Rodney Leon Architects

These three distinct phrases individually and collectively were established as the theme for the competition and form the inspiration for the design of the Permanent Memorial at the United Nations in Honour of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The memorial's exterior form is constructed in a fashion to reflect the image of a vessel or ship in acknowledgement of the millions of African people transported on slave ships to different parts of the world during the "Middle Passage."Images of maps depicting the "Triangular Slave Trade" influenced the use of the triangle as a primary element in designing the memorial's shape.

Construction was subsequently halted and the resulting archaeological excavation unearthed more than 400 skeletal remains of men, women and children along with hundreds of burial artifacts. We commemorate this African Burial Ground with an "Ancestral Libation Chamber."

Through Seven Elements, the Ancestral Chamber serves to physically, spiritually, ritualistically and psychologically define the location where the historic re-interment of remains and artifacts of 419 Africans has taken place.It will also serve to acknowledge the site as a "Sacred Place" where an estimated 20,000 remains of Africans are currently buried.

Founded in 1698, Jacmel is a colorful coastal port town in the South of Haiti of 40,000 where peace and tranquility have always reigned. The town has maintained many charming aspects of the late 19th century when wealthy coffee merchants lived in mansions of French colonial architecture, with cast iron pillars and balconies purchased in France.

Le Coeur Vert (roughly translated means a village green at the "heart" of a community) is a comprehensive plan for the creation of a self sufficient community to the north of Port-au-Prince. The plan is born out of its immediate context, while maintaining prototypical features to be used in the planning of other neighborhoods.

The Haiti SOFTHOUSE is a flexible & sustainable approach to shelter that provides immediate transitional housing, community development & reconstruction solutions - to the current demands of the recovery and rebuilding efforts of Haiti. The shelter is designed to resist tropical storms and hurricane conditions, resist earthquakes, and provide a healthy, well ventilated environment.