UPDATE 2 Bambú Social 2.0

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BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0

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UP

17 / 12 / 2015


EL RAMA, MUCHO GUSTO


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

Over the past six weeks, we’ve been properly introduced to El Rama and her citizens. Just before , we would love to share with you our experiences and progress since the first update. We evaluated the project of last year and found ways to improve the first design of the social house. We are proud to announce that this first two stages of the project plan are completed and we finished two elaborate reports! Apart from this we worked hard on the future of the project. The last week of November we travelled to Managua to visit the Universidad Centro Americana (UCA). Architecture students applied for the design case we organized, and this resulted in eye-opening ideas! We are also very excited to work together with the students in the future. We met with people from CEDEHCA, BlueEnergy, EcoPlanet Bamboo and CEPRODEL to find new ways of collaboration and of course we perpared the constructional experiments for the last phase of the project; after various attempts we cut the bamboo on the last day of November. Last week we cleaned it and transported it to the taller (workplace) where it will complete its drying process until January. We are very grateful for your support and your shared interest in contributing to a sustainable solution for the housing crisis in Nicaragua. It is our pleasure to keep you updated on the progress we make. Not only by sending you these summarizing updates on our findings and milestones, but also by posting our progress on bambusocial.com and facebook.com/bambusocial. Like the page and stay tuned! In this second update you’ll read about both the constructional and social research, the collaboration with UCA and other potential partners, the bamboo process and more.... Read and enjoy!


CONSTRUCTIONAL ANALYSIS For the constructional analysis we’ve

optimal ventilation but also for the capture

investigated different aspects of both model

of rainwater, which tastes just as perfect as

house and new design for the social house.

tap water.

With both architecture (Thomas) and civil engineering (Marie-Louise) expertise we

We invited three young students who

based our research on both the physical

attended the course ‘Construcción

aspects of the construction and the building

Sostenible de Bambú’ and helped in the

process.

construction of the model house. Through the interviews with local carpenters and

The house was investigated from top to

students they re-lived the building process

toe, literally! We’ve crawled underneath

and shared their enriching experience they

the floor to inspect the foundations and

had. Thanks Theodoro, Octavio and Juan-

climbed the roof. The roof is designed for

Rafael!


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

THEODORO

OCTAVIO

HENKY

JUAN RAFAEL


Section A

Section A

Section A

Section B

Section B

Section B

ection C

ection C

ection C


BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

BambĂş Social is now working on the design for a social house, based on the model house. To implement the social house a lot of aspects have to be taken into account. An important aspect is the ability for prefabrication. A manual was made, accessible for people who do not have a technical background, but do want to construct their house out of bamboo. Together with Henky Borgstein, our supervisor on site, we followed the construction steps and made a scaled model that visualizes how the house is build up. Necessary adjustments have been made and together with the improvement suggestions of the model house, they have been bundled in the constructional research. We hope to contribute to the bamboo research and to an efficient construction of the social house of bamboo social.


SOCIAL ANALYSIS In 2014, when BambĂş Social was founded,

current house and the house of their dreams,

the intended target group was the bottom

and explain their drawings. By visiting the

layer of society, the poorest of people who

participants in their homes, we could add

lived in nothing more than a small hut. But

our own observations to the information

soon, it turned out that these people were

obtained from the interview.

more difficult to reach than expected. They build their houses out of a few pieces of

From all observations can be concluded

plastic, zinc and other construction waste

that even within the target group exist great

and their homes rarely cost more than a few hundred dollars. The government doesn’t supply sufficient funds or financial aid to be able to pay a higher price and even by the use of bamboo, it is impossible to build a decent house in this price range... However, the definition of a decent house differs for each person, dependent on what they are used to, what they wish for and what their possibilities are. To get insight in the needs and wishes of the targetgroup, we conducted 50 homevisits, in wich we asked the participants to draw their


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2



BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

differences, based on wealth and location. Especially construction materials depend on these variables, but even though the front of the house can look really good, the facilities in the back mostly lack in basic living standards (privacy, safety, security, hygiene, comfort etc.). The transition between private and public was important for everyone, but more wealth means a more abrupt transition, so more fences and less openness. The kitchen doesn’t necessarily need water but a two pit stove is essential. Toilets have to be as far from the house as possible, unless they are flushable, but this is only reserved for

EL RAMA homevisits



BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2


Therefore, their needs and wishes were matched with the features of the social house. However, the success of the design also depends on the possibilities of social housing in Nicaragua. Therefore we added a brief social housing analysis, aiming not only to summarize the laws and regulations, but also the way they are applied in reality. The social research concludes in the upper class within the target group...

improvement suggestions on the functional

Showers and wash place are located

design of the social house.

next to the well. Bedrooms are generally overcrowded, but income goes hand in hand

The first step of implementation is working

with privacy; the more the better...

on the image of bamboo and integrating

Enough privacy, safety, security, hygiene and

it in the culture of construction materials;

comfort are the modest dream of the target

creating a bamboo industry in which

group. If they start dreaming a little further,

obtaining dried and cured bamboo is cheap,

running water would be lovely to have.

and building a bamboo house is easy.

Especially a flushable toilet... Functionality is what the respondents like. Their dream

In the end, the social house should be

house is simple, comfortable and easy to use

accessible for the poorest, while adaptable

and construct.

to the needs and wishes of the entire target group. Only then, the social house can be

A good and functional design should match perfectly to the needs of the target group.

called a decent house.


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2


UCA DESIGN CASE “Repentina means a short design case; this is often organized in our faculty of Architecture. The students are used to these cases, and it would be interesting to let their creativity meet with bamboo”, Emma Grun explained. She helped us organize a design case and put us in contact with 30 young energetic minds. After three hours of intense brainstorming, drawing and constructing, six groups of students presented their idea of how bamboo could be matched with social housing. Through their drawings and maquetas (models) they explained what aspects of social housing is important and how bamboo can be used. A small aftermovie of the design case can be found on www.bambusocial.com/UCA-repentina.

BAMBÚ SOCIAL

REPENTINA 18 DE NOVIEMBRE

TALLER S2 UCA


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2



BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2


UCA CONTINUED Motivated by our mission “constantly

and Veronica showed them the most

involving students and craftsmen to

inspiring houses they visited. Together they

stimulate the acceptance of bamboo as

walked through Barrio Nuevo, the poorest

a construction material and therefore

neighborhood of El Rama, and showed them

contribute to the solution for the housing

examples of their observations.

problems in Nicaragua”, we decided to stay in touch with the students who signed up for

After this ‘recorrido’ (trip) they visited the

the design case at the UCA.

model house with Thomas and MarieLouise, where we showed them the bamboo

Last Tuesday Armando, Nilda, Katharina

construction in all details. Technical

and Beatriz, arrived in El Rama where we

details and suggested improvements

welcomed them to the project Bambú Social.

were explained. The model of the social

The students are very interested in social

house was also showed in which the new

housing and contributing to this project.

connections and the modularity were visualized well.

With the aim to introduce them to our research and explain them the program

New ideas came up right away. We all felt

of demands for the social house, Sophie

energized and inspired by the work of last


BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

year and the feedback based on our analyses of last months. As the architects of the future, we want the students to be personally involved with the design. How oould this be done better than by working on an improved design of the model house together! The coming months they will put all their ideas on paper. To start the design process, we had an intensive day of brainstorming. The program of demands of a social house in general was discussed. Multiple solutions sketched and explained by small groups for each criterion. Later that day the students combined their different designs and concepts and matched it one concept design that will be finished in January 2016.. By designing this improved design we explore the possibilities of new connections and construction methods and with the input of the Nicaraguan students we hope to come up with a design that fits perfectly with the housing preferences of the people of Nicaragua. In the future we hope to collaborate on a regular basis with the UCA because we believe that the input of the Nicaraguan students is essential for the continuation of the project.


CEDEHCA For Bambú Social it is very interesting

the program PREVENIR, Prevención de la

to cooperate with local businesses and

Violencia Juvenil en Centroamérica, courses

foundations because of their knowledge

are provided for vulnerable youth to secure a

of the country and culture Nicaragua. By

better future.

partnering up, we hope to collaborate with parties who could help us to stimulate the

Last year the first group arrived and got

social acceptance of bamboo.

an official degree in agriculture of INATEC (Instituto Nacional Tecnológico).

In the weekend of 28th we arrived in

Coming years more students will arrive so

Bluefields by a ‘panga’ (speedboat) for our

that they are empowered to be able to

visit to CEDEHCA. CEDEHCA stands for

start their own small business in agriculture

Centro de Derechos Humanos, Ciudadanos y

and farming. CEDEHCA wishes the model

Autonómicos and its mission is to contribute

farm to be sustainable and ecological as

to the empowerment of indigenous people,

an example for other (future) farms. We are

Afro-descendants and Misquitus at the

excited about the possibilities of combining

Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua through

our expertise and working together in the

education and defence of Human and

future.

Autonomous Rights and influencing public policies that strengthen their cultural identity. We visited the farm in Bluefields where they set up an agriculture program for young people in the region. Together with


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2


BAMBOO PROCESS Before we can test or construct anything we need, of course, bamboo! Even though it grows in abundance we encountered several challenges finding it. After multiple visits to different farms we found a farmer in a little village called La Fonseca who had the right specie of bamboo and who was willing to sell. There are over a thousand different types of bamboo and only a few usable for constructing. For our project we prefer to work with Guadua Amplexifolia which is a very strong and durable bamboo but on the other hand it is more difficult to cut and harder to construct with.

managed to cut 50 bamboo stems and made them stand up in their original place.

Three weeks ago, four o’clock in the

Last week we cleaned, collected and

morning the team, armed with machetes and

transported it with the help of Julián and

a chainsaw, got on the bus to La Fronseca

Lester and the students of UCA, who could

to cut bamboo on the riverside of Rio Kama.

experience the bamboo process for the first

With help of Julián el motosierrista and

time. After two days of hard work, scratches,

three masters of the jungle like Lester, we

and also lot of fun, we managed to transport


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

JULIÁN


BEATRIZ, KATHERINE AND NILDA

LESTER

JUAN BALLESTER


the bamboo culms to El Rama, waiting to be constructed with..

CUTTING PROCESS As an experiment, we have cut the bamboo according to a traditional Columbian technique that has minimal impact on the environment and uses no chemical treatments. This cutting method is based on the evaporation of water that takes places in the leaves of the bamboo. The process starts with cutting the bamboo stem just above the first knot. After the stem is cut you place it back on the stump so it does not touch the ground. Now the water transport from the roots to the leaves is stopped while the evaporation of water in the leaves continues. This means that the leaves start to evaporate the remaining water that is stored within the stem; very slowly the stem dries itself out. During this drying process the sugar that is stored in the bamboo is transformed into alcohol. This alcohol functions as a natural insecticide that protects the bamboo against termites and other insects. After three weeks of drying the bamboo is ready to collect. During this process it is very important to consider the phases of the moon. At full moon and new moon the bamboo stems contain the maximum amount of water and sugar due to the gravitational force of the moon and the sun. Therefore it is better to cut the bamboo exactly between full and new moon when it contains less sugar and water. The bamboo will dry faster and it will be less vulnerable for termites.


COMING MONTH As a follow up to our analyses, the plan is

The testing of new connections will take

to make an improved design of a social

place at the Bambú Social workshop in

house out of bamboo. Of course it is needed

the centre of El Rama. Most of the new

to test the new connections and building

connection will be combined in a small roof

methods to use them in this design.

that contains the new columns and the new roof connection. This ‘techito’ will be built in

At the moment, Bambú Social is working on

front of the house of the supervisor where a

a social house that is affordable for the lower

lot of people will see it, as it is located next

income families of Nicaragua because the

to a bar and disco.

current design is still too expensive for the target group.

The concrete needs 28 days to obtain its maximum strength. With nine students, we

In the new design of the social house new

mixed the cement, sand and gravel with

connections were designed. Together with

shovels, placed the reinforcement steel and

the improvement suggestions (concluded in

poured the concrete mixture in formwork.

the constructional analysis) and the input of

The concrete will be wet coming days to

the students, a list of new connections will

optimize its ‘drying’ process, waiting until

be tested. Like this we do not only the new

January for its formwork to be removed and

technical design, but we also gather and

bamboo columns attached..

share information to contribute to bamboo constructions worldwide.

Step by step we hope to improve the image


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2



BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 2

of bamboo used in construction and show that it could be easy to build. The building process of this roof will not only give us the opportunity to test certain connections, it is also a good opportunity for us to work together with local craftsman. This gives us the opportunity to investigate their entrepreneurial mind and interest running a bamboo construction shop. By working together with the local people of El Rama / Nicaragua we hope to gain knowledge of the local building methods and possibilities. Furthermore, it enables us to share our knowledge what could contribute to the local knowledge of building with bamboo. The enthousiastic reaction of the students, craftsmen and international projects really pushes us to start the new year nice and fresh and do the best we can in our last month in this beautiful country. We want to thank you again for your interest and we hope that you have enjoyed reading this second update. Special thanks go to all supporters named on the next page, for donating on www.bambusocial.com/donate. Of course we will keep you posted on all of our upcoming activities here in Nicaragua. Now we pack our bags because tomorrow we fly off to our Christmas destinations in Nicaragua, so we can gain energy for the last phase of our project! ¡Hasta pronto! – Team Bambú Social 2.0


¡MUCHAS GRACIAS! ¡Gracias por su contribucíon¡ Bambú Social 2.0 wants to thank you for your contribution to the project; Anissa Abalhoussaien

Gerbert Hebbink

J. J. Munts-Staal

Javier Balmaceda

Sander Hebbink

Sonia Solano Federick

Bird family

Arjan Hebbink

Anja Plantinga

Henky Borgstein

Hans Hebbink

Wim Ravesteijn

Rogier Bosman

Saskia Hebbink

Anton Reuvekamp

Burton family

Arnold Hebbink

Gerben Reuvekamp

Sam Buunk

Janny Hebbink

Teun Reuvekamp

Rutger Cohen

Rochelle Heerema

Thea Reuvekamp

Jehan Da Camara

IJsbrand Heeringa

Marietje Reuvekamp

Wouter Dalmeijer

Robert Hengeveld

Marthi Reuvekamp

Devran Diktas

Michiel Hengeveld

Wendy Reuvekamp

Gijs Druijf

Frans Hengeveld

Femke van der Schoot

Fernando Echeverria

Hans Kool

Inge Suringar

Peter Evers

Kool family

Maria-Elena Tabares Castillo

Antonio Javier Gil Gopar

Alex Kouwehoven

Ewoud Veltmeijer

Juan-Carlos Gaviria Morena

Van de Loos family

Maria Veltmeijer

Michel Greijmans

Livandro

Thomas Veltmeijer

Joost de Groot

Daan van der Meer

Max Verhoeven

Phia Gubbels

Veronique Misteli

Annelies Viegers

Thomas Haex

Tineke Munts

Jaarclub VSOP

Joost Hasperhoven

Corina Langendam

Jos Wassink

Evelyn Hasperhoven

Peter Munts

Thije Wubs

Lilian Hebbink

F. M. Munts

Team Bambu Social 2.0 with farm owner Juan


BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 - UPDATE 12

¡GRACIAS POR SU CONTRIBUCIÓN!


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