Bonita Bart, 28, has hit another milestone in her flourishing career as an architect and researcher. Her paper, “The Architectural Language in Affordable, Social, and Urban Housing”, has been accepted for presentation at the upcoming Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) 2026, taking place in Jamaica in June.
Her first formal presentation at a regional forum will offer Saint Lucia and young people an opportunity to be represented on a regional platform that brings together urban planners, architects, policymakers, and researchers to address critical issues shaping Caribbean cities and advancing fitting solutions for small islands.
“My research focuses on the linguistics and the use of the terminologies in both the professional and local, civil context, as well as how funding agencies and the private sector relate to those terminologies,” Bart told St. Lucia Times.
Her paper, which was published in February this year, takes a deep dive into how language can be more adequately used in architecture to respond to challenges in regions like the Caribbean, with a pointed focus on the differentiation between the terms “affordable”, “social” and “urban”, which are often used interchangeably. But Bart’s work highlights the distinct differences between the terms and why knowing them is necessary.
“I felt like it was important because a lot of times when we try to address the housing crisis, which is a global crisis, especially for Small Island Developing States, we get into this confusion and debate,” Bart explained. “And, if you look at the research, when we think about funding projects that are successful in solving the housing problem, they don’t carry the term ‘affordable’”.
She notes that, in some instances, projects could find it more useful to use terms like “green” or “resilience” or may be better served using terminology more aligned with the direction the world is heading in, something that could determine whether a project receives funding or not.
Bart, a junior architect and instructional designer, is on a steady course toward excellence. Her recent paper is also one part of an ongoing research initiative she spearheaded four years ago called Caribtecture. Bart says: “The mission is to advance Caribbean architectural identity through research, documentation, and critical discourse, positioning history and theory as active tools in shaping contemporary design practice.”
The initiative was a natural step. In 2022, she graduated from Jamaica’s University of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies after her final project won the Best Final Design Studio Project and Best Final Year Undergraduate Research Project awards.
Bart is also the founder and design principal of a local independent architectural studio called iBart Design Studio, secretary of the Saint Lucia Institute of Architects (SLIA), and a technical drawing teacher.
Congratulations Ms Bart! Keep on pushing and show the other young people how they, too, can become successful in their endeavors.
A critical component is the need for diverse finance options.
First off…..Saint lucia doesn’t have a Housing Ministry so good luck selling all the whims and a fancies of architecture. Think all we need is basic houses for lucians to buy. Frederick eh doing nutting in that Ministry.
George, you are the kind of person we warn young people about.. the kind of voice they can expect to hear but need to learn early to pay no attention to; Aimless, non-contributors with nothing to offer but vitriol that discourages and tears others down. To any young person who may read this, please continue pushing forward w/ gaining knowledge and wisdom and finding avenues to use what you learn to shape the world around you for the better. Bitter old people like George could simply not care any less about your future, having done NOTHING of value to make the world a better place for you. They simply cannot relate to your ambition so they resign to posting useless drivel online.
CONGRATULATIONS! PRESS ON AND NEVER GIVE UP !
George is right about our housing problem stemming from failures of government over the years– they HAVE FAILED! How many houses have government provided for Saint Lucians over they past say 10 years or facilitated? Housing is driven by private developers which is the reason that they are so expensive– no government input.