Building for Conservation
This article appeared in the community section of IB World Magazine, the official magazine of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) September 2012 edition.
View PDF
Related posts
%RELATEDPOSTS%
Why Design/Build?
by Anna Nicholls
Trying raw sea urchin on the beach; finding design solutions with skilled craftsmen; going snorkeling to check out a local friends’ ‘pet giant clams’ and the exciting moment of installing the first bamboo woven panels on the Mantanani Community Learning Centre. The past few months interning for Arkitrek have been exciting and varied!
Staying on (and on!) after participating as part of the Arkitrek Camp2 team, I helped with the development of additional Bunkhouses and the continuation of the Community Learning Centre with the many Camps International volunteers on Mantanani Island as well as, visiting other Arkitrek project sites. What has really struck me during this time are the enormous benefits of getting stuck in to hands-on design and build projects and actually ‘making’ architecture.
REALITY
Working in real places, with real clients, on real projects, using real materials and having real budgets lessened the disparity between studying architecture and working in practice. Saying this, living in a place of such natural beauty and throwing myself into a completely different way of life did feel a bit surreal at times!
COLLABORATION
During the internship, I have tried to play the part of Architect, Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager and Builder. However, the construction work on Mantanani projects is really sustained by local craftsmen; Albi, Hashim and Normin. It was a privilege to work alongside them. Being able to incorporate their insights into our proposals really bridged the gap between innovative design and the vernacular.
Working in this participatory situation, also highlighted to me the importance of designing with the user in mind. I previously worked in an office on projects for commercial property developers designing housing as a commodity, but never actually having any contact with the real client, the inhabitants. It was refreshing to work directly with the client and users of the buildings – Camps International and the community of Mantanani.
ENVIRONMENTAL/ SOCIAL RESPONSE
Before coming to Sabah, most socio-environmental issues were just something I’d read about in articles. On Mantanani, waste dumping and fish bombing are some of the unsustainable practices carried out due to poor understanding of the impacts and the marginalized financial status of the local people. These saddening practices soon became very real. Hearing fish bombing underwater when scuba diving near the island really ‘blasts’ the reality of it into you! In regards to preserving resources, much of the Mantanani community do not think past the present. This is difficult with resources such as water, which seems so plentiful now but with no quantitative data it is hard to tell if the island could one day dry up as the population continues to grow, tourism grows and availability of modern day technologies such as washing machines increases.
Hopefully, buildings such as the Community Learning Centre and the Camp2 rainwater harvesting roof could help raise awareness of more sustainable practices, so that the local community can help decide what should be done.
BEING RESOURCEFUL MANTANANI STYLE!
Transporting materials (and waste) on and off the remote island was often tricky. It is therefore necessary to be resourceful with what there is. We would sometimes pick up disused flip flops from the beach and re-wear them ourselves! I saw that coconuts had many different uses. After project work, we went to the coconut groves to drink ‘air kelapa’ (coconut water). One of my favourite foods is kaya (coconut jam). I spent a very memorable afternoon hanging out on the porch of Normin’s house in the village with the whole family, including babies in sarong cradles, learning how to make ‘minyak kelapa’ (coconut oil). We were taught how to weave coconut leaves into panels to clad the Camp2 bunkhouse and at Hari Riya we wove small baskets out of young coconut leaves to cook rice in.
Regarding project work, understanding the value of materials was essential. We had to be creative by building with what could be thought of as ‘waste’ materials, from reclaiming timber that was left over from orders in previous years to using tin cans. This resourcefulness is something I want try to continue with now that I am home.
TESTING!
The projects provided a unique testing ground for trying out ideas on a small scale, for example building with alternative sustainable materials, such as driftwood.
RELATING TO SCALE
Working on design and build projects really heightened my sense of spatial awareness in a way that would not be possible by just working on drawings in a studio or office, where sensitivity to location, material texture and space can be lost. I was surprised by how seemingly small differences in measurements could make a large difference to how it felt to inhabit a space.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Although the level of autonomy over the projects could sometimes be daunting, it meant I developed the confidence to make design decisions and to be more firm about how I wanted things done (thanks to some help from Camp Manager, Aida!). Working in a situation without any building regulations meant my own decisions had to be made about what was safe or not. However, I have a tendency to waste time worrying because I don’t want to make mistakes. I found that after talking through a worry I had on the building site with local workers, the result of the conversation would be ‘tiada masalah!’ (no problem!).
Above all, it’s been a lot of fun! I arrived in Borneo with little experience in construction work. There have been a few occasions when Albi, the village chief on Mantanani, has amusedly shaken his head, taken a hammer out of my hands and proceeded to do the job himself! Therefore, aside from everything else, I have certainly learnt some practical skills. I am now even feeling inspired to take up more building crafts, especially carpentry/ joinery, both because I loved doing it and have realised how useful it is to know about how design relates to the craftsmanship of architectural details. It’s hard to be creative unless you know how things work to start with!
The challenges of these projects have made the experience even more worthwhile for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Sabah. Thank you so much to everyone at Camps International, on Mantanani and especially at Arkitrek for this brilliant opportunity and for being so welcoming!
Related posts
%RELATEDPOSTS%
Small is Festival
Text and photos by Martin Lambie
Arkitrekkers Andy, Richard, Sally, Maryam, Lewis, Adam and myself headed up the team dispatched to represent our great organisation at the Small Is Festival a few weekends ago. The festival, organised by Practical Action in partnership with Engineers Without Borders, gathers several hundred people together every year to celebrate the ideas of distinguished philosopher E. F. Schumacher who in his 1973 book “Small Is Beautiful: a study of economics as if people mattered” encouraged people to share, learn and be inspired by sustainable living, international development and appropriate technology.
The team arrived from all corners of the UK to set up camp amongst the festival-goers in the grounds of the Schumacher Centre, a former stately home in rural Warwickshire. We were struck by the eclectic mix of people and friendly atmosphere at the festival and, fuelled by veggie curry and a beer or many, soon got stuck into enjoying the evening’s musical entertainment. Lewis, Richard and I escaped the music for a short while to stencil the Arkitrek logo onto 7 red t-shirts (and a lighting engineer’s chest who took a fancy to the logo!). Later, the boys showcased their fire-lighting skills back at the campsite, designing and building a multitude of twig and smouldering paper arrangements until finally one of them decided to burn.
After a cooked breakfast courtesy of the ever prepared Mr Andy Gilding, day one of the workshop began. Titled “Design and build a Penan Jungle Camp”, our workshop aimed to emulate one of the amazing Arkitrek camps happening next year, in which participants will design and construct a contemporary camp for trekking tourism with the Penan tribe deep in the rainforests of Sarawak – contact us for more details.. We kicked off the activities by building a replica of a traditional jungle camp known as a Pondok, guided by the reports written and sketches drawn by Arkitrekker Sarah Greenlees who visited the Penan a few months ago.
The structure consists of two key elements: a raise timber living platform (sometimes including a stretcher bed) and a roof of simple timber frame and sheltered by a thatch of large rainforest leaves or, more commonly these days, substituted by a tarpaulin. Being without a rainforest to find huge leaves, we opted for the latter, and as the roof frame began to rise, the first volunteers eager to get their hands dirty joined the construction efforts.
We were running the only workshop at the festival to span the entire weekend, so various activities ran continuously throughout the day. This allowed participants to come and go as they pleased whilst us red-t-shirted-people mucked in or answered questions from curious passers-by.
Saturday afternoon saw us run a design session with participants young and old to brainstorm and get some ideas down on paper for the new rainforest camp. The brief required the design to respond to it’s environment, be comfortable, durable and visually striking to promote responsible community-based tourism. Amongst the many fantastic ideas, triangular designs seemed to be favoured owing to their simplicity, efficient use of materials, and effective shedding of rainwater.
Later in the afternoon at the other side of the workshop area, Rokiah Yaman of Creative Health Lab (and friend of Arkitrek) was speaking at the biogas workshop and was joined by our very own Maryam to talk about our biogas camp next year at Borneo Sunbear Conservation Centre – contact us for more details.
Day two picked up where we left off the previous day: model making, to explore a few ideas in three dimensions before taking on the full size build. With a rough twin pyramidal design in our heads following the triangle themed ideas thrown around the previous day, a group of us downed craft-knives, foamboard and UHU glue in favour of saws, timber poles and sisal rope to get cracking on the full size mock up.
As a group, with the help of many volunteers, we discussed and designed whilst we built, lashing posts, tying tension supports, stringing up a tarpaulin hammock, sawing timber to size, building steps and laying the floor.
By the end of the day we had a magnificent new jungle camp prototype which (somewhat surprisingly given our makeshift design method) fit the brief really quite well we thought. The frame could be clad in anything from tarpaulin to wooden boards, the lightweight structure can be moved easily and materials are used efficiently only touching the ground at three points, which minimises the number of foundations and access routes for creepy crawlies. A fireplace could be lit under the overhanging roof and the triangular plan might be rotated and repeated to either create an internal courtyard or rainwater collection at its centrepoint. But above all, it was an enjoyable weekend for everyone involved and it marks a starting point for the lucky few who go to the rainforests of Sarawak next year.
And if you’re wondering what happened to the shelter after the festival, we hear that one of our young helpers persuaded his dad to rebuild it in their garden! Does this mark Arkitrek’s first building in the UK? If you have our shelter in your garden please get in touch, we’d love to see some photos!
Related posts
%RELATEDPOSTS%
Learning the Rungus way
By Yeong Kam Loong
Architecture volunteering is something I always wanted to try. My 3 months working in Sabah was a great experience and made me realise that it takes more than goodwill and skills to be in that position. I could have performed better if I was more mentally prepared. Allow me to explain:
I was posted in Camp Tinangol, Sabah to assist the construction of a kindergarten project and conduct experiments on concrete-alternative material called coco-crete which include test blocks and test wall. To coordinate between the camp staff and gappers (gap year students) was quite a challenge to me as an introvert with lessons learnt along the way. One of the major project issues throughout the internship period is materials; they just don’t arrive on time for some reasons. The camp staff and I working at the site were always anxious when material delivery is consistently delayed from one deadline to another deadline. What I realized by the end of internship is that things might not be that bad if I’ve been more firm in dealing with the person involved in this mess.
So we had to be resourceful when there was not much resource left at site and with gappers checking in group after group. Making sure the gappers had enough work at the site is our responsibility as they do not pay to be there for nothing. This is where I’ve learnt resourcefulness from Mann, the master builder a.k.a project supervisor in terms of planning adequate construction works for them throughout their stay with remaining materials left from the previous purchase order. What amazed me is that they remained cheerful despite the unresolved problems were staring at us in the face. The reason?
‘Kalau kerja muka sedih kerja jadi susah, kerja muka happy baru senang’
“work will just get difficult if you face it with a sad face, it will only get easier if you do it with a happy face” according to John, one of the camp staff. Lesson learnt? Don’t take problems too seriously.
Working at the kindergarten site was a humbling experience which exposed me to lots of hands-on construction knowledge that we don’t normally get from working in the office. It feels healthier for me to sweat at the site doing shoveling, sawing, mixing concrete, sometimes under the sun than staring at the computer screen working on drawings for 8 hours in the comfort of air-conditioned office. We were able to do some design changes as we discovered parts that can be enhanced as we go along the construction process, something which is hard to be done in conventional building practice.
The Tinangol village consists of people from the indigenous Rungus tribe. Rice wine is something you can’t miss when you are there. With alcohol as part of their culture plus globalization of the alcohol goods nowadays, don’t be amazed if you see Label 5, Johnny Walker plus some local brand whiskeys pops out in some local wedding ceremony in the village. Alcohol aside, they are cheerful, chatty people who know how to make life simpler and happier despite living in poverty, where the notion ‘poverty’ is judged based on how well they fit-in with Capitalism, not by self-sustainability. Salleh, one of the staff shared his view with me: kita kulit warna beza, tapi darah sama merah (we might not have the same color of skin, but our blood is equally red), meaning we should treat each other as brothers and sisters despite the difference of skin color we have.
The material for the test wall finally arrived in the last week of my stay in the camp. It turned out that we did not have enough lime to fill in the final quarter portion of the test wall. We tried to find alternative supply but were unsuccessful. It was disappointing to leave the test wall incomplete due to ordering inadequate lime. I should have questioned more the information in the BQ and not relied so much on the information gathered from concrete formulas and concrete calculator in the internet.
It was not a successful experience, which is why I hesitate for quite some time before writing this blog. Hope that the mistakes I have done here can be served as a bad example to be avoided by other volunteers in the future. It did not stop me from engaging volunteer works again in the future, but I will do it when I’m better prepared. Many thanks to Ian, Sarah, and Zhen Ron for their guidance and hospitality during my stay in Sabah. Great to know that the kindergarten is making good progress under Lewis Kelly, keep up the good work!
Ian: I disagree that this was ‘not a successful experience’. I understand that not completing the test wall in the time available was disappointing, however the experience gained in the process was outstanding. Learning to balance being ‘more firm’ with a ‘muka happy’ and to ‘question more’ shows great maturity. Thank you Loong, for your humility, hard work and dedication and thank you also for sharing your experience.
BSBCC Composting
by Maryam Gomary
After working in the office for the past two years I finally got a chance to get some hands on experience. When Arkitrek asked me to facilitate volunteers from Camps International I could not wait to get on the site and get my hands dirty. I was based in Sepilok working by the forest edge at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). I had 35 Volunteers and 2 local Sabahans in total to help me to build a composting area for the Sun Bears’ daily wastage plus a board walk for the new forest enclosure. I had four weeks and a limited budget, gapper volunteers with no construction background and some basic tools to start this project. It was all back to basics.
Before we were introduced to sun bears by BSBCC staff not many of us knew what a sun bear was or the danger they are facing due to us humans. During work it was so easy to get lost in my own world at times and forget where I was, until I would realise there was a sun bear next to me in their enclosure, I could just watch them for hours. Some of the volunteers were really engaged with the cause of what we were doing and worked really hard. We were working 7 days a week at times on the site under the Malaysian heat.
We started with clearing the site which everyone got really involved with cutting all the undergrowth and moving all the rubbish off the site then we moved on to making the ground ready for our concrete slab. It sounded easy but without proper tools it seemed impossible at times. To begin with we put 10 tonnes of aggregate on to the muddy looking site which disappeared soon after. We tried different techniques for compacting, at the end we got a huge piece of Ironwood tree trunk which is extremely heavy and made a few handles suitable for 4 people to pick up and drop on the ground. By the end the group was calling compacting the ‘C word’, we all had enough of compacting. After 20 tonnes of aggregate and days of compacting we managed to get the base ready for the concrete slab.
After we had our slab ready it was time to put the posts up. We were using reclaimed Ironwood which made it very difficult to find the right length or thickness of material. We had to put a few pieces together to make the posts into the right size. Cutting these timbers took hours and every time we put a piece together there was a problem with another one. They were either cut incorrectly or rotten from inside which meant more searching and more cutting. This was a really long process finally they were all ready to go up. Watching the first structure going up in the air was a great moment and very rewarding. The team were great…they were willing to stay behind and work hard some even came on the site to help me out on their day off. We even had BSBCC staff helping out mixing concrete; don’t get me wrong it has been really challenging working with some of the volunteers as not everyone had the same attitude and enthusiasm.
Next we moved on to making our six composting bins 1.5meter by 1.2meter rectangles made out of bricks. During the brick laying we had a visit from one of the Orang-utans. He decided to help the group with brick lying. He must have watched the group from far and decided to get involved however he managed to destroy some of the work the group done that day. This was not the only visit we had from the orang-utans. Watching the orang-utans trying to copy us humans, is really amusing, sometimes it`s hard to believe how cleaver they are and how similar they are to us. They can open your water bottle, drink from it, put the lid back on and put it back where it was.
Not only working in Sepilok was completely different and exciting but also was living in a local house. I was waking up every morning to the sound of our cock and trying to run away from our 2 dogs and a cat while eating my dinner in the veranda… Sometimes I had to sit on the railing where the cat could not reach my plate to have my dinner. The Veranda was my favourite place in the house, a great view towards the forest also a great spot for bird watching.
Working on this project was really challenging at times, I had to make decisions on the site and come up with solutions right away. This has been a great challenge as I have become more independent and more confident in designing and making decisions. I was working really closely with the clients as an architect, site manager, contractor, QS, engineer and a builder at times. Not only have I developed my technical skills but also working in a group and managing the volunteers has also been a great experience. I have been stretched mentally and physically at times. However without the challenges it would have not been the same experience. After a hard day it was really rewarding to see every part or pieces being put together. The experience I achieved is unforgettable and very enjoyable. I will miss all the people that I met in Sabah for the past 4 months and special thanks to Ian and the Arkitrek team to give me this opportunity.
Ed: Now that Maryam and her teams have done all the hard work, this project will be easily finished off by BSBCC staff and individual volunteers
Related posts
%RELATEDPOSTS%