The Satama Hotel, a 70-room hotel building, was designed by our firm in collaboration with Myamoto International Earthquake and Structural Engineering in the city of Cap-Haïtien, located in northern Haiti. Due to the steep topography of the site and the high seismic potential of the area, the structural requirements were very demanding and influenced the design of the building in order to comply with the latest anti-seismic standards. Haiti experienced an earthquake in 2010 that claimed the lives of an estimated 300,000 people, according to international organizations.

The project, a reinforced concrete structure, was placed in the most stable area of the mountainside, requiring earthworks and terracing that involved moving approximately 10,000 cubic meters of soil and constructing retaining walls using around 1,500 cubic meters of concrete. The structure is a hybrid system combining three structural systems. The guest room blocks utilize load-bearing walls with a gravity frame, the social areas employ a system of beams and columns in concrete, and the lobby area features a 350-square-meter laminated wood roof imported from Alabama, USA, and installed mainly by manual labor with minimal equipment.

In addition to the building design and interior design, our firm also carried out the project management and construction supervision tasks.