Looking for something to do next week?

I've got another show coming up (which is probably why the blogging has gotten a little behind)! So, if you are in the Munich area next week, come check out some cool, new artwork by yours truly, and fellow artists Kim Santomauro and Julie Galante.

München (Un)gewohnt

 

an exhibition of paintings, photography, and mixed-media work

by Julie Galante, Nutan Jäger, and Kim Santomauro

 

werkstatt-galerie

Zentnerstr. 3

80798 Munich

 

24 - 27 October 2012

Wed - Fri 13:00 - 18:30

Sat 10:00 - 12:00

 

Vernissage:

24 October 2012 from 18.00 - 21.30

The artwork explores the adopted home city of three artists who have lived here for varying amounts of time. As these outsiders slowly get to know Munich, the parts that seem familiar or unfamiliar change over time. Munich is a city that contains millions of different realities, projected on to it by each of its residents and visitors. Visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to share their reactions to what they see, both with each other and the artists, and to consider how their experience of this city differs from what others see.

No need to reinvent the wheel

Why is it that with every project I take on, I feel the need to reinvent the wheel? And this need for reinvention, especially when I'm not a expert in wheel construction, usually means a lot of time wasted on how to make a wheel, and not much of doing anything else.

So when the idea of food and water storage in rural areas came to mind, I spent way too much time thinking about it, and not nearly enough time researching it. Guess what? There are plenty of ideas out there, just need to find the best solution for my particular conditions. What are my conditions?
1) No money - whatever solution we use, it has to be as cheap as possible.
2) Local materials - has to be made locally, with readily available materials (especially those that won't kill the environment - sorry concrete).
3) Did I mention it has to be cheap?
4) It has to work well, be easy to use and maintain, with minimal skills and not be time intensive.

Studies have shown that 25-30% of all food produced is wasted due to inadequate storage. Storing food can also help small farmers, who can then afford to wait until the price goes up before selling their crop, making additional profit. But most of all, decent food storage is especially necessary in times of drought or family hardship, to keep the family fed. What I often saw in rural areas was a table in the middle of the hut, with a rice sack easily susceptible to insects, rodents, and moisture. So when that ran out and there was no money coming in, that meant there was nothing to eat.

Grain silos on a large scale are common. But that leaves the available food in the hands of smaller groups of people, who can control the costs of the grain, as well as availability. Also, if the grain is damaged in storage through pests or excess moisture, a larger amount of food is potentially wasted. Putting the storage in the hands of the people who need it makes more sense logistically and financially.

Googling the words "food" "storage" "silos" "small" came up with multiple answers that could potentially work for my needs. So far the cheapest I've read costs between $30-$100 for 500 kilos of grain, but I still need more information on how they are made and how difficult and expensive they are to use. They are made from thin metal sheets and need a low degree of workmanship to construct. As long as the grain is dry to 14%, it'll keep for a year.

Silos work well for grains, but what about other types of foods? Solar dryers don't impress me too much, because they are so pricey for one, but mostly because they dry out the food, turn it in to another form that may not be the form which is commonly eaten. If it's a new form of food, wouldn't most people be hesitant to eat it? Would it really serve it's purpose then?

Water storage is a whole other ballgame, and better left for future posts. There are so many answers to this question that the weeding out of the best ideas may take a while.


On a side note, I want to share a project that has inspired me to be more proactive with my ideas. Take a look at the ideas of a 17 year old who wants to use her photography skills to help empower women in Kenya. Donate if you can, and if not, please spread the word. It's projects like these that help keep young people interested in changing the world.

Buying mud at the hardware store?

     I went to a local building supplies store over here, called Hornbach. It's similar to a Home Depot or a Lowe's in the US, with everything you need for your home or garden project.
     Making my way through the aisles, I saw something I didn't expect to see: mud. Mud bricks, to be exact. And mud plaster, and mud flooring, and mud insulation, and some mud related hardware to go with it all. These particular products are made by a company called Grün Lehmprodukte, based in Reinheim, Germany. I have never bought or used their products (but I am tempted to) so I can't attest to their quality. But I thought the concept was an interesting one.
     Building with mud is not at all a prevalent building material over here. But it is becoming more popular for it's environmental qualities, energy efficiency, and health benefits. Grün Lehmprodukte claims that the product prevents mold formation, regulates temperature and humidity in the building, and absorbs smells and toxicities (VOCs) from the air.
     While I usually think of the adobe buildings of the American southwest when I think of mud architecture, this company has produced a product similar to how we commonly build. However, they've been able to produce their product without expending the energy needed to fire bricks to or to make concrete. Plus, they've gone one step farther, by modernizing this centuries old product. Not only can it be bought in block form for structural walls, and as a plaster to coat and protect the walls, but also in a rough powder for use a an insulating material within a wall structure or under a roof structure. They've developed a floor and a wall system that is pre-cut to be used with underfloor and in wall heating systems.
     Their website, although, only in German, can be found here: Grün Lehmproduckte.

Making Dirt

     A couple of things showed up in my inbox this week, completely unrelated, but it made me think about how to get the two together. One of them was from "sustainable cities" a part of the Danish Architecture Centre, and it was an article about how the city of Havana, with over 2.3 million inhabitants grows more than 50% of its fresh produce within its city limits. This is significant as more than half of the worlds population lives in urban areas at the moment, with almost 180,000 people moving to the city each day.
     The other mail that I found was from an organization working in Haiti called SOIL that is working to transform waste into resources. They collect human waste with the use of EcoSan toilets (for more info, see my previous post here) and turn it into organic compost. In a country wrought with soil depletion and topsoil erosion, this is especially important. Currently they have over 400,000 gallons of compost at their waste curing plants and there is plenty more of where that came from.
     This got me thinking about putting the two together. Whereas in Havana, most gardens are grown in abandoned lots or on top of crumbled houses, what can you do where there is no available land? Could you use the compost to supply the soil for roof gardens? And could you go one step further to use the newly created soil to be compressed into earthen blocks to build houses? Turning compost into compressed earthen blocks, now that puts a whole new meaning to the phrase "shittin' bricks!"
      The soil needed for compressed blocks needs a certain consistency for strength commonly made with a mixture of dirt, clay, and aggregate. But imagine a structure where all the exterior surfaces could be used to grow the food the inhabitants eat and then eventually excrete out again to produce more soil for their neighbors house.    

Munich Creative Group at Das Provisorium!

Come see some new work next week at Das Provisorium in downtown Munich!

I'll be showcasing some new pieces and some experimental work, as the theme this time is "Mixed + Media". The opening night will feature live music starting at 7pm and a free welcome drink, courtesy of Yelp.de


Here's a glimpse of what I'll be showing: 

Everything I Own

 

Confinement

Sunset in Bakultala

 

Cow thieves

     Everyone has their own personal obstacles to moving forward or achieving their goals in life, some more complicated than others to resolve. But when it comes to cultural issues or things you have learned since birth that everyone around you holds as a truth, how can you afford to believe otherwise?
     One of the issues I keep struggling with is how do you convince people to build differently to create a healthier environment even though it goes against what society tells them? I'm talking about cow thieves here, not structural or religious issues.
     When you walk through any village in rural northern Bangladesh, you'll find homes with tiny windows. They are dark and have little air circulation. And if you ask why they build that way, it's because of thieves. Everything they own is in that tiny space, so they need to protect it anyway they can. Kids still study by kerosene lamps in dark rooms, just like my father did 70 years ago. Even during the day, in full sunlight, the rooms are  Air circulation is poor, so if one family member has a respiratory illness, chances are everyone will develop it.
     Most protected of all is the family cow. They are expensive to get but can provide income through the milk they produce for a long time. I asked what about getting a big bell to put around it's neck like I've seen in Switzerland, so you know where your cows are. Apparently Bangladeshi cow thieves are incredibly smart, and can cut through those cow bell straps in the middle of the night and steal your cow while you sleep.
     So breathing clean air and keeping your eyesight isn't enough incentive to having larger windows for better light and ventilation. What would then be worth risking?

Getting Everyone Involved

     When dealing with community projects in rural areas, one of the toughest issues is long term job creation. There are generally plenty of day labor jobs available during the construction of a project, but not many long term, and not many that create transferable skills. Women are usually stuck with the more labor intensive and least paid positions, like carrying water or hauling bricks.

     Even when special care is take to hire more women, the issue that inevitably comes up is: well, who is doing what they normally do during the day at home? Getting water, preparing food, taking care of the children, etc. Erinn McGurn, Founder and Executive Director of SCALE Africa (scaleafrica.org) in Zambia, said she sometimes has problems finding women who want to work outside of the home on their projects because if they do, there isn't anyone left to take care of the household duties.

     

     That's a big issue. Generally, the person who earns the money tends to have the most to say about how it is being used. This usually makes the wishes of the wives and children less important than those of the breadwinning husbands. What I found in my discussions with the Women's Associations in Bangladesh is that even when they handed most of their income over to their husbands, the little bit that they were able to save made a huge impact in their and the children's lives.

     One story I learned about concerning women working on the construction of a  school in Bangladesh, was that the wives of the men working on the school got jealous. The solution? Hire the wives! What ended up happening was that the men started then flirting with their own wives instead, and not only added extra income to the entire family but strengthened their relationship as well.

     A new approach in community development has shifted the focus from dealing with only women or only men, to focusing on the entire family as a unit and trying to deal with everyone's hopes and aspirations, including those of the children. When the family starts to work as a unit and understands how important everyone's contributions are, the work tends to be more suitably delegated.

     The family development approach looks at where the family is now, what they have so far accomplished, what they have and what they want to achieve in 5 years. Then they look at how would it be possible to achieve those goals. What training would they need to have? How much money do they need to save? How much money can they realistically save given their current situation? What kinds of alternative sources of income would be they be interested in learning about?

     The charity approach just doesn't have long lasting results. It's a continuous circle of dependance on the kindness of strangers. And when the strangers luck runs out, so does your. Building on people's own dreams, and helping them achieve what they want, and not what an outsider thinks works well in that particular climate or culture, is the only way to insure participation from the focus group. You aren't giving them anything except for the hope and the ideas to make their dream a reality.

     For everyone's dreams to be realized, you can't leave out 50% of the population and expect their happiness to be taken care of with the trickle down effect. Everyone needs access to the power to be able to achieve their dreams. Everyone.

     

To hear more about the work Erinn is doing in Zambia check out her video:

SCALEAfrica from Erinn McGurn on Vimeo.

Pop - Up Gallery in Munich!

For those of you in the Munich area looking for something to do next Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, come check out a Pop - Up Gallery I'll be exhibiting in. We're featuring a variety of fine art, including, paintings, photography, and mixed media, as well as some musical performances and readings by local artists.

I'll be showing pictures from my last trip to Bangladesh. For a sneak peek of what I'll be showing, here's a few samples:

 

 Hope to see you there!

Public Interest Design

     Last week I went to a seminar hosted by Bryan Bell and Design Corps on the topic of Public Interest Design and SEED (Social, Economic, Environmental Design). To quote Bryan, "Public Interest Design is the practice of design with the goal that every person should be able to live in a socially, economically and environmentally healthy community." Projects that fall in this category vary as largely as housing designs do. The one commonality is that designers get actively involved in the community they are working in and the outcome generally has a greater impact on the society than just the construction of a building alone.

    The idea behind Public Interest Design is to create and architectural version of what Public Health is for doctors, or what Public Interest Law is for lawyers. Currently, about 90% of people don't have access to design services, and architects want to change that. 

     Projects highlighted by the seminar ranged from providing high school students with real life skills that not only will help them get employed, but also keep them motivated to stay in school in rural North Carolina to developing a hospital in Rwanda that not only provided training and created jobs for construction workers, but aimed to find low tech solutions to health problems such as the spread of tuberculosis by increasing air flow in sick wards and removing all interior corridors.

     They hold this seminar at different universities around the country, with different speakers each time. I was especially excited about going to this one because I had followed a few of the projects and was familiar with some of the speakers. Not only that, the seminars are limited to 35 people, so you really get the chance to hear about and discuss with the other people in the audience are doing and what challenges they face. Speakers at this seminar include:

Bryan Bell of Design Corps and SEED Co-founder, editor of Good Deeds, Good Design, and all around awesome guy

David Perkes, founder of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio which provides planning and architectural design in support of communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, and Associate Professor at Mississippi State University (wish I had a professor like him when I was in school)

Alan Plattus, founder and director of the Yale Urban Design Workshop, a community design center that undertakes design projects throughout the world, and Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Yale University (plus he's one of those professors you just love to listen to talk about anything because they know everything and they speak so eloquently)

John Folan, founder and director of the Urban Design Build Studio and Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University. He uses his classes to develop design/build projects that actively engage members of resource poor communities in the surrounding area (the amount of work done by the students in one year was incredible, but you have to wonder if any of them got any sleep in the process)

Michael Murphy, co-founder and Executive Director of MASS Design Group, a design firm geared towards improving health outcomes in resource poor communities (designed and built the Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda while earning a Master's degree at Harvard, and now, just after graduating, has 24 employees in 3 offices in 3 different countries! Seriously, who does that? The difference between him and me: he sees only solutions or opportunities for learning new things).

Anna Heringer, designer of the METI school in Rudrapur, Bangladesh (her Master's thesis) made from mud and bamboo. Winner of the Aga Khan award, and it was featured at the MOMA in New York City in the show Small Scale, Big Change. Visiting lecturer at BASEhabitat at the University of Linz, and honorary professor of the UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture Programme. Super nice woman who, when she talks about design as a way of providing dignity has a way of changing my impression of high-end design in poverty stricken areas.

Marie Aquilino, author of Beyond Shelter: Architecture and Human Dignity, and Professor of Architectural History at Ecole Speciale de l'Architecture, and recent founder of Future City Lab an international consortium concerning itself with the future of urban environments. She has been giving seminars on the architect's role in disaster prevention, mitigation and sustainable recovery as a means of developing a dialog about architecture and social justice. Awesome speaker, and as the last one in the seminar, tried to create more of a discussion of topics we'd been hearing about. Although that was interesting as well, would have loved to have heard more about the work she's been doing in Haiti.

Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H which uses "creative capital to improve communities and public education from the inside out," and author of the book Design Revolution: 100 projects that empower people. Very captivating speaker, who had a great outline of how she did/does what she and her partner do, and the good they are doing for the community they are in and most importantly how she's able to get paid to do what she does. Check out her TED talk here: Emily Pilloton, Teaching design for change

My Reading List

     I signed for a seminar on Public Interest Design in January, so I have some homework to do before then. It's being organized by Bryan Bell who edited the book Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Architecture, and is the founder and executive director of Design Corps. He is also one of the forces behind SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) certification for buildings. SEED is similar to LEED in it's evaluation of buildings, but it goes further and looks at the social and economic relevance of the project, as well as the environmental aspects.
     On the reading list for the course is his book, Good Deeds, Good Design which is a collection of essays and case studies of projects that look at projects that serve the people who normally can't afford an architect. It's an inspiring book for architects that feel the profession is letting down society by only catering to the upper echelons of society. Also on the reading list by Bell is Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism which expands on his previous book and is a guide for architects who are interested in the same issues that SEED deals with.
     Also on the list is Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People by Emily Pilloton who is the founder and Executive Director of Project H Design, a non-profit that provides humanitarian product design services. I haven't read it yet, but I'm curious to see how similar it is to Design for the Other 90% by Cynthia E. Smith, and whether or not the projects overlap.
     Lastly on the list is The Power of Pro Bono edited by John Cary. Here, again, is a compilation of 40 community based projects divided into 6 different categories: Arts, Civic, Community, Health, Education, and Housing.
     I am curious to see how these projects were funded, how involved the community is in the design, and whether or not the community is able to continue to fund the upkeep of the building after the design services go away.
     

Architecture and Health

     On my last day in Bangladesh this past trip, I sat with the director and some of the other higher-ups in the NGO I visited, and we talked about my trip, what I learned and what my ideas for the future of my project were. At that point it wasn't quite clear in my mind where I could take my research further since what I learned wasn't exactly what I expected, and the problems I saw didn't require an architecturally based doctoral thesis to fix.
     They really tried to impress on me that if I wanted to work with them further, that I should keep in mind that they focus on health, economic and family issues, not building construction. I guess I could take my (as yet undefined) building ideas and go elsewhere, but during our conversation, the issues I brought up of what I observed made us both realize that there is a common link that we share: Architecture and Health. How are the conditions of rural housing directly affecting the inhabitants physical and mental health? What can be done to improve their housing conditions in a economically sustainable way?

 Thin leaf walls, the only protection against
the cold,wind, and rain

     During my last two trips to Bangladesh, I only stayed 2 weeks, and at both times, the weather was reasonable. I avoided the monsoon in the summer and the cold weather they have in the winter, and the extreme heat they have in between. So, there was no first hand observation of how villagers lived or what health issues came up during these times. When I asked them how what they did under bad weather situations, they said they used thick jute blankets in winter, stayed inside mostly when it rained, and the heat just seemed to be something they lived with. Only one older woman complained the cold gave her arthritic type symptoms, and when that came up, other women admitted their kids had bad colds as well. But still, it was hard to judge the extent to which people were suffering, especially because no one seemed to complain.

Mold found on the exterior of the foundation

     Most of the villagers had been working with at least one NGO, and thus had access to clean sources of water and latrines. But still, I saw examples of a latrine that was built within two feet of pond, and could potentially contaminate it; leaky roofs; thin walls that couldn't possibly guard against the cold; farm animals and their fecal matter living in the same building as their owners; enclosed smoke-filled cooking areas that could cause eye and lung damage; suspicious green mold on the courtyard floor and exterior walls of houses.
     I'm thinking further study would have to include medical professionals to observe what illnesses arise, and to test if there is a connection between building materials or building conditions and people's health concerns. Are there particulate matters in the air that come from the materials or from smoke inhalation? What serious health concerns are associated with having a cow defecate and urinate in the same living quarters as their owners? How can walls be better insulated in an economically sustainable way, when the level of resources is next to nothing? 
     At this point, I have more questions than answers. But isn't that always the case? At least I feel I'm moving in the right direction.

Lampshades, continued...

     The "lampshade" from last weeks post turned out to be more like a tea light holder, but it a few things can be learned from it:
     The tapioca glue definitely hardened the material (I used layers of sheer polyester material for most of it, with a few lines of thicker cotton material). I thought the two different materials would act to stabilize each other, but when working with them while they were wet, they reacted differently - the polyester tended to cling to the balloon underneath, while the cotton became limp and couldn't hold it's own weight. 
     I had to work upside down to let the glue drip off. I'm thinking the glue was too watery, although the structure held it's shape after drying. The end product was still pretty flexible, could be flattened and then would pop back into shape, and not as brittle as I imagined.
     Since the opening at the top was smaller than that at the bottom, I turned it upside down (had I used a lightbulb I probably would have flipped it). I like the light effect I got from the tea light, but did notice the material started to burn on top, but it did not ignite (not at least during the hour I had the candle burning).
     As for other building uses, I would have to play around more with the consistency of the glue mixture and experiment with other fabric types, to get a more stable product, and would have to work on a larger scale.

Pinatas and Lampshades as Thin-Shelled Structures

        Back to the drawing board. I know my posts seem all over the place in terms of topics, but they seem to make sense in my head. So while I was trying hard to find things to do to avoid working on my proposal, I started making a lampshade. What does a lampshade have to do with ecological building, you ask (besides being a distraction from Ph.D. proposals)? Well, I'll tell you.

     Last week was my daughter's birthday, and since I've moved to Germany, I've had to make my own pinatas for their birthdays. I usually do this with old newspaper and glue made with wheat flour and water. I tried the uncooked method of making the flour paste, but when it dried it was really cakey and peeled off, and left a lot of powder dust on the inside of the form. This time I experimented with tapioca flour (remember good old tapioca flour? I tried to make that by hand a few posts ago). This time I bought the refined tapioca flour at the local Asian store. I got this idea from an NGO that works in Thailand that uses a mixture of tapioca and water to waterproof their houses, also mixing it in with mud as a final coating. I was finally able to reach someone and get information on how exactly they do this, but their instructions were nothing more than to mix the flour with water, a lot of water, but no clear proportions. 
     When I made the pinata, I used the same proportions with the tapioca flour as I use when I make the wheat flour paste. Some of it came out a clear paste, but there were globs of white tapioca that didn't mix the same and made the whole thing look like a bottle of gefilte fish. It was sticky enough, but it was too thick, and even when I added twice as much water, it was still thick. I was able to work with it, and it held enough to do it's job, until of course, the whole thing was destroyed by 10 little kids. 

Sydney Opera House, designed by Jorn Utzon.
One of the more famous examples of thin-shelled
concrete architecture.

     Every time I make a pinata, I start thinking about how similar they are to thin-shelled concrete structures. And I wonder if the "technology" can be transferred to larger structures. They hold up quite well to forces, given their thickness, and are made out of found objects, in this case, old newspapers, flour and water. I often use a balloon to initially form the structure, not applicable to larger spaces, but any kind of framework would do just as well, as long as the layering material were able to span between the parts of the frame. 
     Not having space to build a build a house out of paper mache in my backyard, I started thinking about making other usable objects, that don't necessarily need to be destroyed at the end of a party. So I thought of lamp shades, mostly because my house is constantly blinding me with bare light bulbs due to our lack of them. This time I worked with fabric instead of paper, and tried to make the tapioca based glue liquid enough to paint with. The proportions I used at first were two cups water to one tablespoon tapioca flour, which I heated, mixed to a consistent solution, and cooled before using. (Note to self: hot glue tends to pop balloons, or at the very least change the shape of the balloon while under construction due to the heating and cooling of the air inside of the balloon). This left a thin layer of gooey glop that was thin enough to paint the fabric with and get it to stick to the balloon. But underneath, it seemed too watery. So after the first layer of fabric, I heated up the mixture and added another tablespoon of flour (okay, you got me, I didn't really measure this time, because the first time I ended up getting flour all over the stove - it has the consistency of corn starch and I poured it into the measuring spoon instead of scooping it out). This seemed thick enough for a second coat, or at least I had enough goo to get a second layer on. 
     We'll see what happens when it dries and then we can test it for toughness and how it reacts to heat. I'll keep you posted....

So now what?

You know when you think you have this great idea, and get all pumped up about it, and start working on it, and then right in the middle, you look at what you're doing and you're totally lost? Your main idea seems meaningless. You've lost all direction. You have no idea how to proceed. Well, that's where I am with my thesis proposal.
I had the idea to do something to help better the lives of rural women in Bangladesh. And as an architect, I decided it should have something to do with the built environment. So I went there, and talked to a bunch of women, and looked at their homes, and how they live. And what did I come up with? A lot of problems and not a lot of resources.
Because the women I talked to are working with at least one NGO, if not more, they were all pretty much educated about the health and sanitary issues. Most had access to clean water, and they understood the importance of using it. So if they couldn't afford a tube well for themselves they would seek one out instead of using water from a contaminated pond. Most owned or had access to a latrine, and knew the importance of keeping it clean.
The state of their houses varied from flimsy straw huts to sturdy brick buildings with solid roofs. They had problems with rodents, cold weather, having to rebuild every year after the monsoon, etc. But each family had different problems, or degree of problems, so there's no easy way of finding a cookie cutter solution for them. Each family would have to have a separate solution tailored to their needs. Not something that lends itself to being the subject to a thesis statement.
The one solution that seemed to work for everyone to improve their living condition was having more money. Once a family was able to save money, they were able to build a secure house. But being a mostly agricultural based society, incomes related to crops are not 100% dependable year after year. And for those who don't own any farm land, not all that profitable. 

Brickyard near Tarash, Bangladesh

So I started thinking that if they had some sort of building product that could be made on site, used to improve their homes, and sold to generate income, that would kill two birds with one stone. Right now brick yards are popping up all over the country, burning the forests for fuel, filling the air with smoke, digging up valuable land for the bricks (which are often sold to India), and creates a dangerous work environment for its laborers. There's got to be a more humane and ecological solution.
I heard of a company that makes roof tiles out of concrete, but used jute instead of rebar as reinforcement. Sounds great, only the product wasn't well received due to lack of strength. While I was traveling I saw a billboard for another local cement company that advertised 100% fly ash free cement - the strongest cement available in the country! Only, from what I've researched, using fly ash as an additive not only helps to remove a dangerous substance from the atmosphere by collecting it and putting it to good use, it actually strengthens the cement bond. False advertising at it's best!
But it brings up a very important point - everyone is skeptical of a new product (unless it's the newest release of an Apple iproduct), especially when it comes to the building industry. It takes time for new materials to be accepted. Not something most villagers have. I get the feeling that the ideas that become decent thesis statements aren't necessarily the same ideas that do the most good for the people they are trying to help. So now what?

Maybe they're on to something...

A Bangladeshi "van"

     During one of my field visits, I met a family that was proud to say that one of their sources of income was having a "van" for transporting goods or people for money. They lived in a bamboo hut with woven walls, and I wondered where they got the money for a van. When I looked around the corner, I saw what they meant - it was a three wheeled bicycle outfitted with a wooden platform and raised seats on the sides for people to sit.
     I was struck by how, all over Bangladesh, most of the rikshas were man-powered bicycles, not the Bajaj style motor-driven three wheelers I was used to seeing in India and Nepal, in the 1990's. The pollution caused by these motor-driven rikshas was terrible. The worst I saw was in Kathmandu, where they had inherited the older, more polluting rikshas no longer usable in India.
     The riksha drivers I saw in Bangladesh were all skin and bones and were pulling heavy loads on crowded streets alongside motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks.  As a passenger, I was terrified. But I had that feeling pretty much no matter what form of transportation I took over there. 

A Bangladeshi "school bus"

      It's no doubt, hard work driving these converted bicycles, more than what I'm used to seeing (or doing) in western countries. But then I thought, maybe the Bangladeshi's are on to something. It's hard work, but it's work. There is less mechanics to break down compared to a motorized vehicle. There is no expense for fuel. The man-powered vehicles are so much cheaper than the motorized kind, which are so pricey, the drivers have to pay to rent them, further cutting in to their already small profits.
     This blog post was originally inspired by a bio-fueled motorcycle developed in Japan by a toilet manufacturer Toto (Toilet Bike Neo), but I guess I got a little off track. This idea that we, as a society, don't need to be confined to using fossil fuels, and the countries that  are able to produce them. I can't imagine that bike powered riksha taxis or school busses are something that work in America - at least not anywhere in America that I've lived. And even the switch to bio-fuels will take a lot of lobbying and discussion. But the ideas are out there, you just need to know where to look.

How do you define ecological building?

Rooftop in Naogoan, Bangladesh, featuring solar panels used for lighting and the days laundry. Which one really makes the most environmentally friendly use of our resources?

On another blog I follow, the author wants to create a database of ecological houses in Britain, and lists several criteria for what could then be considered an ecological house (see Green Building Blog).

It's an extensive list and refers not only to how we build, but also including earth friendly technologies, and certifications (BREAM, AECB Silver or Gold, etc). I think the problem is is that I've never heard a clear definition of what exactly an ecological building is.
If a house uses solar panels, is highly insulated, reclaims rainwater, and uses triple-paned windows, is this necessarily an ecological building? What if the silicon used to make the solar panels produce silica dust which then causes lung cancer in the workers at the manufacturing plant? What if the insulation used is made of hydrofluorocarbons which has a global warming potential of 1430 times more than carbon dioxide? What if the steel pipes used water reclamation use a cement mortar to protect and strengthen the the pipes for long term use, adding to the more than 5% of manmade carbon dioxide emissions released by the cement industry? What if the triple-paned windows are manufactured in another country and have to be transported thousands of miles by jet fueled airplanes or diesel powered trucks?
If we look at every aspect of the building industry and break down every material used and where it came from and how it was made and what happens to it when the building needs to be torn down, I don't think any building would qualify as an ecological building.
Instead of trying to make buildings that are "less bad" as authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book "Cradle to Cradle" describe current building trends, we should instead follow their idea to follow new design rules. Namely, use a framework of design that creates more than it destroys. To quote them directly, they ask,"why don't people and industries set out to create the following:

• buildings that, like trees, produce more energy than they consume and purify their own waste water
• factories that produce effluents that are drinking water
• products that, when their useful life is over, do not become useless waste, but can be tossed on to the ground to decompose and become food for plants and animals and nutrients for soil; or alternatively, that can return to industrial cycles to supply high-quality raw materials for new products
• billions, even trillions, of dollars' worth of materials accrued for human and natural purposes each year
• transportation that improves the quality of life while delivering goods and services
• a world of abundance, not one of limits, pollution, and waste."

William Mc Donough and Michael Braungart, Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things (New York: North Point Press, 2002), 90-91.

Building with Mud

mud wall with mud collected from the river for plastering

     Building with mud is quite common in Bangladesh, and found in most parts of the world. When built properly, the buildings can last for hundreds of years. When not, they can fall apart in a matter of months. I saw samples of both, well more than that, I saw simple huts with straw roofs and elaborate two story mud houses that were so old the owners had no idea when they were built.
     One of the first villages I visit on this trip,we met a family that built a mud house together in a matter of a few months. They dug out their backyard and used that mud to build a house with. The hole was already collecting water, and could possibly be used as a small pond to raise fish. Now that's what I call sustainable! 
     But mud building isn't always as great a material to use as us eco-builders like to think. Yes, it's cool in the summer heat, and keeps warm in the winter, unlike houses made of corrugated iron (CI) sheets. It doesn't need to be rebuilt every year like straw and bamboo houses. And if you live in the right region, the soil doesn't need to be mixed with anything, it can be taken right out of the ground and made into walls. 

mud house under construction

     Usually a plinth of mud is built about 18 inches high and the mud walls, added in blocks, are built on top. Holes are cut out for windows and doors, sometimes framed in wood. A layer of a more watered down mud mixture is applied like plaster on the exterior surfaces to protect the walls and give them a smoother texture. For two story buildings, a ceiling of bamboo or a combination of bamboo and hardwood, is spanned across the walls and mud is applied to the exterior sides of it. 

house destroyed within 2 months during the monsoon due to poor roofing

     Most of the problem comes with the roof. If the roof is made of straw, it has to be replaced every year, generally adding economic stress to family after the monsoon, when there tends not to be a lot of work available. If the family can afford it, they get a roof made of CI sheets. These can last 50 years if built properly, and if insulated, don't add too much heat in the summer time. 
     When asked what the biggest problem they had with mud houses, most said rats. They burrow through the walls or through the foundation and eat the food the family has stored for the winter months, not to mention spreading diseases like the plague!

Associations Part 2

     In a country where life expectancy is currently 67 years and was less than 50 around the time of her birth, Chamaly, a 57 year old villager from the Purbaborsha Village, Bangladesh decided to start the Ananda Moy Woman's Association. I didn't get an exact translation, but I believe the name comes from a famous Bengali spiritual leader, who's name means bliss-permeated mother. Started in December 2008, and presently with 28 members, the idea behind it was  to form a group that could establish the rights of all women in the village would create an abuse free environment.

Chamaly (right) speaks to the group.

     Chamaly was an anomaly from all the women that I talked to. Where most groups limited the age of their members from about 20 to 45 (mostly so that the members would be of sound mind and body), here was a 57 year old, who was not only a member, but the Chairperson. Asking the question "How old are your association members?" often turned into a lengthy group discussion (do you remember the day Bangladesh won it's independence? how old is your oldest child? were you already married during the big flood?), but Chamaly proudly stood up, took off her reading glasses, and told me her age. She was also one of the few people in the country I saw wearing glasses!

     She told me that as a child she had little interest in going to school, but now she wanted to learn everything. Teach us anything, we are willing to learn! Her village was one of the better educated of the ones I visited. Out of 19 people at the meeting 5 could only write their names, 5 had gone to 5th grade, 2 to 8th, 6 had completed their SSC or 10th grade (including Chamaly), and one, Herarai, the Treasurer had finished her HSC or 12th grade. I'm not sure all the women felt as strongly as Chamaly did about bettering themselves through education, but they clearly valued her strength and wisdom.

Ananda Moy Woman's Association,
Purbaborsha Village, Bangladesh

     The group meets every month in a shed made from corrugated iron sheets, built by the Grameen foundation to house community meetings, to discuss current problems within the community. Through the help of NGO's the women are learning about health and sanitation issues, training on income generating activities, and most importantly, what their rights are as a woman in Bangladeshi society. Due to the high illiteracy rate and the remoteness of many villages, most woman don't know what rights they have in society, and when they do learn them, are usually powerless to make use of them. There is no access to the judicial system when a woman feels trapped in her home or has no means of transportation out of her village. This women's association is starting to change that. Starting at home, and keeping within the confines of their culture, Ananda Moy is slowly stamping out domestic violence by engaging all the involved parties and their families in discussions. Bringing out in the open the atrocities and unfairness, and educating everyone of their rights in the process.

The Power of Associations

Traveling around rural Bangladesh, I got the opportunity to meet with several women who came up with an interesting way to solve their problems and deliver justice to those whose culture were failing them. They formed associations, because they found that in numbers they had much more power than they did as individuals.
I spoke with women from 11 different Women's Associations, which were developed of their own initiative, although assisted by an NGO for logistical things, like information on how to open a bank account, or how to get organized, or in leadership training. Some were recently organized, and some had been around for a few years. Most were formed to tackle similar issues: domestic violence, early marriage, dowry. Some had more specific goals, like the case of a woman being raped by her father-in-law or a village that needed to get the local prostitute to either change her line of work or to get out of town. Most problems were dealt with the same way, discussion with the person causing the problem and the affected families.
Before the formation of the group, women most often accepted their victimization as fate. Taking abuse as something that goes with the territory of being a married woman, not something that could be stopped. They felt powerless against their husbands, who controlled every aspect of their lives.
The women were able to not only organize themselves to curb the violence against them, they were able to pool their resources and save for the future. Most of the associations had each member contribute some amount money, anywhere between 20 to 50 Taka a month (about 20 to 50 cents) which would be saved in a bank account. The money could then be used for things like hospital costs if one had to be rushed to a hospital during child birth, or if a family couldn't cover school fees for their children. One association was pooling it's money in order to build a pond to cultivate fish to feed the village. 
Most of the time when a woman earned an income, she was forced to turn the money over to her husband, thereby losing any economic power to make decisions for her family. Here, she had not only the power of her own savings but those of her group members. She no longer had to stand alone and suffer. She now had the power of an association.

Immersion

I'm still traveling into unknown territory, but here's a link I found inspiring:
TED talks: Jacqueline Novogratz: Inspiring a life of immersion




While I was trying to get my career on track and sending resume after resume out to every job listing I qualified for, I realized that there were certain websites that I was continually being drawn to and there were the ones I felt I had to look at in order to get employed. These were the bookmarked pages I looked at everyday that listed all the new architecture job openings in a 50 mile radius. They all said the same things: they needed someone with at least 3-5 years experience, that knew AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, or Nemetschek Allplan, knew how to put together a set of construction documents, and that were flexible, creative, and were ready to work for an amazing firm that had exciting projects. Mostly they wanted someone who could sit in front of a computer 12-14 hours a day and not complain about it.
There were two firms I found that I did find interesting: one that had a link to a project where they built a school in Nepal, and one that was building a Convention Center in Rwanda. The firm with the project in Nepal, I found out later, that this school project seemed to be a one time deal. It was a project they were happy to do, but they were busy building super cool modern designs here, and weren't going to put more energy and resources in to other charitable projects. The firm with the project in Rwanda had a different approach. This firm, I thought had potential. They put together a conference and a gallery opening showing the project and making a big deal about the collaboration between the two countries. But when I looked more deeply into it, I found out that the project wasn't giving much to the Rwandans except for an expensive building to somehow take care of after the Germans designers and the Chinese construction workers had gone.
I was slowly losing faith. I wanted to work in architecture. I wanted to have projects I found meaningful. I wanted to provide shelter and schools and community centers for people who really need it, but I couldn't find anyone else who was doing what I wanted to do.
That's when I realized I needed to live a life of immersion. I needed to follow the projects that meant something to me. I needed to stop listening to all the people giving me practical advice on jobs I should apply for. This meant I was on my own. That I had to find the projects and find the funding and find the people who think the way I do, all on my own. It's a scary road to go down, but it's a lot more fun than banging my head against the desk trying to  apply for a job that would leave me bored and frustrated.
I challenge you to follow your dream and fully immerse yourself into the unknown. You'll be surprised at all the bliss you'll find.