Myriam Duret/Signa Haiti

Myriam’s home was designed and built by Signa Enterprise SA. as a model residence using an alternative construction, 3D Panel system, construction technique. The 800 sq. ft . home was built in a residential neighborhood of newly constructed multi storied, cbs residences and some turn of the century ‘colonial style’ homes, in 2005. When Myriam returned to her home, on the evening of Jan 12th, 2010, her home was intact, but all the other buildings within city blocks of her site were destroyed. Myriam’s home became a refuge for her neighbors.

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. Habitat for Humanity built 3D panel homes in Homestead, Florida, before Hurricane Andrew hit the area and the Habitat homes were left undamaged among other homes that were leveled.

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 Petion-Ville young Haitians, in the 3D Panel construction method was a valued added element of the overall intent of Signa Enterprise SA. where they 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.