Sustainable Design and Construction of a Library for Disabled Children of Jamaica

Abstract

Jacob’s Ladder is a caring facility for disabled adults operated by Mustard Seed Communities in central Jamaica. In partnership with the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), MSC hopes to create a site which will be used to educate both the local and international community about sustainability. Additionally, site planners are developing appropriate sensory stimulation systems capable of meeting the needs of the many future residents. After performing detailed community assessments, a library for use by both the residents and visitors to the site was designed. The library will provide large-scale sensory stimulation to the residents and serve as the focal point for guests to the site desiring to learn about sustainability. The library will house educational material and will incorporate green design features, such as being built from a recycled shipping container and supporting a green roof and solar array. As Penn State begins to implement more sustainable research projects on site, the supporting and educational material will be centrally located in the library where visitors will be able to observe and learn more about the future plans for Jacob’s Ladder.

NYSID's project CREATE: An organizational model for service learning through assistive technology development

“…Although customer needs are at the core of successful developments, the literature offered few concrete examples of a non-profit approaching a university to establish service-learning collaborations. One of the few examples was Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) approaching Penn State to establish an international service-learning collaboration [17]. This led to the design and construction of a school for disabled young adults.…”