The Chinese team discussed several aspects of preparation for
accommodating the 2,000 housing units offered by the PRC following the
widespread destruction by Hurricane Ivan.
These discussions took place on Monday at the Agency for
Reconstruction and Development (ARD) conference room with officials of
the ARD, the Housing Authority of Grenada (HAG), the Ministry of Social
Development and other members of the Human Settlement Task Force.
First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Grenada Mr. Xu Zhiguang,
the General Director of China International Engineering Design and
Consult Co. Ltd. Mr. Xiu Zhang, along with three architects and three
engineers from Beijing, were provided by the ARD with a 42-page
document on housing development in Grenada. This was followed by
presentations from ARD Human Settlement Specialist Ivan Laughlin and
Architect Assistant Nyasha Moore.
The team was apprised of plans for Human Settlements in Soubise and
Mt. Gay and the challenges of building houses on steep slopes and hilly
terrain. Poor access for vehicles and equipment to individual houses
was also identified as a constraint to reconstruction.
The Chinese team arrived on November 10 and is expected to remain in
Grenada for three weeks. Mr. Xiu Zhang informed the meeting that the
Chinese Government expects his team to complete designs for the housing
sites and units within three months.
To facilitate the PRC team, the ARD produced several alternative house designs for consideration, as follows:
- Single storey two bedroom; 720 square feet
- Single storey three bedroom; 851 square feet
- Two storey two bedroom terrace; 924 square feet
- Two storey three bedroom terrace; 1,518 square feet
- Two bedroom apartment; 720 square feet
- Three bedroom apartment; 851 square feet
The designs take into account the importance of verandahs, windows to catch the prevailing breeze and flexibility for expansion.
The discussions on Monday focussed on possible locations for the
first 500 housing units. Mr. Zhang explained that before any
construction can begin, site preparation and infrastructure development
must be in place; and that this will be done at the expense of the
Government of Grenada.
The team began touring potential sites with ARD and HAG officials on Tuesday. These included Frequenté, Soubise and Mt. Gay.