Vauguens Michel: The fight for construction standards

Vauguens Michel has been a long-time supporter of Lakou and a construction partner. Studying both at the University of Port-Au-Prince and the Polytechnic Institute in New York, he now works as a Chief Engineer in Haiti and has collaborated with Lakou on a few projects, including LaGrace. Vauguens began a conversation with one of his college professors to discuss what it would take to develop a construction standard in Haiti. Given the country's susceptibility to natural disasters and its history of inadequate infrastructure, construction standards play a crucial role in Haiti for several reasons with safety, sustainable development, and minimizing economic losses being some of the most impactful ones.

Construction standards play a pivotal role in Haiti by ensuring the safety, resilience, and sustainable development of the country's built environment. Lakou has joined forces with Vauguens to restart the conversation around global construction standards, particularly in Haiti. Living and working in Haiti each day, Vauguens and our Haitian staff at Lakou are still haunted by the devastation of the 2010 earthquake and the most recent earthquake that shook Les Cayes, Haiti in 2021. Many of our Lakou team members were personally affected by the devastation and even lended a hand in the rescue efforts for those trapped by debris and dilapidated buildings. There is so much to fight for in Haiti. We are calling you to join Vauguens, Lakou, and other building industry leaders to help create a standard of construction and support in Haiti. Developing and enforcing these standards is essential for safeguarding lives and promoting a more resilient and prosperous Haiti.