Cultural Development in Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala by Crista Saravia

“Cultural Development in Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala”

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Building Arts in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Architecture Savannah College of Art and Design

Crista Saravia Marroquín Savannah, GA May 2012

To my father, who taught me architecture is not only what you build but who you are. To my mother, who showed me there is no such thing as too much love and kindness. To the people of Rio Dulce, who with their smiles have opened up my heart and have always given me what I need, now I can share with them.

I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Julie Rogers-Varland, Professor Amy Wynne, and Professor Ryadi Adityavarman for their continuous support throughout my thesis. Their encouragement, enthusiasm, thought-provoking questions, and insightful comments guided and motivated me throughout this entire process.

01 06

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Illustrations Abstract

Introduction Precedents Site Analysis Schematic Design Design Development Final Exhibition Thesis Conclusion Introduction to Guatemala

Economics | Communities | Humanitarian Action | Sustainability | Tourism

Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala

Project Goal | Economic Model | Preliminary Programming | Community Model

Ethics | Sustainability: Cultural, Economic, Environmental | Human Experience

Final Boards | Final Section Model

List of Illustrations, Images, and Tables *Done by author, unless noted otherwise. Chapter 1: 1.1- Thesis Diagram 1.2- Map Guatemala

General Map of Guatemala. Map. Online Image. Guatemala Web. January 2012. <http://www. guatemalaweb.com/2/maps/guatemala_very_big_map. htm>

1.3 A- Mayans

Mayan Woman at Market Chichicastenango, Guatemala. Photograph. Online Image. Mayan Worlds. January, 2012. < http://www.ccha-assoc.org/mayaworlds06/ schedule.html>

1.3 B- Garifunas

Dleiva. Garifunas (Livingston, Guatemala). Photograph. Online Image. Flickriver. January, 2012. < http://www. flickr.com/photos/dleiva/3155361577/>

1.3 C- Xincas

Wandering Wolf, Mayan Grand Elder. Photograph. Online Image. Aotearoa: Independent Media Centre. January, 2012. < http://www.indymedia.org.nz/article/79621/ national-council-elders-mayas-xinca-and>

1.3 D- Ladino

Sinunu-Towery, Karyn. Day four: Mission to Guatemala 2009. Photograph. May 1, 2009. Online Image. Rotaplast Missions 2009. January, 2012. <http:// rotaplast.typepad.com/missions/06-2009-guatemalacity/>

1.4- Map Linguistic Communities

Linguistic Communities Map. Map. Online Image. Global Security. January, 2012. < http://www.globalsecurity. org/military/world/war/guatemala.htm>

1.5- Poverty Diagram 1.6- GDP Components Diagram

Chapter 2: 2.1- Triple Bottom Line Economic Diagram 2.2- Natural Capital Loss Diagram 2.3- Microfinance Organization 2.4- SKS Cooperation Organization 2.5- SKS Investor and Communities Relationsips 2.6- Papua New Guinea Map

New Guinea Map. Map. January, 2005, Photograph. Online Image. Veteran Letters. January, 2012. < http:// veteranletters.blogs.com/photos/new_guinea/new_ guinea_map.html>

2.7 A- Korowai

Korowai clan eats meat and plant products. Photograph. Online Image. Ezine Mark. January, 2012. < http:// society.ezinemark.com/korowai-tribe-among-old-junglein-indonesia-7736560b4268.html>

2.7 B- Korowai

Korowai men are good hunter gatherers. Photograph. Online Image. Ezine Mark. January, 2012. < http:// society.ezinemark.com/korowai-tribe-among-old-junglein-indonesia-7736560b4268.html>

2.7 C- High Stilt Architecture

High stilt architecture. Photographh. Online Image. Science Hax. January, 2012. < http://sciencehax. com/2010/07/korowai-life-in-the-trees/>

2.7 D- High Stilt Arcitecture

Living atop trees. Photographh. Online Image. Science Hax. January, 2012. < http://sciencehax.com/2010/07/ korowai-life-in-the-trees/>

2.8- Amazon Map

South America Map. Map. Online Image. Southwind Adventures. January, 2012. < http://www. southwindadventures.com/sa_map.htm>

2.9- Invaders Impact on Tribes Diagram 2.10 A- Bororo Tribe

Allen, Timothy. Birds of a feather: Huli Tribe. Photograph. Online Image. BBC Earth: Timothy Allen Blog. January, 2012. < http://timothyallen.blogs.bbcearth.com/>

2.10 B- Uncontacted Amazonian Tribe

Neinast, Bob. Uncontacted Amazonian Tribes. Photograph. Online Image. Society Barefoot Living. January, 2012. < http://societyforbarefootliving. wordpress.com/2011/02/02/uncontactedamazonians/>

2.11 A- Una Cancha Muchas Canchas, Guatemala

Seis Muchas Canchas. Photograph. Online Image. Architecture for Humanity. January, 2012. < http:// architectureforhumanity.org/node/2372>

2.11 B- Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence, Tanzania

Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence. Photograph. Online Image. Architecture for Humanity. January, 2012. < http://architectureforhumanity.org/node/782>

2.11 C- Post Tsunami Housing, Sri Lanka

Post Tsunami Housing. Photograph. Online Image. Architecture for Humanity. January, 2012. <http:// architectureforhumanity.org/node/1175>

2.12 A- UTPMP Before

Casa Guatemala Interactive Map. Drawn Map. Online Image. Casa Guatemala. December, 2011. <http://www. casa-guatemala.org/tour.php>

2.15- Cost and Income= Sustainability Equation 2.16 A- Backpackers Hotel

Backpackers Hotel. Photograph. Online Image. Hotel Backpackers. December, 2011. <http://www.hotel backpackers.com/>

2.16 B- Farm

Classrooms and Children. Photograph. Online Image. Casa Guatemala. December, 2011.<http://www.casaguatemala.org/tour.php>

2.16 C- Farm Store

Secondary Chicken Pen. Photograph. Online Image. Casa Guatemala. December, 2011.<http://www.casaguatemala.org/tour.php>

2.17- Ak’Tenamit Board of Directors

Current Board of Directors. Photograph. Online Image. Ak’Tenamit. December, 2011. <http://www.aktenamit. org/about-us/structure.php>

2.18- Ak’Tenamit Core Values

Images taken from: Photograph. Online Image. Ak’Tenamit. December, 2011. <http://www.aktenamit. org/education>

Online Image.

2.19- Liter of Light Economic Equation

2.12 B- UTPMP Before Online Image.

2.20-Outcome Liter of Light Application

2.12 C- UTPMP After

Online Image.

2.12 D- UTPMP After Online Image.

2.14- Map Casa Guatemala

2.13- Typical Child vs. Casa Guatemala Child Diagram

2.21- Quetsol Kits Diagram 2.22- Practical Small Projects Needs Pyramid 2.23- Rio Dulce’s Matrix of Needs 2.24 A- Tikal

Montes, Javier. Guatemala (Tikal). Photograph. May,

2010. Online Image. Viajar a todo el mundo. January, 2012. <http://www.viajartodoelmundo.com/2010/05/ guatemala-tikal.html>

2.24 B- Wood Crafts

Tikal Wooden Crafts. Photograph. Online Image. Info Hub. December, 2011. <http://www.infohub.com/ vacation_packages/10459.html>

2.24 C- Quetzal, National Bird.

Villatoro, Mirana. Wildlife Spottings: Quetzal. Photograph. June, 2010. Online Image. Travel Experta. December, 2011. <http://travelexperta.com/2010/06/15-wildlife spottings-in-guatemala.html>

2.25- Sarvodaya Needs and Principles Chart Chapter 3: 3.1- Site within Izabal Map

Map taken from: Izabal Map. Map. Online Image. World Atlas. December, 2011. <http://www.worldatlas.com/ aatlas/infopage.izabal.htm> Edited by author.

3.2- Izabal within Guatemala Map

Map taken from: Guatemala Map. Map. Online Image. Maps of the World. December, 2011. <http://www.mapsof-the-world.com/mappages/Guatemala_map.htm> Edited by author.

3.3- Castillo San Felipe de Castilla 3.4- Rio Dulce’s Main Highway

Rio Dulce Aerial View. Photograph. November, 2008. Online Image. Guatemala Bella. December, 2011. <http://www.guatemalabella.com/ izabal/2008/11/01/>

3.5- Garifuna’s of Livingston

Dleiva. Garifunas (Livingston, Guatemala). Photograph. Online Image. Flickriver. January, 2012. < http://www. flickr.com/photos/dleiva/3155361577/>

3.6- Subsistence Economy Diagram 3.7- Typical Family Unit Diagram

3.8- Father’s Role Diagram 3.9- Mother’s Role Diagram 3.10- Subsistence Economy effect on Children Diagram 3.11 A- Puerto Barrios

JTrail. Puerto Barrios. Photograph. Online Image. Travel Pod. December, 2011. <http://blog.travelpod.com/ travel-photo/jtrail/jtrail_06/1165283400/18_pto_ barrios.jpg/tpod.html>

3.11 B- Morales 3.11 C- Las Camelias 3.12- Location of Towns, Developments and Villages in Rio Dulce Map 3.13- Location of Vacation Homes in Rio Dulce Map 3.14- Vacation Home Impact on Villagers Diagram 3.15- Typical Village Problems 3.16- Factors Contributing to the Formation of Villages Diagram 3.17 A to C- Las Camelias Current Living Conditions 3.17 D to F- Chocj Vilalge Current Living Conditions 3.18- Program 3.19- Site Aerial View

Rio Dulce Aerial View. Photograph. Online Image. Google Earth. November, 2011. <http://maps.google.com/ maps>

3.20 A to F- Site Images

4.14- Cultural Market Interactive Section

Chapter 4:

4.15- Hotel Public, Courtyard and Service Core Interactive Section

4.1- Project Goal Diagram 4.2- Economic Model Proposal 4.3 Win-Win Proposal and Relationships 4.3 A- Investor Villager Relationship 4.3 B- Villager Economics Relationship 4.3 C- Resources Sustainability Relationship 4.4- Needs, Proposed Spaces and Goals Diagram 4.5- Conceptual Masterplan 4.6- Proposed Conceptual Fishing Market 4.7- Proposed Conceptual Cultural Market 4.8- Programmatic Masterplan 4.9- Village Dwelling in Relation to Waterfront Section 4.10- Enhancing Communal Life: Shared walkways and docks 4.11- Hotel Bungalow in Relation to Waterfront Section 4.12- Hotel Bungalow Privacy with use of Vegetation 4.13- Hotel Bungalow Conceptual Sketch Perspective 4

4.16- Community Education and Health care Facilities Interactive Section Chapter 5: 5.1- Ethical Proposal Villagers 5.2- Climatic Responses Section 5.3- Cultural Market Exploded Axonometric and Relationship to Triple Bottom Line Economic System 5.4- Cultural Market Exploded Axonometric and Relationship to Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Top 5.5- Cultural Market Exploded Axonometric and Relationship to Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Middle 5.6- Cultural Market Exploded Axonometric and Relationship to Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Bottom 5.7- Practical Small Projects Pyramid of Needs 5.8- Research and Needs Matrix 5.9- Combined User Interaction: Path, Density, Integration 5.10- Hotel Guest 5.11- Local Visitor

5.12- Villager

6.5- FInal Exhibit Board and Model

5.6- Masterplan Axonometric 5.7- Hotel Bungalow and Sundecks Axonometric 5.8- Hotel Sundecks Perspective 5.9- Hotel Reception and Restaurant Axonometric 5.10- Cultural Market and Fresh & Fish Market, Fishing Dock Axonometric 5.11- Cultural Market Section 5.12- Fish and Fresh Market, Fishing Dock Section 5.13- Hotel Lounge Areas Perspective 5.14- Hotel Lounge Areas Perspective 2 5.14 A- Cultural Market Stand Perspective 5.14 B- Cultural Market Promenade Perspective 5.14 C- Cultural Market Courtyard Perspective 5.15 A- Fish and Fresh Market Entrance Perspective Chapter 6: 6.1- Final Exhibition Boards 6.2- Final Section Model Board and Phtographs 6.3- Final Section Model Photographs 6.4- Final Exhibit Board 5

“Cultural Development in Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala”

Crista Saravia May 2012

This thesis will adress the social issues in the region of Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala, particularly pertaining to environmental degradation and poverty as separate entities, their relationships with one another and the role that architectural and community design can play to improve these conditions. Research shows that this region lives in an economy of subsistence, which only provides for its people with the bare minimum human needs of food and shelter but fails to provide an improved quality and promising quality of life for both current and future generations. Due to human being’s instinct for survival and the lack of a community that offers education, people spend more than 90% of their time acquiring food either through agriculture or fishing, utilizing methods that neglect the environment which are the major assets that this area has to offer. In efforts to restrain from the destruction of the vital potential of the region, this thesis will investigate the unique economy, culture, organization, and relationships of its people which contribute to the Guatemala’s diversity and the role that design can play in this goal. Research on different economical models, such as a triple bottom line, microfinance, Buddhist economics, and Natural Capitalism, as well as programs such as “Everyone a Changemaker” and “Impact Investing”, will be utilized to create a new economic model that applies and relates directly with Rio Dulce’s economy of subsistence. It will also seek to utilize ecotourism and community tourism as the primary investments that will serve as a source of economic income for the region. This project seeks to utilize architecture as a generator for a self-sustained community not only capable of maintaining its existence but one that promises to grow and benefit from the cultural and economical means being provided to its people.

Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala subsistence poor quality of life

poverty collapse ignorance violence

depletion survival needs

underdevelopment slash/burn risk

pollution

"ecocide"

Figure 1.1- Thesis Diagram The proposal for this thesis project is changing Rio Dulceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current economy of subsistence to that of sustenance throug the utilization of principles taken from natural capitalism, micro financing, triple bottom line economics in conjunction with architecture and community design.

poten tial determina tio n

education community relationships architectural design new economic model ecotourism

community design environmental relationships

sustenance improved quality of life "everyone a changemaker"

natural capitalism jobs

unique community model successful

income

triple bottom line business future

ecotourism

restoration natural resources

“Goathemala”

Guatemala, also known as the “land of the trees”, is located at the northernmost part of what encompasses Central America. It is bordered by Mexico on its North and West, the Pacific Ocean to the Southwest, Belize to the Northeast, the Caribbean to the East, and Honduras and El Salvador to the Southeast.

Figure 1.2- Map of Guatemala

With an area of 108,890 km2 and an estimated population of 13,824,463, the country is divided into 22 departments and subdivided into 332 municipalities. Two mountain chains running from West to East divide the country into three main regions: the cool highlands, the tropical areas along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the tropical jungle in the Northern lowlands. These three regions varying in climate, landscape and elevation provide the country with 14 ecoregions and 5 different ecosystems, making Guatemala home to more than 252 wetlands, 5 lakes, 61 lagoons, 100 rivers and 4 swamps.

After hundreds of years, the Mayan cities of Peten went through a sudden period of declining possibly caused by war, revolt, drought, epidemic and exhaustion of the land. Civilizations in the highland nations of the country were continuously at war with one another, which led them to build most of their

1823

Guatemala becomes part of the United Provinces of Central America

1523

Pedro de Alvarado defeats Mayans and Guatemala turns into Spanish Colony

1821

1839

Country gains its full independence

Guatemala gains independence and joins the Mexican Empire the next year

Cristopher Columbus discovers America.

1492 900

The classic period of Maya history ends.

899

751

Trade between Mayacity states declines and conflict between nations rises.

500

Tikal becomes the first great Maya city. There is an introduction of new ideas including weapons, rituals, and human sacrifice.

600

Tikal is abandoned.

Tikal becomes the largest city-state in Mesoamerica, with as many as 500,000 inhabitants.

Matas adopt the idea of a hierarchical society ruled by nobles and kings.

300 B.C 2000 B.C

Village farming becomes established throughout Mayan regions.

begins.

Cultures had flourished throughout much of Guatemala before the Spanish conquistadors arrived with Pedro de Alvarado in 1523. (Encyclopedia Britannica) The Maya developed around the same time as the Toltec, Olmec and Mixtec in other parts of what encompassed Mesoamerica. It was from them that the Maya learned some of their practices and with whom they shared most of their beliefs. Mayan hieroglyphic writing is what has allowed nowadays archeologists an idea of their history and their way of life. Their construction techniques didn’t involve the use of the wheel, so materials had to be carried by humans.

settlements along the ravines protecting them the third and final capital, Guatemala City, was founded in 1776. from their dangerous neighbors. There were a large number of different Mayan groups located around the country, these include the Quiche, Tzutuhils, Cakchiquels, and Mam. The Quiche was the principal nation of Pre-Colonial Guatemala and their Popol Vuh, or sacred book, helped describe their history before the conquest. Because of the lack of diplomacy between the Mayan groups, the Spaniards could potentially use one of the nations as an ally in a war to conquest the others. After the defeat of the Mayans, the first colonial capital Ciudad Vieja was founded and later ruined by floods and an earthquake in 1542. The survivors founded the second capital called Antigua in 1543, which was later destroyed by two earthquakes in 1773. (Encyclopedia Britannica) It was after the earthquakes and an eruption of Guatemala’s Volcan de Agua that

On September 15, 1821 Guatemala gained it’s independence from Spain and became part of the Mexican Empire for a brief period of time. It later belonged to a federation called the United Provinces of Central America, which was dissolved in civil war from 1838 to 1840. Throughout the mid19th century Guatemala went through a series of dictatorships, insurgencies, coups, and stretches of military rule. In 1944 General Jorge Ubico’s dictatorship was overthrown by the “October Revolutionaries”, a group of students, officers, and liberal professionals. Civilian president Juan Jose Arevalo was elected in 1945 and remained in power until 1951. (Grandin) It was during 1952 that the communist Guatemalan Labor Party gained power and in 1954 Coronel Carlos Castillo Armas invaded the country.

Vinizio Cerezo becomes President and the Guatemalan Christian Democratic Party wins elections

Military rule embarks on programme to eliminate left-wingers, resulting in over 50,000 deaths

1996

1982

Rios Montt gains power following Military Coup

1985

1970's 1944

President Juan Jose Arevalo introduces Social Democratic reforms

Alvaro Arzu becomes President and ends the 36 years of Civil War

Guatemala ruled by liberal Justo Rufino Barrios who modernizes the country, develops army and introduces coffee growing

1873-1885 Guatemala ruled by dictator Rafael Carrera

1844-1865

Important events in Guatemalan Hist

After a military revolt in 1960, four guerilla groups were formed and conducted economic sabotage throughout the country, taking the lives of many innocent people in armed attacks. These organizations later combined to form the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, URNG in 1982. During that same year, General Efrain Rios Montt came to power, forming a three member military ‘junta’ that annulled the 1965 constitution, dissolved Congress and cancelled electoral law. (Encyclopedia Britannica) He named himself “President of the Republic” and is responsible for more than 200,000 deaths of unarmed indigenous civilians. He was later deposed by his own Minister of Defence, Oscar Humberto Mejia. Mejia was able to restore and return the country to a democracy starting July 1,1984. (Grandin) The return of the democracy led to free elections, which were won by Vinicio Cerezo in 1986. After many political changes throughout time, Guatemala continues

to be a democracy. Guatemalan history tells the story of how the past has affected the future, specially how the past has affected its people. Being a country known for the many achievements of Maya civilization, conquered by Spain for its wealth and later shaken by turmoil of civil war, Guatemala has undergone many political, social, economical and cultural changes throughout the years. Most of the indigenous population have been affected by the civil war, which has widened the gap between the high and low classes. The political turmoil has brought instability to the country, making it hard for Guatemala to get back on its feet. Understanding the different factors that have shaped Guatemalan history is important in helping understand the people and what the country is today.

Colors of Guatemala

Figure 1.3 A to D- Ethnic Groups of Guatemala (From top to bottom: A- Mayans, B-Garifunas, CXincas, D-Ladinos) Understanding the cultural diversity of Guatemala as a country allows for a better understanding of the formation of the individual cultural groups as well as their relationship with important historical events.

Mayans

Garifunas Guatemala is considered a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country. The main ethnic groups are the Maya, Garifuna, Xinca, and Ladinos, also called Mestizos. According to a 2001 census Mestizos make up 59.4% of the population, K’iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q’eqchi 6.3%, and other Mayans 8.6%. Although the Mayans account for slightly less than half of the country’s population, they make up about three-fourths of the population in the Western highland provinces. There are some Spanish-speaking Xinca in the Southern region and more than 15,000 Garifuna in the Northernmost port towns of Livingston and Puerto Barrios. Garifunas come from a mixed African and Caribbean descent and were formerly called “Black Caribs”. Ladinos are the more commercially and politically influential group in the country, making up most of the urban population. 12

Xincas

Ladinos

Figure 1.4- Map of Linguistic Communities in Guatemala

These languages also have their own phonetic, grammatical and structural base. English is spoken in all main tourist centers. Spanish, spoken by some 60% of the population, is the official and commercial language. Amerindians speak some 28 dialects in five main language groups: Quiché, Mam, Pocomam, and Chol—all of the Mayan language family—and Carib, Kekchi, Garifuna, Cakchiquel, and Xinca. Amerindian languages are spoken by about Even though Guatemala’s official 40% of the populace. language is Spanish there are 23 official Mayan Approximately three-fifths of the languages, which make Guatemala a pluri- lingual country. The largest Mayan groups are population of Guatemala is concentrated within the Mam, who reside in the Western regions of the volcanic uplands and along the Pacific coastal Guatemala; the Quiche, who occupy areas to the plain. One-tenth live to the East and South, while North and West of Lake Atitlan; the Cakchiquel, even fewer reside within Peten’s region. The who occupy the Eastern shores of Lake Atitlan remaining population resides in the region of and extend to Guatemala City; and the Kekchi, the Sierras. Two-fifth’s of the population make who are concentrated in the sierras to the North up the urban dwellers and from which only half inhabit the capital, Guatemala City. and West of Lake Izabal.

A developing country

Need to survive/ subsist

Barrier/Boundary

Exploitation

During the 30 year civil war, a large number of the country fled to the United States for refuge. The money they send home constitute Figure 1.5- Poverty Diagram the largest single source of foreign income, Lack of education, job opportunities, and adequate resources conjunction with peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s need to survive contribute to the which is more than the combined value of in ongoing problem of poverty in Guatemala. A barrier is formed exports and tourism. Guatemalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP for 2011 between an improved quality of life, therefore forcing people conformity, scarcity, and exploitation which are the was estimated at $24.7 billion, with a growth of towards major factors of poverty. 3%.

Comformity

Scarcity

POVERTY

NO + =

EDUCATION JOB OPPORTUNITIES RESOURCES

Forced to

According to the CIA World Fact Book, Guatemala is among the ten poorest countries in Latin America. Even though the GDP per capita is $5,000, the distribution of incomes is highly unequal which results in more than half of the population living below the national poverty line and a 3.2% unemployment rate. As a result, the CIA World Fact Book considers 56.2% of the population living in poverty. Almost 70% of the population lives on less than $2 a day and of the 2% almost 30% of the urban population lives on less than 1% a day.

Figure 1.6 - GDP Components Diagram

Guatemala’s main exports include coffee, sugar, bananas, vegetables, produce, and textiles.

GUATEMALA’S MAIN EXPORTS

Industrial Sector= 22.1% 1 2

Agriculture Sector= 13.3%

Manufacturing Sector= 22.1% 3

Guatemala’s GDP Components Figure 1.7- GDP Component Percentages

The country’s main natural resources include: oil, timber, nickel, and gold. These resources form part of the industrial sector which contributes for 22.1% of the country’s GDP. Agriculture accounts for 13.3% of the GDP and includes products such as: coffee, sugar, bananas, cardamom, vegetables, flowers and plants, as well as rice and rubber. Manufacturing contribute with an 18.1% to Guatemala’s GDP and includes prepared food, clothing and textiles, construction materials, tires and pharmaceuticals. Since this particular thesis project deals with Rio Dulce’s economy and seeks its improvement, it is vital to understand the country’s overall economic standing and its components. This knowledge contributes to understanding which products can be utilized to form a part of the new economical model being introduced in Rio Dulce.

Economics

Various economical models have been developed by individuals throughout the years that take different stances on the many economical issues different societies around the world are facing. These models seek to solve and restore the economy of a particular community, as well as tend to introduce innovative approaches for a solution to the problem. In order to create a new and improved economical model that pertains particularly to the needs of a specific community, one must evaluate on a broader scale the theories that have already been created. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to treat these theories as case studies and gather the parts that will be used to construct the new model. The creation of the new model must cater specifically to the current economy pertaining to the community in question, which in this case is Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala. 17

Triple Bottom Line

The world’s current economical model was created to meet the needs of the industrial revolution, based on the intensive production of material goods. Arthur Warmoth argues in “Triple Bottom Line: The Economic Systems Infrastructure for a Sustainable and Abundant Service Economy”, that the foundation of the monetary system was designed to be competitive, promoting the concentration of tangible assets and focusing on the exploitation of the environment rather than on the sustainable investment practices. (Warmoth 2) Because of the growing income and population of the Industrial Revolution, as well as the transition from manual and animal-based labor towards machine-based manufacturing, the economical practices of the world have changed. The new technological advances that benefitted society in terms of cutting production times and human labor began to deteriorate the environment over time and continue to do so at a growing rate. Because of the deterioration of

the natural resources of the planet, there is a growing concern among individuals to stop this destruction. “The conventional economic theory identifies land, labor, and capital as the factors of production. It looks at land merely as the exploitable source of natural resources and energy, labor as a cost factor in production of the material goods, and capital in terms of financial capital and ownership of the goods being produced.” (Warmoth 3) This system fails to incorporate the full range of human needs, based on both Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Manfred Max Neef’s Matrix of Fundamental Human Needs, which include material goods as well as others that are satisfied by human relationships. It also fails to take into consideration the environment and its limitations. Therefore, “a new industrial revolution” has been argued to be on the horizon, causing the creation of a new economical model.

Financial Capital

Planet maintaining sustainable ecological systems

Human Capital

People

Figure 2.1- Triple Bottom Line Economics

This diagram seeks to briefly explain the triple bottom line economicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; three types of capital and how they come together to achieve their main goal.

The triple bottom line economy theory introduces a concept that provides sufficient material goods using sustainable ecological methods that will optimize the quality of life, based on the abundance of personal and community-oriented services. (Warmoth 1) In other words, it seeks to expand the traditional framework by taking into account ecological and social performance in addition to finance. The model argues that by taking into account and implementing all three of the lines, sustainability can be achieved. It seeks to provide fair and beneficial business practices towards labor and the community, always looking to benefit and never exploit any group nor the environment. The concept of enhancing community can be further explored with the idea of â&#x20AC;&#x153;coproductionâ&#x20AC;?, recognizing that collaborative relationships are the foundation of family, neighborhood and community life. (Warmoth

GOAL

Ecological Capital

optimizing the Profit production of trade goods

encouraging well being in social relationships.

13) Aside from the human aspect that makes up the larger triple bottom line, the creation of ecological sustainability is also of major importance. By taking into consideration the environment in this system, it can almost be assured that the economical cycle will continue to work as long as the three criteria are met. This assures that the deterioration of the natural resources will be minimal, making their existence longer which proves to be beneficial to humans by having means for producing goods that bring financial capital.

"When we look at what market price does, we see that it effectively devalues everything that defines us as human beings. If something is worthless because it has no market value, look at all the capacities we are devaluing: caring for each other, coming to each other's rescue, standing up for what is right, opposing what is wrong and coming together to reach agreement." Edgar Chang No More Throw Away People 20

Natural Capitalism

Capitalism

"an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decisions, and prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market."

Natural capital

"all the familiar resources used by humankind: water, minerals, oils, trees, fish, soil, air, etc. It also encompasses living systems, which include grasslands, savannas, wetlands, estuaries, oceans, coral reefs, riparian corridors, tundras, and rainforests."

Even though industrial systems have provided society with lots of success, the natural capital in which civilization strongly relies on is declining at a fast rate. Therefore, the development of the idea of

Natural capitalism

has started to develop as a means of providing a solution to this on-going problem. This theory claims that as human population doubles and the resources available per person drop by half to almost threefourths, there is a remarkable transformation of industry and commerce that can occur. Through this transformation there will be a creation of an economy that uses less material and energy, and therefore will free up resources, reduce taxes on personal income, increase per-capita spending on social bills and begin to restore the damaged environment on earth. These changes done properly can promote economic efficiency, ecological conservation, and social equity.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Problems cannot be solved within the mind-set that created them.â&#x20AC;?

Einstein

This new theory recognizes that there is a critical interdependency between the production and use of human-made capital, and the maintenance and supply of natural capital. (Natural Capitalism 4) Currently, capital is represented in the form of investments, factories and equipment. Natural capitalism claims that in order for an economy to function properly there should be four types of capital:

1. Human Capital 2. Financial Capital 3. Manufactured Capital 4. Natural Capital

The current industrial system utilizes the first three types to transform natural capital into things of daily life use, but it fails to take into account the environmental degradation that

comes in hand with this transformation and in a way takes for granted the natural resources the planet has to offer. One needs to understand the basis for the present economical model in order to create a new one. Natural Capitalismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current mindset of the capitalist system is one which dates back centuries, when an improved productivity greatly reduced costs, raised the standards of living and real wages, and finally increased the demands for other products in other industries, forming a cycle that has continued to current times at a much larger scale. Taking into account the current economical system as well as the consequences it has had on the environment, its people and looking at the areas that have room for improvement, a new mind-set with new values can be further developed.

Figure 2.2- Loss of Natural Capitalism Diagram

In order to avoid loss of natural capital, issues such as population growth, waste full consumption patterns and badly designed systems must be addressed.

Population Growth Wastefull patterns of consumption

The development of this new mind-set took into consideration the flaws that were found in the current system and with these in mind started to dictate a set of fundamental guidelines. “The environment is not a minor factor of production but rather is ‘an envelope containing, provisioning, and sustaining the entire economy’. The limiting factor to future economic development is the availability and functionality of natural capital, in particular lifesupporting services that have no substitutes and currently have no market value. Future economic progress can best take place in democratic, market-based systems of production and distribution in which all forms of capital are fully valued, including human, manufactured, financial and natural capital. One of the keys to the most beneficial employment of people, money, and the environment is radical increases in resource productivity, Human welfare is best served by improving the quality of flow

All three must be addressed in order to achieve a sustainable economy.

Loss of Natural Capital

Misconceived/ badly designed business systems

of desired services delivered, rather than by merely increasing the total dollar flow. Economic and environmental sustainability depends on readdressing global inequalities of income and material well-being.” (Natural Capitalism 9)

“There is no separation between how we support life economically and ecologically”

(Natural Capitalism 21)

One of the biggest problems in Rio Dulce is the degradation of the natural resources. This is caused by the everyday methods people of the region use in order to gather food, wash their clothes, among others. As the time continues to go by, this degradation continues to increase at an alarming rate which has created awareness among people of the region. In an effort to decrease and potentially stop natural resource degradation it is important to look and analyze methods that take into consideration the environment. Not only is sustainability a large component of the project, more specifically introducing sustainability to the economical model becomes much more important. It’s by taking the idea of natural capitalism and applying it’s main principles to those of the triple bottom line that this project seeks to propose a significant and successful new economical model that will improve Rio Dulce’s natural resources and current situation.

1 2 3 4

Radical Resource Productivity

By increasing resource productivity, therefore using them more effectively the economy will benefit in various ways. The effective use of resources will slow down resource depletion on one hand, lower pollution on the other causing to increase worldwide employment with meaningful jobs.

Biomimicry

Redesigning industrial systems by mimicking biological patterns, will not only change the industrial processes and materials but will also enable the reuse of materials in a continuous closed cycle and eliminate toxicity.

Service and Flow Economy

Changing the relationship between producer and consumer, that is changing from an economy based on goods and purchases to one of service and flow. There is to be a shift from the acquisition of goods as a measure of affluence to an economy where the continuous receipt of quality, utility and performance promotes the well-being of its people.

Investments in Natural Capital

Investments should be made in sustaining, restoring and expanding the stocks of natural capital, causing the biosphere to produce more abundant ecosystem services and natural resources.

Right Focus- Costumer First

Highest value for the customer

Right Means- Ethics First

Ethical practices in relationships

Right Way- Consistent Quality Standardized processes lead to effectiveness Figure 2.3- Microfinance Organization Diagram

1 2 3

Microfinance

Investor, organization, villages, groups, and individual members are part of the microfinance organization. This diagram seeks to demonstrate the relationships between all members of this organization and the hierarchy with which the company works with.

A B C D E

F G

SKS Microfinance is a for-profit organization whose main goal is to eradicate poverty. In an effort to do so, this organization utilizes microfinance as a tool that reduces poverty and spreads economic opportunities by giving people access to financial services such as loans and credits. The distribution of loans to poor women in India help them start their own business ventures, which range from raising cows and goats to opening up a ready-made clothing company. This new approach used to eradicate poverty and improving the life of many Indian women around the world follows the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joint Liability group Modelâ&#x20AC;?. By creating groups of five women, SKS organization guarantees a co-operation to happen among the group members, which creates awareness and a joint effort between community members to help themselves and others around them.

Manju Devi

Figure 2.4- SKS Small Group Organization

SKS Microfinance Organization works by creating small groups within the villages in order to reinforce their concept of co-operation. These women work together and help one another by paying the loans which help support their small business ventures financially.

Ameena Bi

Saida Bi

co-operation

Ananthanna

Working in a group allows women to help themselves and others around them. If one person of the group fails to complete a payment on time none of the members of the group will receive a loan.

Bandaru

In order to provide financial help to members of villages and colonies, SKS follows a clear process of operations which operates in terms of convenience and savings in cost and time. The process followed includes the following steps: 1. Village selection: Surveys are conducted in order to evaluate current conditions in the different villages, such as poverty levels, population, political stability, and transportation access.

attend before due to religious, class,or gender. 4. Group Formation: The women form five member groups in order to serve as guarantors for each other. Research has shown that a five member group is small enough to enforce group peer pressure and large enough to cover repayments in case a member needs help.

5. Compulsory Group Training: This four day process consists of sessions designed to educate the clients on the processes and procedures. This type of training is done by using visual and participatory teaching methods and is 2. Projection meeting: After selecting a completed with a Group Recognition Test which village, the staff introduces to the community guarantees their acceptance into the program. its mission, methodology and the services they 6. Centre Meetings: Groups are combined offer. to form centres and conduct weekly meetings 3. Mission Projection meeting: This where they conduct financial transactions. meeting seeks to follow-up with interested women as well as seeking to those who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

Figure 2.5- SKS Investor and Villagers Relationships

NORTH (rich)

Globalization

"Global trade is like a hundred lane highway crisis crossing the world. If it is a free-for-all highway, with no stoplights, speed limits, size restrictions, or even lane markers, its surface will be taken over by the giant trucks from the world's most powerful economies causing small vehicles forced off the highway. In order to have a win-win globalization, we must have fair traffic laws, traffic signals and traffic police. The rule of 'the strongest takes all' must be replaced by rules that ensure that the poorest have a place on the highway. Otherwise the global market falls under the control of financial imperialism.

Free-Markets

“Creating a world without poverty”

Growing divide

These should be used as sources of inspiration and freedom for all, not as architects of decadence for a small elite. In order for free-markets to truly help with issues such as poverty and environmental degradation, they should NOT cater solely to the financial goods of the richest shareholders. `

Non-Profit Organizations

Charity comes from basic human concern to other humans which is one of the largest advantages of these organizations. "Non-profit organizations rely on a steady stream of donations by generous individuals, organizations, or government agencies." The main problem with this reliance is the fact that when there is an economic crisis or a natural disaster, the demand of charity tends to outpace the supply. That is why non-profit organizations CANNOT be expected to solve the world's social ills.

Multilateral Institutions

The mission of these institutions is to "eliminate poverty by promoting economic development in countries and regions that are lagging behind the prosperous nations of the Northern Hemisphere. The problem with these institutions is that they haven't attained their social goals and are bureaucratic, conservative, slowmoving and often self-serving. They believe that as long as GDP increases they are achieving their mission, failing to notice that this growth can be occurring at a very slow rate, without benefiting the poor and many times occurring at the expense of the poor.

Capitalism

Taking a too narrow view of human nature, tending to "assume that people are one-dimensional beings concerned only with the pursuit of maximum profit. Believing that mainstream free-market theory postulates that you are contributing to the society and the world in the best possible manner if you just concentrate on getting the most for yourself. They have trained their minds to believe that wellfunctioning markets simply cannot produce unpleasant results."

SOUTH (poor)

Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist, has a different approach for solving poverty throughout the world which he shares in his book “Creating a World Without Poverty”. He believes that throughout recent years there has been a growing divide between what he calls, “the global North and South” the world’s richest and the rest. (Yunus 4) He argues that poverty is not evenly distributed around the world, emphasizing that regions such as South Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa suffer its worst effects. Yunus believes that globalization can bring benefits to the poor more than any other alternative, but if used without the proper guidelines it can potentially become highly destructive. He explores the different systems used nowadays, which include globalization as well as free-markets, non-profit organizations, multilateral institutions and capitalism. In addressing these different organizations he points out their advantages and disadvantages.

"People are not one-dimensional entities, instead they are multidimensional. Their emotions, beliefs, priorities and behavior patterns can best be compared to the millions of shades we can produce from the three primary colors." Following this belief of the world being composed of multi-dimensional entities he finds there is a need to develop a new concept that can take into consideration all of the aspects that have not been taken into account in the previously analyzed models and theories.

“The presence of our multidimensional personalities means that not every business should be bound to serve the single objective of profit maximization” Therefore, the concept of social business has to be developed. 28

Social business is defined as a “non-loss, non-dividend company designed to address a social objective within the highly regulated marketplace of today. It is distinct from a nonprofit because the business should seek to generate a modest profit but this will be used to expand the company’s reach, improve the product or service, or in other words to subside the social mission”. Yunus developed two types of social businesses. Type I: Focuses on providing a product and/or service with a specific social, ethical or environmental goal. Type II: A profit-oriented business that is owned by the poor or other underprivileged parts of a society who can gain through receiving direct dividends or by indirect benefits.

Principles of Social Business

1. 2. 3.

Business objective is to overcome poverty and/ or other problems that threaten people and society.

Financial and economic stability.

Investors get back their investment amount only.

4. 5. 6. 7.

Company profit stays with the company for expansion & improvement after investment is paid back. Environmentally conscious.

Workforce gets market wage with better working conditions.

Do it with joy. Looking at this particular precedent and understanding in particular the notion of human being’s being multi-dimensional entities a relationship is drawn with Rio Dulce’s community. Because of the different migration patterns that have occurred in the region and the diverse ethnic groups that form it, it’s important to take into consideration their diverse characteristics in order for this project to be successful. By understanding the different advantages and disadvantages of the organizations which seek to end poverty around the world, one can start to learn from their components in order for its application to be unique to the region of Rio Dulce and in particular to its people. The introduction of social business and the application of its principles can become part of the solution for Rio Dulce’s problem of life in an economy of subsistence.

“Everyone a changemaker” “Shaping a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world’s citizens to think and act as changemakers.” -Ashoka’s Mission

Ashoka, a leading social entrepreneurship organization was founded by Bill Drayton in 1980 on the premise that “the most effective way to promote positive social change is to invest in social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions that are sustainable and replicated, both nationally and globally.” (Ashoka) Envisioning a world of changemakers which responds effectively to challenges, and where individuals have the freedom, confidence, and support to address any problem and produce change. In analyzing this particular organization, its vision and mission in an effort to develop a relationship with this thesis project in Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala. The project’s utilization of microfinance as an economic strategy to improve the quality of life of members living in the proposed community development, suggests investigations of methods that can potentially be used as strategies for the future growth of the project.

It’s important to understand that with this particular type project, one that promotes a large involvement of community members for its implementation and success, there is a need to develop strategies that will continue to promote this involvement for future generations to come. As this project seeks to educate the villagers on different practices including construction, commercial, communal, and economic, it becomes imperative that attention is paid to the necessary education required for the continuity of the project. These strategies should empower people to be able to make decisions that will promote their wellbeing and propose an improved change. With this in mind, this thesis and its strategies are strongly influenced by the idea behind “Everyone a Changemaker”.

1. 2. 3.

The individual: Individuals are the engines of social change and role models for the citizen sector.

The group: Groups and networks of entrepreneurs work faster and are able to spread social impact effectively.

The sector: In order for a network of entrepreneurs to work, they need tools and support systems in order to deliver.

Support

Identifying and investing in leading entrepreneurs to achieve maximum impact.

Promote

Engaging communities and developing patterns of effective collaborations to promote change.

Build

Creating needed infrastructure, such as access to social financing, academic sectors and frameworks for partnerships to deliver social and financial value. 31

Buddhist Economics “Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful” -E.F. Schumacher

“For it is not a question of choosing between ‘modern growth’ and ‘traditional stagnation’. It is a question of finding the right path of development, the Middle Way between materialist heedlessness and traditionalist immobility, in short, of finding ‘Right Livelihood’”. (Schumacher 45) In his essay “Buddhist Economics” E.F. Schumacher explores the economic system utilized by Buddhists and compares it “Western Economics”, which he finds to be the cause of destruction of natural resources among other problems society faced and still faces nowadays. During his studies of Burma and their Buddhist economic system, he discovered that “a population basing its economic life on non-renewable fuels is living parasitically, on capital instead of income. Such a way of life could have no permanence and could therefore be justified only as a purely temporary expedient.” (Schumacher 44) The ideology behind Buddhist economics as being

one of permanence contributes greatly to the success of their practices. Economic growth being one which is only good to the point of sufficiency, understanding that one should only produce the goods that will be necessary for survival resulting in a controlled pattern of growth and capital usage. This reinforces a Buddhist teaching “Cease to do evil; try to do good”, where one has the ability to “produce a high degree of human satisfaction by means of a relatively low rate of consumption, allowing people to live without great pressure and strain”. (Schumacher 42) People living in communities that are highly sufficient are less likely to get involved in violent acts, reinforcing the keynotes to this economic system, which are simplicity and non-violence. In relation to this thesis project Buddhist economics works relatively close with the ideas of natural capital and micro financing, both of

which are to be implemented in the proposed economic model for Rio Dulce’s community. The project’s scale allows for this type of system to be taken into account, as this project seeks to create a small self-sustained community that has the ability to produce enough goods and income to improve quality of life, and one that looks to restore the natural resources of the region. The ideology of simplicity should start informing and influencing design directions, as well as the workings of the economic model. By implementing these small and simple methods it would be possible to achieve a sustainable, sufficient, and successful project that focuses on people’s economic, spiritual, and emotional well-being, while enhancing and celebrating their culture through small intellectual, economic, and communal exchanges.

Communities

Around the world there are communities who have lived for thousands of years by practicing methods of survival that go hand in hand with the environment around them. It is both important and beneficial to analyze these communities in terms of their environment, history, culture, and people to fully understand how they have been able to remain in this planet for such a long time. What can be taken from what they have done and adapt it into something that could be implemented today, in this case to the community of Rio Dulce, Izabal in Guatemala? On the other hand, other communities exist but have undergone drastic changes and experienced losses or have collapsed because they have failed to live in harmony with their environments. The neglect and deterioration of their natural resources has threatened to either disperse or completely dissolve their existence.

Such collapse is important to analyze in order to learn from the mistakes these people have committed and take them as guidelines that should be avoided. Rio Dulce’s community is slowly approaching the verge of collapse due to the utilization of methods that are harming the environment. One resource that helps understand what went right or wrong in past civilizations is Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed”. Taking a careful look at Diamond’s ideology and finding the relationships that occur with Rio Dulce’s current situation will help in determining which areas are causing problems and others that promise success. In other words, these relationships will help foreshadow what will happen if nothing is done as well as how things can change if the areas of problem are fixed or at least improved. 33

“Ecocide: total destruction of an area of the natural environment, especially by human agency”

2. Climate change.

Collins English Dictionary

People inadvertently destroying the resource base on which they depend on.

3. Relationships with friendly societies that

may prop up a society. If support is pulled away that makes a society more likely to collapse.

4. Relationships with hostile societies and neighbors.

5. Political, economical, social, and cultural

factors in the society that make it more or less likely for them to perceive and solve problems.

Jared Diamond’s book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” explores past as well as current civilizations and their collapse. The term “collapse” can refer to different things such as complete extinction, population crash, war, anarchy, and resettlement. (Kavanagh) In an effort to understand why societies as great as the Maya and Incas collapsed right at the peak of their existences, Diamond identifies different environmental problems that contribute to these types of collapses. “The destruction of natural habitats, mainly through deforestation, as well as reduction of food, loss of biodiversity, water pollution, introduction of toxins and alien species, overpopulation and artificial induced climate change”. (Diamond)

Diamond points out that the collapse of many great civilizations has happened in a quick manner. These rapid collapses are especially likely where there’s a “mismatch between available resources and resource

consumption, or a mismatch between economic outlays and economic potential”. (Diamond) He argues that when looking at different societies today one should be looking “not at the value of the mathematical function, which in this case is wealth, but rather on the first and second derivatives of the function”. (Diamond) In other words, instead of looking at the financial characteristics of a society one should focus the attention towards aspects, such as subtle environmental factors which in turn might be contributing to the collapse even more so than profit and financial capital. Finally, he addresses the issue of current societies as well as the non-sustainable course in which we live in. He argues that the “current course will not be able to be maintained therefore causing another major collapse. How can societies not perceive their impacts on the environment and stop on time?” (Diamond)

Why do societies collapse?

Collapse

1. Human impacts on the environment.

Papua New Guinea

Figure 2.6- Map of New Guinea

“For each village, a different culture” New Guinea folk saying

New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, located in the South-west Pacific Ocean. The whole island covers an area of 786,000 km2 and has a population of 7.5 million, but is politically divided into two parts. (US Department of State) The western half compromises two Indonesian provinces: Papua and West Papua. The eastern half forms the mainland of the country, Papua New Guinea. The mainland has one of the most heterogeneous indigenous populations in the world. (US Department of State) The country consists of several thousand separate communities that are divided by language customs and traditions. Due to the mountainous terrain, isolation occurs causing some of the communities to be unaware of the existence of neighboring groups located mere miles away. The island has approximately 800 different languages, and of these only 350-450 are related to one another. (Leahy) Melanisian Pidgin serves as the

lingua franca, and English is only spoken by the educated people. Population density is very low, although there are some areas that do suffer from overpopulation. About 40% of the population occupies the highlands of the country, and in recent years the trend toward urbanization has accelerated. (Leahy) With this increasing interest have come many problems including squatter settlements, ethnic disputes, unemployment, social problems specifically violent crime. Even though the cultures in the country vary widely, there is a traditional social structure which they follow.

Practice of an economy of subsistence. Strong attachment of the people to their land. Women treated as inferiors, causing gender violence. (---)

Figure 1.7 A to D- Korowai Tribe Characteristics(From top to bottom: A- Hunter Gatherers, B- Tribal Crafts, C & D- High Stilt Architecture) Analyzing the Korowai Tribe and their lifestyle characteristics is essential in the understanding of their survival for thousands of years. Their primitive way of living is composed of huntinggathering and high-stilt architecture.

The Korowai tribe, also known as the Kolufo, are people that occupy territories in southeastern Papua. The community has 3,000 people and until 1970 they were unaware of the existence of other people beside themselves. (Leahy) The Korowai are hunter-gatherers and practice shift cultivation. Their economy is based on hunting and fishing, areas which they excel due to the necessity of protein in their diets.

encourage tourism by reinforcing the myth that cannibalism is still an active practice. (Hidden Cultures)

Because of the climate of the region, as well as a means of protection from wild animals and other clans, the architecture of this tribe consists of high stilt houses. These are elevated well above flood-water levels and serve as a form of defensive fortification to prevent Some of the people have benefitted from other clans from capturing people for slavery or selling tours into the Korowai region, obtaining a cannibalism. moderate amount of cash income. These tours are limited to the hosting of tourist-sponsored It is evident that by taking advantage sago feasts, carrying luggage and performing of the natural resources being provided by the traditional displays. It has been reported that region and using their indigenous traditions as this tribe practices cannibalism until this a means of survival, that this community has present day. Some anthropologists suspect been successful in terms of being able to survive that the practice of cannibalism is limited to for over 40,000 years. groups who have little contact with outsiders. Recent reports claim that some of these groups

Figure 2.9- Impact of Invaders on Amazon Tribes

Invasion of primitive areas in the Amazonian forests brought disease and other harmful factors that affected the lives of thousands. Many were forced to migrate while others’ lives were taken by disease, downsizing population drastically.

migration

Brazil’s Amazonian Tribes

death disease Figure 2.8- Amazon Map

The Amazon Rainforest covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America, encompassing 7 million km2, of which 5.5 million km2 are covered by the rainforest itself. The region includes territory that belongs to nine nations: 60% in Brazil, 13% by Peru, and other minor amounts in Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and France. (Smith) The Amazon is said to represent half of the planet’s remaining rainforests. Wet tropical forests are the most specie-rich biome, making the Amazonian rainforests to have unparalleled biodiversity, constituting the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. (Smith) Like its flora and fauna, the Amazon rainforest has a very rich cultural diversity, containing more than 200 indigenous groups that inhabit the lands, as well as an approximate 180 languages that are spoken throughout the region. (Smith)

Contrary to popular belief, there have been societies that produced pottery, cleared sections of rainforest for agriculture and managed forests to optimize the distribution of useful species. Studies show that 11.8% of the Amazon’s nature is a result of the careful management that these indigenous people had on the land. (Amazon Rainforest Organization) These communities understood how to manage the rainforest in a sustainable manner in order to suit their needs. They also understood that by maintaining biodiversity, species of their particular interest would inhabit the areas and therefore proving to be beneficial for their existence and survival. These communities maintained biodiversity by creating a mosaic of natural forests and open fields. (Butler) Many of these populations inhabited the land along the rivers, where they had good means of transportation, excellent fishing and fertile soil for agriculture.

Bororo Tribe

This tribe lives in the Southern Amazon, Due to contact with “outsiders” where the environmental conditions are they speak Portugese and have dryer. developed their material culture to They have had contact with Brazilians for be adapted to the semi-arid climate. over a century.

Uncontacted Tribe

The surviving 500,000 Amazon Indians are distributed among an estimated 500 tribes, out of which 45 are un-contacted nude tribes who live in voluntary isolation. (Butler) The tribes in the Amazon River basin live in many different environments and have adapted their culture according to the ecosystems. Most of them live in the tropical forests, while others inhabit the grasslands and pampas, or prairies while others live in the semi-desert areas.

Due to the diverse environments, the material culture of the tribes varies greatly. In the warmer parts, most tribes were traditionally nude tribes. Depending on the location, there are various influences created by outside cultures. In order to better understand the lifestyle of the different tribes in the Amazon Rainforest it would be useful to analyze two very distinct groups, the Bororo tribe and the un-contacted tribes in the Peruvian-Brazilian border.

This tribe doesn't speak the This particular tribe inhabit the Peruvian- western languages, Portugese or Spanish, native to their neighboring Brazilian Border area of the Amazon countries. Rainforest. Because of isolation, they still They have decided to live un-contacted utilize traditional methods of hunting from the Western world. and gathering resources from the By analyzing both the positive and tropical rainforest. negative effects that outside culture has had on the communities and comparing it to the benefits and consequences brought with isolation, not only is one grasping a better understanding but knowledge can be attained for the development of a unique community model that takes into account past and current communities and treats them as precedents. There has been a growing interest from the public towards these un-contacted tribes, due to recent publication of photographs in different documentaries of the area and its culture. (Butler) One of the most recently contacted naked Amazon tribes was the Kurubo. This particular tribe is still living in a state of nudity, and although most of them are still living in voluntary isolation a small band of Indians have made contact. They are called “Caceteiros” and follow a hunter-gathering lifestyle. (Butler)

Figure 1.3 A & B- Bororo Tribe (top) vs. Uncontacted Tribe (bottom)

The impact contact with “outsiders” had on the tribes in the Amazon becomes important while analyzing if these civilizations either collapsed or continued to survive, as well as understanding how their lifestyles changed after the encounters.

Comparison to Rio Dulce

It’s important to look back and analyze what Papau New Guinea’s Bororo Tribe and Amazonian Tribes have done, in order to prevent the collapse and extinction of Rio Dulce’s community. It has to be noted that both communities analyzed above are different in terms of interaction with “outsiders”, effects this contact has had on their civilization, as well as the impact this has all caused on the environment. While the Bororo tribe continues to practice their traditional methods of survival and have little to no contact with outsiders, they have managed to survive and live for thousands of years. One might think that this disconnect would have been the main factor threatening their extinction, but it was this same disconnect which allowed them to stay intact and free of any type of influence that triggered or changed their current way of life. As primitive their construction and gathering food methods might be, these are the ones that celebrate their cultural heritage

the most. On the other hand are the Amazonian tribes which due to excessive influences and impact from outsiders were affected the most. The increasing interest in the Amazonian rainforest and its natural resources forced these tribes to move away from their homelands. This movement caused civilizations to disperse and lose their culture, which are both factors that contributed greatly to their extinction. In order for Rio Dulce’s community to maintain a good balance between staying true to their cultural heritage and primitive methods without limiting them access to basic human needs and introducing enough outsider contact that can threaten to destroy them, it’s important to understand these two very different cases as opposites and try to find a spot in the middle which promises to benefit the current population of Rio Dulce. 39

Humanitarian Action

Humanitarian action pertains to the notions of man and the value of humanity. Its objectives, as defined by a meeting in Sweden to develop a set of Principles and Good Practice of Humanitarian Donorship, are “to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and in the aftermath of man-made crises and natural disasters”. (Sweden 2003) It includes the protection of civilians with the provision of food, water and sanitation, shelter, human services, and other items that serve as assistance and take part in benefitting the affected people with the main goal being the facilitation of returning to a normal life.

It is important to explore its underlying principles in order to acquire a larger knowledge on the subject and to better understand the different projects that are being carried out today. All this material will provide with an overview and a better understanding in order to develop a project that caters to the specific

needs in the community of Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala. The idea of having an impartial view on the subject and an unbiased opinion will prove to benefit the people and their wellbeing. It’s important to note when one deals with areas that have some sort of conflict or issue, solutions to the problems can be found easily but it takes time for the implementation to start showing the benefits that it’s bringing to the people, making perseverance very important. These principles must be followed in order to create a successful project but they must also be dissected and implemented relating to Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala. In order to do so there needs to be an assessment of the common needs and how humanitarian action can provide with a solution that not only proves to solve the issue in a relevant but most importantly realistic way.

A B C D

Underlying Principles: Humanity It refers to saving human lives and alleviating suffering wherever it is found.

Impartiality It deals with the implementation of action that is done solely on the basis of need without discriminating between the affected populations.

Neutrality This means that the action must not favor any side in a dispute.

Independence It refers to "the autonomy of humanitarian objectives from the political, economic, military or other objectives that any actor may hold with regard to areas where humanitarian action is being implemented."

Respect and promote the implementation of international humanitarian law, refugee law and human rights. - While reaffirming the primary responsibility of states for the victims of humanitarian emergencies within their own borders, strive to ensure flexible and timely funding in the basis of the collective obligation of striving to meet humanitarian needs. - Allocate humanitarian funding in proportion to needs and on the basis of needs assessments. - Request implementing humanitarian organizations to ensure, to the greatest possible extent, adequate involvement of beneficiaries in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian response. - Strengthen the capacity of the affected countries and local communities to prevent, prepare for, mitigate and respond to humanitarian crises, with the goal of ensuring that governments and local communities are better able to meet their responsibilities and coordinate effectively with humanitarian partners. - Provide humanitarian assistance in ways that are supportive of recovery and longterm development, striving to ensure support, where appropriate, to the maintenance and return of sustainable livelihoods and transitions from humanitarian relief to recovery and development activities. - Support and promote the central and unique role of the United Nations in providing leadership and coordination of international humanitarian action, the special role of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the vital role of the United Nations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-governmental organizations in implementing humanitarian action. (Sweden 2003)

Architecture for Humanity

Architecture for Humanity is a worldknown non-profit organization that utilizes architecture as the basis for their projects in an effort to provide for people in need with the basic needs of shelter and a built environment. Their main goal is to help those who would not otherwise be able to afford the services by bringing the design, construction, and development services where they are most critically needed. The organization offers opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need by design/build projects, competitions, workshops, educational forums, partnerships with aid organizations, and other activities. Most of the success of this organization is directly related to the ideology behind their projects. 42

Their projects deal with sustainable prosperity by creating models that can be replicated to solve larger systematic issues and promote participation among the people who work on them. Empowerment is created by engaging communities in their one reconstruction, which builds strong social capital and also gives the opportunity to locals to become citizen planners. The belief that quality of a built environment has a large impact on the quality of life, therefore the solutions are strongly related to the needs, desires, and cultural expectations of the client. Design relationships are built between different groups and bring them together to design solutions of pressing problems. And finally, commitment to socially, environmentally, and fiscally sustainable solutions.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Alleviating poverty and providing access to water, sanitation, power and essential services. Rebuilding communities and creating a neutral space for dialogue in post-conflict areas. Creating spaces that meet the need of those with disabilities and other at risk populations. Bringing safe shelter to communities prone to disaster and displaced population. Mitigating the effects of rapid urbanization in unplanned settlements.

Reducing the footprint of the built environment and addressing climate change.

Una Cancha Muchas Canchas, Guatemala

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Design is important to every aspect of our lives. It informs the places in which we live, work, learn, hear, and gather.â&#x20AC;?

Architecture for Humanity

The projects carried out by this organization are located around the world on site specific areas, ranging from a basketball court with a rainwater collection system in Kenya to a housing project in response to Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi. The nature of the projects comes from close examination of the site, people, issues, and needs which contribute to the range in the programmatic development of each project individually. Range includes projects from educational facilities to community developments and housing models.

Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence, Tanzania

Post-Tsunami Housing, Sri Lanka

Figure 2.11 A to C- Habitat for Humanity Projects (From top to bottom: A- Una Cancha Muchas Canchas, Guatemala, B- Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence, Tanzania, C- Post Tsunami Housing, Sri Lanka)

The different scales of the projects make this organization successful in the amount of issues it can undertake and the different solutions that can be created. Diversity is possible because of collaboration between designers and people of the community, making the experience and each project a learning opportunity for both parties involved.

“The main purpose of development should be the quality of life for the large majority of people. If you don’t have a generous view of cities, then you don’t have a generous view of people.” Jaime Lerner, Mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, Design Like You Give a Damn

It’s important to look at different building typologies in an effort to explore material usage, programmatic development, among other things. These will all serve in the development of a possibly improved typology that relates to the site in Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala. The types of typologies will be focused more towards low income housing prototypes as well as community developments from around the world. Relationships shall be drawn from the typologies and compared with others that have already been introduced in the region. Before and during the development, research has to be done specifically referring to the ideas and opinions of the locals about the project because involvement of the community is of vital important it the success of the project itself.

“Un Techo para mi Pais”

“Envisioning Latin America without extreme poverty, where young people are involved with the challenges faced by their country, and it’s people have adequate housing in order to have opportunities to improve their quality of life.”

Un Techo para mi Pais, UTMP, is a nonprofit organization lead by young people from the different countries of Latin America. Students from across the continent work together with the residents of squatter settlements in an effort to improve their quality of life with the construction of emergency housing and social empowerment programs.

UTMP seeks to create awareness of the reality people who live in slums face, making a commitment to the building of continent that is united, fair, and free from exclusion of individuals. It is important to look at UTMP’s model and the stages they utilize to reach their goal. In analyzing this model, one can gather the aspects that make their projects successful, especially those that have been developed in Guatemala. This analysis will help determine which materials and design strategies can work in Guatemala and could be applied to Rio Dulce, Un Techo para mi Pais Izabal.

1. 2.

UTPM works with a three stage model with the goal of creating a sustainable longterm change in the social structure of poor communities. The main focus of their projects is empowering the poorest sector of society, ensuring benefits to the people through the process. In order to accomplish this, volunteers work hand in hand with the families in an effort to rid them from extreme poverty.

The first stage deals with the construction of emergency shelter in order to allow volunteers to get to know the reality in which these people live in. The construction of these shelters helps establish trust between volunteers and the members of the community, a very important relationship to allow future and more permanent work in the communities. Emergency houses are prefabricated wooden houses measuring 18 meters2 , built elevated off the ground in order to prevent floods and problems with humidity. These houses can be easily built in two days by a group of 8-10 volunteers and the family, who usually pays around 10% of the total cost of the structure.

The second stage involves the implementation of different strategies and systems in order to diminish the state of vulnerability and social exclusion these families living in extreme poverty face. Some of the efforts involved in this stage of the model include: Education Training for Job Opportunities Health Plan Recreational Workshops Micro credits All these strategies are used to improve the quality of life of the people in the communities by providing them with an education that will help them change their current living habits that contribute to their state of extreme poverty.

During this last stage, the program seeks to help communities develop strategies and plans that will help them find solutions and get rid of the main problems they are facing. Due to the complexity and scale of this stage of the model, teams of experts work with community members in order to develop these plans. The input of young volunteers is very valuable during this stage of the model, since their innovative ideas and alternatives are crucial to the improvement of communities current situations.

“Thousands of students and young professionals are convinced that they can change the injustice of their continent with their own hands and hard work.”

Un Techo Para Mi Pais

Figure 2.12 A to D- Un Techo Por Mi País (From top to bottom: A & B- Before, C & D- After)

Casa Guatemala Figure 2.13- Typical Child vs. Casa Guatemala Child Lifestyle

Many factors affect the lifestyle of the children in Rio Dulce. Analyzing how these factors affect their life expectancy directly, while comparing an orphan to a typical child in the region helps in understanding the benefits Casa Guatemala brings to the children.

Higher life expectancy Job opportunities Education Improved quality of life Healthcare

Typical Child in Rio Dulce Casa Guatemala Orphan

Poverty Hunger Ignorance Subsistence economy Lower life expectancy

Casa Guatemala is a non-profit organization that cares for the nurturing health and education of over 250 orphaned children. These children come from a variety of backgrounds; some were abandoned, others abused, and others have families that are too poor to provide for their basic needs. The organization has three independent locations within Guatemala, one specifically located in Rio Dulce, Izabal.

The childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s village located in Rio Dulce, is home to approximately 150 children between the ages of 5 and 16. This particular site is based on a program of self-sufficiency and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main goal is to produce food and generate money for the orphanage. In order to supplement this goal there have been three projects implement in Rio Dulce that help produce both financial capital as well as offer the children with an adequate education that will provide them with an improved quality of life.

Figure 2.14- Map Casa Guatemala

Hotel Backpackers Figure 2.15- Casa Guatemalaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Costs vs. Income

It began operation in 1997 and provides employment to local people and teenagers that leave the Children's Village. This project allows them to gain experience in the industry of tourism and hospitality, while the hotel's profit go towards the care of the children in the orphanage. This hotel is run by paid staff and foreign volunteers that come to the area in efforts of giving back to the community

The Farm The farm is a very important part of the Children's Village. It's goal is to provide both an education, as well as a needed source of poultry, pigs, ducks, turkeys, fish, vegetables, and fruit. the children in the Village learn how to harvest their own crops and gather food both in methods that are eco-friendly with the goal of passing them on to the next generation.

The Farm Store The farm store was born out of the idea that any excess production of the farm would be best sold directly in the market of the community. The profits from these sales go directly to the funding of the orphanage. A lot in the main market was bought in 1991 and became a place where teenagers could learn about the industry.

costs (-)

income (+)

= sustainable eco-friendly

profitable

Figure 2.16 A to C- Casa Guatemala (From top to bottom: A- Backpackers Hotel, B- Farm, C- Farm Store)

“Ak ’ Tenamit” “Indigenous communities are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution.” -Ak’Tenamit

Ak’Tenamit, also known as AAT, is a nonprofit association that works with Guatemala’s Q’eqchi Maya population in an effort to develop communities that have access to education and health care. Located in Rio Dulce, Izabal it works around the region helping small villages and communities that live on a very low level of poverty, utilizing microfinance enterprises and community tourism as methods that seek financial improvement. Looking to empower the Mayan population and provide gender equality, AAT works with the idea that each of the board members are Q’eqchi Mayas, 50% male and 50% female. The programs developed cater specifically to education, health care, environment, gender equality, and cultural preservation which create an overall clear understanding of the needs of the people and a strong program whose goal is to provide with an improved quality of life. 50

Figure 2.17- Ak’Tenamit Board of Directors (from left to right): President- Lola Cabnal, Vice President- Lucas Che Ical, Secretary- Sara Bo Che, Treasurer- Eduardo Choc Maas, Vocal I- Mirza Shol Cucul, Vocal II- Mateo Chuc Caal, Vocal IIIAdan Tec Caal, Secretary- Saqueo Ak Cuz, Vocal I- Mirza Chub Choc.

Education

Cultural Preservation

Health care

Gender Equality

Environment

Income Support

-Programs in Sustainable Tourism and Rural Community Development -Cultural Awareness -Bilingual Instruction -Rural Appropriate

-24-hour care in riverside health clinic, receiving care and medication at no cost. -Emergency boat ambulance - Increasing health care awareness

-Preserving the environment -Conserving partnerships -Environmental education -Alternative income projects -Climate change advocacy

-Respecting Mayan Culture -Cultural Education

-Promoting gender equality -Discouraging gender violence

-Handicraft cooperatives -Community tourism

Figure 2.18- Akâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tenamit Core Values

An understanding of the main components of AAT will start to dictate and inform which links are currently missing in the proposed community model. Learning from an already successful organization gives an opportunity to work efficiently in terms of developing a model that uses some of the same ideas while finding improvements made possible through the implementation of new ideas and techniques specifically relating to sustainability and ecotourism. It becomes important to take a

close look at the individual programs, as well as how they interact and act as a whole, in order to determine their success in this particular thesis project. Finally having a strong overall clear understanding of the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs becomes essential in the development of this community model, therefore these elements should not be replicated as they are but adapted in scale and program in accordance to the thesis objectives and primary goal. 51

Tourism

An economy of subsistence is defined by the Dictionary of Sociology as â&#x20AC;&#x153;an agrarian economy based on production for consumption rather than exchange. Such economies are characterized by low levels of production, yielding a surplus capable of meeting little more than the basic necessities of life, and tend to be seen by development agencies as a major constituent of Third World Poverty and a cause of underdevelopment.â&#x20AC;? (Dictionary of Sociology) It is to be noted that this type of economy cannot usually become wealthy by virtue of its own system, and instead requires investments to stimulate economic growth. Rio Dulceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community in Izabal, Guatemala is one that lives in an economy of subsistence, therefore a potential investment as a means of economic growth becomes important in order to provide more stability and promise a change to an economy that is able to sustain itself. A potential

investment for this particular community because of the natural resources the area has to offer, as well as the unique characteristics of its people and their culture, is tourism. In order to start developing a system that allows tourism to benefit the people of Rio Dulce, one must explore the different types of tourism that are adequate for this project, in this particular case ecotourism and community tourism. First is important to first understand the main principles of ecotourism and community tourism, its history, and its benefits as well as its negative impacts. By doing so, the application of tourism becomes one which tries to incorporate most of its positive attributes and does so in a balanced manner that relates to Rio Dulce, and avoids the globalize implementation that has threatened other communities around the world in the past.

Figure 2.19 A to C- Ecotourism Opportunities of Rio Dulce (from top to bottom, A- Tikal, Petén, B- Wood Crafts, C- Quetzal, National Bird)

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is defined by the International to minimize the negative aspects of conventional Ecotourism Society, TIES, as “responsible travel tourism on the environment and enhance the to natural areas that conserves the environment cultural integrity of local people. and improves the well-being of local people.” (TIES, 1990) It’s a form of tourism that visits fragile and usually protected areas, intended as a small scale alternative to what is known as standard commercial tourism. Most times the purpose of ecotourism is to educate the traveler, provide funds for ecological conservation, benefit economic development and empowerment of local communities, and foster respect for the different cultures and their human rights. Travel of ecotourism usually involves destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. One of the main goals of ecotourism is to provide insight to the tourists of the impact human beings have had on the environment and therefore foster a greater appreciation of natural habitats. It seeks

Principles of Ecotourism Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following principles.

1. Minimize Impact 2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect 3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts 4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation 5. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people 6. Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental and social climate.

Martha Honey expands on the principles of ecotourism, focusing in particular on supporting human rights and democratic movements. 1. Supporting human rights and democratic movements, such as conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity through ecosystem protection. 2. The promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local populations. 3. Sharing of socioeconomic benefits with local communities and indigenous people by having their informed consent and participation in the management of ecotourism enterprises. 4. Tourism to unspoiled natural resources, with minimal impact on the environment being a primary concern. 5. Minimization of tourism's own environmental impact. 6. Affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury. 7. Local culture, flora and fauna being the main attractions. 8. Local people benefitting from this form of tourism economically, often more than mass tourism.

(Honey 33)

It is important to regulate and accredited the different types of ecotourism companies. Since ecotourism has grown to be such a large field of operations, here needs to be a differentiation in the ecotourism companies that is based on their level of commitment towards the environment. This accreditation would benefit the area by providing with a good plan infrastructure, setting tourist capacity and being able to manage the ecology, which all prevent from problems to start occurring such as overpopulation, environmental degradation and loss of control.

Another important aspect for improving ecotourism and its consequences is education. It is important to improve the awareness of the tourists, sensitize them to the environmental issues and care about the places they visit. Tourguides are the people who are responsible to communicate this awareness, therefore making it of vital importance to educate them first and foremost. Tourguides have the intimate knowledge of the environment around they and can discuss the conservation issues with visitors.

It is important to consider a small scale, growth and a sense of local control in order for ecotourism to be successful. A large scale ecotourism causes excessive environmental degradation, loss of traditional culture and way of life, and exploitation of local labor. It is important to consider that local people have an interest in the well being of their community, therefore ecotourism should be implemented in a small scale and contained to have a small growth in order for the local communities to be able to manage them on their own.

“Over 10 years ago, there were +45,000 tourists a year in an area of about 4,000 inhabitants, but as the number of visitors increased and new facilities went up, hundreds of Costa Rican workers moved to the area, creating a negative environmental impact on the fringe of the preserve- a problem that has afflicted ecotourism sites as remote as the Galapagos Islands. Nowadays, there are as many as 200,000 visitors and it’s grown up in a completely unmanaged way at the edge of the park. The population explosion has an impact on their whole way of life. Class differences emerged that didn’t exist before. Locally, many people were saying ‘It’s a bit out of hand, we need to get greater control.’” Vivanco

Even though ecotourism has opened up new marketing possibilities it sometimes can start to take a toll on the community and most importantly on the environment of the region. One example can be found in Monte Verde Cloud Forest located in Costa Rica. When local traditions and culture are lost in the process of establishing economic income for a community, the essence of what makes the place desirable is lost. The increasing interest of people to visit the area produces more jobs, but when done so at such a large scale the community itself is incapable of managing them, causing them to loose control over the situation. Ecotourism should be managed and implemented with care in order for it to become an asset rather than a burden to the community and its environment. 55

Community Tourism

Community tourism is an alternative form of tourism which tries to incorporate and benefit local communities, especially villagers and indigenous people of the developing world. This type of tourism involves the villagers in different ways, either through work with a commercial tour operator or just by means of introducing tourists in the affairs of their daily lives. Other than benefitting locals, this type of tourism seeks to benefit the tourists themselves through interaction with the villagers. Tourists get the opportunity to engage in the everyday activities of the locals and with this learn from their lives. It also seeks for visitors to help the locals, making the trip one with meaning for both parties involved.

Particularly pertaining to this project, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to understand the different community-based tourism projects around the world in an effort to find where the links between

1. 2. 3. 4.

Run with the involvement and consent of local communities. A fair share of profits given to community. Involvement of communities rather than individuals. Environmental sustainability.

5. 6. 7. 8.

the industry and the locals occur. These links will play a vital role in the design aspect of this project, as they will seek to shape and form the spaces in which the people can engage and interact with one another. Understanding the main principles of this type of tourism will benefit the project, as they will inform what the project should be as opposed to what it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Finally, the analysis of the different implementations of communitybased tourism will serve as models that can be changed and adapted to Rio Dulce and this specific project in particular.

Groups kept small in order to minimize cultural and environmental impact. Use of mechanisms to help communities cope with impact of tourism. Letting tourists know about appropriate behavior. Respect for traditions, culture and social structure.

“Transformation of the political system to establish community self-governance, participatory democracy and good governance through political and legal empowerment.” Figure 2.20- Sarvodaya’s Needs and Principles Chart

Economics Consciousness

“Creation of full engagement systems that create sustainable village economies which meet the 10 basic needs of all Sri Lankans through social, economic, and technological empowerment.”

Power

1. 2. 3.

“Human consciousness through spiritual, moral, and cultural awakening, and deepening societal commitment to nonviolence.”

Moral Empowerment

“Sarvodaya”

Cultural Empowerment

Economic Empowerment Technological Empowerment

Legal Empowerment

Due to the native of this thesis project, a set of goals has to be developed in order to achieve success in an efficient manner. Determining the goal includes taking into account people’s needs, current economic situation, and the natural potential of the region. By integrating all of these factors, one can come up with a set of goals that use strategies that start dictating the design direction and predict the overall outcome. Savodaya, a non-profit organization located in Sri Lanka, has set a very clear guideline of goals which shape and determine their direction in their attempt to help poverty stricken areas of the country. These goals are influenced by their strong attempt to empower the people so they can have the ability to produce a change in their lives and improve quality of life. Even though Sri Lanka and Rio Dulce have different needs and the project’s outcome is different from Sarvodaya’s, it’s useful to take a look at these goals in order to start developing a set of guidelines that

Sri Lanka’s 10 Basic Needs: 1. A clean and beautiful environment 2. Adequate provision of clean drinking water 3. Minimal supplies of clothing 4. Adequate and balanced nutrition 5. Simple housing 6. Basic health care 7. Basic communication facilities 8. A minimal supply of energy 9. Holistic education 10. Satisfaction of intellectual and cultural needs

are related to this project in particular. The introduction of consciousness becomes vital when trying to teach a group of people to care for the environment and their wellbeing, therefore this approach should be implemented into the goals for Rio Dulce’s community development. On the other hand, this project proposes political empowerment which is an element that doesn’t particularly apply to this thesis. Instead an approach to empower people in terms of developing a strong communal organization should be set forth, as this organization can help achieving intelligent-problem solving and strong communal interaction. Finally, a last set of goals regarding sustainability should be added in. By applying sustainable practices the model will be able to restore natural resource degradation and increase environmental awareness, which will help enforce the proposed ecotourism industry. 57

Rio Dulce, Izabal

(Top) Figure 3.1- Map of Izabal: Site within Department (Bottom) Figure 3.2- Map of Guatemalal: Department within Guatemala

Izabal is one of Guatemala’s 22 departments and is the homeland to the Garifuna people. It’s located in the Easternmost part of the country and all of Guatemala’s eastern Caribbean sea cost is in Izabal. It’s bordered to the North by Belize, to the Northeast by the Gulf of Honduras, and to the East by Honduras, and by Guatemalan departments of Peten to the North, Alta Verapaz to the West, and Zacapa to the South.

Another important feature is Rio Dulce, also located within the department, which is a large river 500 to 1500 meters wide over much of it’s own length. “Rio Dulce” means sweet water river, another of its unique characteristics. Its narrowest spot is called La Vaca, where the river narrows to approximately 100 meters, as it squeezes through the Canyon. Both river and lake are fed by many smaller rivers and countless streams and creeks found along its length.

Izabal has an area of 9,038 km2 and an estimated population of 314,306 people. It is composed of five municipalities: El Estor, Livingston, Los Amates, Morales, and Puerto Barrios. (Mayan Paradise) Within Izabal the historically important port Santo Tomas de Castilla is located directly in one of Izabal’s most prominent features, Lake Izabal, which at a total area of 590 km2 is the country’s largest lake. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Rio Dulce is an aquatic community whose only access road passes through the small town of Fronteras and continues on to Peten. Outside these small towns there are no major roads, making boat travel the main transportation throughout the area. Because of its location, Rio Dulce is the jumping point for trips into Peten and the rest of Guatemala, as well as Belize and Honduras making it an important destination for locals and tourists.

(Top Left) Figure 3.3- Castillo de San Felipe (Top Right) Figure 3.4- Highway of Rio Dulce. (Bottom Right) Figure 3.5- Garifuna, Livingston

Izabal was both historically and still is today, a territory favorable for its trade routes, which were naturally created by the riverbeds and lakes of the area. This region contains the seaports through which pass all of Guatemala’s commerce with Europe and most of the commerce with the United States. During colonization a large part of the indigenous population was affected by disease and relocation, leading Colonial authorities to build the Castle of San Felipe de Lara. English pirates were attracted by the wealth of wood in the region and possibility of open markets. This led to various attacks in the area. (Chang) Before Spanish rule in this region, Quirigua was the most important site because of the trade routes marked by the Motagua, Polochic and Sarstun Rivers which connected the region to other parts of the country. (Mayan Paradise) 60

The Black Caribbean population, the garinagu or better known as Garifuna, arrived to the area in 1797. In the late 19th century, the first Belgian immigrants arrived to Santo Tomas de Castilla. (Mayan Paradise) At the end of the century, there were also migration of the q’eqchi population that had lost their lands in the neighboring department of Alta Verapaz. The ch’ortii population was also forced to locate to Izabal after being robber of their lands in the East. The area began to receive new populations, the majority being Ladinos from Zacapa, Chiquimula, Baja Verapaz, and Honduras. Because of the influence of transnational banana companies in the area, the Negro anglofonos coming from Jamaica and Barbados joined the population. These people started to establish themselves in Puerto Barrios, and communities such as Cayuga, Entre Rios, Bananera, Livingston, and El Estor. (Chang)

Rio Dulceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Economy

GATHER SURVIVE

Figure 3.6- Subsistense Economy Diagram

COOK FEED

As mentioned before, most of the villages located in Rio Dulce live in an economy of subsistence. This means that they spend more than 90% of their time gathering food in order to survive. This causes them to live day by day following a cycle that only allows them to survive but not produce enough revenue to improve their quality of life. Due to Rio Dulceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location, there is great potential for the development of the fishing industry and because of its tropical climate exportation of products that have a great demand such as vanilla and cacao. Because of the current practicing methods of survival, the people of smaller communities and villages fail to improve their quality of life. The introduction of products with high demand, as well as methods that seek not to harm the environment will provide them with alternative means of increasing their income and better job opportunities that will diminish their poverty level. 61

Family Unit

SELL GATHER

SURVIVE

COOK FEED

The typical family unit of Rio Dulceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community is organized taking into account the environmental contributions of the region. Families are usually composed of six to eight members and most of them live in a state of extreme poverty. This level of poverty causes parents not being able to send their children to school to obtain an education. Therefore, much of their lives are spent looking for food in order to survive, creating an economy of subsistence one of the main characteristics of the region. 62

The father usually spends his time looking for food, either through agriculture and fishing in order to feed his family. The mother is in charge of taking care of the children and doing the chores of the house, such as cleaning and cooking. Finally the children start learning from a small age how they can help around the house. They usually fish, row canoes, catch crab and construct fishing nets for the family.

INCOME BUY

Figure 3.7- Typical Family Unit of Rio Dulce

While analyzing the people of Rio Dulce, research gathered showed the current problem dealing with an economy of subsistence starts from each small family unit. All the members of the family contribute to the formation of this economy, prolonging the problem and passing it on to future generations.

Father’s Role

Figure 3.8- Father’s Role

The father’s daily activities include fishing, collecting firewood, working as a boat driver, as they try to provide a small income to the family and bring food home.

SELL

GATHER SURVIVE

COOK FEED

As the leading member of the family, the father is responsible for providing his wife and children with the necessary income needed to buy food, and clothing, as well as for any other expenses that need to be taken care of. Because of the aquatic lifestyle of the region, many fathers work in water related ventures such as in the fishing industry, marinas, boat transportation, vacation house guardians, boat mechanics, among many other things. The men

INCOME BUY

who have a fixed and stable job tend to produce they fabricate their own fishing nets and canoes an income which is spent in buying the food, that are needed to fish along the river. Using the clothing, and covering other expenses. same canoes they travel to the different houses, hotels, marinas, and gas stations where they Many times jobs relating to the fishing might be able to sell their products. If a small industry and agriculture, are small privately- group is the one performing the task, it tends owned ventures created by one person or a small to be formed by family members and they bring group. In these situations the person or small the products back to their village where they sell group invests in the tools needed to perform the in a small “fishing dock” to the passersby. activities that will bring an income. For example,

Mother’s Role

Figure 3.9- Mother’s Role

The mother’s activities are highly related to those of the house and house chores, while taking care of the children.

SELL

GATHER SURVIVE

COOK FEED

Female’s nurturing quality makes the mother’s role to be primarily taking care of the children, and running the household. The women in these communities are responsible of the household chores, which include washing the clothes, taking care of the children, cooking the food, caring for the animals owned by the family, and sometimes helping with the provision of extra income the family unit might need. The majority of women in Rio Dulce learn to fish,

harvest crops, and take care of cattle which allows them to be able to come up with goods that they can sell in local markets in order to generate income. Usually these sales are fairly small, generating sufficient income for a day’s supply of food.

INCOME BUY

opportunities such as housekeeping and cooking in hotels and vacation homes. Many times these jobs can come from relationships developed when the owner buys a piece of land and villagers are forced to move back, which allows the women to still have the ability to care for the children. Nevertheless, they’re main Some women in the communities, role in the family unit is the caring of children especially younger women or those who and household that becomes a permanent have many children, look for employment secondary job and responsibility.

Children

Figure 3.10- Effect on Children

The mother and father’s role within the family unit, especially the economy of subsistence has a strong impact on the life of the children which in turn affects the whole region of Rio Dulce in future generations.

SELL

GATHER SURVIVE

COOK FEED

The effect the economy of subsistence and parent’s roles have on the children becomes an aspect particularly important to understand, since these children are the future generations of Rio Dulce. Most of the children in the region are limited to receiving an education that will provide them with the opportunities that in the future could help them grown intellectually and allow them to find a job that will increase their financial income and improve their quality of life. Since the children don’t go to school they

stay at home and help around the house. From a very young age they learn to make fishing nets and row canoes. The boys usually help the father with fishing, agriculture, and cattle, while the girls help the mother with the house chores and learn to cook and wash clothes. This high involvement with their parent’s jobs and family roles allows the children from a young age develop the skills they need to take care of themselves. When they are old enough, the older children take care of their smaller siblings while the parents go to work. Nevertheless,

INCOME BUY

there are problems that arise because of the lack of education and health care being provided to them. Many of these children suffer from illnesses that sometimes take their lives, while many girls get pregnant at a young age because of naive encounters with older boys. On the other hand, the limitations which they grew up with are the ones that are carried to their children reinforcing the pattern of an economy of subsistence for future generations and an impediment for improvement. 65

Towns, Developments, Villages

Figure 3.11 A to C- Townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Developments and Villages (From top to bottom, A- Puerto Barrios, B- Morales, C- Las Camelias)

Town

Development Finally, there are smaller villages composed of a small number of family units. These villages are typically started by a family member and the rest of the houses built around by other family member as the family unit continues to grow in size. Following analysis of the location of the different villages throughout the region, it can be determined that these people typically settle themselves along the river and/or lake, or close to other small creeks and streams. Others settle close to main transportation routes that can take them to larger developments and finally some just settle close enough to main Larger developments in the region towns or larger developments. include a smaller population size, but still have For this particular project focus will the facilities such as schools, churches, small health care clinics and housing. These types of placed on the villages that are spread out along developments are distributed along the region, the region. The main reason for this decision is usually closer to the larger towns and natural the fact that these people are the ones who have little to no access to facilities that can provide resources. them with basic human needs. The people of Izabal have settled around the area in a variety of settlements, these include main towns, larger developments and small scale villages. The main towns include Livingston, Puerto Barrios, Morales and Los Amates which offer its citizens with facilities dedicated to: health care, education, markets, housing developments, transportation routes, city halls, among many others. Main towns in the area are of a larger scale, almost acting like mini-cities, and are usually more developed compared to other settlements.

Village

Town

Development

Figure 3.12- Location of Towns, Developments, and Villages within Rio Dulce.

Village

It is important to understand the location of the current villages in Rio Dulce, their relationships with neighboring communities and settlements, as well as the patterns of settlement they follow. With this idea in mind, one can create a new community model that will help benefit a certain group of people and one that can also be utilized as a prototype that can be later applied and introduced in other areas of Rio Dulce where it is needed.

Vacation Homes

Rio Dulce’s natural resources and its breathtaking beauty has led to a growing interest in the tourism industry, as well as in the construction of vacation homes. The current location of these and their predicted growth affects the region’s economy and built environment. Vacation home owners are becoming more interested in approaches that look to restore the region’s natural resources, as fear grows that they will be completely depleated. 68

Current

Growth Figure 3.13- Location of Current Vacation Homes and Predicted Growth within Rio Dulce.

Figure 3.14- Vacation Homes Impact on Villagers

The increasing interest to build vacation homes along the waterfront has created a pattern that affects the life of villagers. When a potential buyer comes in, the villagers are pushed back leaving room for the vacation home to be constructed along the water while they relocate towards the back.

BUYER=$

Impact on villages

VILLAGERS Another important characteristic of Rio Dulce and one that affects the current lifestyle of its people are vacation homes in the area. Many Guatemalans have bought pieces of land that belonged to locals and built their vacation houses on that piece of land. What happens in these cases is the land is sold to Guatemalans and the people who previously owned that piece of land build their houses farther away from the waterfront.

VACATION HOME VILLAGERS

The relationship between the house owners and the villagers is also important to understand. House owners tend to give these people jobs in order for them to have another source of income. The jobs that are provided to them usually involve things such as: cooking and cleaning the houses, gardening, guardians for the house, cleaning the boats and providing services to house owners when they visit Rio Dulce during weekends and vacations.

Community Life

food

safety

health care

interaction community

Current communities or villages are composed of a number of five to ten families. These small-knit communities are a common settlement in Rio Dulce, Izabal and could be said they are one of the typical settlement patterns in the country. These villages work because of the interaction between the family units themselves, but fail to provide potential growth and improvement in terms of the quality of life of the people.

Most of these villages are composed by a number of dwellings, most of them intended to provide shelter and few others utilized for cooking and washing clothes. These dwellings are constructed using materials the people find and can afford, making their living conditions very poor. Even though the villages provide for the people a strong interaction with other members within that same community, it fails to provide them with other needs that can help improve their quality of life.

poverty

subsistence

improvement

opportunities

jobs

success

education

knowledge

sustainability

growth

Figure 3.15- Current Village Problems

Y T R OVE

OR FA IEN MI TE LY D

I H D S N ER LAW N O

SAFET Y

NATUR RESO AL URCES

Members of these villages have limited to no-access to resources such as an education, healthcare, or even job opportunities. These villages live in an economy of subsistence, and usually its members own the animals they will eventually eat and some crops that provide them with food. So why do the people chose to live like this? The main contributor to the forming of these settlements is being part of such a small scale settlement provides them with safety and the reliance among individuals in case someone needs help. Other factors that influence their forming include: availability of natural resources, land ownership particularly among family members, and finally the same issue of poverty limiting them to be a part of a larger development. Figure 3.16- Factors affecting the formation of Villagers

Figure 3.17 A-F (Left column A-C: Las Camelias, Right Column D to F: Chocoj- Current Living Conditions

“Las Camelias”

Typical Housing Unit:

Made out of local materials, such as wooden sticks. Typically a one room layout where all members of family sleep. No floor surface, except for the actual floor.

Small Convenience Store:

Sometimes a small store can be found where a member of the community can sell small goods.

Communal Kitchen:

Facility dedicated to a communal kitchen, where all members of community can prepare their meals. Inadequate use of ventilation, which most times causes health problems.

Typical Housing Unit: Made out of local materials, such as wooden planks. Roof structure made out of palm tree. Usually houses have no windows, therefore they use little to no daylight.

Vernacular Chicken pen:

Animals are usually kept in a fenced piece of land, sometimes they run loose around the village. These animals are most times their main food production and of great value to villagers

Washing Stations:

Small piece of land dedicated to washing clothes. Inadequate flooring surface, typically causing soil degradation. Many times these have poor plumbing conditions, causing water run-off.

“Chocoj”

Current Needs

Based on the observations of different villages around the region, it can be noted that there is an alarming number of needs not met. During a number of interviews to different people of Rio Dulce, they expressed their thoughts and concerns about their current living situation. Most people explained they spent most of the day fishing and harvesting crops in order to provide food for their families. It was only during weekends and holidays that this “routine” changed and they had the opportunity to work in the vacation houses by cleaning and cooking for the owners. They expressed how this extra cash helped them afford current, future and larger expenses. Most parents said that schools were only located in areas where they had to travel by boat. The amount of time and extra cash that needed to be put into this effort, was better used

in something else. Most of their children didn’t receive an education and would stay around the house either playing or helping with the chores. People expressed the need of healthcare clinics and the effect this had on their lives. Most clinics were located in the main towns, making it very hard for them use. The lack of health care was one of the bigger problems they face, causing many times serious diseases among the children and sometimes even death among members of the community. Finally, when asked why they didn’t move towards more developed areas they responded saying they wouldn’t have the same level of safety there. Living in smaller communities gave them the safety they needed to survive.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Production Education Sustainability Health care Interaction

CLINIC healthcare

PRODUCTION

HEALTH BATHROOMS

ENV. DEGRADATION

food

income

HOTEL education

DAYCARE

INTELLECT jobs

WASHING STATION

CATTLE

village MARKET

visitors INFO. CENTER

After the conversations with some of the locals of Rio Dulce and analyzing their current living conditions through a series of visits, a set of main problems was determined. This determination led to finding the needs which caused and affected the main issues the people and environment are currently facing. In an effort to solve these issues, a number of different spaces are proposed in order to satisfy

hygene

PLAZA FISHING

SCHOOL

AGRICULTURE

the minimum bare needs of the people. The relationships between problems, needs, and spaces is particularly important in determining the links between hotel and community development. These links will determine where the interaction between villager and visitor happen, which is crucial in the success of the project.

KITCHEN

CHURCH

INTERACTION Figure 3.18- Project Program Current Needs & Proposed Spaces.

Site

Figure 3.19- Site Aerial View

5 3

Based on the analysis above a site was chosen in a terrain where no main towns were located close enough for the small villages to reach. This site is located midway between the river and the ocean, making it a prime location for boats and visitors going from one place to the other. Some of the benefits of this particular site are the flat terrain, which is ideal for development, agriculture and cattle, as well as the small creek of fresh water that comes from the mountain. Not only is the site adjacent to the waterfront, but has a waterway that can

4 2

be accessible by boat and will provide to both community and hotel with necessary natural resources. Finally, the flora and fauna of the site will help protect the project and provide them with adequate privacy that is needed for the different spaces in the building components.

Aside from the location of the site chosen for the project it is important place emphasis on the immediate context which will start to dictate some of the major decisions in the design process. The strong presence of water in the site not only will serve as a main source of natural resources, but will also function as an alternative transportation route around the site and can start to create barriers between the different spaces.

biggest advantages the site has to offer, as no Figure 3.20- Site Views major problems are to be faced regarding higher Taken from Site Aerial View. construction costs and site disruption.

Finally, the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast waterfront allows for the placement of spaces taking advantage of the views around but also for the use of wind in the application of natural ventilation applications. Taking all these given conditions from the site into consideration during the design process of the project, will not only create spaces that are As mentioned before, the land of the best suited for the surrounding context but also site is mainly flat which allows for a terrain that a design that disturbs the environment as little is suitable for development. This is one of the as it possibly can.

Project Goal

The main goal of the project taking the current economy of subsistence and through the utilization of architectural, economic and sustainability methods translate it into an economy of sustenance. After close examination of different economics precedents, it was essential for the success of the project to develop a new economic model that dealt with the ideology of a triple bottom line approach. By taking the current condition and applying the concepts of Planet, People, and Profit, this project seeks to provide with a sustainable solution that not only is to benefit the people of the region through an improvement in their economic condition, but also one that promises to benefit visitors through the interaction and engagement with villagers. Not only is the goal of the project to create a new economic and community model to improve the lives of people in Rio Dulce, but also creating spaces that celebrate an exchange of culture and knowledge.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;HELPING THE POOR HELP THEMSELVESâ&#x20AC;?

CURRENT CONDITION Poor Health care Lack of Education Deterioration of Environment - Pollution River - Deforestation - Soil Degradation Poor Housing Conditions Limited Income Generating Goods Little Interaction with Visitors Little Interaction within Community Members Subsistence Economy

Figure 4.1- Project Goal Diagram

PLANET PEOPLE

PROFIT

OUTCOME

Health care Facilities Education & Day care Facilities Restoration of Environment Adequate Housing Conditions Production of Income Generating Goods Interaction with Visitors Strong Interaction within Community Members Sustainable Economy 79

Proposed Economic Model

The proposed economic model takes into account as the main components a triple bottom line approach. Planet is emphasized by the restoration of the natural resources, people by the design of a community model, and profit by the integration of the hotel and marina. These major components are then complimented with sustainability methods of construction and implementation, microfinance, and ecotourism which seek to create relationships between the three broader components of the model. In order for this new proposed model to work, the three components need to be treated as different entities and but understood as a whole. There has to be a balance in the implementation of the three components in order to achieve a successful outcome, and their relationships need to be carefully introduced in order to maintain the balance overall. 80

CURRENT CONDITION

ecotourism

RESTORATIHOTEL ON sustainability COMMUNITY microfinance

Poor Health care Lack of Education Deterioration of Environment - Pollution River - Deforestation - Soil Degradation Poor Housing Conditions Limited Income Generating Goods Little Interaction with Visitors Little Interaction within Community Members Subsistence Economy

Figure 4.2- Proposed Economic Model

OUTCOME

Win - Win

INVESTORS LAND HOTEL

HOTEL

VILLAGE The new economic model for this thesis project proposes a win-win situation for investors, villagers and the natural environment. First and foremost it is important to explain the way this model will work. Investors are to buy a piece of land, in this case the proposed site, where the hotel/marina and community development are to be built. Using the ideology of microfinance, the villagers will pay a rent which will help buy back the land from the investors. They in turn will receive part of the money which was invested in the piece of land, as well as the incomes earned through the hotel/marina. Villagers on the other hand will also be benefitted from this project, as they will receive income generated from jobs in the hotel as well as smaller business ventures set around the community. Finally, the natural environment will be restored through the use of sustainable practices and methods from both the hotel and marina. 82

RESOURCES

VILLAGE BUSINESS HOTEL

BUSINESS

SUSTAINABILITY Figure 4.3 A to C (from left to right, A- Investor Villager, B- Village Profit, C-Resources Sustainability- Win-Win Proposal and Relationships

RIODULCE’SCOMMUNITYBECOMESSELF-SUFFICIENT,IMPROVINGTHEQUALITY OF LIFE OF ITS PEOPLE AND RESTORING THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Enterprise

Using construction methods that will be replicated and easy and economical to build in the future, using local materials and techniques responding to climatic issues, such as rain. Promoting the use of facilities catering to commercial exchanges between villagers, local visitors, and tourists in an effort to improve cultural awareness and financial capital.

Interaction

Education

Health

Interaction

School Day care Information Center

Intellectual Exchanges

Construction of health care clinics, appropriate washing stations, and bathrooms with adequate plumbing to be used by community members and other individuals in the region.

Environment

Figure 4.4- Rio Dulce’s Matrix of Needs

Financial Exchanges

Providing facilities to be used for educational purposes only, such as school classrooms and a day care for the children. Other facilities used for education of visitors who want to learn from villager’s practices, such as cooking, fishing, medicine, and crafts.

Interaction

Production Fields Fishing Dock Market

Preliminary Programming

Washing Station Bathrooms Health care Clinic

Communal Exchanges Using sustainable methods of construction, local materials, and ecotourism in an effort to restore natural degradation of the region.

Infrasestructure Ecotourism

After analyzing the problems of the current population a list of needs was developed, which in turn helped determine the spaces this project proposes to implement as part of the design and community model. Most of the needs deal with facilities that will provide for the people the basic care they need in order to have a healthy life, while others take into account spaces that will increase their productivity in order to provide them with increased financial stability. Finally, spaces are needed to create a link between the hotel/marina and the community in order for the engagement and interaction to take place. This is vital to the success of the project, as it seeks to not only incorporate an exchange of finances and services but also an exchange of knowledge, culture, and intellect. With these spaces in mind a conceptual masterplan was developed, which starts placing the in relationship to the site and to one another. 83

Figure 4.5- Needs, Spaces and Goals

Need

Proposed Spaces

Goals

Education

School Daycare Information Center

Knowledge Intellect Awareness

Healthcare

Washing Station Bathrooms Health care Clinic

Hygiene Higher life expectancy

Sustainability

School Day care Information Center

Restoration Awareness Consciousness

Production

Agriculture / Cattle Field Fishing Dock / Market Market

Income Sustenance Empowerment

Interaction

Communal Kitchen Plaza Church

Exchanges Communication Involvement

1 2 3

sustainability

Design Strategies

Water collection systems Solar energy Local materials: wood, palm tree, mangrove Eco-friendly methods of construction

low-income housing

Flexibility: Partition walls, multi-functional spaces, outdoor spaces Use of local materials: wood, palm tree, mangrove Elevated from ground Cross ventilation Maximum daylight usage On-site fabrication

hotel + community interaction

Economic: services & profit exchange Spaces used as links: Plaza, Cultural Market, Fishing dock Cultural exchange â&#x20AC;&#x153;Open planâ&#x20AC;?: visitors free to walk around village and interact with members Privacy provided by the same natural resources of site: water, foliage, trees 85

Conceptual Masterplan Figure 4.6- Conceptual Masterplan

APL ZA

EMARK T

G HOUSIN

E ULTUR EN AGRIC KITCH

H C R CHU

E R A C Y A D IOCL NIC L SCHO

G N I HFIS LE

T O H A RMA IN

Figure 4.8- Proposed Conceptual Fish Market

Figure 4.9- Proposed Conceptual Cultural and Fresh Market

Programmatic Masterplan

Figure 4.10- Programmatic Masterplan

Even though both the village dwellings and hotel bungalows have been placed along the waterfront, the reasoning for each is different therefore their designs differ from one another. Villagers need their houses placed along a source of water because they utilize water as their main transportation route and because of waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s importance in terms of being such a valuable resource that provides them with food. The dwellings should be placed on top of stilts in order to utilize cross-ventilation as a sustainable method as a response to climate, and should have a dock that is low enough for their canoes to be tied to. In an effort to reinforce a communal interaction between the same members of the community, the design of a communal dock that runs along all of the dwellings becomes part of the design strategies that are to be used. This communal dock not only starts linking the individual houses together but ties them as a whole with the water, creating a strong edge

that runs along both the creek and the houses themselves. On the other hand, the hotel bungalows are to be placed along the waterfront so that guests can have the opportunity to engage with the water itself and enjoy with the best views of the surroundings. Based on this relationship with the waterfront and the views in particular, the design for the hotel bungalows should be elevated enough from the ground to be able to use cross-ventilation as well, and a dock should be designed that will be used by the guests mainly for recreational purposes. Privacy for hotel guests should be reinforced by designing each of the bungalows to stand on its own, sharing a communal path that runs along the inland side of their placement and directs the guests to each of the bungalows. This path also provides a connection with the shared hotel spaces, such as the pool.

Figure 4.11- Village Dwelling in Relation to Waterfront Section

Figure 4.12- Enhancing Communal Life: Shared walkways and docks

Figure 4.13- Hotel Bungalow in Relation to Waterfront Section

(top) Figure 4.14- Reinforcing bungalowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privacy through the use of vegetation (right) Figure 4.15- Hotel Bungalow Conceptual Sketch Perspective

Developing a diagrammatic section informing about human interaction and their relationships within a certain space starts bringing in the architectural language and communicating how this element either encourages or limits interaction. Because buildings are being elevated off the ground, not do human relationships on the same level need to be studied but also those between people on ground level and elevated boardwalks. This starts to dictate a new type of meeting space, that can be a characteristic present throughout the project.

Other than studying the relationships between building and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s users, this section begins to communicate on how the architecture responds to natural elements such as rain, wind, and sun. All of these elements should inform and influence the design direction in order for sustainablity to be achieved successfully.

Figure 4.16- Cultural Market Interactive Section

Enterprise

Interaction Enterprise

Interaction

Figure 4.17- Hotel Public Courtyard and Service Core Interactive Section

Interaction Education

Figure 4.18- Community Educational and Health care Facilities Interactive Section

Climatic Responses

As mentioned before, the site and climatic conditions of Rio Dulce need to be strongly considered throughout the design process in order to achieve a sustainability through a design that uses techniques that reinforce this design strategy. Taking into consideration all natural elements such as wind, rain, sun, and water levels becomes an essential piece that contributes to the success of the project. These elements start to dictate the roof types that should be used that respond to rainfall, as well as other design considerations such as use of verandas which deal with the tropical climate of the region. One of the primary goals was to create buildings that had the ability to stay cool during hot humid days, therefore the design decision was made to create buildings that were thin and long and which used a large among of space for verandas and open spaces. Another design decision that contributes to this primary goal was the creation of buildings that had a

high level of spatial transparency, especially used throughout the cultural and fish markets. The use of communal plazas running along the spaces are used to serve as connections between the individual buildings and become places where people can meet and interact, while also contributing to the openness quality of the architecture which reinforces natural ventilation. Due to the large amount of open spaces throughout the different buildings in the project, there had to be special attention paid to their response to sun as well as the effect of rain. Because the project uses many of these open communal plazas as places where commercial activities take place, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to figure out a way in which business can persist even in a rainy day. That contributed to the design of overhangs that not only serve as shading devices from the sun, but also help keep the

rain from forcing people to move indoors. This same consideration could be applied to the boardwalks that have been placed on the site and are used to connect the different buildings and spaces, but these should be used carefully in order for them not to overpower the overall design of the project and its strong relationship with nature. All of these climatic responses start to shape and inform the different design decisions to be made throughout the entire design process, creating a building that is strongly related with its context and one that works hand in hand with the natural environment.

exchanges & goals

Design Development

Understanding of the importance of commerce and economics to the project. How does commercial activity influence the design of the development and affect the hotel/marina? How do the activities of commerce begin to inform spatial relationships and how does sustainable practices influence their scale and containment? How can project follow the hierarchy of needs developed in order to meet the goals efficiently and sustainably, and how do these goals start to influence design?

low-income housing & community facilities

Housing prototype that takes into consideration all of the needs of current community (flexibility, economic, sustainable). Developing the educational facility and understanding how teaching the community can impact the project, as well as how learning from their methods can inform design decisions.

permaculture How can permaculture influence the design of spaces which cater specifically to certain types of exchanges? How does permaculture have the ability to shape and create a stronger link between the community and the hotel?

Ethics

An architect has certain responsibilities that deal with professional obligations towards the client, society, and the environment. The initial inspiration for the idea of this particular project came from being able to give back to the people of Rio Dulce, as they have provided me with a number of things I have needed throughout the various visits I have made to the area. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very important for me, as both an architectural student and person, to be able to give to these people a project that looks to celebrate who they are and what makes them so special and unique, but one that also looks to improve their current quality of life. Having this in mind, I have developed a project which I believe to encompass all of these characteristics and look to create a design that is unique in its own way as is their culture and current lifestyle. By increasing my own and othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; awareness to what I have found to be alarming problems, there has been an opportunity to create a change. This type of change needs to be one

that takes into consideration a close analysis of the environmental impact of this particular project, an improvement of this impact in order to achieve environmental restoration, an understanding of the economical characteristics of the region and the potential changes that can be done to the current economic model, as well as an understanding of the cultural and social chracteristics that could be used in accordance with the project. I believe that as a person who has been allowed the opportunity of receiving an education, I have the responsibility towards my country to create a thesis project that addresses many of the issues that are limiting Guatemala and contributing to the large percentage of poverty found in the country. Finally, I want to use this project to set an example for other people in Guatemala on the notion of helping the poor in an effort not only of becoming a better country but also a better person. 97

BUYER=$

Current Situation

VILLAGERS

VACATION HOME VILLAGERS

As part of creating a project that takes into consideration of all its users and provides to them a win-win situation, it becomes particularly important for the villagers to obtain a piece of land close to the water. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intent that there is a balanced and equal distribution of the land, especially that of the waterfront which provides to people with many benefit. Therefore, the project has been designed with this idea in mind, giving the villagers a waterfront which will allow them easy transportation access to their houses as well as a strong connection with their main source of food and recreation. This notion forms part of the ethical aspect of the project, one that seeks to maintain equality without taking advantage or discriminating against any user group involved.

Figure 5.1- Ethical Proposal Villagers The people of Rio Dulce have a strong connection with the waterfront. This natural resource has become their main transporation route, as well as primary source of food and income, which comes from the fishing industry.

Ethical Proposal

Sustainability

In order for this project to not only have the ability to give back to the people of Rio Dulce but also give back to the environment, it is important to utilize sustainable methods that can be used to benefit both. With the implementation of different sustainability methods, it will be very important as well as extremely beneficial to analyze the cost and compare it to the current living conditions of the region. Analyzing the cost of these innovative products and strategies is crucial in the understanding of the impact these have on the proposed economical model and how each can contribute to the economical sustainability that is being proposed as a large part of the project. Another important part that makes up the sustainability component of this project, is understanding how local materials impact and influence their design and implementation. By increasing the use of local materials, the project will be able to not only practice a more sustainable approach but

also celebrate the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural resources and will stay true to its character. Finally, it has become highly important to understand the social and cultural sustainability that forms part of the project. Because of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reliance on human relationships and interaction as a major contributor to its success, the sociocultural aspect and an understanding of the extent of the proposed exchanges needs to be understood as it starts to talk about the merging of different user groups without there being a loss in their cultures, rather these being utilized as learning tools from which all users can obtain knowledge and therefore contributing to the meaning behind the project. With this being said, all three of the sustainability categories will be thoroughly analyzed and related with the architecture, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of this thesis. 99

Environmental Sustainability

As part of the environmental sustainability aspect of this thesis, research was conducted especially relating to sustainable approaches for providing the resource of light. The people in Rio Dulce have very limited access to electrical resources forcing them to either live in the dark or use other sources of energy such as candles and firewood, which become unhealthy and expensive in the long run. Therefore, this project proposes using certain applications such as “A liter of light” or “Quetsol” to provide villagers a environmental and economical sustainable light source.

100

Another large component of the environmental sustainability of this thesis involves the use of local materials in the construction, as well as implementation of design strategies which deal in particular to climatic responses. These include the use of shading devices and louver systems, water collection systems, and

the application of tropical architecture principles to create a design that responds to particular climatic issues of the region and contributes to the notion of environmental restoration.

- Use of construction materials that come from controlled forests, such as Eucalyptus trees and high-pressurized pinewood. - Louver and screen systems to maximize use of natural daylight. - Raised buildings to promote natural ventilation. - Use of double roof to allow natural cross-ventilation. - Re-introduction of native tree species in proposed reserve areas to restore natural environment.

“A Liter of Light”

Figure 5.2- Liter of Light Economic Equation

MORE DAYLIGHT USAGE

LOWER ENERGY CONSUMPTION

LESS POLLUTION CAUSED BY PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES $0.00

Price of water to be included in the water bottle purchase.

Q4.00=$0.50 Q10.00 =$1.25

Q50.00 = $6.25

To be distributed Price for 1 square meter among 5 families, total to be distributed among per family = $0.25 10 families, total per family = $0.65 In an effort to “brighten up the homes of people in the Phillipines” MyShelter Foundation was established in order to create a system of sustainability and reliability through projects that generate employment. It’s mission is to introduce ground-breaking approaches of social enterprise, new and appropriate technologies and alternative construction methods in the Philippines. Isang Litrong Liwanag, A Liter of Light, is MyShelter’s latest project. It is a sustainable lighting project whose goal is to bring eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulbs to underpriviledged communities.

Figure 5.3- Liter of Light Outcome

The Solar Bottle Bulb was designed and developed by a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and follows the principles of Appropriate Technologies. This concept is based on the idea of providing simple and easily replicated technologies that help address basic needs in developing countries around the world.

RECYCLING Total per family/light: Q11.20 = $1.40 Regular light bulb cost: Q30.00 = $3.45

Savings: Q18.80 = $2.35 This program has inspired many cultures throughout the world and different implementations of the project have been used, using different materials according to the region where the project is being carried out. For its application to work in Rio Dulce, Izabal, a cost equation was generated of the different materials needed for the production of the “Solar Light bulb”. Not only does the research show the amount of savings that each family would obtain if they install the product in their homes, but also generates an awareness of the importance of sustainable methods in their everyday lives. Other advantages include an increase in recycling of plastic bottles in Rio Dulce, as well as a decrease in fire-related accidents that can occur when using a regular light bulb or a candle.

101

“Quetsol”

“In Guatemala, there are close to 520,000 homes without electricityclose to 20% of the population. The severe lack of access to basic electrical service is one of the main impediments for development, in Guatemala and the Central American region at large.” Quetsol

102

Quetsol was formed from a joint effort of two young Guatemalan men to provide the country’s poorest families with the basic need of electricity. Due to the level of poverty in which these families live, they build their houses out of the materials they can find and afford. The lack of education most times causes them to construct their dwellings without the introduction of enough daylight and because of their limited access to electricity it causes them to either live without the sufficient amount of daylight needed, or look for alternative ways in which light can be brought into their homes. One of the alternative light sources utilized by many families comes from the use of candles. Even though the price of candles is fairly low, these families tend to spend a large part of their income buying the amount needed for a whole year. Therefore, this project seeks to give to these families a technology that uses solar panels which provide electricity.

Quetsol wants to provide the necessary tools for people in order to become “energetically independent, irrespective of how big or small their needs might be, thus increasing their productivity and development”. (Quetsol) This projects main goal is to develop micro-scale energy solutions for families and communities who have lived most of their life without electrical services. Due to the constant evolution in the technology of photovoltaic panels as well as the increasing interest in the use of this alternative source of energy, Quetsol’s approach has become one that is rather attractive within many communities nowadays. The reasonable prices of Quetsol’s products allows family members to obtain electrical services at a lower cost than the alternatives they are using today, candles and kerosene. All these factors contribute to Quetsol’s rapid growing success in Guatemala.

1 2 3

This 10W kit provides enough power for up to 3 bright LED bulbs and a universal cellphone charger.

This 30W kit comes with 5 LED bulbs and provides 110V AC power for small appliances, including small radios, TV’s and computers (1 plug).

This 75W kit comes with 8 LED bulbs and provides 110V AC power for small appliances, including small radios, TV’s and computers (3 plugs).

Lower

ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL ECONOMIC costs than alternatives

“QUETSOL offers appropriate technology solutions that sustainably provide for the energy demands of a wide variety of users at a lower social and economic cost.”

CANDLES FIREWOOD KEROSENE

Relating particularly to this thesis project, this is one of the few precedents that should be looked at in an effort to finding alternative methods of sustainability that can be used to improve the quality of life of people and help restore the natural environment of Rio Dulce. It is particularly important to analyze Quetsol because it is one method that has already started being implemented in Guatemala, particularly in Rio Dulce. Taking into account the different kits they offer will help plan ahead their incorporation into the design of the family housing prototypes, community buildings, as well as their possible integration in the hotel/marina spaces. Not only is the incorporation of this new technology into the design itself important, but also understanding the economic, social and environmental improvements being proposed can help shape the design strategies and inspire development of new and improved alternatives for the project.

103

Climatic Responses

104

As mentioned before, the site and climatic conditions of Rio Dulce need to be strongly considered throughout the design process in order to achieve a sustainability through a design that uses techniques that reinforce this design strategy. Taking into consideration all natural elements such as wind, rain, sun, and water levels becomes an essential piece that contributes to the success of the project. These elements start to dictate the roof types that should be used that respond to rainfall, as well as other design considerations such as use of verandas which deal with the tropical climate of the region. One of the primary goals was to create buildings that had the ability to stay cool during hot humid days. Therefore the design decision was made to create buildings that were thin and long and which used a large among of space for verandas and open spaces. Another design decision that contributes to this primary goal was the creation of buildings that had a

high level of spatial transparency, especially used throughout the cultural and fish markets. The use of communal plazas running along the spaces are used to serve as connections between the individual buildings and become places where people can meet and interact, while also contributing to the openness of the architecture which reinforces natural ventilation. Due to the large amount of open spaces throughout the different buildings in the project, there had to be special attention paid to their response to the sun as well as the effect of rain. Because the project uses many of these open communal plazas as places where commercial activities take place, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to figure out a way in which business can persist even in a rainy day. That contributed to the design of overhangs that not only serve as shading devices from the sun, but also help keep the rain from forcing people to move indoors. This

same consideration could be applied to the boardwalks that have been placed on the site and are used to connect the different buildings and spaces, but these should be used carefully in order for them not to overpower the overall design of the project and its strong relationship with nature. All of these climatic responses start to shape and inform the different design decisions to be made throughout the entire design process, creating a building that is strongly related with its context and one that works hand in hand with the natural environment.

Figure 5.4- Climatic Responses Section This diagrammatic section of the cultural market starts to show how different climatic factors have been addressed in the design of this project. The architectural language used responds to these issues and has been created with them in mind, taking advantage of natural ventilation as well as daylight while taking into consideration flooding and protection from animals.

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Architectural Language

Principles

Promotion of cooling breezes.

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The climate of Rio Dulce led the architectural language for this project to be one that related strongly to the tropical climate of the region. This type of architecture acknowledges the natural elements and works with them in order to create designs that take advantage of natural ventilation and daylight usage in order to create buildings that have a low-impact on the environment. This type of architecture follows a set of principles, described by Troppo Architects, which contribute to the design decisions and strategies used in order to create successful designs. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to understand that when designing a development for the villagers of Rio Dulce, there are other contributing factors that might affect the design that should be taken into account fairly early in the design process. One of the things that is important to think about is the involvement in the construction processes that is proposed for the project, making the design for the spaces something simple so that the people can continue to replicate it in

Strategies Placement of buildings along waterfront and oriented according to primary wind direction.

Including an element such as a wind tunnel that starts to serve not only as a source of daylight but also as a heat Ventilation by convection. extractor.

Reducing radiation of heat.

Use of overhangs and high pitch roofs that shade walkways and interiors of buildings, verandahs and elevated buildings to promote ventilation.

Sheltering of walls and openings.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to protect the materials from climate conditions, such as rain, that contribute to their degradation. With this in mind, the overhangs, and verandahs act as buffers to reinforce this concept.

(left) Figure 5.5- Washing Station Structure and Materiality Study (right) Figure 5.6- Cultural Market Veranda and Louver Study

the future. Another important consideration would have to be the need these people have for houses which have the ability to be flexible and start becoming multi-functional spaces that are used for different purposes. With this in mind the construction, especially that of the villagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; individual dwellings need to be treated as a simple rectangular, modular volume that can use movable partition walls depending on the family unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s size and their need for public and private spaces. Another design consideration that has influenced the choice of architectural language is that of the desired spatial transparency and strong relationships between the different proposed spaces. Tropical architecture uses a very light-weight structure, which allows for that relativity to start occurring within the different buildings. The use of verandas and porches helps to further reinforce the idea of circulation contributing to a stronger spatial relationship,

as well as to their interaction. Finally, the use of local materials will reinforce the principle of sustainability as a design strategy that helps restore the natural environment and maintain the cost of construction economical. Using wood that is grown in the region, and which will be later planted along the site for the construction of walls, roofs, boardwalks, and docks, as well as palm trees which have been used for roofing structures as a vernacular practice of architecture in the region. Implementing methods of construction that deal with the seismic activity of Rio Dulce, will include introduction of concrete footings in an effort to reduce degradation of the wood and provide stability for the building. All these techniques look to improve the current building conditions while keeping true to their vernacular practices. 107

Structural Language: Community vs. Hotel

For this particular thesis, it was important to develop a structural language that could be applied to the construction of the different buildings on the site. This structural language had to be created utilizing local materials, such as eucalyptus trees and high pressurized pinewood, as well as it had to include the use of techniques such as thatching and rope connection that are native to the region. The use of familiar techniques was important because in order for this project to be constructed and imitated by the villagers over time there has to be a certain level of understanding of the different components that make up the whole. On the other hand, there has to be a second language that could be applied to the hotel with contemporary applications. With this said, there were two structural languages that were developed within the project. 108

The first is one that follows vernacular traditions of Rio Dulce, while introducing innovative and sustainable methods in both design and construction. Eucalyptus trees are used for the structural members that make part of the larger framing system, while highpressurized pine wood is used for the decking. Concrete is also utilized throughout the foundation system of the project, in order to allow for stronger structural stability and avoid issues that deal with decay of wood due to contact with water. The second structural language takes into account some characteristics of the vernacular while using bamboo as the primary material. Taking advantage of bambooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lightweight visual quality, this structural language expresses a more contemporary approach to the existing architectural language of Rio Dulce.

Eucalyptus trees, which come from controlle forests, are to be used for these components because of their length, strength, and fast growing time. This will help avoid the use of native species which are being restored into the natural environment with the use of natural reserves on the site.

The roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s louvers are a more complex application within the architectural language, but teaching people within community development can start to gain ability to produce a much more specialized construction technique which can later be applied in other homes around the region.

Thatching techniques are related to those of fishing, making this construction process something that can be taught to the younger generation for future use.

PLANET Lattices are to be constructed using the weaving technique that is practiced by the people of Rio Dulce. This not only proposes for the use of local craft, but also serves to celebrate it through the architectural language.

Promoting local economy within the community development itself, as people start learning techniques to start new jobs.

Lattices and spacers used can be built using branches on site or leftover wood from decking reinforcing the concept of re-use.

With the adequate amount of instruction this construction technique can be taught within the community in an effort to begin a collaboration during the construction process of the project. This begins to create distinct interactions and more importantly educational exchanges within different people.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed that men living in the community development work in collaboration with workers from Lygnum company that are coming to construct the docks around the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site, becoming a learning experience for the future. Promotion of local companies in Rio Dulce.

Use high pressurized pine wood coming from controlled forests of Guatemala.

PEOPLE

$ PROFIT

Concrete foundation poured on site, which means less spent on transportation of prefabricated pieces, and faster construction time.

Figure 5.7- Exploded Axonometric of Cultural Market and Relationship with Triple Bottom Line Economic System

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Figure 5.7 A- Exploded Axonometric of Cultural Market and Relationship with Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Top

The initial intent of the project was to utilize trees from the site, but as research informed, there are restrictions regarding the natural reserves. Therefore, this project is to utilize off-site trees for construction while introducing native species on-site to restore the natural environment.

Thatching techniques are related to those of fishing, making this construction process something that can be taught to the younger generation for future use.

PLANET 110 Lattices are to be constructed using the weaving technique that

Thatching techniques are related to those of fishing, making this construction process something that can be taught to the younger generation for future use.

PLAN

Figure 5.7 B- Exploded Axonometric of Cultural Market and Relationship with Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Middle Lattices are to be constructed using the weaving technique that is practiced by the people of Rio Dulce. This not only proposes for the use of local craft, but also serves to celebrate it through the architectural language.

Promoting local economy within the community development itself, as people start learning techniques to start new jobs.

Lattices and spacers used can be built using branches on site or leftover wood from decking reinforcing the concept of re-use.

PEOP

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Promoting local economy within the community development itself, as people start learning techniques to start new jobs.

Lattices and spacers used can be built using branches on site or leftover wood from decking reinforcing the concept of re-use.

Figure 5.7 C- Exploded Axonometric of Cultural Market and Relationship with Triple Bottom Line Economic System Closeup Bottom

Use high pressurized pine wood coming from controlled forests of Guatemala.

PEOPLE

$ PROFIT

Concrete foundation poured on site, which means less spent on transportation of prefabricated pieces, and faster construction time.

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Figure 5.8- Hotel Roof Structural Diagram

A roof system was developed using two beams running at opposing angles, giving the roof surface a shifting condition. These beams work together, the primary beam holding the weight of the louver while the secondary beam works in tension in order to provide more structural stability.

Figure 5.9- Hotel Louver Variation Diagram

The use of a column that is composed of four members allows for the louver placement to be varied throughout the space. This creates a dynamic composition that uses the architectural language of the development with a contemporary approach, while taking advantage of the flexibility of bamboo.

A+B+C+D C B

Figure 5.10- Hotel Column Components

Each column is composed of four members that meet at the bottom and vary in height, which allows for a shifting roof line as well as variation in the louver placement throughout the space.

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INVESTORS

Economic Sustainability

LAND

HOTEL

VILLAGE VILLAGE The economical model being used in this project proposes a change from the current economy of subsistence towards one of sustenance. The utilization of concepts gathered from microfinance, natural capitalism, triple bottom line, and social business contributed to the development of a model which takes into account many principles and aspects of these and forms a unified system that is meant to cater specifically towards the people of Rio Dulce. This economical model draws relationships between the economic precedents and adapts them with the current lifestyle of the people of Rio Dulce, as it seeks not only to improve their quality of life but keeps in mind their culture and customs in order to celebrate instead of disregard it.

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A part of the economic model that also deals with the notion of economic sustainability is creating a project that uses construction techniques which can easily be replicated by

the people, allowing them to be able to use their own intellectual capacity in the construction of their dwellings and the realization of other tasks for which they might be responsible. By using local materials, the cost of imports to the city is lower allowing for the overall cost of the project to be lower. The idea of microfinance allows for an increase in the productivity and income generation of villagers, as well as gives them economic empowerment in order to improve their quality of life. More importantly is the concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Helping the poor help themselvesâ&#x20AC;? as this places emphasis on the idea that one provides with resources and improvement techniques which they use to help themselves, allowing them to learn how this is can be accomplished and later on passed to other generations. The passing on from generation to generation becomes the main contributor to the success of the project in the future.

HOTEL

BUSINESS

RESOURCES HOTEL

BUSINESS

SUSTAINABILITY

CURRENT CONDITION

ecotourism

RESTORATIHOTEL ON sustainability COMMUNITY microfinance

OUTCOME

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Socio-Cultural Sustainability

116

Through the proposed cultural and intellectual interactions among the user groups within the different spaces of the project, this thesis anticipates a social and cultural sustainability to start happening. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through these exchanges that the villagers, as well as the tourists and visitors acquire knowledge from other user groups. This knowledge will then allow the users to gather a better understanding of other cultural groups. Tourists have the opportunity to learn certain cooking techniques from the villagers, and villagers in turn can learn from the tourists as they gather around a fire and tell stories. Other opportunities for exchange in culture occur as the visitors are surrounded by spaces that were created and express the culture of the villagers, which would lead to them wanting to buy certain goods that reflect these cultural traits. Because of all these aspects, a thorough understanding of relationships and exchanges needs ot be acquired, especially through the layering of the interactions acquired by all user groups.

Practical Small Projects

Figure 5.11- Practical Small Projects Pyramid of Needs

MALIANS BREAK THEIR CYCLE OF POVERTY

Enterprise

Improvements to infrastructure, knowledge of solar technology and increased productivity enhances micro-enterprise development

Education

Health

Construction of schools, teacher offices and uses solar power to generate electricity. These facilities result in increased student performance and enable night adult literacy classes.

SOLAR POWER, THE CATALYST TO DEVELOPMENT AND MEETING BASIC NEEDS.

Constructing wells, maternities and health centers to increase access to water, improve health and increase school attendance.

Although there are various organizations throughout the world which seek to improve the quality of life of underprivileged people, Practical Small projects is one that strongly relates with this thesis project catering to the people of Rio Dulce. PSP is an organization that wants to create new health, education, and incomegenerating opportunities to people living in West Africa by providing people with potable water systems, health care centers, schools and solar energy. In an effort to cater to each community specifically, PSP responds to their very specific needs, believes in skill transfer and supports local businesses. With this in mind, there have been a number of different projects that look to improve the lives of the people in Mali, West Africa. Even though analyzing these projects is important, understanding the hierarchy of needs and their ideology is vital in developing a program that has a strong spatial hierarchy, relationship, and distribution.

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RIO DULCE’S COMMUNITY BECOMES SELF-SUFFICIENT, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ITS PEOPLE AND RESTORING THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Enterprise

Interaction

Education By adapting a hierarchy of needs and integrating the proposal of this thesis project, a strong relationship starts to develop between this particular case study and Rio Dulce’s community development. This diagram will start to inform the programmatic aspects of the project and propose a set of guidelines needed to be implemented in order to achieve an improved quality of life. It becomes important to include a fourth element to the hierarchy of needs, interaction, which is present between same community members as with tourists. The interactive exchanges between people are an essential aspect of the project, as it begins to form relationships among the elements of education, health, and enterprise. Without interactive exchanges there would not be strong enough education, health care, and enterprise exchanges, which are the elements that promise to improve quality of life. 118

Interaction

Health

Construction of health care clinics, appropriate washing stations, and bathrooms with adequate plumbing to be used by community members and other individuals in the region.

Interaction

Environment

Using sustainable methods of construction, local materials, and ecotourism in an effort to restore natural degradation of the region.

Figure 5.12- Research and Needs Matrix

Needs/Problems

1. Production

2. Health

Principles

3. Environment Degradation

4. Intellect

5. Interaction

Buddhist Economics

Understanding small scale Producing human satisfaction Small scale of of project and production through a lower consumption implementation allows for capacity of people will lead to rate = healthier lifestyle. less environmental impact. a sustainable solution.

Teaching methods that are simple and relating to peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture and lives.

Triple Bottom Line

Optimizing production of trade goods by using coproduction and promoting community oriented services.

Maintaining sustainable ecological systems and minimizing destruction of natural resources.

Intellectual exchanges Encouraging well-being in social created through coproduction relationships, coproduction between all users of project. relationships are foundation of community life.

Natural Capitalism

Using resources efficiently and Reduction of toxicity and sustainably, and introduction pollution will begin to improve of biomimicry in production peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health. processes.

Effective resource usage will decrease depletion and lower pollution. Investment in Natural Capital.

Teaching villagers how investing in Natural capital can improve quality of life.

Relationships between producer and consumer change towards service oriented= new interaction.

Everyone a Changemaker

Micro finance principles used, notion of teaching the poor help themselves= continuation of project.

Empowerment of villagers will also allow them the opportunity to start getting involved in health care.

Empowering villagers to make decisions that promote environment reconstruction. Use local materials.

Method is shared through learning and teaching, greater knowledge is acquired in process.

Relationships formed while helping each other and passing from generation to generation.

Micro finance

Loans given to individuals to promote business ventures and provide income.

Income received used to pay for health care services, or a portion of community loan used for that as well.

Promoting loans and repaying of these- villagers own piece of land= care for it to maintain it.

Teaching of cooperation between villagers and increasing intellectual capacity through program.

Community life is promoted by using cooperation as a method of paying loans and doing business.

Better working conditions with assured financial and economic stability used to improve business.

Type of business looks to Promoting sustainable improve all problems that are methods of practice for both being faced by people in Rio production and living. Dulce.

Relationship between villagers Increase in relationship between and investors= intellectual villager and investor as they work and cultural exchange. together to improve quality of life in Rio Dulce.

Humanitarian Action

Funding to be used in proportion of the needs of the people in Rio Dulce and strengthening capacity.

Providing health care necessary for the people of the region.

Using sustainable practices of construction and materials to reduce cost and env. degradation.

Working with the people of the region so they can learn how to continue practicing in the future.

Practical Small Projects

Promoting the use of facilities catering to commercial exchanges in an effort to increase financial capital.

Construction of health care clinics, use of appropriate plumbing in bathrooms and facilities.

Using sustainable methods of Facilities for learning and construction, local materials and intellectual exchanges promoting ecotourism to restore between users of project. natural environment.

Using different types of interaction as the links between each of these components.

Community Tourism

Business ventures are run by the villagers in community development.

Volunteering involvement in providing health care for community members.

Small scale in order to minimize environmental impact and using sustainable practices.

Promoting the involvement of entire communities rather than individuals to promote communal life.

Social Business

Importance of people in this type of system, improving their health becomes essential in the success.

Teaching villagers how to cope with tourism in a way that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t harm the natural environment or culture.

Promoting communal lifestyle will decrease violent acts among individuals.

Creating strong relationships between the people while remaining impartial in the process.

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Informing the Program

120

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Small scale, small production, small capacity= more sustainable and more self-sufficient project. Idea of micro finance where villagers run businesses promotes culture of Rio Dulce, creating a project with more meaning.

Construction of health care facilities and also using methods that look to create an improved quality of life by promoting â&#x20AC;&#x153;innerâ&#x20AC;? health made possible through community interaction and communal life.

Small scale allows for environmental restoration to be possible, while the use of local materials achieves sustainablity. Implementing the idea of villagers owning a piece of land promotes the notion of maintaining and restoring it.

Facilities that promote learning are included in the program but more importantly thinking of how vernacular construction methods can be used and improved with this project.

Design should promote a high interaction between hotel and community, made possible through spatial proximity and relationships. Spaces designed should cater specifically to different types of exchanges to promote communal lifestyle between villagers themselves and the visitors.

Types of Exchanges:

Commercial

Understanding Exchanges

Intellectual Communal

Before understanding the relationships that have been drawn among the different spaces, their functions, and their placement on the site itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to understand the different exchanges that this project utilizes to draw links between these in an effort to produce a project that is unified spatially and functionally. The exchanges between villagers, local visitors, and tourists are extremely important because these are the factors which promote a high interaction that looks to benefit everyone, creating a project that becomes a win-win. Commercial exchanges benefit the villagers as they look to increase economic income and also benefit both tourists and local visitors as they receive the goods and products they desire. Intellectual exchanges benefit tourists and local visitors as they can learn methods and practices from the villagers that intrigue them, while the villagers learn from

improved practices and techniques that will enhance their quality of life. Finally, communal exchanges will benefit all of the users of this proposed thesis project from which they will not only learn and obtain goods and services they desire and need, but through which they will be able to obtain a meaningful experience. These exchanges became the driving forces into the development of the relationships between spaces, site, and people. Not only does it become important to understand what each of these exchanges take into account in terms of goods and services, but more importantly how these can impact and benefit all parties involved in the project. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through these benefits that one can start seeing the improvement in the quality of life of villagers specifically, which is the main goal of the project. 121

Understanding Relationships

A large part of this project is organized behind relationships, interactions, and exchanges, therefore it becomes important to understand the significance of these relationships. First and foremost there is a strong relationship and interaction between community members and the waterfront, a natural resource that provides them with transportation access, routes, and especially food. This was a predetermined factor that influenced the design of the project greatly, informing the placement of the individual spaces on the site as well as the adequate proximity these had with the waterfront.

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Because this project proposes that there should be an exchange between the needs of the people through different types of interaction, it becomes important to create relationships between the different spaces based on their functions. Distributing the different spaces according to their uses, starts to form sectors

that speak of the types of activities that will start occurring there. For instance, the fishing dock and market is to be placed strategically close to the waterfront, adjacent to the cultural market, and will share a communal plaza with the fresh market. This will begin to create a sector in the community development that will serve for the commercial exchanges between the villagers, local visitors, and tourists. Another important sector within the community development is compromised of spaces that cater to education and intellectual exchanges. These spaces include the educational facilities that are to be used among the villagers themselves, as well as those which will serve to educate the visitors and tourists that are interested in learning the practices and methods of the community members.

There should also be a sector in the community development that is used specifically for health care, which includes spaces such as the clinics, washing stations, and medicinal greenhouse. Even though there will be opportunities for the local visitors and hotel tourists to utilize these spaces in order to learn from traditional medicinal methods practiced by the villagers, these should be placed in closer proximity to the community memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s houses. Finally there should be two separate sectors dedicated to more private activities, specifically one for the hotel and the other for villagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes. These sectors have been placed on opposing sides of the site, which contributes to the privacy that each of the groups needs and promotes the idea of having the opportunity to choose until which point one is willing to interact. Even though the project has been separated into different sectors, each relating

to a different use and function these are all connected by gathering spaces which promote the different types of exchanges. These are the places where all of the relationships of the project come together, and where they become essential pieces that tie everything together. Without these relationships and interactions the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals might be achieved but not with the same success than with intellectual, commercial, and communal exchanges and their contributions to a stronger and much more meaningful development for villagers, local visitors, and tourists.

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Interactive Relationships

124

In order to understand relationships throughout the project, it becomes important to analyze the different levels of interaction within the spaces of the project. In order for this analysis to be accurate, it should be treated based on the different user groups and overlayed in order to find the communal relationships overall. This allows to understand the journey of four to five different individuals from each of the user groups, ranging from those looking for a high interaction and others looking for little-to non at all. This diversity allows for covering a wide range of individuals who have different purposes when visiting the community development, providing with a complete overall understanding of human interaction around and within the site. Finally, not only should theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interactions be analyzed in terms of path but also based on the time spent during each of the activities informing density as well as movement which will help determine the sizes of the most important meeting and interaction spaces.

Volunteering Culture Leisure

Learning

Figure 5.16- Hotel Guest

Volunteering Hotel Commerce Learning

Figure 5.17- Local Visitors

Figure 5.15- Combined User Interaction: Path, Density, Integration

Fishing Crops/Cattle Hotel Cultural Market

Figure 5.18- Villagers

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Masterplan: Cultural Development

126

RIO DULCEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COMMUNITY BECOMES SELF-SUFFICIENT, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ITS PEOPLE AND RESTORING THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Enterprise

Interaction

Education

Health

Interaction

School Day care Information Center

Intellectual Exchanges

Construction of health care clinics, appropriate washing stations, and bathrooms with adequate plumbing to be used by community members and other individuals in the region.

Environment Figure 5.19- Masterplan Axonometric

Financial Exchanges

Providing facilities to be used for educational purposes only, such as school classrooms and a day care for the children. Other facilities used for education of visitors who want to learn from villagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practices, such as cooking, fishing, medicine, and crafts.

Interaction

Production Fields Fishing Dock Market

Washing Station Bathrooms Health care Clinic

Communal Exchanges Using sustainable methods of construction, local materials, and ecotourism in an effort to restore natural degradation of the region.

Infrasestructure Ecotourism

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Leisure:

Hotel Bungalows, Sundecks, Reception and Restaurant

3 4

6 1

128

Figure 5.20- Hotel Bungalows and Sundecks Axonometric

Single Bungalow Floor Plan Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

Key: 1- Main Bedroom 2- Living Area 3- Outdoor Deck 4- Sundeck 5- Closet 6- Bathroom 7- Outdoor Shower

Family Bungalow Floor Plan Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

Key: 1- Main Bedroom 2- Double Bedroom 3- Outdoor Deck 4- Sundeck 5- Closet 6- Bathroom 7- Entrance

Figure 5.21- Hotel Reception and Restaurant Axonometric

Figure 5.22- Hotel Sundecks Perspective

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Commerce:

Cultural Market, Fresh & Fish Market, and Fishing Dock 1 5 2

6 3

Cultural Market Floor Plan Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

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Key: 1- Information Center 2- Seating Area 3- Outdoor Seating 4- Information Office 5- Visitor Classrooms 6- Cultural Market Stands 7- Small Cafe/ Restaurant 8- Bathrooms 9- Outdoor Seating Plaza

Figure 5.23- Cultural Market & Fresh and Fish M

Market, Fishing Dock Axonometric 7

2 4

Fish & Fresh Market Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

Key: 1- Fresh Market Stand 2- Fish Market Stand 3- Outdoor Seating Area

Fishing Dock

Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

Key: 1- Fish Cutting Area 2- Seating Area 3- Fresh Fish Display Area 4- Fishing Net Stand 5- Storage 6- Natural Fish Pond 7- Lower Canoe Dock

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Figure 5.24- Cultural Market Section

132

133

Figure 5.25- Fish Market Section

134

135

Community:

Local Restaurant and Health care & Educational Facilities

2 Key: 1- Indoor Eating Area 2- Outdoor Eating Area 3- Kitchen 4- Outdoor Kitchen 5- Bathrooms 6- Food Storage Space

5 1

Local Restaurant Floor Plan Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

10 11

4 2 9

8 7

Education/Health care Facilities Floor Plan Scale= 1/16” = 1’-0”

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Key: 1- School Classrooms 2- School Waiting Area 3- Day care Nursery 4- Pre-school Classroom 5- Bathrooms 6- Outdoor Day care Area 7- Waiting Area 8- Doctor Office 9- Health care Clinics 10- Bathrooms 11- Exam Rooms

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Human Experience

138

Human experience throughout the site and the project itself can be understood by reading of the plans and sections themselves, but in order to grasp the essence of this experience it becomes important to imagine what a day would be in the development. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to take into consideration that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always the freedom to choose how much interaction and exchanges would happen between the visitor and the villager. Therefore, for this particular assignment three different visitor types will be examined as they tell the story behind their stay in this cultural hotel. Depending on the purpose for their trip, either it be leisure, learning, or volunteering, one will be able to see how far and how much each person merges with the culture of the villagers in this community development. The purpose becomes one that gives a full understanding of the different levels of interaction and how human experience changes throughout these levels.

“A day in the stay of...” Name: Victoria Palazzo From: Venice, Italy Purpose of Trip: Leisure (Sailboat in Marina) Length of Stay: 3 days Traveling with her: Husband, Paolo Carboni

Day 1: The first day of our trip begins as we pulled up in the main marina around 2:00 pm. We had been traveling around the nearby Belize keys, but are ready for a quiet and relaxing time at the resort. Day 2: We woke up this morning and the day was beautiful outside, therefore my husband decided he wanted to take a fishing trip with some of the locals of the hotel. I, on the other hand, decided that I wanted to stay and finish the book I have been reading. After we both had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, my husband took off in a small boat with a couple of other guests and two local men. I went to the bungalow, which is located right above the water and read my book on the hammock that hangs in our balcony. At lunch time I decided to walk over to the fish market, just in time to see my husband come back from his fishing expedition. The fishing market, right by the water is also combined with the fresh market where they have a wide variety of exotic fruits and vegetables. As part of the fishing market there’s a large covered dock where

all the boats pull in with the different seafood they catch for the day. While standing there I could see how the men cut and cleaned the fish and later took it to their individual selling booths inside the market. There was a seating area inside the fishing dock where I sat as I saw how these people worked and how my husband learned how to cut the fish he had caught. The man of the tour offered to make “ceviche” from the fish my husband caught and as we waited to eat I saw the boys from the village as they helped with the construction of the fishing nets. Finally, we headed back to hotel’s communal bungalow where we enjoyed watching the starfilled sky and a nice glass of wine.

market I started noticing all these different hand-crafted goods that were produced by the same women who sold them; small wooden bowls, fishing nets, carved and painted wooden figures were some of the things that stood out. After visiting the market we walked over to the local restaurant, where I tried some of the local dishes and enjoyed watching the children play in the plaza outside after they had finished school for the day. As we walked back to the bungalow I couldn’t stop thinking about having the opportunity to come back with the purpose of Day 3: On the last day of our stay we woke up learning more about this interesting and unique early and went in one of the hotel’s kayaks to culture I had just shared a vacation with. explore the surrounding areas. After having breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant we decided to walk to the cultural market. I wanted to get one of the hand-made hammocks that were hanging in the bungalow and my husband wanted to buy a couple of wooden canoes he had seen in the hotel’s lobby. As we walked around the 139

“A day in the stay of...” Name: Dennis Smith From: Canada Purpose of Trip: Learning Length of Stay: 3 days Traveling with her: Wife and two children

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Day 1: Our vacation started out as soon as we arrived in Rio Dulce, ready to learn from the wonderful people our friends had told us about last summer. We had planned our trip with the purpose of learning about their culture and daily life activities. On the first day of our stay in the resort we scheduled a family fishing expedition. We met with our guides at 6:00 am in the fishing dock, where they gave us a brief explanation of what the day would be about. First they gave us a small demonstration of how to ride in a canoe, as each of us would have to ride with a villager to go on our expedition. Then they taught us the basics about how to use a fishing net and made us practice from the dock. When we were ready to go each one of us got into the corresponding canoe and our fishing expedition started. We had to row to one of the nearby creeks, a beautiful hidden and untouched natural spot in Rio Dulce. The creek went from wide to narrow, at some

points we could only go through because of the size of the canoes. We rowed past beautiful areas of exotic foliage and as we got deeper into the creek the sound of the busy river was left behind. The silence we experienced was incredible, you could hear all the birds chirping and from a distance the monkeys yelling from the top of the trees. We saw turtles resting on top of the tree trunks that made their way towards the middle of the creeks. After rowing and experiencing the beauty of the area it was finally time to start using the fishing nets. On the first try of fishing, Juan said he would be the one standing up and I had to stay very still so we could find the balance and neither one of us would fall. I tried staying very still as the canoe was rocking from one side to the other, but impressively enough Juan was able to maintain his balance and even caught 2 fish when he took out the net from the water. It was now my time to try and I was beginning to get a little bit nervous. My first attempt wasn’t

the best, but after a could of times I was able to manage a decent throw and even got a fish. It was time to go back to the hotel, so we started rowing back. When we got there we learned how to cut and clean the fish in the fishing dock. After that we were taken to the fresh market were they taught us about the ingredients to make the ceviche, which we would enjoy in the local restaurant. After a nice meal we headed back to the fishing dock where we would learn how to make our own fishing nets. I was surprised to see the small children weaving quickly to finish their own. We sat down in a circle and started learning the basics of the weaving pattern and the knots that were part of the process. After a couple of hours we all managed to make a small fishing net which we would take home as a souvenir.

Day 2: After a long day of exciting activities we woke up this morning ready to take on another adventure. We walked over to the ecotourism office where a group of ten people were ready to take the ecotourism expedition through the surrounding natural reserves. The first thing our tour guide, a local villager called Jorge, showed us was a map of the development and the surrounding areas and he explained the basics that our tour would cover. We started our walking expedition as we left the cultural market along one of the elevated wooden boardwalks until we reached the stairs that led to another path covered on either side by heavy vegetation. As we continued to walk along this path the vegetation continued to get thicker and taller until we got to a point where you could feel a complete disconnect with the development we had left behind. During the expedition Jorge talked about the different

plants that they used as medicine in the village, and showed them to us when one was spotted along the way. During the expedition we walked along the natural creek that comes down from the mountain and we were able to take some pictures with the foliage that surrounded us. After a long walk, we stopped in an area to enjoy some shade and a couple of snacks Jorge had brought with him. After relaxing for a little while we continued to walk along the creek until we reached an area where the water was so clear you could start seeing the river bed. We decided that this would be the perfect time to refresh by taking a swim before walking back towards the development. As we walked back we saw a number of wild birds that were flying above us and the light filtered through the foliage in a beautiful orange red color as the sun started to set. It was during this expedition when we learned about the different types of trees in the area as well as how villagers took advantage of

the natural resources the region had to offer, for either medicinal or construction purposes. Day 3: Having had the opportunity to explore the wilderness of the region and where the natural resources come from, we later took on the opportunity of having a completely educational day where we would learn about basic village life. We met with a group of local villagers in the community restaurant were we all had breakfast in a large table. It was during this meal when we learned about their meal preferences and ate tortillas, frijoles, and eggs for breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice and a rich blend of their coffee. After breakfast, my two children went to the educational facility with the rest of the children of the village. They would spend their day in the classrooms learning how to make wooden handcrafts that would later be sold in the cultural market as souvenirs. The

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children would also learn about the weaving technique the villagers used for their fishing nets, and which they applied to their construction methods for their individual dwellings. My wife and I would spend the first half of the day in the local restaurant, where we learned how to make some of the local dishes of the village. My wife learned how to make tortillas with the women on the outside porch, while I went with the men to the agriculture and cattle fields to gather the vegetables that would be used for the lunch meal. When we reached the agriculture and cattle fields the men I was walking with, Victor and Jose Luis, showed me how to harvest some of the vegetables and look for the eggs in the chicken pen. We also took the time to grab a couple of chickens from that would be used to provide meat in the meal. After a long day in the field, we headed back to the kitchen where the women had started cooking the basics for lunch. They had a large bowl of frijoles and tortillas and

we were responsible for putting the chicken on around it as we all listened to music being the grill. The women had also cooked a white played by some of the villagers and legends rice, which was to serve as a complimentary from Guatemala were told by the children. dish in the meal. After cooking we all sat down on the same table as for breakfast and enjoyed a typical meal in the village. After lunch we met with the children in the community plaza. There we all sat in a circle as the villagers told stories about their culture and mayan history. It was very interesting to learn how a large number of these people had relocated to this region during the civil war as they tried to flee the guerilla. These stories provided us with an understanding of their cultural roots and where they had originally come from. We also participated by telling them more about Canada and what our daily lives were like. They seemed to be surprised at how differently we live our lives, but were eager to continue learning about the different things we did in our daily lives. The day ended with a wonderful campfire, everyone was gathered

“A day in the stay of...” Name: Paola Gandara From: Nicaragua Purpose of Trip: Volunteering Length of Stay: 3 days Traveling alone

Day 1: After graduating from college, I decided to travel around and volunteer in different parts of the world. I had heard of this community development in Rio Dulce, Guatemala and was very intrigued to learn more on the subjects of ecotorism and their community lifestyle. I arrived at the hotel and shortly after settling in my bungalow it was time for the introduction of the villagers and their community. I walked to meet the local guide in the cultural market and we walked together towards the community plaza. There was a large group of villagers and children that were curious to find out who would be working with them for the next couple of days. Antonio, my guide, introduced me to everyone and explained I had come from Nicaragua to volunteer and learn more about their culture. After the introduction meeting was over I was taken to the educational facility where I met with some of the teachers, both local and volunteers, who were in charge of the classrooms. They showed me around the facilities and later started getting ready to teach the children. We spent the day teaching them the basics of english, and in the afternoon we taught them

more about their Mayan history. After school was out, I spent some time with the teachers developing a plan for tomorrow’s lecture. We later went to dinner at the local restaurant where I had the opportunity to engage even more with the people of the village. Day 2: During my second day in the community we spent the morning going over the English material we had covered the day before and after lunch time we took a field trip to teach the children how to harvest their crops and take care of their animals, a technique used so that they could help their parents with things around the house. The children learned how to feed the chickens and how to collect the eggs in the morning. As part of the assignment the children were paired up and they were assigned a chicken who they had to take care of for the next week. During this week they would be responsible for cleaning and feeding the chicken, as well as gathering its eggs and taking them to the fresh market. It was amazing to see how excited the children were about the responsibility that had been set on them.

Day 3: Our field trip on chicken caring continued throughout the course of the week I was visiting the development. During the next couple of days I would spend my time helping with the construction of one of the new village dwelling unit that was being constructed for a family that was new to the community. It was throughout this process that I learned how close these people are and how willing they are in helping one another. A small group of men gathered around the site to lay down the foundation system while a group of women took on the task of cooking for the working people of the project. The children were taught how to use a hammer and how to move the wood from one side to the other, always counting and making sure the right amount was in place where it was needed. Throughout this experience I learned about the culture of the region, but also learned about the notion of “helping the poor help themselves” as I saw how empowering the villagers has contributed to the success of this project.

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Figure 5.26- Hotel Lounge Areas Perspective

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Figure 5.27- Hotel Lounge Areas Perspective 2

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Figure 5.28- Cultural Market Stand Perspective

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Figure 5.29- Cultural Market Promenade Perspective

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Figure 5.30- Cultural Market Courtyard Perspective

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Figure 5.31- Fish/Fresh Market Entrance Perspective

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Figure 6.1- Final Exhibition Boards

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Figure 6.2- Final Section Model Board and Photographs

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Figure 6.3- Final Exhibition Board Photograph

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Figure 6.3- Final Exhibition Board and Model Photographs

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Conclusion:

Working on this thesis project has allowed me the opportunity to acquire a better understanding of the people of Rio Dulce, their needs, current lifestyle, as well as great knowledge within the field of economics and its relationship with architecture. Analyzing the region of Rio Dulce, particularly its culture and current lifestyle of its people, informed the design process and provided guidance pertaining to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extent. The introduction of an economic system that was suitable for both the region and people gave the project reliability, but more importantly it created a closer connection between the architecture and its users. This relationship became an essential aspect within the project, reinforcing the notion of â&#x20AC;&#x153;helping the poor help themselvesâ&#x20AC;? which in turn becomes the driving force that allows for this community model to be implemented in different locations within the region of Rio Dulce and passed on from generation to generation.

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An understading of the current economy of subsistence and the factors which contribute to its formation became the primary basis of the project. More importantly understanding the reasoning behind â&#x20AC;&#x153;why these people live the way they doâ&#x20AC;? helped determine the limitations that make up a large part of their lives. The lack of valuable resources, such as proper education, health care, and higher income generating activities, are the primary factors that contribute to the formation of subsistence economies that start from the typical family unit. It is through these limitations that the people find themselves looking for alternative methods that allow them to survive on a daily basis, without taking into account the impact that these activities have on the environment. It has to be noted that even though the people of Rio Dulce can be perceived as less-educated individuals there are many other traits and characteristics that they posses which can be utilized in their favor.

With this in mind, this project sought to address the issue of an economy of subsistence with the implementation of techniques and methods that are highly relatable to their culture. It was through this close relationship with the cultural aspect of its people, that an architectural language was developed that followed vernacular traditions of Rio Dulce in order for it to be implemented by its people. It is important to note that the architectural language, while still following vernacular traditions, takes into consideration climatic and sustainability issues that relate to the current issue of environmental degradation. These construction techniques were developed with the notion of teaching the younger generation, which allows for this model to be replicated in the future, as well as introduction of techniques that provide new job opportunities that could be considered as not common in the region. These jobs opportunities become very

important with regards to income generation, but particularly essential in creating specialized craftsmanship that with time becomes unique in the region.

people of Rio Dulce, while at the same time looking to serve as an example of a balance in the distribution of land that can inform future projects.

Another large part of this thesis addresses the ethical aspect that makes up a large part of an architect’s professional responsibility. Villagers of Rio Dulce have a strong connection with the water, which has become their main transportation route, source of food and income generation that comes from the fishing industry. During the analysis of Rio Dulce it was found that vacation homes have impacted the lives of villagers greatly by forcing them to move away from the “desired” waterfront. By providing villagers with land that has direct access to the water, this project seeks to create a balance and give all users equal rights in regards to the natural resources of the region. This design desicion was made in order to improve the quality of life of the

Finally, taking into consideration the issue of environmental degradation within the region also informed many design decisions of the project. The re-introduction of native species in the proposed natural reserve areas of the project, as well utilization of resources off-site helps reinforce the notion of sustainability. An understanding of materiality and where these materials come from, as well as the factor of cost in relation to the economics, allows for the project to stay within the extents and limitations dictated by the region’s capacity. The utilization of materials that come from controlled forests, as well as reintroduction of the notion of natural reserves, help inform and teach the people about the importance of the natural environment.

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It has been throughout this entire process of research, analysis, and design that I have learned many important aspects of the people of Rio Dulce but more importantly I have learned about the implications architecture can have on society. Architecture has the ability to translate from paper into three-dimensional space, being an expression of human relationships and should always be one that seeks to improve the quality of life of its people. It has the ability to protect and shelter human beings becoming a freestanding element that has a life of its own. A building is brought to life by the people who inhabit and interact within it, making human experience through the architecture an integral piece that becomes part of the whole. I believe that architects have the responsibility to have people and communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best interest at heart, always striving to create designs that look to improve the quality of life of current but most importantly future generations to come. With

this said, not only is this project located in Rio Dulce but it was designed for its people, taking into account all factors and aspects that make up their daily lives. This is a project that looks to improve their quality of life and more importantly celebrate their unique culture through an architectural language that was created for them and constructed by them.

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