Well, new since a certain slacker last updated, anyway.

Nepal: Orphanage bunkbeds: In the next month to month and a half, we need designs for bunkbeds for a room that is 23′ by 15′ by 10′ high, for at least 13 (and up to 20) children and teenagers.

In August, we heard a presentation [...]]]> NEW PROJECTS

Well, new since a certain slacker last updated, anyway.

Nepal: Orphanage bunkbeds: In the next month to month and a half, we need designs for bunkbeds for a room that is 23′ by 15′ by 10′ high, for at least 13 (and up to 20) children and teenagers.

In August, we heard a presentation from a man who was in Nepal back in January, working with a friend who is doing work there to help people who were formerly slaves. There are many orphans in the area as well, due largely to civil war.

This project is for an orphanage in Tikapur that currently houses 13 orphans. The people who run the orphanage do not have the resources to provide bunkbeds, closets, or other kinds of clothing or personal storage for the children. Since this is going to be home for the children until they are adults, we are being asked to design simple bunkbed/storage structures that can be easily built with available materials, and provide them with some space that they can call their own.

Materials available: metal pipe, bamboo, and teak.

A simple structure that a hammock could be hung from is a possibility; the designs do not have to have a flat platform for a mattress.

Jason is going back to Nepal in January, and needs the designs in the next month or two so that the materials can be prepared by the time he arrives. That way, he and a small team can quickly assemble the beds in the short time they will be there.

Bring designs to the next meeting, or email info AT afhb DOT org.

For more information, check out Gateway to Nepal and True Stories from Nepal.

Boomerangs renovation, Jamaica Plain: Boomerangs is a resale store based in JP. Their proceeds go to the Aids Action Committee of Massachusetts. After many successful years, and opening new locations, they need to renovate their flagship store in JP.

Some of the issues are lighting, flooring, and general flow through the space.

Two weeks ago, several AfHB members went to the store to gather information on initial conditions, and there will be another meeting soon to proceed from there. We have a Google site set up for documents; drop us a line at info AT afhb DOT org if you want to get involved.

Haiti Design Competition: A group of Wentworth students recently went to Haiti to meet with people there and identify a site for a design competition for a memorial. They met with the mayor of Leogane, where the epicenter of the earthquake was, and people who work for the First Lady, and have their support to design something for two different sites in Leogane. The Mayor and First Lady will be judges of the competition, which will need to end at the end of this year. They need a design (at the schematic level) chosen by January, when a new President will take office.

One of the sites is at the entrance to Leogane, and could be made more of a grand entrance. Some of the most desired structures/designs for the site are a marketplace, history museum, and something for children. There is a great deal of culture and history to consider, much of which has little attention paid to it at the moment, while the country is still rebuilding.

Some of the construction considerations are that Haiti has very little access to steel or wood (trees are cut down for charcoal for cooking), but most concrete construction there is not sturdy enough to withstand earthquakes.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Kenya: Nyayo Village Housing Study : Sia recently returned from a site visit and showed us a lot of pictures of the site and surrounding area. She was able to make some blog updates during part of her trip, depending on whether or not she had internet access. There is also a project site on the Open Architecture Network where we will be sharing documents and designs.

ASH is working on setting up a small building as a dispensary (primarily a pharmacy), which will probably be completed fairly soon, faster than we can really be involved.

Our project will be to work with a farmer in Nyayo Village to improve one of the mud sleeping houses on his property.  Some of the issues that will need to be addressed are ventilation, light and water seeping underneath the house.  Because this is a mud house for sleeping, there is no kitchen. However, the project should take the kitchen into consideration because many of the families in Nyayo only have one house where they sleep and cook.  Eventually, the proposed solution will be adapted for implementation in the rest of the village.  The proposed solution should take into consideration the income of the residents, climate, local resources and the lifestyle of the people.

The house is built using techniques very common in the area: small wooden posts provide vertical supports, and corn stalks or similar materials are woven around the vertical supports to form the walls. The walls are then covered with mud. If the owners can afford, sometimes a more durable layer is applied over the mud (sometimes concrete, sometimes another type of less common and more expensive soil). Heavy rains – and flooding – mean this very common type of structure needs to be repaired several times a year.

Other challenges: termites will eat the wooden supports and the thatch; other animals, including rats and snakes, may live in the thatch; for security reasons, only very small holes are left in the walls (keep out people and animals). Most people cannot afford to buy metal grates to block larger windows, and in the winter, they are often completely blocked to keep cold air out.

Long Way Home: The project is continuing. Mike and Erica will be co-teaching a practice studio at the BAC related to the project.

Carter School Accessibility Project: AfHB will be working as a peer review team to the BAC studio class that is continuing their work on the Carter School.

PROJECTS (mostly) COMPLETED OR ON HOLD

Upward Bound Dome Project: We successfully set up a dome at MassArt! And then took it down again. Pictures and a longer write-up are forthcoming.

90 Windsor Street Community Center: The NOMA Conference will be in Boston from October 7-9, and will be using the project as a charette exercise. We will continue to work with UNLR to help them with fundraising.

Nyaya Health Center: Is on hold until we get a new point person with the time to work on it.

IN ADDITION

MIT CoLab – Haiti: We heard a presentation from Kristal Peters from MIT’s CoLab, about the work they are doing in Haiti. They sent a team to Haiti to look into development of housing, including property rights, construction techniques, redevelopment, and housing policy.

They met with groups in three different communities. In addition to housing, water and sanitation are serious concerns, and alternative energy is also of interest.

Honduras: We also heard a brief update from a returning attendee who has been spending time in Honduras, working on housing. He is working with the Episcopal Bishop to develop 120 affordable housing units, along the lines of the Katrina Cottage.

South Sudan: One of our attendees is returning soon to his home country, South Sudan, where he will be working on housing, which is immensely expensive. Similarly to the CoLab, he will be taking on a facilitator or point person role, identifying and connecting donors, architects, government organizations, etc., to work on affordable housing projects.

He also recently met a Norwegian architect who has done design work in Africa, and developed aluminum poles that can be used in place of wooden poles for the construction of traditional housing, like that in Kenya.

Our annual 5k fundraiser, held on one of the most beautiful May 1sts ever, raised over $5,000 for Architecture for Humanity. Thanks to all the runners and volunteers for coming out and making this a success!

The AfHB Concrete Cup was snatched from Sasaki Associates by this year’s team champions – Behnisch Studio East, [...]]]> EVENTS

Our annual 5k fundraiser, held on one of the most beautiful May 1sts ever, raised over $5,000 for Architecture for Humanity. Thanks to all the runners and volunteers for coming out and making this a success!

The AfHB Concrete Cup was snatched from Sasaki Associates by this year’s team champions – Behnisch Studio East, who narrowly beat The Green Engineer. The top school team was from Tufts. All race results at this link.

Common Boston is coming up, 17-17 June, and 90 Windsor St. will be a part of it. See the Common Boston site for more details. Common Build, a quick design-build event, is happening again as part of Common Boston; the projects will be focused on wayfinding.

PROJECTS

Upward Bound Project: We are still looking for a good place to set up the dome. “Good place” means large enough, secure, and close to public transit. Several new options came up and people are looking into them.

We also discussed what to use to cover the dome (we already have the bamboo for the structure), and are considering using plastic grocery bags, fused together with clothing irons, to create the cover. Regular tarps, or an old parachute, are another possibility, but the fused grocery bags could give us the opportunity to build a solar oven to use instead of the irons; if this works, this might be a feasible method to use in the Kitale housing project.

Kenya – Housing in Kitale slums: We may be able to use the geodesic dome as a housing method. ASH might be looking at a different region of Kitale for the project, and not the Kipsongo slums, but regardless, we will need a way to construct housing with the materials on hand.

90 Windsor Street Community Center: The project package is just about finalized; we need to get an estimate, and then it can be sent out as an RFP! It will also be a stop on Common Boston’s tours.

Long Way Home: Erica is still in Guatemala. They want to get their buildings documented in CAD, for presentation purposes, and would like our help. They are also going to need design proposals for additional projects.

OTHER

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We heard about two recent events, PechaKucha for Haiti, and a karaoke fundraiser for Haiti.

At PechaKucha for Haiti, we heard several interesting presentations, including one from a group at MIT that is helping people in squatter villages map their own communities using cameras attached to balloons. This helps the residents [...]]]> EVENTS, PAST AND FUTURE

We heard about two recent events, PechaKucha for Haiti, and a karaoke fundraiser for Haiti.

At PechaKucha for Haiti, we heard several interesting presentations, including one from a group at MIT that is helping people in squatter villages map their own communities using cameras attached to balloons. This helps the residents claim the space they are living in, and we are thinking about using this in the Kenya project (read on for more on that!).

Karaoke for Haiti was a big success! We had a great turnout, raised $1000 through a fun and whacky raffle, and got some incriminating video to boot.

Our next event, May 1, is the annual 5k fundraiser. The BSA and Sasaki are going to be our main sponsors, and we still welcome additional sponsors.

We still need a t-shirt design! Please bring your brilliant ideas to the next meeting (April 8), or else we will be seeing the star design from the first two races again.

We also need help getting food donations so we can feed the runners and volunteers.

Entertainment at the event will be provided by the Woodrow Wilsons, a local band.

COMPETITIONS

USGBC – Natural Talent: We have a group signed up as a student team.

PROJECTS

Upward Bound Project: Erica Pernell of Upward Bound at UMass Boston is looking for interns to work with Upward Bound and the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury. Interns need to be 18-25 years old and interested in youth leadership and gardening. There is a small stipend and a $1000 educational grant at the end of the internship. Erica can be reached at erica.pernell AT umb DOT edu.

We also need a space to do the geodesic dome construction. The dome will be 12 feet in diameter, so the space needs to allow that. Outdoor is fine, but we also need a secure indoor space to store materials for a few days while the build is happening. A few possible options were discussed, but if you have a suggestion, please email it to: info AT afhb DOT org.

We're looking at the dome (built from bamboo and wire ties) as a design that may work for Haiti. Bamboo is grown there to help with erosion problems, but we've also heard that it can be invasive. At any rate, it will be a fun and interesting project, whether we use bamboo or another cheap raw material for the struts.

Kenya – Kipsongo Housing: We are working with the Ambassadors for Sustained Health to develop a sustainable housing model for the Kipsongo slums near Kitale, Kenya. The model should address local building methods and available resources so that the residents can replicate it with little or no cost. The ideal model would have no cost, considering that the Kipsongo residents are extremely poor. They are looking for a good map at a cheap price of the area, but in the meantime, developing our own base on the information we have gathered, and we are going to connect with the MIT aerial mapping group. We are also looking into Kitale's waste building materials and low-cost alternative building methods. We hope to do a site visit in August.

The project team is currently in the site research phase and scheduled to meet on March 24th at Wentworth Institute of Technology. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact Sia Herr at: sia.her24 AT gmail DOT com.

90 Windsor Street Community Center: We have very exciting news on this project! The team is putting the final touches on the book, which will be used for fundraising. The project is also going to be submitted to the NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) competition, and at the end of this month, members of the team are going to the Structures for Inclusion conference at Howard University.

Another possible construction method for Haiti: We heard from a local builder about a method using large foam sheets and sprayed-on concrete. Some houses using the method have already been built in Haiti (also Arizona, Hawaii, and Mexico), but none – yet! – in the Boston area. There are lots of pictures at the company website.

The foam is EPS, styrofoam like you see in coffee cups, and the concrete is regular concrete plus a special polymer which keeps moisture out. This type of foam is also used in shipping containers, as filler so things don't rattle around during transit (so there may be unwanted foam just lying around in port areas?). The concrete is sprayed on 1/4-1/2 inch thick on walls, and 1/2 inch on the roof. Roof spans can go up to 100 feet! It is a quick method – the foam is glued together, and held to the foundation with rebar – and inexpensive. A 400s.f. house in Mexico was built for $2500. The interior of the structure can be finished with plaster. It is also sturdy – the construction has survived 400mph winds in wind tunnels, and has passed all ICC ratings.

This might also be useful for the Guatemala project, the roof in particular, as that part of the structure has not been easy to work out with the materials they are using.

AIAS – Accessibility Project: We may be working with the AIAS on a project with the Carter School. They want an accessible pool; when the weather get a little nicer, we are planning on doing a tour.

Other projects: We didn't have any news to report on Long Way Home or Nyaya, and little on Tanzania. One of our members has done some research on Tanzania, but we need to know more about the precise site, which hasn't been chosen yet, before we can proceed further.

OTHER THINGS

Build Boston workshop: Build Boston is coming up! In November. But we need a proposal for our workshop really soon! By March 19. Perhaps we will demonstrate how to build a geodesic dome? Send other ideas to mike AT afhb DOT org. 

Not a meeting note, but a request from the person responsible for the website: Please send me pictures! And correction/additions, more information on projects, etc. Email me at: cat AT aq DOT org. Thanks!

PechaKucha for Haiti, February 20, at MIT. See the event page to register and for more details. We will be presenting slides provided by Architecture for Humanity. Read more about this global event at the main PechaKucha for Haiti site.

Karaoke for Haiti at Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square. We are sponsoring a [...]]]> UPCOMING EVENTS

PechaKucha for Haiti, February 20, at MIT. See the event page to register and for more details. We will be presenting slides provided by Architecture for Humanity. Read more about this global event at the main PechaKucha for Haiti site.

Karaoke for Haiti at Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square. We are sponsoring a Karaoke for Haiti Night on Tuesday, March 9, at 8:00pm. Come down and see us make fools of ourselves to raise money for Haiti!

Our fifth annual 5k will be Saturday, May 1, 10:00a.m. at Artesani Park! There is plenty of time to get in shape and come run with us! You can register online now. We also need volunteers to help out with organizing, securing entertainment and refreshments, and designing this year's t-shirt – email michael@afhb.org.

COMPETITIONS

USGBC – Natural Talent Competition: The USGBC and Salvation Army have teamed up to sponsor a design competition for a small, green, affordable 800sf (max) residence for an elderly couple in the Broadmoor area of New Orleans. We would like to put together a team or two for this competition. See the website at the Open Architecture Network for more details.

We can put together student teams, emerging professional teams, or mixed teams, and judging from the interest at the meeting, may be able to do more than one! At least one member of the group is working on another New Orleans project for school, and is planning to visit the area again soon. Email info@afhb.org to let us know you want to join a team.

PROJECTS

Haiti Earthquake & Upward Bound: We are planning to work on an emergency shelter project with students of Upward Bound. We are going to build a geodesic dome structure using bamboo, wire tires, and fabric. This will be a demonstration/learning project for building a sturdy structure fast out of cheap materials. We are going to try to have it ready to set up at the 5k on May 1.

Boston University – Kenya project: We got a detailed presentation from a student group at BU that would like to work with us to find a solution to a serious health problem faced by a group of extremely poor people living in Kitale, Kenya. They are living in housing built from whatever materials they can find (trash, mostly), and have no solid flooring. This leads to their feet becoming infested with a parasitic arthropod called a jigger; this can lead to severe disfigurement, inability to walk, and additional infections. We need to do research to figure out what kinds of materials these people have access to, and how those materials can be used to provide flooring in their shelters that will keep the jiggers out. One of the students has already spent time in Kitale providing medical support, and she will be traveling there again this summer.

Long Way Home – Guatemala: Erika Temple is back in Guatemala, working on the rammed earth tire school project.

AIAS – Accessibility: A local AIAS chapter is looking for a project with an accessibility project. One possibility is to work with a school to make their swimming pool accessible. We may do a field trip to this site when the weather gets a little warmer.

Nyaya Health – Bayalpata Hospital: Nyaya Health has moved into the hospital; we will continue to work with them to program their expansion into the remaining buildings on site. During a previous meeting, we learned that one of the great benefits they are providing is free health care to women and their children.

Tanzania School Project: AfHB is working with a nonprofit called Chris Cares that is planning to build a school in Tanzania. We are working on researching Arusha, Tanzania, and a preliminary program.

90 Windsor Street Community Center: We have been working with the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury to redesign their abandoned building at 90 Windsor St. into a revitalized Community Center. We are working to finish up the Design Development package that UNLR will use for fundraising and to request proposals from architects to develop the project through construction documents. We are putting together two sets of documents: one simple plan, so that they can go forward with a basic version of the project even if it does not get full funding, and one fully developed plan, with all of the features they want.

OTHER THINGS

One of our members brought a couple of books to pass around to help people get ideas for design – we want to have a section on the website to keep track of such resources. And now we do! We need more items for it! The Open Architecture Network was also mentioned as a great resource.