Haiti Building Standards Development Project

          There is no national building code in Haiti, and whenever technical standards are used, the choice seems to be determined by the educational background of the engineers responsible for the design of projects. Most common norms are, in order of importance: ASCE 7-02, French norms, Canadian norms. The same situation prevails in the universities and tertiary institutions where future engineers and construction professionals are trained. As a result, and confirming to the needs expressed by the Haitian officials, developing building standards for the country has been recognized as a priority. Building on our experiences throughout the Caribbean in developing building codes and designing enforcement mechanisms, the Department of Sustainable Development at the Organization of American States (OAS/DSD) has been approached to undertake that initiative.