Photo courtesy of Sarah Spanagel;Pittsburgh's Rothschild Doyno Architects designed the Sant Lespwa Center of Hope in Hinche, Haiti

The relief-agency building accounts for community needs

Each January, architecture enthusiasts eagerly await announcement of the National Awards from the American Institute of Architects. There are 11 Honor Awards this year, and they trend toward high-dollar institutional buildings for education and research, with a boutique distillery added for good measure. The designs are invariably sleek and uncompromising, portrayed in dramatic and flattering photos. 

The pictures, of course, are part of the problem. Whether as Alberti's art or Vitruvius' delight, visual enjoyment has been an intrinsic part of the appreciation of architecture since ancient times. But there should be more to the profession than the looks of buildings. To be truly successful, architecture can and must build and serve communities. Such values drive the existence of the Sant Lespwa Center of Hope in Hinche, Haiti, by Pittsburgh's Rothschild Doyno Architects. The project recently won a National Honor Award from the AIA, which no Pittsburgh firm has done since 1999......Continue Reading

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