Bamboo - Part 3

Articles Tagged with: Bamboo

5 August, 2013

Arkitrek at WOMAD

25th-28th July 2013
Charlton Park, UK
By Rich Strange

An Arkitrek team were invited to design and build a piece of playful architecture at the WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) Festival. This, the 4th such Roots Architecture Workshop (RAW4) was organised by Tangentfield.

The first day activities which centred around design, sketches and models. Everyone worked amazingly well and the ‘world cafe’ workshop tool did what it does best making sure everyone took ownership on a number of differing items and levels. The next 4 days were about material bartering and building, supplemented with extra designs as needed.

The team were excellent, some real gifted players who went over and above the call of duty. We hope that those of the team who have not worked with Arkitrek in Malaysia will be tempted out soon.

Other structures were built by teams including: Architecture Sans Frontiers, Architecture for Humanity and Center for Alaternative Technology. An Atelier hosted workshops, a Speakeasy had talks and DJ sets and there was a Theatre for performances. Arkitrek’s Canteen, nicknamed ‘Bamboolon’, was used by loads of people as a space for a rest and chill out, which gave us time to have many more intimate chats about Arkitrek.

One upshot of the event was that The legend that is Bamboo Jack wishes to come to Borneo and assist with a proper Bamboo structure/community piece. We look forward to welcoming you, Jack! Bamboo Jack was not the only personality on the RAW4 site: Andy [red priest] Gilding of Arkitrek created a highlight when he wrapped a huge red piece of material around himself and conducted a speech like something out of 300/Spartans.

The weather was amazing and we are defo invited back next year. Lee Scratch Perry was shit but the guys from Malawi were unbelievable. Craig charles got the crowd going. But the RAW4 Speakeasy was arguably the most hip place in town. Literally having to beat the public away with a stick at 4pm. All in all hard days and hard nights and most enjoyable.

[Ed: Thanks to the seasoned Arkitrekkers: Andy Gilding, Anna Nicholls, Rich Strange and Maryam Gomary for the representay-shun. love and respect]

29 July, 2013

Bamboo Weaving at Buayan

By Nur Filzah Jamjam
Buayan: 20-26th June 2013

This workshop, led by weaving expert Joiwit from Buayan, began making woven bamboo building components for a Community Bio-cultural Heritage Centre in the Ulu Papar region of Sabah. The workshop was coordinated by Arkitrek and Global Diversity Foundation.

Joiwit introduced a selection of weaving patterns to learn throughout the workshop. Representatives of the community gathered in the balai raya (community hall) to try out the patterns with coloured paper first. Next, participants were given 2 hours to go harvesting bamboo, after which the weaving lesson started with a pattern named ‘Minangulop’.

Everyone worked on a standard panel size of 2feet x 3feet and by the end the day each had a half-completed panel.

Workshop on day two had new participants arrive and some of them used polypropylene straps for practice. Later after lunch Joiwit introduced a new pattern which is perforated and suitable for blinds.

The day two went smoothly where everybody tried to finish their panel. By the end of the day, two panels were finished.

On the last day, 23rd June, the agenda was to finish all the patterns and then learn to make a frame from bamboo tied with rattan. We also had new participants from another nearby village in the Ulu Papar area named Tiku.

After the end of the workshop everyone was keen to continue on their own to finish the panel. An extra day was needed to dry the bamboo used for framing and to fully complete the panel.

To put in a nut shell, the workshop went well and got positive feedback from the community. They enjoyed learning new patterns from each other and are motivated to develop this as an enterprise opportunity. They also started to imagine the weavings being used on the proposed Bio-cultural Centre building and are looking forward to the project.

4 March, 2013

Bamboo Weaving with the Murut

Rahim Mudin writes about a recent design workshop with the Murut community at Kampung Maligan, near Sipitang in the South of Sabah. The 3 days workshop focused on the production of woven bamboo panels for building construction.

Traditionally the Murut woven motifs are used for small items & accessories such as baskets, traditional baby carriers and mats. Integrating woven bamboo and rattan into building components can promote Murut culture & arts in a new way. The villagers were inspired to give it a go after learning about the Arkitrek design for the Mantanani Community Centre, that uses bamboo panels made by the Rungus community in the North of Sabah.

The workshop started with an introduction of bamboo woven panels. Photographs and stories were shared from the Mantanani project. The characteristics & specification of a bamboo panel that could be used to create a wall were discussed. Durability and scale were discussed, as well as design concerns such as ventilation, lighting and maintenance. The villagers were very interested and keen to explore a development of their traditional weaving that could give them an additional economic income.

Work started with small groups of people painting bamboo with natural colours; splitting & shaving the bamboo strips to the specific width & thickness required. The weaving process began with me asking them to make a gap between each bamboo strips for ventilation & lighting purposes. Even though it was difficult for them the first time, the process went smoothly, as the villagers followed the brown paper guide that I had brought along as a sample with exact measurements. For framing, rattan was used and the rattan strings used to tie up the panel.

By the end, we managed to produce 5 panels of bamboo weaving that would be suitable for a building façades. Now that the principles of what is required is understood by the weavers, we hope to work further with them to introduce more of the traditional Murut motifs. The final product will be integrated with our design for the Avantha Rainforest Recreation & Education Centre. Our thanks to all the weavers of Kg Maligan who took part.

8 October, 2012

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!

Mantanani Kindergarten Roof Goes Up

[Ed: battling severe weather, Arkitrekkers Tan Zhen Ron and Nick Nearchou oversee the successfull raising of the roof on Mantanani Kindergarten. This landmark stage in the project was enabled by volunteers from Chevaliar College, New South Wales and as always, the whole construction operation is propped up with lashings of wry humour and hard work from Albi, Hashim and Jai of Camp Mantanani]

Raising The Roof

5th–10th December 2011. Photographs showing progression of the roof in sequence. All purlins were laid by the local construction boys before the volunteers arrived. Onduline roof sheets were fitted over 3 consecutive days (due to frequent heavy downpours). The volunteers helped passing the panels up to the local boys.

Concrete Blocks Steps

Arrangement of interlocking masonry units (left) which was laid by the previous volunteers to make entrance steps. The new [improved] arrangement (right) was supervised by Nick. A cement mixing session followed and a total of 2 courses of concrete blocks were laid with a 10mm bedding joint of cement mortar to bind concrete blocks. The concrete block steps are filled with layers of compacted earth, broken blocks and gravel alternatively. The masonry block units are finished with a thin cement render for a smooth finish.

Photographs show the layering of gravels and compacted soil in between the concrete masonry units.

Photograph above shows both the surface of the stair before and after the cement render is applied. Local construction worker, Hashim demonstrates the technique to smoothen the cement render with a trowel.

Photographs above show the large gap between the concrete masonry unit with the wooden post due to a shortage of blocks. On Nick’s advice, we have decided that this gap here has to be filled with concrete instead of cement only to ensure strength at the corner edge.

Wall Plastering

Volunteers were briefed on cement render mixing by Nick and Zhen Ron. The volunteers worked on the remaining wall plastering at the toilet and store rooms. Albi demonstrated the right technique to render the wall with a trowel. The surface of the trowel has to be rinsed with water frequently in order to get a smooth cement render. Due to the unexpected heavy downpour, some parts of the cement render were being washed away.

The volunteers are applying cement render with Albi demonstrating beside them. The boys are very much proud with their rendering technique.

There are still 3 cubicles to be rendered. We will leave this task to the next group of volunteers:)

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