WORKSHOP

WITH THE KIDS & MENTAL MAPPING

A Day long interactive workshop was conducted which was participated by the resident children of the Child home ,for the purpose of mind mapping of the primary user group of the design and speculating an overview of how they perceive and interprete the idea of mono & multifunctional space. Followed by a lively ice breaking session , 87 students, grouped according to ages, were given interactive tasks of drawing their favourite spaces.

Then there was an one to one discussion session, while the kids described, in their own words, what they expect if they had the scope to design their favourite spaces. As the children were from diffrent language culture, local translator has an active participation in the process. The whole workshop session was documented and later shared with the client of the project.

Model

AS AN UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE & GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE ARTISANS

The design process intentionally adopted the policy of avoiding the typical top-down method of design, transforming it rather into a participatory one. It acknowledged the prevailing “Design by Making” practice of the Local Marma community. There were some long informal Knowledge Sharing Sessions with the Marma artisans and craftsmen of the community. To overcome the linguistic limitation, the session included preliminary model making to express and combine the extract of the shared knowledge with the technicalities and design decisions.

The existing Ditch (size 19’x12’x varing height) of the site with sloping edge. This unplanned intervention by the local incharge caused soil erosion and needed a site specific solution.

Four similar form with interconnected bamboo members created a stable three dimensional lattice work. This whole bamboo structure was capable of taking considerable live load.

The design proposed a RETAIN WALL in the eroding face of the ditch with stepped BUTTRESS WALL to prevent soil erosion in the first place.

The bamboo skeleton also accomodated multi-leveled bamboo platform offering a playful space for the children

This partition walls created six (6) CHAMBERS in between which can now be used as water reservoir with proper plumbing solutions.

Total covered ground Approx. 240 sft

Water Storage capacity Approximately 11000 litre

The rain catcher was designed as a collection of four upturned pyramidal funel which are supported by bamboo columns. This is the most visible part of the project above the ground level. Mostly made out of bamboo, a locally available resource, the rain catcher creats a sense of roof plane over the reservoir tank.

Polycarbonate sheets cover the upturned pyramidal funnel’s inner faces to prevent rainwater leakage. A custom iron funnel connects the polycarbonate sheet to the water collector pvc.The reservoir tank is connected to the collection pipe by each verticl bamboo column’s hollow space. Diagonal bracings and horizontal connections give the superstructure visual unity and provide lateral support.

Those platforms were connected with the inclined bamboo ladders creating a risk taking playful movements .

To collect the monsoon rain water Four (4) Rain catchers were installed which can be used to drain water to the reservoir tank. The lower chambers were connected with upper chamber with control vaulve to prevent overflow of the water

Bamboo platforms were also constructed over the lower staggered chambers to enhance the playscape and activity generating facility.

In the last phase, the top surface of the reservoir tank was covered with deplyable Bamboo mancha which can easily be removed reshapede or replaced for easy maintenance.

Each Raincatcher was design as an inverted pyramidal form to transmit load in an anchore point. Each anchore point was inserted in the metal hook placed with concrete casting of the retain walls

MAKING: CO-CREATING

The artisans, the community, the kids, the design team beautifully amulgamated during the construction.

The project ultimately became a tool for knowledge sharing with the community. Learning about their rich vocabulary of materials and resources of methods, evantually led the design team work hand in hand with them. The top down approach was deliberately avoided. Even the kids sometimes help the construction process by carrying light weight childrensafe tools. They watch the reservoir and the bamboo rain catchers being constructed by their own community, which ultimately initiate the belongingness to the playscape long before it was completed. The kids and the community started to use the platforms even before full completion.

THE HAPPY FACES !

The outcome was more than expected, with the kids running and climbing to and fro from one machang to another machang, inventing interesting games and activities. Beyond our prior speculation, the kids began to even use the platforms for their other daily activities : dinning under tree shade on a sunny day, preparing the food sitting there, even on some school days, the platform beagn to be used as open classrooms. The community was happy as well, they warmly accepted the infrastructure as it never seemed non native in course of materials and appearce, yet the final formal expression created a new landmark identity, for making memories of their community life.

Water clogged land with illegal sewarage oulets in the land, disastering ecology