Roofing in Haiti

Haiti occupies the western third of Hispaniola. Its roofs face hurricanes, heavy tropical rain and earthquakes, and the January 2010 earthquake made the weight of roofs a national issue.

Climate and hazards

• Earthquakes: on 12 January 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck about 25 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince. One engineering review lists about 230,000 deaths and 250,000 residences collapsed or damaged.
• Hurricanes and tropical storms, with heavy rain and flooding.
• Termites and rot, which weaken timber roofs and frames.

Roofing history

Taíno. Hispaniola had some of the largest Taíno villages in the Caribbean, with thatched houses of poles, woven straw and palm leaves around central plazas (see bohio).

Gingerbread era. Between 1885 and 1925, Port-au-Prince's wealthier districts were built up with timber and masonry houses known as gingerbread houses, adapting French styles to the climate. Their roofs are steep, often steeper than 1:1 (45°), framed in wood with mortise-and-tenon joints and wooden pegs; tall turret roofs draw hot air up out of the rooms. Almost all now carry corrugated steel over spaced (skip) sheathing, but a few keep original thin slate (see haitian-gingerbread-house).

Concrete. In 1925, after several destructive fires, Port-au-Prince banned wood construction. Concrete and concrete block became normal for new buildings and additions. Many houses were then roofed with reinforced concrete slabs, sometimes with concrete joists and hollow block infill, carried on lightly reinforced columns as small as about 150 mm (6 in). The combination of heavy roofs and weak lateral strength proved deadly in 2010.

After 2010. The 2010 field assessment of about 200 gingerbread houses found that timber-framed and colombage (timber frame with masonry infill) buildings performed best; under 5% collapsed completely, against an estimated 40% of modern conventional buildings. Relief agencies distributed tarpaulins and tents for nearly 860,000 people, and the American Red Cross alone funded nearly 6,000 transitional shelters. Training programmes taught builders to fix light metal roofing sheets in place of heavy slabs.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Gingerbread house (kay gingerbread): steep hipped and turreted roofs, now mostly corrugated steel.
• Tôle: corrugated metal sheet, the common light roof.

Roofing today

Concrete slab roofs remain common in towns, while corrugated metal sheet is the main light roof.

Codes, standards and regulation

Before 2010, observers noted a lack of planning and of enforceable building codes. Post-earthquake guidance has favoured light, well-fastened roofs and better connections.

Notable roofs

• Gingerbread District, Port-au-Prince: about 2 mi² (5 km²) of 19th- and early 20th-century houses in Bois Verna, Pacot and Turgeau, surveyed by the World Monuments Fund and ICOMOS in 2010.
• Le Manoir: turrets roofed with decorative pressed-metal shingles.

Local roofing terms

• Tôle (French/Kreyòl): sheet metal roofing.
• Colombage (French): timber framing with masonry infill.
• Kay (Kreyòl): house.

Sources and gaps

No information on domestic roofing manufacturers was found in published sources.

Census roof-material data and code details: published information is limited.