This presentation summarizes what I learned on my trip to Haiti from August to October 2010.

1. The Earthbag Building Process
Constraint Analysis, Principles and Techniques
Prepared by Timothy X. Merritt
For PortModal LLC
22 October 2010

2. Scale model virtually placed at the Haitian Academy, Cache Cache Douge

3. Simple / Inexpensive / Labor Intensive
Site
Prep
Foundations Walls
Windows
and
Doorways
Bond Beam Roof Plastering Inspection
Certification Move In
The Earthbag Building Process

4. Four Constraints
Land Resources
Labor
Earth
Moving

5. Constraint: Land
Land
• Land must be available.
• Large parcels prohibited for
Americans.
• Haitian Nationals must be involved.
• Corruption rampant.
o Land frequently sold to multiple times to
different parties
o No title search
o Ponderous court system
• Cultural pattern: Owners vs.
Tenants.

6. Constraint: Resources
Resources
• Poor quality of local materials.
• Materials must be shipped from
US.
• Corrupt / bureaucratic ports.
• Security.
o Theft
o Weather damage
• Transportation to job site.
• Vehicle maintenance and fuel.
• Missing items will halt
construction.

7. Constraint: Labor
(Two elements: Availability and Skill Level)
Labor
Available
Labor
Skilled
• Earthbag building is labor
intensive.
• Possible transportation problems
getting to job site.
• For scalability, local Haitians must
be trained.
o Team Leaders
o Site managers
• Labor teams need to be trained.
• Labor teams must be incentivized.

8. Constraint: Earth Moving
Earth
Moving
The Primary Constraint!
• Earthbag building is fundamentally
about moving tons of earth.
• Tractor support is extremely
valuable.
• Site setup critical to earth flow.
• Earth should be trucked in.
• Each building: 10-15 tons earth.
• All processes should be geared
towards the flow of earth.

9. Process with Constraints
Site
Prep
Building
Construction
(6 steps)
Inspection
Certification Move In
Land Resources
Stop Stop
Labor
Available
Stop
Labor
Skilled
Training
Earth
Moving
Find Problem
Primary constraint!
Yes
No

10. Managing Constraints
• Principles
– Villages Produced are the Primary Measurement
– “Culture Bubble”
– Decent Housing
– Also Design the Outdoors
– Pre-positioned Stocks
– Minimize Cash Transactions
– Best use of Money is to Pay Labor
– Give People a Way to Own Their Homes
– Trees Incorporated Into Every Development Plan
– Seek to Partner with other Aid Organizations

11. Principles
• Villages Produced are the Primary Measure
– Funders want to know how many houses were
built, but that is not the best measurement.
– Housing alone does not account for storm water
runoff, sewage and garbage disposal, water and
electrical systems, and community functions such
as education, medical, religious and farmer’s
markets.
– Viable villages consist of housing for
approximately 300 people, five community
buildings and common areas.
– Villages are the goal.

12. Principles
• “Culture Bubble”
– The Haitian culture itself can hinder development.
– Between the time the land is secured and materials
delivered, until the time the family moves into the home,
there exists a “culture bubble” where American style
systems and processes can operate efficiently.
Earthbag Building Process
“Culture Bubble”
Land and Materials Move In

13. Principles
• Also Design the Outdoors
– Everybody lays out
developments in grids... Even
when there is no obvious
reason to do so.
– Haitians spend over half of
their day outside.
– Arrange buildings with
courtyards, and to adapt to
local terrain, integrate
families, farming and
markets, etc.
– “Good fences make good
neighbors”.
– Shade is critical.
– Breeze is critical

15. Principles
• Decent Housing
– There are dozens of
different housing styles
available.
– Most of them are bad.
– People are being simply
“warehoused”.
– Decent housing is
defined as housing that
the builders will live in
themselves during
development.

16. Principles
• Pre-Positioned Stocks
– Fortunately, almost all of
the constraints are on
the front end of the
process.
– Construction cannot
begin until resources are
in place.
– By pre-positioning all the
tools and materials
required, workflow will
not be interrupted.
– Security is important.

17. Principles
• Minimize Cash Transactions
– Corruption, bureaucracy,
bribery and theft all hinder
development.
– Money spent this way does
nothing to help the Haitian
people
– “Hustlers” are extremely
smart and creative.

18. Principles
• Best Use of Money is to Pay
Laborers Directly.
– Earthbag building is very
labor intensive.
– Labor costs about (US) $6.25
per man / per day.
– Haitian labor is a small
portion of development costs.
– Can afford to be generous
with labor.
– Use financial incentives to
increase productivity.
– Laborers spend their money
locally; producing numerous
second order benefits.

19. Principles
• Give People a Way to Own Their Homes
– For the majority of people in Haiti right now,
home ownership is a dream ...an unattainable
dream.
– Done correctly, ultra low cost home ownership
could provide a solid foundation for national
redevelopment.
– The danger is in developing slums or “projects”.
– A good model to explore would be the American
rural cooperative development model.
– If they own it, they will take better care of it.

20. Principles
• Incorporate Trees Into
Every Development
– “Mangos give the best
shade.”
– Deforestation and soil
erosion are mediated by
trees.
– Trees literally provide a
“retirement fund” that
earns interest regardless of
the economy.
– Tree crops require no
tilling, fertilizer, seeds, or
effort beyond harvesting.

21. Principles
• Seek to Partner with other Aid Organizations
– Housing construction should be a matrix upon which
other Aid Organizations can build and provide
additional services.
– Organizations are already in Haiti that provide tree
planting services, training on composting toilet
systems, medical services, religious services, farming
outreach and microfinance, etc.
– Partnerships should add value without interfering with
the rate at which earthbags are filled.
– Perhaps they could provide volunteers to work in
exchange for access to PortModal facilities?

22. Managing Constraints
• Techniques
– Rural vs. Urban
– Secure Landowner Guarantee for Development Property
– Trade Housing for Land Guarantee (not cash)
– Use of Housing Kits
– Careful Site Layout
– Tractor Support
– Providing Transportation for Laborers
– Create “Ladder of Success”
– Incentivizing Labor Teams
– Using Earth Flow As Primary Measurement

23. Techniques
• Rural vs. Urban
– Cities are crowded!
– Urban land is scarce.
– Cities unable to provide
services.
– Incredible amount of
rubble to move before
building.
– Plenty of open rural space
nearby.
– Adequate transportation.
– Self-sufficiency is possible
in rural areas.

24. Techniques
• Secure Landowner Guarantee for
Development Property
– My hosts in Haiti arraigned for seven acres to be
developed for employee housing.
– They are breaking the land into 65 separate lots.
– They did not buy the land; instead they just
provided a guarantee.
– Their employees will purchase the land as a group.
– Is this what “right looks like” in Haiti?

25. Techniques
• Trade Housing for Land
Guarantee (not cash)
– Developing land in Haiti
requires participation from
local nationals.
– High potential for
corruption.
– Like many landowners in
Haiti, my hosts live in tents.
– They are very interested in
getting a good house to
live in.
– Avoid corruption by trading
housing for land guarantee
(not cash)?

26. To get land owners to make land available for building, build “model
homes” highlighting the amazing possibilities of earthbag construction.
Scale model virtually placed at the Haitian Academy, Cache Cache Douge

27. Techniques
• Use of Housing Kits
– Reduce logistics hassles
by prepackaging
resources.
– Mitigate low quality of
locally purchased
products.
– Include tools.
– Ease of transportation.
– Standardize and simplify
production for Haitian
laborers.

28. • The contents of my
barrel kits are described
on the right.
• This list is suitable for
an unstabilized
earthbag dome with a
12’ diameter.
• Other variations would
require concrete for the
bond beam, wood for
rafters and tin roofing
etc.
• Patent Pending

29. Many Variations are Possible with
Same Resources

30. Techniques
• Careful Site Layout
– In this picture, you can
see a swale on the left
side to control storm
water runoff.
– Consider routes for
dump trucks with earth.
– Locate earth as close as
possible to work site.
– Should follow a village
master plan.

31. Techniques
• Tractor Support
– I had no tractor support
in Haiti, it drastically
slowed my project.
– Just because labor is
inexpensive, do not
assume that it can
replace a tractor.
– Tractors will have high
transportation,
maintenance and fuel
costs.
This picture is from an earthbag project
In Gonaives (not my project).

32. Techniques
• Provide Transportation
for Laborers
– My laborers had endless
problems getting to and
from the job site.
– Transportation was a
significant expense for
them.
– Hiring dedicated
transportation stabilizes
the work force.

33. Techniques
• Create “Ladder of Success”
– Young Haitian men have few
opportunities.
– Develop a promotion system
to harness talent and
ambition.
– Goal is to establish Haitian
owned/operated
construction businesses.
– Requires long term
commitment.
Laborer
Apprentice
Journeyman
Master Builder

34. Techniques
• Incentivizing Labor Teams
– Minimum wage in Haiti is
$40 Haitian Dollars/day.
– Earthbag work is hard; I pay
$50 Haitian Dollars/day.
– Extra pay for team leaders
and promotions.
– Team and performance
bonuses for early
completion.
– Build Esprit de Corps.
– Fire non-performers and
“hustlers”.
– Be generous with pay: base
pay on performance.

35. Techniques
• Using Earth Flow as
Primary Measurement
– This earthbag house is
10’x12’ and required 24
courses of earthbags.
– *Estimate: 5 men can lay
12 linear feet per day (3
courses, 12’ long).
– *Estimate is conservative.
– Including bond beam, roof
and plastering; a 10 man
crew should be able to
build a house like this in a
6 day work week.
– Faster results are possible;
bonuses should be paid for
better performance.
This picture is from an earthbag house
in Gonaives (not my project). They
reported that 7 men “mostly completed”
this house in 7 days.

36. Scalability
• Haiti’s Housing Requirements
• Earthbag Construction Training Center
• Village Definition
• Village Development Process
– Site Selection
– Master Builder
– Builder’s Yard
– Village Construction Company
– “Parallel Processing”
• Rural Economic Considerations

37. Scalability
• Haiti’s Housing
Requirements
– At least 1.5 million
people in Haiti living in
tents.
– Approximately 400,000
units of housing need to
be built.
– More than just houses;
Haiti needs a viable
construction industry.

38. Scalability
• The Haitian Academy as
a possible location.
– Located 25 km north of
Port-au-Prince.
– Small private port less than
1 km away.
– Already established as a
medical training facility.
– Gated compound.
– Good water.
– Room to build.
– Familiar and supportive of
earthbag building.
• Earthbag Construction
Training Center
– PortModal will have the
biggest earthbag
construction project in
history.
– Sheer size will draw
earthbag practitioners
from all over the world.
– Ideal opportunity to
establish state of the art
training center.

39. Scalability
• Village Definition
– Population between 100-
300 people.
– 5 community buildings;
School, clinic, church,
community center and
market stalls.
– Organized as a co-op.
– Green spaces and common
areas.
– Well/cisterns, micro-grid,
composting toilets, trash
removal.

40. Example of Earthbag School
This school recently completed in Haiti (not my project)

41. Scalability
• Village Development
Process
– Thumbnail sketch.
– After site is selected, the
first step is to construct a
Builder’s Square as an
operational base and to
assign to it a dedicated
Master Builder.
– Each construction
company franchise
becomes a training center.
– Multiple construction
companies result in
“Parallel Processing” of
housing development.
Site
Selection
Master Builder
Builder’s
Square
Construction
Company
Construction
Company
Construction
Company
Construction
Company
Training

42. Scalability
• Site Selection
– Likely the most difficult
task.
– Significant resources need
to be dedicated to finding
buildable land.
– Land inventory must be
large enough to support
construction operations.
– Corruption is major factor.
– Excess land may be “sold”
again to other buyers!
– Place signs prominently on
land to prevent re-selling.
– Land inventory must be
small enough for frequent
inspections.

43. Scalability
• Master Builder
– Construction site requires
countless locally specific
decisions.
– Critical to put one person
in charge.
– The Master Builder must
have extensive training and
be able to manage every
aspect of work site.
– Goal: Train ambitious
Haitians to be Master
Builders.
– Significant financial
incentives.

44. Scalability
• Builder’s Square
– The first construction on
new site is the Builder’s
Square.
– Composed of several
buildings around a central
courtyard.
– Gated for security.
– Storage site for materials.
– Home of Master Builder
and Journeymen.
– Operational Headquarters
for site.

45. Scalability
• Village Construction Company
– The key to Haiti-wide redevelopment is to
establish numerous small for-profit construction
companies that are owned and operated by
Haitian Nationals.
– Each company builds a local neighborhood.
– Initially subsidized; but after PortModal leaves,
the business remains as an independent housing
maintenance and repair organization.
– Companies are tightly integrated into each
community.

46. Scalability
• “Parallel Processing”
– Not feasible for one big
American company to do
everything.
– Best results from hundreds
of companies working
simultaneously throughout
Haiti.
– Requires significant
training: Every company
must also be training
organization.
– Requires franchise
infrastructure independent
of corrupt local agencies.

47. Scalability
• Rural Economic
Considerations
– Transportation difficult to
urban centers for work.
– Farming is still viable
occupation (although low
status).
– Most urban people have
forgotten how to farm.
– Tree cropping is
miraculous, but very long
term.
– Jatropha (pictured right)
grows easily and produces
oil for bio-diesel (see
attached report).

48. Looking south past the port les Moulin’s d’Haiti
towards Port-au-Prince