January 3, 2011

Shane Copp (Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.) confers with architect Elizabeth Lafontant during the demolition stage of a school rebuilding project in Haiti.

Disaster Relief

Rival Canadian engineering firms unite to rebuild schools in Haiti

Normally competitors, four Canadian engineering firms have instead joined forces to help rebuild Haitian schools that were destroyed or badly damaged in the devastating January 2010 earthquake.

The firms, Quinn Dressel and Associates, Halsall Associates Ltd., Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. and Blackwell Bowick Partnership, responded to the call by Finn Church Aid (FCA), a Finnish NGO working to rebuild schools in some of the areas hit hardest by the disaster.

“As individual firms, we had each decided to help with the rebuilding efforts,” said Liz Odershaw, an engineer with Halsall Associates.

“But we realized that we could have a much bigger impact if we teamed together.”

Shane Copp, a Read Jones Christoffersen engineer, was quickly deployed to Haiti to help with the school construction on the ground.

He has been instrumental in ensuring that the technical aspects of the construction are met so that the new schools are hurricane and earthquake resistant.

Copp is also helping build the local engineering capacity by training local engineers.

A team of engineers back in Canada is providing engineering design support. All work is being done on a pro bono basis with the four firms sharing the costs and the human resources commitments.

“The level of co-operation between the firms and FCA is incredible and is rarely seen in the humanitarian sector,” said David Korpela, FCA’s country director. “It has made a tremendously positive impact on our ability to deliver safe and well engineered schools for the children of Haiti.”

Some of the schools are being built in remote areas that are very difficult to access. “Supplies have to be carried over mountains and other difficult terrain by donkeys,” Copp said.

Two of the FCA-built schools are slated for completion in early 2011. Plans are underway to build 10 more. FCA will continue to manage the projects, with design and construction being done by the Canadian engineering partnership together with local contractors and local communities.

DCN News Services

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