BASEhabitat SUNDERPUR Development, Master Plan and PHOOLNA Teachers' Flats, India by BASEhabitat

U1 = 105 mm

BASEhabitat is a project studio within the Department of Architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz. Professor Roland Gnaiger founded BASEhabitat together with students in 2004. It has since implemented numerous projects in the field of humanitarian architecture worldwide. Approaches based around sufficiency and the maxim of “helping people to help themselves” are based on the following: social and cultural integration, environmentally friendly construction, the use of local resources, and the aesthetic demands of the architectural design as requirements for sustainable and self-determined development. In addition to construction projects on the ground, workshops are regularly held on working with loam and bamboo as construction materials. There is also a summer school that takes place every two years with active, international participation. BASEhabitat has been a member of the UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture since 2014. To live up to the increasing worldwide interest in BASEhabitat’s work and the need for projects in the area of humanitarian architecture, the University of Art and Design Linz has decided to establish a postgraduate BASEhabitat master’s degree.

ISBN 978-3-901112-84-3

Rückenstärke 9 mm –>

BASEhabitat sunderpur development India

148 mm

U4 = 105 mm

BASEhabitat sunderpur Development Master Plan and phoolna Teachers’ Flats India

BASEhhabitat PHOOLNA | A6 | Umschlag 4/4-CMYK | 100#er | RZ am 6. Februar 2018

“There are houses which are mute, which say nothing and those, that speak. Our house, however, sings.” Paul Valéry

Kunstuniversität Linz University of Art and Design Linz die architektur

BASEhabitat sunderpur Development Master Plan and phoolna Teachers’ Flats India

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india

Preface

Project Description

Republic of India

Sunderpur Village

Research Trip

sunderpur Development Master Plan

Designs for the Master Plan phoolna Teachers’ Flats and Community Hall Building Yard, Dairy Farm and Weaving Mill Housing – Conversion and Extension Secondary Eyecare Hospital

phoolna Project Realization

Implementation in Stages

Résumé | Outlook

100

Stakeholders

110

Imprint

BASEhabitat has been cooperating with various NGOs since 2004 to realize construction projects. In recent years numerous remarkable research and construction projects have emerged from basehabitat and the students’ enthusiasm and engagement. Nowadays we can build houses where the indoor climate can be controlled without using any external power, houses that use the local resources instead of destroying them, houses that improve the environment and provide people with new opportunities and employment. This can be done without restrictions, sacrifices, or additional responsibility. It just needs more intelligence, teamwork, passion, joy and beauty. In theses matters there is no difference between the “rich North” and the “poor South” of the world. BASEhabitat is a testing place for operating in this field.

Project Description

During the 2012 summer semester, as part of the cooperation between basehabitat and the ngo Little Flower Austria, a master plan was created for continuing the building and conversion of Sunderpur, a small village in the Indian state of Bihar for people suffering from leprosy. Sunderpur arose in 1981 from a project to treat people suffering from leprosy. Over the years, the population of the former mud hut village has increased to about 1,000 people. Leprosy is a disease of the skin and nervous system. The affected areas go numb and feeling is lost. The characteristic disfigurement is only an indirect result of the symptoms of this disease. The disease is not just a challenge medically; it is also a social challenge. People suffering from leprosy were stigmatized in the past, and still are today. They were ostracized by their families and villages. Lots of them found a new home in Sunderpur: accommodation, basic work, education, medical care, a bit of dignity in life, and a village community of outcast people.

leprosy – characteristic disfigurement

Old social structures are increasingly relaxing and the younger generation is using their creativity and motivation to find new opportunities. Together with Kabita Bhattarai, who has been the head of the village since 2011, it is now time to slowly but surely find new ways to get the village standing on its own feet, which currently is supported mainly by donations and foreign support. Sebastian Vilanek initiated a trip to the small village in 2012. Before the trip there were long discussions about how to use architecture to help the village. After an in-depth analysis, four students created a master plan and designs for new buildings and the adaptation of several buildings critical to the village structure. The main aims of the master plan were to push the independent economic development of the village, to improve education, and to improve the precarious housing situation of the local inhabitants.

on the cricket field

“There is a street between the lake and the hospital. Maybe it is the main street. The street is where daily life takes place. It is a colourful, public life. Small children sleep or play here; washing is hung up outside; people cook, clean, drink tea and sometimes even shower here. It is an outside living room.” Excerpt from the spatial analysis

Republic of India

afghanistan china pakistan

New Delhi

nepal

Sunderpur

Kathmandu bhutan

bihar india

bangladesh myanmar

indian ocean

sri lanka

Capital • New Delhi Border countries • Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan Population • 1.25 billion Age structure • < 15 years 28.09 % • 15–64 years 65.96 % • > 64 years 5.95 % Population growth rate • 1.22 % Population density • 368/km2 Official languages • English, Hindi Literacy • 71.2 % (age 15 and over) HDI Human Development Index • 0.609, rank 130 Median age • 27.3 years (vs. Austria 43.2 years) Average life expectancy at birth • 68.13 years • male 69.42 years • female 66.97 years

cia World Factbook, ipicture.de, Aussätzigen Hilfswerk Österreich 2015

Sunderpur Village

Birganj nepal Sunderpur

Raxaul india 18

Sunderpur is in the Indian state of Bihar and is bordered by a meander in the Sirsiya River. The river forms the border to Nepal. The second largest border crossing to Nepal via the Duncan Road is nearby. It is one of the most important trade routes between the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and the Indian inland. Bihar is the poorest state in India, and with 1,100 residents per km² it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. In comparison, the average density in India is around 360 residents per km². Over 50% of people are illiterate, whereas in the whole of India around 25% of people are illiterate. Even though Bihar is the most underdeveloped state in the country, economic growth and a new spirit of optimism is still visible everywhere. While the surrounding towns have experienced considerable growth and have changed in level with the general development in India, Sunderpur hasn’t yet managed to align with this economic growth. The next largest Indian town, Raxaul, is around twenty minutes by foot from the Sunderpur, where there is a train station with trains coming directly from Delhi. Raxaul in India and Birganj in Nepal are the main trade cities. They are both growing exuberantly and are increasingly swallowing up the surrounding villages.

Duncan Road, Raxaul

main road, Raxaul

The area between the towns is characterized by small ribbon-built villages containing mainly mud huts and a few buildings made of concrete and bricks. The lively village life takes place on the dusty streets: children play, people trade, and people linger. Almost every village has a place of prayer and a small dukan (shop) that provides the most important things for day-to-day life. The villages are often surrounded by bamboo groves and rice fields. A small street branches off the Duncan Road to get to Sunderpur. An important road for patients suffering from leprosy. Duncan Hospital in Raxaul is responsible for three districts in Bihar and has a catchment area of about 11 million patients, but it doesn’t accept any-one suffering from leprosy. Therefore Sunderpur and the Little Flower Hospital fulfills an important task and has become well established over the years. There are continual small initiatives to extend the medical competency locally. As the cornerstone of the village, the hospital attracts public interest, and national and international attention.

in the streets of Sunderpur

Research Trip

During the research trip the infrastructure, building structures, living forms and social spaces were recorded and analysed and the structural organization of the town was investigated. Housing conditions were analysed based on floor plans, photos, and conversations with the residents. Particular attention was placed on the infrastructure services such as water supply and waste water. The strengths and weaknesses of the community’s income sources like the existing weaving mill and dairy were examined. An important focus was placed on intensive discussions with the residents to learn more about their living conditions, problems and hopes.

discussion with people in charge

Poor building quality together with construction methods that aren’t suited to the climate increasingly result in buildings becoming dilapidated and lead to unhealthy housing conditions. In addition, the quality of the Sirsiya river water is substandard. It regularly floods and in turn affects the buildings and the people. Short-term emergency solutions are usually provided due to the need for immediate action. However, a new, long-term use and restructuring concept is needed, together with renovation, extension and restoration of the existing buildings.

central kitchen

weaving mill Little Flower leprosy hospital

dairy farm

Sunderpur 2017

phoolna teachers’ flats basehabitat Project 2015

pond

sunderpur housing basehabitat Project 2017

Birganj main square

Sirsiya River; boarder to Nepal

sunderpur Development Master Plan The sunderpur development master plan should show the village’s development potential. As part of the research, different zones were determined for specific uses. The housing should be mainly along the shore areas that are not prone to flooding. This area provides a higher standard of living and more privacy.

Overall, the density of the centre should be reduced and more space for privacy should be created. Trade and business should take place at the entrance to the village allowing the village itself to become more accessible and effective. This will minimize noise and noise pollution for the residents. The sunderpur development master plan clusters the new buildings for the building yard, dairy farm and weaving mill together at the entrance of the village into a small industrial area. This offers enough space for the economic development of the village. Together with the existing hospital, they form a buffer zone to the fast-growing neighbouring city. The school should be in one central location in the centre of the village. The residential area can expand into the area previously occupied by the dairy. main square of Sunderpur

The flats for the villagers make reference to the existing rows of buildings and allow for the existing flats to be made larger. The teachers’ flats along with the community hall are at the centre of the village. The development concept aims to use resources in an effective and low impact way. Despite the somewhat poor quality of the existing buildings, as many as possible should be kept. Local, traditional materials (loam and bamboo) and simple construction methods should be used to create local, economic value while at the same time improving the status of these materials in society.

Sunderpur 2012

secondary school dairy farm chicken farm kitchen kindergarden

primary school boys’ hostel weaving mill

secondary school

girls’ hostel

hospital The generally extremely crowded building situation in the village doesn’t offer space for expansions. The school is split over several locations due to the lack of space. Shops, sanitary infrastructure and the four religious places — the church, the mosque, the buddhist and the

hindu temple — are spread all over the village. Housing is also growing out of control. The dairy is squeezed between the river and the village leaving little space for the animals to roam and the open slurry channel runs between living spaces through the whole village and beyond.

phoolna teachers’ flats and community hall

Sunderpur 2022

housing – conversion and extension

building yard, dairy farm and weaving mill

secondary eyecare hospital housing area commercial area administration compound school area new buildings

Designs for the Master Plan

phoolna Teachers’ Flats and Community Hall Improving the children’s education is a great challenge. Most of the teachers employed at the school have not had any kind of pedagogical training. It was already obvious during the research trip that the first priority was to attract teachers from outside the village in order to continue improving the level of education. A design for six new teachers’ flats was created and this was to be implemented as the first part of the master plan. The six flats and the community hall are at the centre of the village and are placed in a way that creates a new protected courtyard at the centre. The large number of existing trees provide shade in the garden, which is very important for both the flats and the outside area in this climate. Each of the six flats has a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom; outside there is a kitchen. The large entrance door allows the living space to be extended onto the terrace with the open-air kitchen. There is a community hall south of the flats with a kitchen that can be accessed separately. The community hall is intended to be a place to get together and should also be available to the village for festivities. There is a covered terrace above the community hall that looks over a green inner courtyard to the north and to the village pond in the south.

Dairy Farm The dairy offers a great opportunity for stable economic development and should therefore be expanded: the number of cows should be doubled from 60 to 120. This increase in size means that the stables need to be moved from the centre of the village to the village entrance. In this new location, the fields can be accessed directly and the slurry channel that currently runs through the village to the fields can be diverted. In addition to new stables, a milking station, sanitary rooms and administration rooms are also being considered.

dairy farm

weaving mill

Building Yard The idea of a building yard was developed to provide career opportunities to the young people in the village. A centre for trade and craft in the village would not only give young people new prospects but would also provide added value for the whole society. Local people trained in trades and crafts would be able to pass on their knowledge and abilities here. The building arrangement forms a centre for communication and a covered area to work and learn. This structure has the potential to grow in line with changes to the village in the future.

building yard

Weaving Mill The weaving mill will be moved as well to the entrance of the village. This will complete the industrial area for now. The mill’s production volume cannot be increased at the current site, relocation is needed in order to expand it. Moving the weaving mill therefore is an important measure for the village in the future. Today around 70 people already work at the weaving mill and it is the most important source of income for the village. Scarves and other textile goods are produced here and some are exported to Europe. To produce the products in house in the future, a tailor’s shop should be added to the weaving mill. This requires a building with more space, better light, and a space that is arranged to fit the manufacturing process.

The planned building provides various different welllit spaces and an area for social inter-action during breaks. Visitors will be welcomed in the new shop area. The gesture of the open roof should welcome people from outside and should counteract the fear of contact and the unfounded stigmatization of the village. The former weaving mill will be converted to a school and another floor will be added to the building. Many of the children who attend the school in Sunderpur come from the colonies outside and board at the school. They therefore spend a lot of their education in the village centre. As before, there is need to act in this area as the school infrastructure cannot take all the children.

BIOGASTANK / Biogastank

BF 15,90 m2

BIOGASTANK / Biogastank BF 15,90 m2

resting stalls

BIOGASTANK / Biogastank BF 15,90 m2

young cattle den

freerange area

office and teaching

free usage

building yard

covered area

workshop

machine room

storage

load bay

milkshop

tea room

storage | paneer production storage

milking parlor dairy farm

office

dyeing

ding nd

Gru

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:100

spinning

storage

weaving

weaving mill

spinning storage sewing storage

sales

chai

office S

5m ich

Housing – Conversion and Extension Conversion: The existing building structure is in one row and is one storey high. It has been there for thirty years. It is now in a poor state due to the climate and the basic construction techniques that were used. Aside from the problems with the building, the large number of inhabitants and the lack of privacy also create social tension. The plan envisages that the existing building substance should be renovated and extended by adding an upper floor. Additional structural measures should also provide more privacy in the outdoor spaces. Changes to the ground floor will also allow for different uses and facilitate the development of different life situations. New washing and sanitary units will add value to the neighbourhood. Extension: To take off the pressure of the existing housing and to create more living space in the village, a new two-storey building will be added opposite the existing long structure. Together old and new will form a new, more private housing estate.

ground floor

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first floor

Secondary Eyecare Hospital The hospital is located at the entrance of the village. Together with the front of the leprosy hospital and the water tower on the opposite side, it creates a public space that welcomes people when they come from the hectic city of Raxaul. The square forms a buffer zone and towards the village a transition to more peace and privacy in everyday life. The design proposes a structure with three courtyards. The first one is aligned directly to the main square. Besides the public facilities it offers a covered waiting area, the registration desk and rooms for the initial examination. A bit more separated is the second courtyard, which contains the surgery area. It also features a room to allow the eyes to recover after an operation in filtered, diffuse light. The third courtyard is situated in the rearmost section of the building complex. The ward contains 40 beds for 20 male and female patients each, with separate sanitary rooms. This ward can be realized as a second construction stage.

location

| M 1:100 S

Großeltern | 8 Wohnung Nachbarin | 9 Nähbereich

26 SITUATION M1:2000

view west

NORTH/EAST/SOUTH/WEST VIEWS M1:200

The building structure is a common brick construction with different joining methods. Exterior walls are 40 cm thick and hollow-bodied for better temperature compensation, interior load bearing walls are 25 cm thick. Special wall components are perforated to provide for air ventilation and diffused sunlight.

Administration registration initial examination medical records public sanitary

Ward WARD 20 female 20 PAX FEMALE 20 male20 PAX MALE CHARGE NURSE charge nurse SEPERATE SANIT seperate sanitary STORAGE storage

Laboratory conference room office ready room sanitary

Outpatient OUTPATIENT DE Department WAITING AREA waitingSURGERY area surgeryBACK ROOM THEATRE AREA back room REST ZONE resting area

N N N S Y

Y M E M Y

Public Facilities PUBLIC FACILITIE optical shop OPTICAL SHOP food shop FOOD SHOP CHAI SHOP chai shop

structural plan

iss

ndr

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ground floor

49 |M

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rei GROUND/FIRST FLOOR PLANS M1:20 hbe ä

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phoolna Project Realization

The construction of six flats for teachers and a community hall was the first part of the sunderpur development master plan, and also the start of the cooperation between basehabitat Linz and the ngo Little Flower Austria. Everyone involved agreed that improving education seemed to be the most important step forward for positive development in Little Flower and that this would provide impetus for positive, independent future development. The comfortable flats should attract well-qualified, motivated teachers to move to the village and to stay. The non-profit association, Little Flower Austria also made education the focus of their investment in the project and thereby took on responsibility for financing new, qualified teaching staff for the next ten years. At the end of 2012, the first architecture students travelled from Austria to India to start construction together with the workers from the village. There was some support from professional construction managers from Austria and India and sometimes the site was also led by individual students or singlehandedly by the local builders with guidance from Austria.

At the start twelve Indian workers profited from theory lessons on how to read and draw plans, and the basic rules of architecture and loam construction. Later up to twenty-five Indian workers profited from these lessons. From Austria 34 students participated in total. The participants of the first workshops with Sourabh Phadke came from America, England, and there were also some Indian people from higher castes. They were all able to gain a great deal of experience and practical know-how. Joint excursions within India and also to Nepal, around Kathmandu, supplemented the theory lessons. Students and workers visited different building sites, the Nepalese organization abari’s earth and bamboo workshops, and numerous important examples of Indian building culture. Step by step a mutual basis was formed. These people jointly executed the implementation of the building in its current form.

theory lessons: talking about plans and their meaning

theory lessons: demonstration of structural forces

building plot during the foundation work

The building plot with its old stock of trees lies in the heart of the village. Surrounding it are the administrative wing, the school, the chicken farm, the village pond with the village square, and the residential building. The elongated structure allows a quiet garden of high atmospheric density to develop on its eastern side. The large number of jackfruit trees provide shade in the garden, which is very important for the apartments and the outside area. The Community Hall, which can be used by all house residents, as well as by the village community of Sunderpur, is oriented towards the village pond and the village square. A covered front area, the common room with a kitchen and the spacious terrace on the top floor offers space for informal meetings, for celebrations, working sessions and political discourse.

The six teachers’ apartments located behind it are accessed via a weather-protected path along the western side of the building. From a slightly elevated landing one respectively reaches an apartment on the ground floor and on the top floor. Each of the teachers’ apartments consists of a 30 m2-large terrace with an open air kitchen and a likewise 30 m2-large, closed interior with a living room, bedroom and bathroom. The outer living area is oriented towards the shady inner courtyard; a bamboo mesh protects the private sphere of the teachers towards the access path. Thanks to their storage mass, 50 cm-thick adobe and straw and mud walls provide a balance between day and night temperatures with peaks of up to 45° in the summer and winter extremes close to the freezing point. The extremely high humidity is also reduced by the clay building mass. The terraces, suspended ceilings and the roof are made of bamboo, which also sustainably determines the house atmosphere. Widely protruding canopies give shade and protect the structure.

housing administration school housing

pond

chicken farm main square

Grundriss OG | M 1:100

Grundriss EG | M 1:100 S

position| of the teachers’ flats (red) within Sunderpur deckter Freibereich 6 Shop | 7 Wohnung Großeltern | 8 Wohnung Nachbarin | 9 Nähbereich

50m

private terrace living room

kitchen

apartments 1–3

bedroom

yard

community hall

common room

ground floor

private terrace living room

apartments 4–6

kitchen

bedroom

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Gr un

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common terrace ern |

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first floor

1:100

chba rin

|9N

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private terrace 30 m2

1,40

2,00

Gr un

driss

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kitchen

living room 30 m2

1,00 1,00

1,00

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bathroom

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apartment ground floor 26

The terraces are wonderfully airy, but the interior spaces can also be transversely ventilated. The design takes the frequent earthquakes in the region into account. The individual, compact cubic capacities with their small openings appear as a unit with the bamboo constructions, yet move independently in the case of an earthquake. The teachers’ house withstood the major earthquake in Nepal in 2015 without any damage.

view from the yard

Building Material Local, traditional materials such as loam and bamboo and simple construction methods should create a higher level of local, economic value. One of the particular challenges with this project was showing that loam could be used not just as an ecological and cost-effective building method, but that it could also provide a high level of comfort and aesthetics.

view from the entrance door, into the living room and the bedroom

view from the bedroom, through the living room to the private terrace with the staircase to the left: bathroom

Loam provides a good indoor climate. In the north of India the climate is characterized by extremes of heat and cold and high humidity. Loam helps to keep the heat at bay in the summer and to store the daytime warmth in the winter thereby reducing the air humidity. It is easy to obtain and doesn’t produce any waste while building or recycling. Loam is suitable for do-it-yourself construction and it also allows those who are financially worse off to build good, healthy housing using their own initiative. Getting the people in the village to accept a building of this size made of loam was an experiment. Over the years as the teachers’ flats took shape, acceptance and enthusiasm grew. The designs were conceived for cob construction and the first work on site also used this construction method. Since the construction continued into the cooler, wetter winter, the high humidity meant that the walls weren’t able to dry quickly enough. As these difficulties persisted, one of the students, Michael Brunmayr, started to test adobe in different compositions.

producing bricks is handicraft

When they found the correct mixture to create robust bricks, they started to produce their own bricks close to Little Flower. Three hundred to six hundred bricks were produced every day. The residents of Sunderpur are now able to make their own adobe bricks and they therefore have a cost-effective construction material available to them.

in a forest nearby bricks are produced and left to dry

Bamboo is widely available and is a popular construction material in the region around Little Flower. Wood is not readily available and is very expensive. Bamboo was used as a construction material in various different forms on site in Sunderpur: structural elements such as pillars, beams, purlins, trusses and rafters; and zone-defining elements such as fences or railings. Inside it was used for ceiling and slab lining, doors and furniture. It was omnipresent during the construction process as a temporary element in the form of scaffolding, boarding, formwork, shuttering, and roofing. It was already evident at the start of construction that the local bamboo didn’t meet all the requirements necessary for the design. Two varieties of bamboo were used for the teachers’ flats and the community. The local bamboo, with an average length of 5–6 m and an average diameter of 9 cm. The way the bamboo grows in a spiral form makes it difficult to use as for straight, load-bearing construction elements. We had to import bamboo from Nagaland, around 1,000 km away. This was an organizational and logistical challenge and cost the build a lot of time. For financial reasons, we built our own treatment machine for the local bamboo after talking to abari, an initiative that works with loam and bamboo construction in Nepal. This machine impregnated the bamboo fibres with borax and boric acid in order to replace the fructose that would otherwise attract pests. 66

In the end the rigid bamboo from Nagaland was used for the primary structure and the local bamboo was used for the secondary and tertiary construction. Over time, some construction methods and bamboo connections were used that unfortunately had weaknesses. During the last stage of building, existing constructions were upgraded together with Fatima Martín Alvaro, an architect and bamboo expert. The newly created building parts were optimized at same time.

impregnation of bamboo with borax and boric acid

“As our first attempt showed, it is a challenge to construct precise elements such as supports or rafters using a natural material like bamboo that doesn’t fit any norms. The difficulty lies in first finding the right bamboo stems, then arranging the stems to match the situation, shaping them and then finally connecting them.” Maximilian Weidacher, student

preperation of the stone foundations

cutting bamboo

sorting the bamboo from Nagaland

forcing the bamboo from Nagaland into a truss

fine chicken mesh

1.8 m roof overlap

bamboo railing bamboo mesh 5

ring beam reinforced concrete

metall foundation

7 4 cm 12 cm 24 cm 1 cm

Roof constuction corrugated steel panals bamboo laths bamboo double beam fine chicken mesh covered with loam 36 cm bamboo triple beam | dry lime/straw mixture 1 cm splitted bamboo ceiling

5 Flooring first floor – inside 0.5 cm cement plaster (IPS) 10 cm reinforced concrete ceiling

4 Wall 2 cm loam plaster 45 cm adobe stone (loam mortar) 3 cm loam/cow dung plaster

2 Flooring ground floor – inside 10 cm rammed earth floor plastic layer brick rubble with cement gravel layer compressed earth

1 Foundation and socle damp proof course 2 layers of burned bricks | cement plaster reinforced concrete ring masonry brick plinth with cement mortar lean concrete

6 2 cm 8 cm 12 cm

Flooring first floor – outside cow dung plaster compressed earth floor bamboo structure (distance 1.5m) filled with a loam and straw mixture splitted bamboo

3 Flooring ground floor – outside 0.5 cm cement plaster (IPS) 10 cm cement screed compressed earth

A Reflection on the Finished Building The continuous work in Sunderpur beyond the phoolna project enabled us to experience how the building was accepted by its residents and how the applied constructions methods proved themselves. On account of the missing chimneys and the use of wood instead of gas, the people in the village cook almost everywhere outdoors. This custom was adopted in the Phoolna project. Because of the intensive dust pollution, the unimpeded access and the openness for pests such as birds and rodents, the teachers would prefer cooking indoors. By installing additional wall slabs, it was easily possible to let the kitchen become part of the interior. A major issue for the residents is, above all, the windows on the ground floor: people can look in from the outside, so they do not provide sufficient privacy for the inner spaces. Security is generally an important aspect: missing window grills lead to very little ventilation. This caused moisture problems immediately after building completion, since the walls were not able to properly dry. Mosquito nets were retrofitted on all doors and windows. The surface sealing important for the tamped earthen floors could not be executed in the teachers’ flats because crucial ingredients (carnauba wax) were not locally available. Tamped earthen floors also require maintenance, as well as knowledge about how 72

to properly handle them. Both aspects led to our decision for a partial removal and for sealing with a standard ips surface. As one of the last work steps, the lime-straw mixture was inserted in dry condition as insulation between the soffit and the back ventilation. The lime and a sealing with wire and clay plaster on all sides is to protect the straw insulation from vermin. On account of the many connections and the complicated insertion, a flawed execution resulted and unfortunately did not lead to the desired result. In the planning, the wall thicknesses were originally oriented to the use of the cob technique. Therefore, the walls in the teachers’ flats are — with 50 cm — very thick. In the following project sunderpur housing, these were reduced to 38 cm, adjusted to the adobe brick dimension and an adequate structural load capacity. The first bamboo connections were oriented to timber construction and were not carried out in a technically correct manner. Individual bamboo poles were clamped together with iron clamps to make beams, which caused the poles to split in the grain direction (see the picture on the following page). With the help of the bamboo expert Fatima Martín, initial mistakes were reworked and the material was properly executed in the subsequent construction process. 73

Implementation in Stages

clearing the site

September 2012–August 2013 At the start the most important job was to prepare the construction site, but at this stage there were unforeseen delays. When laying the foundations, an existing slurry channel had to be taken into account and this meant construction was prolonged by a month and unexpected additional financial expenses were also incurred. The foundations were constructed using bricks and concrete and sealed against moisture using bitumen. We had to improvise here as well because the container packed with construction materials and tools that we were waiting for was stuck in customs and didn’t arrive until months later after many negotiations. The foundations for the first flat were ready in November and the loam construction work for the first unit could be started while the next foundations were laid. We continued to alternate between practical work and theory units, for example, how to read plans or basic English terms to use when on the building site. digging foundations

foundation work

As planned, the ground floor walls were built using cob. The second flat was started in January. As moisture and cold made it difficult to use cob, we switched to building with commercially available adobe bricks. The tradesmen had years of brickwork experience, which allowed us to get work completed quickly. At the same time, construction of a septic tank and drains had also started. The students left in February and the local workers continued with the first construction phase. The infrastructure for the septic tank and the drains were finished. The foundations for the community hall were also finished during this period. The third flat was also supposed to be built independently but the workers didn’t yet have the confidence to go ahead with this at that point in time. Students travelled back to Sunderpur in late summer and led the construction. The first stage of the building was finally finished in August 2013: this comprised three teachers’ flats on the ground floor, the septic tank and the drains, and the foundations for the community hall.

construction of the ground floor using cob

construction of the ground floor using adobe bricks

mixing and putting mortar

“Since we needed an alternative for the cob, we picked up some local know-how. Watching the workers building the walls for the foundations you could see the rhythm: their familiarity with their trade. Adobe (brickwork using the raw material loam) was an obvious choice for both the workers and for us.” Michael Brunmayr, student

December 2013–September 2014 In the middle of December 2013, Franz Landl travelled to Little Flower with Sebastian Vilanek. He took on the management of the construction work and the management of the second phase. A total of fourteen students from Linz helped with the continuing construction over five weeks. They finished concrete ceilings for the three ground floor flats, put on the bamboo roof construction and covered it with corrugated sheeting. Parallel to this they started to work on the interior of the ground floor level, laid floors, plastered walls, and put in windows and doors. After the roof was finished, the local workers started to brick up the three flats on the ground floor by themselves. The self-produced bricks were used for this once again. Six students travelled to Little Flower in August and September to work with the local workers to build the terraces, steps, railings, and the first pieces of furniture for the six flats. The last plastering work was finished, and the bathrooms and kitchens were fitted. The flats gradually started to take on their final shape. forwarding adobe bricks

working on the concrete ceiling; forwarding concrete

February 2015 – August 2015 In February 2015, Iris Nöbauer and Sebastian Vilanek were back in Sunderpur together with twelve other students and Fatima Martín Alvaro, an architect and bamboo expert. Preliminary building works on the community hall started at this time. At the same time work started on the flat interiors and the roof for the upper floor flats was built. paving the way to the flats on the west side of the teachers’ flats complex

finishing plaster work and furniture

In June the roof over the community hall was finished, all the doors and windows were installed, the drains and electrical lines were laid, and the rammed earth floor was added. In one of the final stages, the stairs to the roof terrace above the community hall were built, along with the railings and the last pieces of furniture. The building was officially opened and handed over to the Little Flower village on 28th August 2015.

finished building: community hall with common area on top

Résumé | Outlook

The phoolna teachers’ flats’ project is a relatively large building. On the ground there were a lot of unforeseeable difficulties and the project was completed in 2015 after some delay and around three years of construction. Hurdles, periods of drought, and the long implementation continually challenged the core team. However, now there is pride in the faces of everyone involved. The whole project is a benefit and a success for the village. It also provides substantial and intense enrichment regarding the training and development of both the Austrian students and the local workers. Last but not least, a lot of media interest in the region cements the endurance of all the people involved. By the end of 2015 two teachers had already moved into the new building. The community hall has become a popular place to meet up. Follow-up projects began in 2015 to improve the housing situation in the village. The next phase of building in Sunderpur starts at the beginning of 2016. The knowledge, experience and all different kinds of tools gained by building the teachers’ flats are ready for future use. The previously unskilled and sometimes illiterate workers will join us again as experienced craftsmen.

“I am filled with pride that a building of this size was constructed with such a low amount of machinery. The phoolna project itself had a large media reach far outside the region and beyond and this has made Little Flower well known. Over these three years, the fifteen young men whom we snatched from unemployment and petty crime have become proud, responsible men who understand their trade. My greatest joy would be if this created sustainability for them and their families by allowing them to use these skills to find permanent work.” Sebastian Vilanek

private terraces

common area on top of the community hall

Stakeholders

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sunderpur Development and Teachers’ Flats Iris Nöbauer was born in Grieskirchen, Austria. From 2009 to 2017 she studied architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz. In 2010 Iris was involved in the implementation of the iphiko construction project in South Africa and in 2015 in a research in Bolivia. From 2011 until 2014 she was working with the öh (Austrian National Union of Students) in the international department. Iris considers herself an architect who is especially interested in socio-cultural and environmental heritage and languages. She speaks seven different languages herself. In 2016 she was self-employed as both a German teacher and in a small collective that conducts workshops with loam. Sebastian Vilanek was born in Innsbruck in 1986 and grew up in Salzburg. In 2006 he graduated from the technical college for sculpting in Hallein and started studying architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz in 2009. In 2010 Sebastian was involved in the implementation of the iphiko construction project in South Africa. In 2011 he organized the architecture students’ wärmepol, a platform for art and culture. In 2017 he graduated as Master of Architecture and started to work in an architectural office in Salzburg. Like his mother, Sebastian Vilanek has a life-long connection to the Sunderpur village. He went there with his mother several times as a youngster. He is convinced that architecture is a tool to improve the living conditions there, so he initiated the cooperation with basehabitat in 2012. 101

Felix Ganzer was born in Hallein in 1989. He went to the artistic secondary school in Salzburg, and then to the Holztechnikum Kuchl. He started studying architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz 2009. He was involved in the implementation and planning of social construction projects in South Africa and India. He started to work in the area of spatialization between architecture, urbanism, and art in 2012. Jomo Zeil was born in Ramotswa | Botswana. He spent his childhood and youth in both Africa and Holland. Between 2002 and 2015, he graduated as a carpenter and joiner, studied timber construction and architecture and graduated from the University of Art and Design Linz. Jomo sees himself as an architect, carpenter and engineer. He has worked for Bernardo Bader and Anna Heringer. Today he works at Lehm Ton Erde in Vorarlberg, Austria.

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Design Secondary Eyecare Hospital Michael Brunmayr grew up in Upper Austria in the foothills of the Alps. Being outside and working with his hands was always important to him. After a technical education, Michael started studying at the University of Art and Design Linz in 2009. Parallel to his studies, Michael took part in many design and build projects, which increased his awareness of the potential for creating a more liveable world. Manuel Gegenhuber was born in 1993 in Linz, where he also grew up. He started studying architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz in 2012. In 2014 he was part of the organization team of the wärmepol, a platform for art and culture. During his Erasmus exchange semester he studied at the Dipartimento di Architettura – Federico II in Naples, Italy. Besides his studies, he works at an architectural office in Linz. Manuel also worked for Baukunst Ortner & Ortner in Vienna.

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Claudia Vilanek, born in 1964; consulting | training | coaching in leadership, conflict management and change management in national and international companies; teaching work at the Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, the Johannes Kepler University Linz and the University of Applied Sciences in Puch, Salzburg. She has worked both in and for the Little Flower India since 1983 and she founded a non-profit association to support the Little Flower leprosy project in Austria. She was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Human Rights Award and the Austrian Decoration of Merit in Gold (Goldenes Verdienstzeichen). Claudia Vilanek is married and has three sons in Austria. www.littleflower-india.org Kabita Bhattarai, was born in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1961 and comes from a respected Brahmin family. She studied Natural Resources and Development Management, and Public Administration in Kathmandu, Bangkok und Harvard. Kabita has many years of experience working on rural development projects, including Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. She worked for women’s projects and organizations, for environmental support and she also started a micro-credit system in Nepal. She was a consultant for the Leger Foundation, which has been the principal supporter of Little Flower since it started. Since Brother Christdas passed away in 2011, she has been managing Little Flower with the goal of leading the village to financial independence. 105

Research participants Marcus Brückner, Felix Ganzer, Corinna König, Iris Nöbauer, Sebastian Vilanek, Jomo Zeil Research phase 02|2013 Concept and designs Felix Ganzer, Iris Nöbauer, Sebastian Vilanek (phoolna teachers’ flats), Jomo Zeil Planning phase 03|2012–09|2012 Design supervision Roland Gnaiger, Clemens Quirin, Michael Zinner Design consulting Wolfgang Kögelberger, Michael Brunmayr Cooperation with Little Flower Austria, Claudia Vilanek, Waltraud Martius Financial support Little Flower Austria, Land oö, Stadt sbg, Pancivis Foundation Liechtenstein Realization on site 09|2012–08|2015 Construction management Sebastian Vilanek, Iris Nöbauer Construction support Sourabh Phadke, Franz Landl, Fatima Martín Alvaro Local support Kabita Bhattarai, Motilal Sah Collaborators abari – bamboo and earth initiative Local team Abdul Alam, Aftab Alam, Bhaju Alam, Biltu Alam, Kuran Devan, Laxman Chaudry, Nand Kishor, Adesh Kumar, Binesh Kumar, Kamal Kumar, Laxman Kumar, Laxmi Kumar, Naresh Kumar, Raj Kumar, Santosh Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Jiqurullah Mahamad, Noor Mahamad, Amith Miya, Asmahamad Miya, Hanif Miya, Imamudin Miya, Kasim Miya, Jeetendra Patel, Surrendra Sah

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Participants Janina Biskamp, Sandeep Biswas, Nicolas Brendle, Michael Maximilian Brunmayr, Costanza Coletti, Maria Dau, Johannes Derntl, Tanvi Dhond, Karina Eder, John Ellison, Sophie Ellison, Barbara Friesenecker, Felix Ganzer, Jasmin Gatterer, Corinna Hiemer, Magdalena Hopfner, Christina Höritzauer, Stefanie Hueber, Jayashri Iyer, Julius Jell, Su-Mara Kainz, Yuti Kainz, Kunal Khetan, Judtih Kinzl, Katrin Kirschner, Cornelia Kriechbaumer, Amol Mankeekar, Flavia Matei, Sebastian Mayer, Justin Murphy, Ram Prasad, Nicole Rodlsberger, Vyshakh Sasidharan, Eva Schmolmüller, Veronika Schwarzecker, Lukas Vilanek, Lena Waldenberger, Maximilian Weidacher, Jomo Tobias Zeil, Martin Zierer Thanks to Wilhelm Hess, Daria Dachs, Peter Erlebach Concept and design Secondary Eyecare Hospital Michael Brunmayr, Manuel Gegenhuber Planning phase 09|2016–01|2017 Design supervision Roland Gnaiger, Wolfgang Fiel Cooperation with iapb, Vision 2020– The Right to Sight India

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Imprint

Copyright © 2018 · Published by BASEhabitat · Printed with the support of the University of Art and Design, Linz All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise. BASEhabitat · University of Art and Design Linz Kunstuniversität Linz die architektur · Hauptplatz 8, 4020 Linz, Austria · Phone +43.732.78 98 2293 · Mobile +43.676.847 898 2293 · basehabitat@ufg.at · www.basehabitat.org

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Editing · Corinna König Text · Cornelia Bräuer · Michael Brunmayr . Iris Nöbauer . Claudia Vilanek . Sebastian Vilanek Copy editing · Cornelia Bräuer . Claudia Mazanek Translation · Gearóid O’Callaghan · Amy O’Callaghan · Brian Dorsey Photos · Wonge Bergmann · Marcus Brückner · Michael Brunmayr · Katharina Doblinger . Karina Eder . Kurt Hörbst . Stefanie Hueber . Su-Mara Kainz . Corinna König . Iris Nöbauer . Julien Reinhart . Veronika Schwarzecker . Sebastian Vilanek . Jomo Zeil

. . . . . .

Drawings Michael Brunmayr Felix Ganzer Manuel Gegenhuber Iris Nöbauer Sebastian Vilanek Jomo Zeil

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Graphic design · Basic Concept: Clemens Schedler, Büro für konkrete Gestaltung · Implementation: Corinna König Typeface · Questa Sans designed by Jos Buivenga & Martin Majoor Pre-press Production · Boris Bonev Paper · Lenzing Impact 250 g · Lenzing Impact 100 g Printing · Buch.Bücher.Theiss Druckerei 1st edition · 500 copies, March 2018 ISBN · 978-3-901112-84-3 Price of sale · 10.– EUR

BASEhabitat University of Art and Design Linz Kunstuniversität Linz die architektur Hauptplatz 8, 4020 Linz, Austria Phone +43.732.78 98 2293 Mobile +43.676.847 898 2293 basehabitat@ufg.at www.basehabitat.org

U1 = 105 mm

BASEhabitat is a project studio within the Department of Architecture at the University of Art and Design Linz. Professor Roland Gnaiger founded BASEhabitat together with students in 2004. It has implemented numerous projects in the field of humanitarian architecture worldwide. Approaches based around sufficiency and the maxim of “helping people to help themselves” are based on the following: social and cultural integration, environmentally friendly construction, the use of local resources, and the aesthetic demands of the architectural design as requirements for sustainable and self-determined development. In addition to construction projects on the ground, workshops are regularly held on working with loam and bamboo as construction materials. There is also a summer school that takes place every two years with active, international participation. BASEhabitat has been a member of the UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture since 2014. To live up to the increasing worldwide interest in BASEhabitat’s work and the need for projects in the area of humanitarian architecture, the University of Art and Design Linz has decided to establish a postgraduate BASEhabitat master’s degree.

ISBN 978-3-901112-84-3

Rückenstärke 9 mm –>

BASEhabitat sunderpur development India

148 mm

U4 = 105 mm

BASEhabitat sunderpur Development Master Plan and phoolna Teachers’ Flats India

BASEhhabitat PHOOLNA | A6 | Umschlag 4/4-CMYK | 100#er | RZ am 6. Februar 2018