BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
PROJECT PLAN 1
SOPHIE HENGEVELD MARIE-LOUISE GREIJMANS THOMAS HEBBINK
COLOFON PREPARATION September 2015 - October 2015
EXECUTION November 2015 - January 2016 BambĂş Social is a non-profit organization in collaboration with Delft University of
AUTHORS
Technology (The Netherlands) and the
Sophie Hengeveld
municipality of El Rama, Nicaragua.
Thomas Hebbink
The knowledge shared in this report
Marie-Louise Greijmans
is a combination of literature studies,
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intervieuws with experts like Fernando
PICTURES
Echeverria and the knowledge and
Hugo Thomassen
experience of two years of research by
Floor van Eijden
BambĂş Social in El Rama, Nicaragua
Jezabel Mejias Reyes
(since 2014).
Karin Swambach Max Verhoeven
The content of this report, including the
Laurens van der Wal
design of the model home, the social
Sophie Hengeveld
housing and the details that are used in the construction is the following license
CONTACT
Creative Commons: ShareAlike 4.0
Sophie Hengeveld
International.
Thomas Hebbink Marie-Louise Greijmans
This means that you can use all the
+31 (0)6 25 02 39 43
information as an appropriate reference
bambusocial.tudelft@gmail.com
is given, also in case of adaptation. In this way we hope to spread knowledge
Delft University of Technology
in the most accessible way possible. www.bambusocial.com www.creativecommons.org
www.facebook.com/bambusocial
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
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CONTENT
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
READING GUIDE ................................................................................................................. 6 PROJECT SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 8 NICARAGUA AND THE BAMBÚ SOCIAL FOUNDATION .......................................................... 10 1. ABOUT NICARAGUA ...................................................................................................
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1.1 Brief History ...........................................................................................
12
1.2 Nicaragua as a developing country
13
.....................................................
1.3 Housing situation and problem definition ............................................ 14
2. BAMBÚ SOCIAL FOUNDATION ..................................................................................... 18 2.1 Mission
................................................................................................... 18
2.2 Method and organization
.....................................................................
18
PROJECT BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0 .......................................................................................... 20 3. ASSIGNMENT ............................................................................................................ 22 3.1 The assignment explained ....................................................................
22
4. PROJECT ORGANIZATION ...........................................................................................
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4.1 Team, tasks and responsibilities
..........................................................
24
.........................................................................................
25
..................................................................................................
25
4.2 Stakeholders 4.3 Finance
5. PROJECT STRUCTURE ................................................................................................ 26 5.1 Preparation phase
.................................................................................
26
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29
6. PROJECT CONTINUATION ............................................................................................
36
6.1 Constructional continuity ......................................................................
36
6.2 Design and R&D continuity ...................................................................
37
5.2 Execution phase
7. RISK MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................... 39
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................... 40 APPENIDICES .................................................................................................................. 42 1. SAFETY AND SECURATY PLAN .................................................................................... 2. STAKEHOLDER INFORMATION AND TOPIC LIST ............................................................ 3. BUDGET BAMBÚ SOCIAL ............................................................................................ 4. PROMOTION PLAN .................................................................................................... 5. RESEARCH NICARAGUA AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN .................................................. 6. BUSINESS MODEL BAMBÚBUENO ...............................................................................
44 50 51 52 54 68
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READING GUIDE This project plan is written by team Bambú Social 2.0 for both the educational purpose (minor International Entrepreneurship & Development) as for our client Bambú Social foundation. A lot of aspects and topics will be discussed. Therefore a reading guide was made which will make the reading process more convenient. The project plan consists of two main parts. In the first part the background of the project will be explained. Nicaragua will be introduced with an explanation of why it is a developing country and what characterizes this. The Bambú Social foundation will be introduced and Bambú Social 2.0 as well. The relation between these three topics will be explained. The following components will be discussed:
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•
MissionPortrait of organization
•
Brief history & Nicaragua as a Developing Country (desk research)
•
Problem analysis (the housing situation)
•
External project organization
The second part will discuss our project Bambú Social 2.0. In this part all content will be included. How the assignment will be executed will be reflected in this part as well as all the other aspects in relation to this project. This part consists of the following components: •
Scope of the project
•
Project structure
•
Internal project organization
•
Intended presentation and continuation
•
Risk management
In the appendices you’ll find the Safety and Security Plan, expanded Business Model and a Communication plan. Before these parts a brief summary will be presented.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
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PROJECT SUMMARY NICARAGUA
iterative process and will, through a process
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in
of transition, eventually meet it’s higher
Central America. There is a great shortage of
goal: contributing to the development of
housing and the existing houses have many
Nicaragua.
qualitative shortcomings. This makes that 78% of the population is homeless or lives in
BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
very poor conditions.
Starting in November 2015, team Bambú Social 2.0 will contribute to the development
BAMBOO
of the housing situation in Nicaragua.
Bamboo is a strong building material. It
Based on the knowledge and experience
can be produced locally, grows extremely
of the past two years we’ll investigate ways
fast, needs few nutrients and helps prevent
to improve the design of a social bamboo
deforestation of the rainforest. Also, the
house. Our aim is to get one step closer to
growth prevents soil erosion and bamboo
an affordable, easy-to-build house of good
has a high CO2 absorption.
quality that is adaptable to the various needs of the residents of Nicaragua.
BAMBÚ SOCIAL FOUNDATION 8
Since 2014, Bambú Social does research on
Our project contains two main phases;
local building materials and opportunities
the preparation phase and the execution
in Nicaragua, resulting in the design and
phase. The 2 months preparation phase
construction of a bamboo model house on
takes place in The Netherlands. One of
site. Their mission is to solve the housing
the main activities in this phase is defining
problem in Nicaragua by sharing knowledge
our assignment by gaining background
with the local students and craftsmen and
knowledge, setting up a business model
stimulate the social acceptance of bamboo
and writing a project plan. Fundraising is
as a standard construction material.
also very important and will be done by applying for funds and personal grants, set up a donation website for fans and supporters and organize a fundraising party. Also gaining (inter)national publicity by posting updates on www.bambusocial. com, facebook and gingerresearch will be a continuous task in this phase.
By proving that bamboo housing is feasible,
The execution phase in Nicaragua takes
bamboo should become an appreciated
3 months and exists of three main stages;
construction material and be adopted by
evaluation research(1), social research(2) and
the architects and universities, who will be
technical research(3).
the engineers of the future. This will be an
PROJECTPLAN BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0
The first stage will be inspecting the built
constantly sharing our findings with local
model house on physical conditions. Also
craftsmen and students we hope bamboo
interviews with the involved craftsmen
will become an appreciated construction
about the building process are imortant in
material and gets adopted by the local
this stage. The second stage mainly exists
architects and students, so the local research
of interviews, house visits/gatherings with
on bamboo can keep developing.
the local people and design cases and workshops/brainstorm sessions with the
THE TEAM
studens of UCA in Managua.
Team BambĂş Social 2.0 consists of three students of the Delft University of
The first two stages both result in a report.
Technology and the Leiden University in The
Based on those reports we can conclude
Netherlands. Together we will work on the
what the enablers and the barries are and
project from September 2015 till January
which aspects/components of the design of
2016.
a social bamboo house could be improved in the third stage. By making multiple design
Every team member has their personal
options and constructing and testing them
occupation, related to their field of
we hope to improve a part of the design.
study. Each occupation includes certain responsibilities, although on site it is
Overall, the most important part of our
unavoidable that our personal occupation
project is the social implementation. By
mixes and overlays with others.
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NICARAGUA & THE BAMBÚ SOCIAL FO
OUNDATION
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
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ABOUT NICARAGUA 1.1
In order to contribute to the foundation
BRIEF HISTORY
BambĂş Social, or to Nicaragua or, even in a
During the 19th century Nicaragua was
broader sense, to development, a thorough
divided between Liberals and Conservatives.
investigation on the previous and current
The power in the country switched from
situation has to be made.
American to Nicaraguan leaders. In 1936 Anastasio Somoza Garcia became dictator
This will be made under the heading
of Nicaragua. He and his family ruled the
Local Research of Nicaragua. Both social-
country for the next 42 years. The Somoza
economic and cultural backgrounds will be
dictatorship continued and was passed on to
investigated and how it could influence the
other family members.
project. As a conclusion on that a problem analysis can be made on which follows a
Meanwhile in 1961 the Frente Sandinsta de
goal analysis.
Liberacion or Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was formed. They began a
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After this the assignment will be presented
long guerilla war. In 1972 Managua was
which describes what the scope of this sub
struck by a severe earthquake that killed
project is and how it contributes to the main
thousands. Somoza and his cronies took
goal.
much of the international aid and opposition to his regime grew. By 1978 rebellion was
First off; a scheme what has to be kept in
spreading across Nicaragua. Finally in 1979
mind while reading this chapter.
the Sandanistas launched an offensive. On
HOUSING PROBLEM DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
ITERATIVE PROCESS OF
BAMBĂš SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
& CONTINUATION
WHAT MISSION? HOW?
PROJECTPLAN BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0
nation but tourism is a growing industry. Many people from Nicaragua work abroad and there is much underemployment at home. Today the population of Nicaragua is 5.7 million (Lambert, 2013).
1.2
NICARAGUA A DEVELOPING COUNTRY Over the past decades, Nicaragua has been hit by devastating events; political as
17 July 1979 Somoza fled abroad and on 19
economical as environmental. These have
July the Sandanistas captured Managua. The
left the nation in a precarious development
long campaign against Somoza had cost
position for this century. Different aspects
50,000 lives.
are explained (FSD, 2015).
Meanwhile relations with the USA
Economy: Nicaragua is the fourth poorest
deteriorated. The US ended aid in 1981 and
nation in the Western Hemisphere. Its
introduced a trade embargo in 1985. (It was
economy is based mainly on agricultural
lifted in 1990). Daniel Ortega (Sandanista)
exports (coffee, sugar, beef, and seafood)
was elected president in 2006. He was re-
along with some manufacturing export.
elected in 2011. Health: Malaria and tuberculosis cases Today Nicaragua is still a very poor country.
continue to increase and one out of three
Nicaragua is overwhelmingly an agricultural
children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
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64% of the population does not have access to sustained sanitation services. Environment: large scale commercial
43% LIVES BELOW POVERTY LINE
agriculture have decimated the forests and left the land vulnerable to landslides and droughts. Human Rights: approximately 76,000 landmines (left over from the Contra war) still remain in the soil and continue to kill and maim hundreds (particularly children). Youth and Education: 29% of the children
64% DOESN’T HAVE SANITATION SERVICES
complete primary school, 5% of disabled children receive an appropriate amount of attention. Housing: 78% of the people live in substandard homes or do not have adequate housing (record in Latin and South America) (IDB, 2012). It is clear that in these aspects (and
71% DOESN’T FINISH PRIMARY EDUCATION
much more) the government falls short in disadvantage of the nation. The millennium development goals could be applied to Nicaragua. Each goal will directly address to recurring problems and failures.
1.3
HOUSING SITUATION Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America. There is a great shortage of
33% SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC MALNUTRITION
housing and the existing houses have many qualitative shortcomings. This makes that 78% of the population is homeless or lives in very poor conditions. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people firsts need housing. To fulfill other
200 HA RAINFOREST DISAPPEARS EVERY DAY
PROJECTPLAN BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0
needs (belongingness and love, esteem,
In addition, the local population is
self-actualization and self-transcendence)
dependent on large-scale central systems for
people first have to be provided sufficiently
building, electricity, clean drinking water and
on the physical and safety terms.
food. These are systems they cannot always rely on, there is a lack of clean drinking
In order to get a more specific look on the
water, there are regular power cuts and a
housing problem, downscaling is needed.
lot of food is imported resulting in high
Therefore local investigation can be done
prices. Recent research shows Nicaragua
and direct impact could be analyzed. The
has the poorest quality of housing in all of
choice made by our client is to zoom into
Latin America and a housing deficit of 12%,
the municipality of El Rama.
900,000, as mentioned before.
Building techniques used in El Rama are
The most important reasons for these
not adapted to the local environment any
problems on the quantitative side are
more. The current materials create a warm
the high building costs, mainly caused by
and humid interior climate and are produced
expensive construction materials. On the
with processes that pollute the natural
qualitative side the lack of infrastructure
environment (concrete walls with tin roofs).
access (e.g. to clean drinking water) and use
78% IS HOMELESS OR LIVES IN VERY POOR CONDITIONS
of poor materials are the main issues. (IDB,
for their main target group, the poorest
2012)
families in Nicaragua. A couple of years ago, the continuing housing (health and
This although El Rama is rich in potential
safety) problems were linked to the material
resources, like a yearly rainfall of 3000 mm,
bamboo. This thought formed the basis of
2400 sun hours, various bamboo plantations,
the project BambĂş Social.
trees, fruits and a rich traditional building
A detailed poverty analysis can be found in
culture. The image of this traditional housing
the annex Social Research Nicaragua and
has been damaged by American influences
Implementation Plan.
(starting at 1855). Experience and knowledge
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of local construction materials were lost
A detailed poverty analysis can be found
over the ages. Their current design for the
in appendix 5; Research Nicaragua and
social, affordable house is not cheap enough
Implementation Plan.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
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BAMBÚ SOCIAL FOUNDATION Bambú Social is an educational and
show that bamboo housing is feasible.
construction project with the vision to
Bamboo has the potential of becoming a
share knowledge and expertise about
standard building material and be adapted
the use of local resources for sustainable
by the architects and universities, who are
and affordable social housing. On one
the engineers of the future.
hand, local communities that face housing challenges and have access to bamboo learn
In Rostow’s theory this movement is called
together with international experts how
transition and will be the first steps of the
to use this as a construction material. On
curve (take-off).
the other hand, international students and experts get a chance to experiment, learn,
2.2
METHOD AND ORGANIZATION
put their knowledge in practice and get in
The foundation works according five
touch with a new culture.
principles. It is important that these appear in the practice of the project.
2.1
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MISSION The goal of the recently set up Bambú
1.
Share knowledge and skills
Social Foundation is to improve the housing
2.
Use local resources
conditions in Nicaragua by creating a
3.
Create local systems
sustainable, affordable and comfortable
4.
Make it environmentally prospering
house. This goal is to be reached together
5.
Dare to play, dare to discover
with the local community, governmental and non-governmental organizations and experts
To be able to amplify the impact and
from all over the world.
professionalize the continuity, Bambú Social foundation has partnered up with the
“We want to share knowledge with locals and stimulate the acceptance of bamboo as a construction material”
Dutch based foundation Incombinación. Incombinación provides learning and intercultural opportunities, empowers solidarity and conscious living, and promotes participation in the development of society. The two foundations together are heading for an improvement of the social housing
This social housing project can be
condition, starting in, but not limited to
considered as an opportunity is to contribute
Nicaragua.
to solve the housing problems in Nicaragua. This will be an iterative process that will
In 2014 in a team of students and young
eventually meet its higher goal: contributing
professionals set up a ‘Sustainable
to the development of Nicaragua.
Construction’ course, together with the local university and the municipality, organized
The deliverables of the project Bambú Social
several workshops and presentations with
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
the local community and constructed a
model house has been donated to the local
model house of bamboo. The objective of
university and currently functions as a library.
this visit was to make a first step into creating a construction method with bamboo that can
The project has stopped developing when
be practiced in a completely local manner.
the first team left. In 2015 a new team will
Also a low-tech, natural water purification
contribute to continue to work done in 2014.
and storage system was integrated in order
The coming of new teams is necessary to
to provide clean drinking water for the
get the project cycling in this continuing
inhabitants of the house. The constructed
improving loop (virtuous circle). A fresh
model house, built in 2014, is the base for
look on the project will provide even faster
the design of an affordable social home
improvements. Therefore an assignment for
and the manual ‘Un manual de construcción
the second team has been defined in the
sostenible’, which explains the entire
next part.
process with step by step drawings. The
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PROJECT BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
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THE ASSIGNMENT This part begins with the assignment (which
the assignment and gaining background
is the actual scope) of Bambú Social 2.0,
knowledge. Also fundraising and gaining
where the assignment is explained. This
international publicity are very important in
assignment provides a structure and the
this stage.
whole project will shaped according to this structure. In this chapter, ‘project’ will refer
The execution phase in Nicaragua takes
to Bambú Social 2.0 starting September 2015
3 months and exists of three main stages;
until January 2016.
evaluation research(1), social research(2) and technical research(3). The stages cannot be
The internal project organization and risk
separated completely. Certain activities do
management will be discussed followed
overlap and are connected with each other.
up by the project structure. In here the assignment clarified on how the team will
If the team succeeds in all these topics, a
execute these tasks. These result in activities
true contribution will be made for the work
that are later summed up in a table.
of Bambú Social foundation. By constantly sharing our findings with local craftsmen and
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3.1
ASSIGNMENT EXPLAINED
students we hope bamboo will become an
The project contains two main phases;
appreciated construction material and gets
the preparation phase and the execution
adopted by the local architects and students,
phase. The 2 months preparation phase
so the local research on bamboo can keep
takes place in The Netherlands. One of
developing.
the main activities in this phase is defining
PREPARATION PHASE
Research Both technical research (on bamboo) as an implementation research (of Nicaragua) is necessary for a good preparation and success during the internship. Fundraising To make the whole project possible, funds are needed. Therefore financial support has to be collected. The team is free to decide how and when. They are financially responsible. International Publicity In order to maintain continuity, the team will have to work on publicity in The Netherlands and further. Before departing, during the stay in Nicaragua and afterwards, there has to be enough social support from all parties who are and who aren’t related.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
EXECUTION PHASE
Local Publicity It is polite and necessary that the team will introduce itself in El Rama and tell the people what their goals are. 1. Evaluation Analysis (inspect the built model house) Analysis of the current condition of the built model house in El Rama. Physical aspects: • What is the current quality of the bamboo in the house? • What is the status of the bamboo? (walls, kitchen, toilet, water tank, connections etc) • Is the ventilation in the than a ‘regular’ social house? • Is the natural light in the house comfortable? • Is the temperature comfortable? Building process: • Investigate the building process of the model house. • How do the different parties experience the building process and the result? • what would they change and what do they like? 2. Social Analysis (investigate the social acceptance of bamboo housing) How do different parties think about the model house and what aspects of the house do they like and what would the change. Multiple populations have to be distinguished. • How does the youth experience the house and does it fulfill their needs? - Local youth and young students • How do older people/ families experience the house and does it fulfill their needs? - Families from the municipality and from Managua • How is the bamboo house compared to current houses? • What would is considered as an upgrade and what as a downgrade? • Is there space and opportunity for a bamboo market? • Could the business plan be implemented and how? 3. Building assignment (improve a part of the house) Stage one and two give us a clear view of the positive and negative aspects to the house. From these negative points we pick both a technical and social aspect what can be improved. • Pick an aspect that needs to be improved. The choice for this aspect must be justified by the physical and social research. • Design a solution for this problem and discuss why this would solve the problem. • Execute the proposed adjustment. • Test the constructed adjustment and check if it really is an improvement. • Write a report about the whole process.
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PROJECT ORGANIZATION 4.1
TEAM, TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Each role brings certain responsibilities which
The project team BambĂş Social 2.0 consists
are described below. During the assignment
of three students from the Delft University
it is unavoidable that our occupations will mix
of Technology and Leiden University in The
and overlay with others and we will assist each
Netherlands. Every team member has their
other if necessary.
personal occupation, related to their field of study.
Project management Fundraising
Thomas Hebbink, project management
Project planning
Bouwkunde, TU Delft Architectural design Marie-Louise Greijmans, construction design
Social research
Civil Engineering, TU Delft.
Architectural improvement
Sophie Hengeveld, architectural design
Construction design
Bouwkunde, TU Delft
Evaluation research
Psychology, Leiden University
Construction improvement
THOMAS HEBBINK, MARIE-LOUISE GREIJMANS AND SOPHIE HENGEVELD
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
4.2
STAKEHOLDERS During the project we will work with different parties. Both internal and external stakeholders are listed below.
INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS Client Bambú Social foundation (assistance in The Netherlands) Supervisor on site Henky Borgstein (practical assistance) Educational supervisor
In Appendix 2, Stakeholder information
Wim Ravestijn (educational assistance)
and topic list, you can find all contact information. The role of the stakeholders is
Associate
discussed beneath the project structure.
Verónica Mejías Reyes The associate will be helping us through the
4.3
FINANCE
whole project. She speaks fluent Spanish.
As described in the assignment, the team is
She will complete some tasks, mentioned in
responsible for the costs made during the
the project plan. The team is responsible for
project. This means that a big amount of
the work done by her.
money must be collected in advance.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
In September the budget was set at 9000
El Rama inhabitants
euros. This contains construction materials,
Families, Companies, Church, participation
local labor costs, tools, camera, preparation
groups (see Appendix 5; Research Nicaragua
costs, accommodation and a margin on
and Implementation Plan)
contingency fees.
Director of Planification in El Rama
The goal is to collect the amount before
Javier Echeverría
departure (so it has to be done in two months). In the next chapter there’s
Local employees
described how the team will collect the
Alfredo and Theodoro (former students of
budget. A detailed description is shown in
the Bambú Social course)
appendix 3.
Universidad CentroAmérica (UCA) Emma Grun (teacher Urbanism) and students
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PROJECT STRUCTURE The project is arranged according the same
FUNDRAISING
structure as the assignment. In the scheme
The team used different ways of funding and
you will see the overview here, followed by a
raining money to collect the 9000 euros of
detailed explanation.
our budget.
PREPARATION
EXECUTION
FUNDRAISING
LOCAL PUBLICITY
PUBLICITY RESEARCH
EVALUATION RESEARCH
SOCIAL RESEARCH
1. Personal grants The TU Delft stimulates students to explore projects and internships abroad. An TECHICAL RESEARCH
International Internship Fund was granted for each of team member with an amount of 250 euros. Unfortunately this will be
Under each heading the social
transferred after the project, so in the
implementation is discussed (what and how
meantime the team members will do the
will the collaboration with the local people
payments in advance.
from El Rama look like). These lead to
26
certain activities, which are also explained
2. Foundations
and connected to a team member for final
There are foundations who’s vision match
responsability. Only the first names of the
with our and who are willing to funds the
team members will be mentioned, to make
project. Student4Sustainability is a student
the reading more pleasant.
organization that support developing projects organized by students. They funded
At the end of this chapter, an elaborated
this project with an amount of maximum
planner is presented.
1600 euros. This amount may only cover construction costs.
5.1
PREPARATION PHASE Location: Delft, The Netherlands
3. Donations Friends, families and fans who are willing to support this project. A banking account was opened, as a sub account of Incombinación foundation (AMBI status). It is registered on Sophie’s name. Contacts could transfer money to this account. Also a donation page has been opened, where everyone can easily donate money online and in a few clicks through iDeal.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
4. Fundraising event
the existing organizations as potential new
The Bambú Social Night is an open event
partners who can support the project Bambú
with the main goal to collect money
Social 2.0. Therefore, good communication
through drinks, as for publicity. Live music,
with these organizations is crucial.
Nicaraguan Rum and a sala DJ will entertain the guests.
An information brochure was made in Dutch for friends and family and other social circles,
The team will thank all sponsors and
in order to gain more publicity.
supporters. Also the founder of the Bambú Social foundation as well as the founder of
In appendix 4 you can read the full
the Incombinación foundation and the vice-
promotion plan which describes how we’ll
consul of Equador will give a speech about
stay in contact with supporters and fans.
the project. This event will take place on the
This also relates to the second phase in
17th of October 2015.
Nicaragua. This contains the following components:
• Donation page
Sophie
• Bambú Social Night
Sophie
• Facebook updates
Marie-Louise
• Website updates
Marie-Louise
• Ginger updates
Sophie
INTERNATIONAL PUBLICITY
• Hard copy Brochure
Sophie
It is very important for the project to stay
• Official updates
Sophie
“alive” and keep reaching people, even when another team is operating. The goal is to reach more people and get more
REPARATION RESEARCH
support. Dutch and international parties
The research done in advanced could
make this project realizable. These are both
be separated into technical research and
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28
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
implementation research. In the technical
have access to loans yet; banks and micro
research a lot of has been reviewed. Some
finance organizations could provide this. The
of the literature was already gathered by
designers of (bamboo) housing should take
the previous team. Also the definition of the
into account that the house could function
assignment, the preparation of a business
be independent of the infrastructure. Bambú
model, writing this project plan and all
Social will stimulate all the actors mentioned
appendices was part of this phase of the
to use bamboo as a standard construction
project. The most important research is the
material, by responding to the lacks in the
implementation research. This is done by
current system. Bambú Social 2.0 will contact
the cultural development tools taught in
the director and universities.
the course Development, Sustainability & Culture (WM0942TU) at the TU Delft.
• How can Bambú Social contribute to development?
The team tries to find the answer to two
The direct components of which Bambú
main questions. A detailed analysis can be
Social has influence on are the education
found in appendix 5, Nicaragua Research
and research system and business system.
and Implementation Plan. The conclusions
By doing research and sharing knowledge
are presented in this chapter.
with the local students and universities, the foundation will contribute to bamboo
• How does the project become successful?
research. By working with local craftsmen
By applying all the functions on the current
and visiting the bamboo farm, the
situation, one main conclusion could be
foundation could provide starting companies
drawn: there’s a serious lack of knowledge
with entrepreneurial activities. The aim of
about the available construction material
both components is to upgrade and upscale
bamboo. Due to a lack of management and
the bamboo usage in the housing market.
guidance, there are little entrepreneurial activities in El Rama, this should be
The goal for Bambú Social is to eventually
stimulated by the directors of El Rama.
let go of the components so that they can develop thereselves independently of an
People are interested in the bamboo, but
intermediate organization (external help).
there has to be an extra push coming from Bambú Social. Building with bamboo is spread easily, but this has to be done by
5.2
EXECUTION PHASE Location: El Rama, Nicaragua.
the universities. Building companies should invest better the housing demand and
This phase includes three main stages
possibilities. By articulating better on the
(these are numbered) next to the general
demands and responding to the research
part, existing of local publicity and social
at the universities, the housing market
implementation.
could function much better. People do not
29
LOCAL PUBLICITY AND SOCIAL IMPLEMENTATION
A follow-up meeting may be possible with
As shown in the scheme of the project
the whole council and people who were
structure, this part is one that starts at arrival
involved last year. This will take place in
until departure. So it is not a stage bound to
the first week. Important is to not involve
any time. The goal of the local publicity is to
people who are not familiar with the project,
introduce the project (again) and ourselves,
otherwise they would be biased for the
which is polite to the people of El Rama. This
house interviews).
is the first step of the social implementation.
30
It is important that the project and research
A second meeting could be organized to
done becomes known around the village and
keep the people updated and interested in
that people feel involved.
Bambú Social.
The social implementation is the most
In the last week a final meeting will be
important part of the project. A social
organized. All the processes and activities
bamboo house design and construction
done for the project will be discussed
for the Nicaraguan population is only really
and shared with the people from El Rama
useful if the local population is involved.
(the people who helped, but also those
The purpose of the social implementation is
interested in the project). The results are
two-fold: the sharing of information and the
presented, but the word is given to the
acquisition of information (“The sharing of
population, what their plans for the coming
knowledge and expertise”).
months and years are with regard to bamboo.
The first thing we will do is to be done in Nicaragua is have an introduction meeting
• Introduction meeting
Marie-Louise
with the Director of Planification of El Rama.
• Final meeting
Marie-Louise
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
1. EVALUATION RESEARCH
components are: ventilation, light and
In 2014 the first team of Bambú Social did
temperature.
a lot of research on social housing and bamboo. After an expanded social research
Building process
and different physical bamboo experiments,
This is not a physical aspect, but an
the first model house in El Rama was built.
organizational aspect. Here we will interview
Based on this design and feedback another
different parties that were involved in the
design was made for the social house. In
building process. The team has to know in
order to make any technical improvements,
advance what the approach of the building
a physical bamboo research has to be done.
process of Bambú Social was, and how it
The house hasn’t been maintained after the
came over to the locals. The team will mostly
departure of this team. Our first task is to
speak to the local employees who were the
investigate the different (physical) aspects of
most involved.
the model house. This forms an evaluation of the work done in 2014.
The team will investigate the buildings steps, the planning, the logistics, division of the
Status of the bamboo
tasks, the safety during construction and the
In order to investigate the current quality of
responsibilities. Also the opinion regarding
the bamboo, different environments have
the design of the house built will be taken
to be distinguished. For example: bamboo
into account. After completing all these
used in the tank likely to suffer from fungus
steps, it will become clear for the team what
due to the humid environment, while
components of the bamboo house could be
bamboo used for the roof may suffer from
improved, in terms of physical improvements
dehydrations due to exposure to the sun.
and building process.
Therefore the bamboo quality is split up to two categories: - External quality of the bamboo in the
• Physical research
Marie-L. & Thomas
• Meeting employees
Marie-L. & Thomas
• Write a report
Marie-L. & Thomas
model house (water tank, water filters, roofs, connections, foundations)
2. SOCIAL RESEARCH - Internal status of the bamboo (the walls,
Designing and constructing a (social) house
lights, kitchen, toilet)
with bamboo for the people of Nicaragua wouldn’t be of any sense if their opinion was
Inner climate
left out. At the moment the people need
By this task we’ll focus on the ambiance
housing, for that, their desire is a safe home
inside of the model house. This part is
which fits with their living standard what
subjective, therefore also the opinion of
doesn’t cost too much.
a couple of local people is asked. The
31
Unfortunately, building with bamboo isn’t
responsibility, as if they own the project.
a standard yet, and therefore, the people
Having said all that, our role in during this
of Nicaragua don’t see this bamboo
whole project must seem very passive, where
construction method as a solution for the
it is in reality very active.
housing needed. So their needs don’t fit with
32
our solution (there’s dysfunction of Demand
This research will start simultaneously with
Articulation of Innovation Systems) (Alphen,
the first one. The goal is to get to know
2008). To make the opportunity fit with the
more about the housing needs of the people
needs, people have to see any chance of
and to see if this could fit with bamboo
success, and they have to see if it works.
housing. We cannot generalize the people
Therefore it is interesting what the current
of Nicaragua; therefore a division of different
use of the model house is, or if it is currently
populations have to be distinguished. These
closed.
groups are:
To make this happen you need to make
LOCAL (EL RAMA)
CAPITAL (MANAGUA)
the people feel as if they came up with the
Youth
Students
idea to use bamboo. Then you have the
Small families
Adults
feeling that they own this method and that’s
Big families
it their project. When this is so, people feel connected with this goal and it will motivate
The activities are split up based on the
them intrinsically. If the people of El Rama
location.
have the idea that it’s our project (Bambú Social), they will not feel that involved and
Municipality El Rama
connected with the project.
First we’ll do visual interviews; the people have to make drawings of what they desire
Through the interviews and brainstorm with
as a house. The bamboo material nor house
the local people, to ask what they think of
is mentioned, so the people could not be
bamboo in general and the house, we want
biased. This will take place in the first to and
to trigger a self-stimulation to activate them
third week. This will be prepared during the
into a thinking and designing process. In
first phase preparations.
the end, they came up with new and maybe better ideas for some construction elements.
After that, we’ll invite people from El Rama
Besides the people from El Rama, a lot of
to the model house and document their
potential also lies at the universities. We
reactions. The group must start a discussion
want architects and students to get more
about the house and bamboo and if they
active with bamboo and do more research in
could live in these bamboo houses.
order to make new designs of other kind of houses. Eventually bamboo becomes a new
A possibility is to invite women (the ones
material standard, only if they think it’s their
who mostly cook in Nicaragua) to the model
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
33
house and ask them to cook and interview
reports it must become clear what aspects
them on what they think of the kitchen.
and components of the bamboo house could be improved. At least one component
Brainstorm UCA
must be improved. This will be done
The team will visit the university to
by making multiple design options and
discuss (social) housing in Nicaragua with
afterward constructing and testing them.
students and some teachers. Their housing
Two parties will be involved; each of them
background differs probably, so they would
contributes in a different way (design and
first explain what common designs for their
construction).
houses and social houses are. After that we’ll
34
take a look at the current design and how
Design Case UCA
bamboo is used. We’ll ask what they do and
During the first meeting with UCA, or maybe
do not like of the house. After this meeting
a second one later on, the design part of
the team will have a better view on what
the bamboo house will be discussed. While
could be possible improvements concerning
bamboo will, over the period, be brought
the design.
more to attention, this will naturally lead to a brainstorm on bamboo housing. The
• Home visits El Rama
Sophie & Veronica
team will write out a design case and the
• House gatherings
Sophie & Veronica
students and architects will elaborate and
• Brainstorm UCA 1
Team 2 & Veronica
bring up a design. This way the students
• Write a repor
Sophie & Veronica
themselves come up with new designs. This part is crucial for the continuation (see next
As a final part of this social research, the
chapter).
team will also investigate if there is any space and opportunity for a bamboo
Supervisor on site
market. A business model for a future local
Henky Borgstein is a Dutch man, living
bamboo company is made in which both
in El Rama, who has been involved in the
the municipalities as the universities are
previous project. Since then he continued
a partner. This is done according to the
to experiment with bamboo connections.
business model canvas taught at the course
During the preparation phase (in The
Sustainable Entrepreneurship (WM0565TU)
Netherlands), he prepares the bamboo
at the TU Delft. This business model is
harvest.
attatched as appendix 6, Business Model BambúBueno. In the chapter Project
Bamboo itself needs to be chopped,
Continuation this model is reflected.
cleaned, handled and dried. This takes longer than a month. Because of his
3. TECHNICAL RESEARCH
experience, Henky could be of lots of help.
After completing the first two stages, two
Together with him and the local employees
reports will be written. Based on these
we’ll fine tune the design and construct it.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
Because of various influences on the design
Output design: technical design (for
and construction part (experienced local
example connections) and an architectural
craftsmen, Dutch students and young
design.
architects) the team thinks that the result would be well founded and professional.
• BrainstormUCA 2
Team 2 & Veronica
This will process will be documented
• Meeting employees
Thomas & Marie-L.
extensively.
• Interview employees Thomas • Bamboo preparation Team 2 & Veronica
Not only the practical part, but also the
• Construction improv. Marie-Louise
building process will be documented. During
• Research design
the construction the team will also have to
• Architectural improv. Sophie
idea to ask what the parties involved think of
• Construct the improv. Marie-Louise
the idea to put the whole bamboo housing
• Test the improvement Marie-Louise
into practice, and about an automatic
• Write a report
building process.
Sophie
Team 2 & Veronica
PROJECT CONTINUATION As mentioned before, continuation is very
part could be even more expanded; this is
important. Without having the bigger image
also the most difficult part. Not everyone
in mind and focusing on the next steps, the
is capable of building the parts (not even
project is likely to collapse. The goal is to
have a design background) and constructing
let the project stand on its own, without any
the whole house (putting it all together).
help from abroad. To fulfill this goal, two
The team has therefore made a plan for a
processes have to be emphasized. These
company that makes prefab construction
are the construction and design part. The
components. The people could then
construction part is done locally by the
construct the house themselves and aren’t
craftsmen. The design part is done centrally
dependent of governmental organizations.
at the university by the architects. They are the engine behind the project and have the
This model can therefore dodge corruption,
task to implement bamboo material usage
which is a negative character (particularism)
around the country. This is done by the third
of cultural dimensions (Trompenaars &
function of innovation systems: knowledge
Hampden-Turner, 2010).
diffusion (Alphen, 2008).
36
The company buys bamboo from the farmers
6.1
CONSTRUCTIONAL CONTINUITY
and treaters. They own different designs for
For this, the team has written a business
bamboo houses, bigger ones and smaller
model for a future local company who forms
ones. The smaller ones are also possible to
a link in the whole chain of construction
expand. The company could not make too
process. In the appendix you can read the
much of the prefab elements for the big or
whole business model, only a summary will
smaller house, these two models contain the
be presented here.
same construction parts. IKEA© is a great example of this. Therefore up scaling will
Bamboo chain contains: chopping, handling
make the construction elements cheaper,
and drying, constructing. The constructing
less material is lost and less working hours are needed. Additional services could be: the construction service and financial service. Even though the construction process is simplified, it could still be too difficult. Employees of the company could build the house for the family. It’s also common that the family isn’t able to pay the whole house in one time. The company therefore has this financial service. People could lease the prefab parts (this also means that while
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
leasing, the family has warranty on the
topic again. By involving staff and teachers,
elements).
we want to show how and what bamboo can contribute to the housing in Nicaragua.
Aside from the main goal, setting up
Therefore students have to get education
a prefab bamboo company in order to
about bamboo and not only concrete and
continue the bamboo housing construction,
steel.
this model has also some positive side effects: create more jobs for the people,
When this is implemented in the main
contributing to bamboo research
curriculum of architecture (or civil
and contribute to a more sustainable
engineering), future architects and engineers
environment. To start this company, the
would use bamboo more often. Even so,
foundation does need a big amount of
standard designs for social houses, that
money to finance the first phase (lending
are now built by the government and
people money to build their houses). This
unfortunately are built of concrete and
will be earned back later on.
steel, would become bamboo. So not only the local people will use this material, but
During our project we’ll investigate what the
it becomes a country’s standard to live in
possibility for these companies is. This will
bamboo houses.
be implemented in the recommendation report.
In the previous project and our project, the first steps are made by organizing
6.2
DESIGN AND R&D CONTINUITY
meetings together with the Universidad
As explained before, students who’ll
CentroAmérica. Now these two parts of
become architects and engineers are the
continuation have been discussed. One
designers and builders of the future. When
provides the up scaling and the other
good education is provided, they are able
one the upgrading. To be sure that this
to build a better world. Of course this
continuation and knowledge is transferred
knowledge has to connect to what’s best for
well, so that the next groups are on the same
the country. Based on this project, Bambú
line with the ‘bigger project’, the steps and
Social thinks that bamboo as a building
conclusions has to be documented well.
material could fit perfectly in the Nicaraguan
Therefore the team will write an internal
construction standard. Unfortunately there
recommendation report for Bambú Social
aren’t any courses about bamboo at the UCA
foundation.
(yet). There are projects about bamboo, and some professional architects are specialized
In appendix 5, Research Nicaragua and
in bamboo structures.
Implementation Plan, an elaborated scheme is presented of the national innovation
By organizing brainstorms and design cases,
system where the relations between the
the team hopes that bamboo becomes hot-
components are shown.
37
38
RISK MANAGEMENT
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
The main goal of our project, explained in
Plan B focuses on the roof design of the
the previous chapters, is to do an evaluation,
social house. Currently it is made out of
a social and technical research. However,
corrugated sheets of tin but Bambú Social
there is a chance that due to unforeseen
aims for a roof made out of local and
circumstances we cannot successfully reach
sustainable products. There are already
this goal.
several plans for a sustainable roof made out of ferro-cement applied over bamboo rods.
The crucial points where the project may fail
In plan B we will test this plan to find out if
or delay are summed up:
it is a good solution for the current roofing
• Bad contact with local people
problem.
• No student enthusiasm from the university • No bamboo prepared
In plan C we will join Henky Borgstein in his
• The house is in bad condition and not safe
research and investigate the possibility of a
• No planning: ‘mañana, mañana, mañana’.
dome construction. This dome will function as the main supporting construction on to
Therefore we have drafted plan B and C,
which the floor and walls are attached in
which are back-up plans for if we cannot
such a way that they hang.
carry out our plan A.
39
BIBLIOGRAPHY • Alphen, V. (2008). Innovation Systems for Technology Transfer. • FSD. (2015). Nicaragua at a glance. Retrieved from Foundation for Sustainable Development: http://www.fsdinternational.org/country/nicaragua • IDB. (2012). Central America Data. Retrieved from Inter-American Development Bank: www. centralamericadata.com • John, A. B., & Seligson, M. A. (2010). Political Culture of Democracy in Nicaragua. ©LAPOP. • Lambert, T. (2013). A short history of Nicaragua. Retrieved from Local Histories: http://www. localhistories.org/nicaragua.html • Major, M. (2005, August 15). The Sandinista Revolution and the “Fifth Freedom”. • MR Zine. (1943). A Theory of human motivation. In A. H. Maslow.
40
• Trompenaars, F., & Hampden-Turner, C. (2010). Over de grenzen van cultuur en management. Amsterdam: Business Contact. • UN. (n.d.). Millennium Goals. Retrieved from United Nations: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ World Bank. (2014). Retrieved from World Bank data: data.worldbank.org
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
41
42
APPENDICES
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
43
APPENDIX 4
PROMOTION PLAN Dutch parties make this project realizable.
at creating a more publicity rather than
These are both the existing organizations as
distribute official information about the
potential new partners who can support the
progress of the project.
project Bambú Social 2.0. Therefore, good communication with these organizations is
The social network of the team members
crucial.
will therefore be informed in different ways of new updates on bambusocial.com. This is
Bambú Social 2.0 itself will collaborate with
done through the Facebook page of Bambú
organizations that support this particular
Social, but also through our personal pages
project (temporary). The foundation is
and via email.
responsible for periodic communications to the existing sponsors.
Also, friends and family who donate through the donate page (www.bambusocial.com/
52
Sponsors of Bambú Social 2.0 are kept
donate) enter their email address so they
informed through emails that link to updates
can then be kept informed of new updates
on the website. Donators and contacts
on the project.
from social circles stay informed through Facebook, where they will be redirected to
The first official update (to be published on
the official website.
the website) to the Dutch party will be just before departure (15-25 October). It will
During September and October (when in
be described the progress made in recent
The Netherlands), the team will publish
months with a plan for Nicaragua. The
small sporadic updates. The purpose of
update will be in PDF format. (The same
the communication in this period is aimed
structure is held as the first group of Bambú Social). Note that these updates will appear in English, so these updates could also be scattered worldwide. During the months operating in Nicaragua, four official updates will be published. (Rough format: 1. arrival, findings, 2. material planning, social implementation, design 3. build social implementation, prefab 4. research results, feedback locals....) In addition, minor updates will continue to appear on the website so that the project continues to live on in the Netherlands, even if the team operates in Nicaragua. Through
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
the minor has set up a platform where the
and serves as a “farewell party” for the
project updates should put on. The official
departing team. During the speech, the
publications and updates will appear on this
sponsors and donors are thanked. Some
website http://tudelft.gingerresearch.net/
profit made on each drink will go to the project and will be spent in Nicaragua for
In addition to this ‘online’ promo, there will
the research.
also be live promo. There are folders printed which will be personally spread to fellow
In short, the coming months a broad basis
students and teachers. These folders provide
will be created with the central platform
a summary of the project Bambú Social
www.bambusocial.com website. Online as
2.0 and information on the various ways to
well as live will be friends, family, supporters
support the project. In here some reference
and sponsors to be notified of new updates
are made towards the websites and updates.
on the website. Herein involves two types
To crown the promo plan is mid-October
of updates; Small sporadic updates of
Bambú Social Event, a fundraising event,
milestones and other interesting findings
where all the people who have supported
during the whole period. In addition, four
the project are welcome. The latin-american
more official updates will be posted to once
tinted evening will have a casual atmosphere
again summarize the progress of the project.
53
APPENDIX 5
NICARAGUA & IMPLEMENTATION In this annex multiple analyses on Nicaragua
The first question is mainly answered based
will be done. This is done by the tools of
on assumptions. For the second question
the course Development, Sustainability &
external sources are used.
Culture (WM0942TU) at the TU Delft. There are four analyses: Poverty Analysis,
HOW DOES THE PROJECT BAMBÚ SOCIAL (2.0) BECOME SUCCESSFUL?
Institutional Analysis, Cultural Analysis and the Innovation Analysis. These are based on assumptions, experience of previous visitors and online research. These tools
WHICH ACTORS AND FACTORS ARE CRUCIAL FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION?
are necessary for the work that will be done
54
in Nicaragua. In order to prepare for the
The second question is answered with the
journey to Nicaragua the team must realize
functions of Innovation Systems. There
what they could encounter and how to
are two sets of functions of innovation
tackle certain problems. Two main questions
systems. Hekkert describes the functions of
are being answered, and for that multiple
innovation systems of developed countries,
analyses has to be made.
where Van Alphen describes to functions
BIBLIOGRAPHY • Bank, W. (n.d.). Retreived from http://web.worldbank.org/ • Briney, A. (n.d.). Geography of Nicaragua. Retrieved from http://geography.about.com/od/ nicaraguamaps/a/nicaragua-geography.htm • Freedom House (2008). Authoritarianism Overshadows Nicaraguan Elections. • John, A. B., & Seligson, M. A. (2010). Political Culture of Democracy in Nicaragua. ©LAPOP. LocalParty. (n.d.). Equal Voter Democratic World. Retrieved from: http://localparty.org/democracy. html • Nicaragua, G. o. (2001). A strengthened Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy. • Sachs, J. (2005). End of Poverty. • Sandina, L. (2014, 10 16). Nicaragua calificada como segunda economía más libre en Centroamérica. Retrieved from: http://www.lasandino.com.ni/articulos/ver/titulo:321nicaragua-calificada-como-segunda-economia-mas-libre-en-centroamerica • Schneider, M. C., & Nájera, P. (2012). Leptospirosis Outbreaks in Nicaragua: Identifying Critical Areas and Exploring Drivers for Evidence-Based Planning. International Journal of Environmental and Public Health. • WorldBank. (2014). Retrieved from: data.worldbank.org • All figures are gained ©LAPOP (John & Seligson, 2010).
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
that are more suitable for underdeveloped
activity. The first team set up different
countries. A choice has to be made for
production processes of for example
which functions to use. For the analysis
baskets. This doesn’t happen anymore. This
on Nicaragua, El Rama, it would be more
is so because of a lack of management and
suitable to encounter the situation (actors
guidance of the process. Also the businesses
and factors) through the functions of Van
aren’t using the opportunities by using
Alphen. Because Nicaragua is very big, it
available resources for the right demand.
is very likely for some situations to differ. Therefore the functions are applied to El
2. Creation of adaptive capacity.
Rama and similar municipalities. Also the
The BICU University students do learn
factors are oriented on the housing market,
about building processes and agriculture.
which is of most interest for Bambú Social.
However, innovation and new courses come from outside. Last team gave a course at
1. Entrepreneurial Activities
the BICU to teach them about sustainable
In El Rama there’s a lack of entrepreneurial
constructions. BICU itself does not develop
new knowledge about bamboo, same
lack of knowledge.
as UCA University in Managua. They do
6. Resources mobilization.
appreciate this new material and knowledge,
As said before, there are few mass housing
but need an external stimulance to develop
projects funded by the government. Beside
some interest in research in order to develop
the fact that these are huge investments
new technologies of bamboo. Institutions
and these aren’t the first priority of the
from abroad could provide and facilitate
government, it is also too expensive due to
this research, but it has to be done locally,
a bad choice of material (that doesn’t fit with
because of the material.
the environment). Poor people also don’t have access to a bank and a loan provided
3. Knowledge diffusion through networks
by the bank because of extreme poverty.
Last year students from UCA made an urban
There’s a serious lack of resources in the
planning for El Rama, after Bambú Social
current housing market.
visited UCA and linked the capital with the
56
municipality, the word was spread. In the
7. Creation of legitimacy.
capital there may be a lot of knowledge,
Despite the extreme poverty and bad
but this isn’t naturally diffused around the
housing, the current living situation is
country.
considered normal. People are not actively engaged with better housing, because of
4. Demand articulation.
the fact that they usually have a piece of
At the moment, in the housing industry,
roof above their head (literally), and gaining
there is no matching demand with the supply
money to buy food is more important. For
because there’s no information exchange.
the people with a bit of a higher standard,
People now live in terrible houses, while
they do care about the appearance of their
a cheaper, more sustainable option of
house, but do not have the opportunity to
bamboo houses is available. There’s a lack
explore with bamboo because of a lack of
of investigation of the demand and supply.
knowledge. Bambú Social and eventually
People do need better houses, but are
the population should counteract resistance
obstructed by the use of bad materials.
of the change of construction material, by proving that bamboo housing is feasible.
5. Market formation. Most houses are being built by the families
8. Infrastructure networks
their selves. There is a market for the current
There are roads in Nicaragua and El
construction materials, but so expensive,
Rama, but they are not all suitable for the
bad quality housing is the result. The
transportation of construction material. For
government does invest in social housing
a functional (bamboo) housing market, new
and entire villages are being provided by
roads have to be built. There is infrastructure
concrete houses. There is not yet a bamboo
of electricity and sometimes even water
branch in the housing industry because of a
net, but is far from accessible for the poor
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
people. For Bambú Social it is important
CULTURAL ANALYSIS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
to design a house, independent of the infrastructure.
1. Power distance/hierarchy egalitarianism. It is clear the government
By applying all the functions on the current
has great power and average Nicaraguan
situation, one main conclusion could be
people do not seem too involved with
drawn: there’s a serious lack of knowledge
the local government. Of course in the
about the available construction material
governmental system there has to be a
bamboo. Due to a lack of management and
hierarchy. The figures show that even with
guidance, there are little entrepreneurial
municipal offices the gap between the
activities in El Rama, this should be
population and governors is big. It is still not
stimulated by the directors of El Rama.
clear if this has something to do with power
People are interested in the bamboo, but
distance.
there has to be an extra push coming from Bambú Social. Building with bamboo is spread easily, but this has to be done by the Universities. Building companies should
57
invest better the housing demand and possibilities. By articulating better on the demands and responding to the research at the Universities, the housing market could function much better. People do not have access to loans yet; banks and micro finance organizations could provide this. The designers of (bamboo) housing should take into account that the house could function be independent of the infrastructure. After
Img. 1. Have you ever sought to help from or petitioned a municipal official or office?
all, Bambú Social must stimulate all the actors mentioned before to use bamboo as a standard construction material, by responding to the lacks in the current system. How can Bambú Social contribute to development? How does entrepreneurship and innovation result in development? The answer could be found by doing a cultural analysis and an analysis on the national innovation system.
Img. 2. Was your issue or request resolved?
2. Individualism – collectivism.
traditional. The diagram below shows in
The high participation rate (in elections
what institutions gain the most trust by the
and civic groups), show that people see the
population. The upper institutions (except
utility in cooperating. There’s also a high
for media) the army, Catholic Church,
expectancy ratio of the institutions.
national police, national government, are very much trusted, but also the most
3. Masculine – feminine
stable institutions. This could prove that
The belief that the state has a major
Nicaraguan people do like traditionalism
responsibility for promoting social welfare
and dislike uncertainty (like political parties
has an average level of agreement of 85 on
and elections).
the 100 point scale. Nicaraguans strongly
58
endorse the notion that the government
5. Universalism – particularistic. Nicaragua
holds the major responsibility for promoting
is definitely particularistic. The most severe
the welfare of citizens and taking care of
consequence is corruption. The graphs
individuals by reducing inequality, promoting
below show that relation between bribe
employment, and providing pensions and
activities and gender, wealth and education.
health care. Age is not significantly related to party identification. This consensus
6. Specific – diffuse.
among Niraguans means that the country is
Nicaragua is a country with intermediate
controlled by a feminine state.
levels of interpersonal trust compared to other countries in the region. The trust in
4. Certainty avoidance – traditionalism.
neighbors increases with education and
The country can be considered very
age but that it suffers from a perception of
Img. 3. Trust in specific institutions
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
personal insecurity. Contrary to expectation,
one another to better the community
civil society activity in Nicaragua has
they live in it improves their trust in their
little effect on developing trust. When
neighbors. It can be concluded that
Nicaraguans organize to collaborate with
Nicaragua is therefore very diffuse. 7. Neutral – affective. Related to the previous answer, it can be said that diffuse cultures (high context) are relatively affective, but only in a different way. Because of the fact the trust is low, it can be concluded that people do not show emotions in public. However, the high participation rate of civic organizations shows that there is an urge to express opinions and feelings with other similar-like people. 8. Status by achievement - position. The corruption is very high; this does not automatically mean that people achieve their status by position. But the figure does show that corruption increases as the wealth goes up. This indicates that people more inclined to give bribal money in order to get what they want. It can be concluded that status is quicker gained by position than by achievement. 9. Sequential – synchronous. It is generally known that peoples in Latin America are in general sequential ordered. 10. Internalism – externalism. It is not directly clear how people get motivated. There is some data about the participation groups (see next figure), but you couldn’t tell if it’s internal motivation
Img. 4. Corruption victimization by education, sex, children and wealth in Nicaragua
of external motivation (due to bad causes). The next figure tends that the participation
59
Img. 5. Participation in meetings of civil Organizations in Nicaragua, 2010
60
Img. 6. Participation in a Demonstration or Protest in Comparative Perspective
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
is most external driven, because the
Councils than in community improvement
participation in protests is relatively high in
organizations, so the FSLN and its
the region.
supporters likely enjoyed increased influence over public policy. In 2006, Daniel Ortega
11. Civil Society realignment of individuals
Saavdra, an FSLN candidate (Sandanista),
and organizations independent from family
was elected.
loyalty and state authority. Involvement in civil society organizations
Freedom House downgraded Nicaragua’s
varied widely across group type and has
political freedom score from a 3 to a 4 in
stabilized after a long post-revolutionary
2009. Freedom House criticized “President
decline. The only Nicaraguan group type
Daniel Ortega’s government” and cited as
with a significant increase in participation
problems for political liberty “a pattern of
since 2004 was Citizen Power Councils.
authoritarian measures directed against
Political. Young Nicaraguans, like their
opposition parties, civil society, and media
older fellow citizens, generally expressed
[and] hostility exhibited towards human
democratic norms. The young were
rights defenders.” (Freedom House -
more tolerant than older Nicaraguans of
“Authoritarianism Overshadows Nicaraguan
homosexuals and gay marriage, but still
Elections, 2008).
on average disapproved of both. Younger Nicaraguans participated in politics less than
By analyzing all 11 commandments of
older Nicaraguans in many ways, including
culture and the concept of civil society, it is
civil society activism.
clearer how Bambú Social can contribute to the development in Nicaragua. Despite
Nicaraguans’ civil society engagement
the extreme poverty, the population could
contributed greatly to mobilize their political
be seen a cohesive and participating mass,
participation. Involvement in community
because of the collective and feminine
improvement groups and in Citizen Power
character. The government and NGO’s can
Councils (CPC) each contributed greater
utilize this by meeting the right tactics to
involvement in other types of political
create goodwill and address developing
participation. CPC involvement associated
problems. Particularism (corruptions) is still a
with greater protesting. Levels of civil society
major pitfall for the Nicaraguan government.
engagement overall appear essentially static
The average population seems ready for
since 2006 except for involvement in CPCs
institutional reforms, but the bigger the
which rose from 2008 to 2010. This elevated
wealth, closer to the government, the
CPC and community group involvement
corruption increases. Nicaragua should
resulted in recent improvement in contacting
invest in good governance (Paul Collier and
public officials and in engaging local
Dambisa Moyo) and capabilities (Amartya
government. Sandinista sympathizers and
Sen). This brings us to the next part, where
voters were more active in the Citizen Power
Bambú Social comes in.
61
NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS
and research system and business system.
The scheme of national innovation systems
By doing research and sharing knowledge
(by Arnold and Bell 2001), is adjusted for the
with the local students and Universities,
project BambĂş Social. The ideal situation of
the foundation will contribute to bamboo
the influence of the foundation is explained.
research. By working with local craftsmen
Enablers and barriers are also summed at
and visiting the bamboo farm, the
the end.
foundation could provide starting companies with entrepreneurial activities. The aim of
62
The direct components of which BambĂş
both components is to upgrade and upscale
Social has influence on are the education
the bamboo usage in the housing market.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
The goal for Bambú Social is to eventually let go of the components so that they can develop thereselves independently of an intermediate organization (external help). There is a demand of affordable and sustainable housing. This does not automatically mean that there’s a demand for bamboo housing. Through participation groups the word of benefits of bamboo housing can be spread. The foundation could also set up a microfinance system where locals can rent money from abroad and pay back their houses in time. The fiscal, subsidy and banking system can not be changed directly by Bambú Social. However
encountered by seven aspects which can be
impact on local government is not excluded.
used as tools to diagnose the poverty in a
Finally, the enablers and barriers are
country (Sachs, 2005). In this case Nicaragua.
summed.
An elaborated research could be done, but only the highlights are mentioned.
ENABLERS
BARRIERS
Universities
Government
Bamboo farmers
(fiscal system)
New bamboo companies
Climate
Participation groups
For an overview of the poverty in Nicaragua (in 2001), the image above is shown (WorldBank, 2014). 1. Poverty traps • Climate shocks
Local government
Nicaragua is frequently being hit by
Collectivism
Diffuse
(High participation rate)
Power distance
Feminine
Traditionalism
Affective
Particularism
Internalism
Status by position Externalism
earthquakes and hurricanes. These have severe consequences for the country. Hurricane Mitch is the most recent, deadliest Atlantic hurricane. Nearly 11,000 people were confirmed dead, and almost as many reported missing. Deaths were mostly from flooding and mudslides, and dropped nearly 36 inches (900 mm) of rain. The flooding
POVERTY ANALYSIS
and mudslides damaged or destroyed tens
As an additional tool, the poverty analysis
of thousands of homes, with total damage
has been done on Nicaragua. In Clinical
amounting to over $5 billion (1998 USD, $6
Economics by Jeffrey Sachs, poverty is
billion 2006 USD).
63
Total number of cases of leptospirosis, cumulative incidence rate (10,000 populations), by municipality, Nicaragua, 2004–2010 2. Economic policy framework • Despite the extreme poverty in Nicaragua, they do have a relatively open economy. In October 2014 Nicaragua has
64
• Environmental
been qualified as the second most open
The environment of municipalities where
economy in Central America. They scored
poverty rate is measured has a lot of
a 7.44 out of the 10, after evaluating
influence on the outcome. As many more
aspects such as the size of government
countries, urban areas are wealthier than
and spending; respect for private property;
rural areas. The diagram shows that in
monetary stability; freedom of international
Nicaragua almost 70% of the people live
trade and labor regulations; access to credit
beneath the poverty line. (Nicaragua, 2001)
and facilitating trade and business (Sandina, 2014). The figure below shows the mean
• Disease Leptospirosis is an epidemic-prone zoonotic
capita consumption per municipality in 2005 (WorldBank, 2014).
disease that occurs worldwide. In Central America, leptospirosis outbreaks have been
• Nicaragua’s economy is based mainly
reported in almost all countries; Nicaragua
on agriculture and industry, with its top
in particular has faced several outbreaks.
industrial products being food processing,
(Schneider & Nájera, 2012)
chemicals, machinery and metal products,
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and
second highest in the region (after Brazil). In
distribution, beverages, footwear and wood.
1994, annual per capita public health care
Nicaragua’s main crops are coffee, bananas,
spending was US$23.2, higher than that of
sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco,
any other Central American country except
sesame, soya and beans. Beef, veal, pork,
Costa Rica, and much higher than is typical
poultry, dairy products, shrimp and lobster
for an economy with a similar GDP per
are also large industries in Nicaragua.
capita. However, the coverage of primary
(Briney)
health care is insufficient.
3. Fiscal framework and fiscal trap
• The picture above shows extremes
• Does public investment needs meet
of wealth of the top 10% of nations in
poverty reduction targets? Nicaragua’s
different democratic forms. Nicaragua has
public spending in the social sectors is
proportional and presidential elections.
higher than in most Central American
Presidential elections are not proportional
countries. Such spending is not well-
elections; they are an addition to a
targeted to the poor and results in
democracy which in itself is a winner-
inadequate funding for basic services. Per
take-all election. Together this forms a
student spending in primary education
specific mix of proportional plus district
is US$55 per year compared to a Latin
elections (LocalParty). The figure shows
American average of US$100. At the same
that Nicaraguas top 10% wealth stands out,
time, higher education, which was shown
compared to other countries with simular
in the poverty assessment to serve the
election systems, with almost 50% of the
non-poor exclusively, receives US$800
GNP. This shows that there’s a extreme
per student per year. Nicaragua’s higher/
unequal ratio between the rich and the poor.
primary spending ratio (14.5 times) is the
65
4. Physical geography
considered a republic. It has an executive
The recovery of the agricultural sector has
branch made up of a chief of state and a
been slow due to several sector-specific
head of government, both of which are
constraints, mentioned below. (WorldBank,
filled by the president and a legislative
2014)
branch comprised of a unicameral National Assembly. Nicaragua’s judicial branch
• The inadequate implementation of
consists of a Supreme Court. Nicaragua
sectoral policies and the lack of a strategy
is divided into 15 departments and two
for addressing rural poverty. There is little
autonomous regions for local administration.
coordination among institutions, which
66
have weak formulation and implementation
• Since the independence, Nicaragua
capacity. No emphasis has been placed on
underwent several civil wars and rival
defining policies and programs that are cost-
political groups. After 1990, when the
effective while also benefiting poor farmers,
dictatorship has taken place for democracy,
such as agricultural research, training and
the government was focusing on economy
extension services.
stabilization and improving human rights. Despite the goal to end government
• Insecurity of land tenure and inefficient
corruption, the last presidents have been
land markets. Although the government is
each marred with corruption.
addressing this issue, progress is slow. 6. Cultural barriers • Although many programs exist, there
• Nicaragua was colonized by Spain and
is a lack of viable financing schemes for
has a similar culture to other Spanish-
small and medium- size farmers, and many
speaking American countries. The eastern
programs use credit as a means to transfer a
half of the country, on the other hand, was
subsidy or social assistance.
once a British protectorate, and English spoken domestically along with Spanish and
• Although Nicaraguan basic grains can
indigenous languages.
compete effectively at the regional level, small producers are unable to benefit
• Religious freedom and tolerance are
because of the high costs of information,
promoted both by the government and the
poor rural infrastructure (particularly rural
constitution, there is no separation.
roads), the high costs of transportation, and non-tariff barriers, such as complicated and
• There are little signs of significant cultural
discretionary export requirements.
barriers.
5. Governance patterns and failures
7. Geopolitics
• Today Nicaragua’s government is
• From 1909 to 1979 the relationship with
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
the United States has improved, especially
• The inadequate implementation of
during the dictatorship of Samoza. When the
sectoral policies and the lack of a strategy
Sandanistas took over Nicaragua, all US aid
for addressing rural poverty. There is little
was suspended and an embargo was placed
coordination among institutions, which
on the trade between Nicaragua and the US.
have weak formulation and implementation capacity. No emphasis has been placed on
Institutional Reform (WorldBank, 2014)
defining policies and programs that are cost-
• To implement the government’s
effective while also benefiting poor farmers,
education strategy and to improve the
such as agricultural research, training and
quality and increase the internal efficiency
extension services.
of primary education, more resources are needed at this level. To this end, the
• Although many programs exist, there
generous subsidization of higher education
is a lack of viable financing schemes for
must stop. Improving targeting of pre-
small and medium- size farmers, and many
primary and secondary education resources
programs use credit as a means to transfer a
is also needed. Because the purpose of
subsidy or social assistance.
publicly financed pre-primary programs is to compensate children from disadvantaged
• Although Nicaraguan basic grains can
backgrounds, they should be exclusively
compete effectively at the regional level,
targeted to the extreme poor. In the case
small producers are unable to benefit
of secondary education, where the poverty
because of the high costs of information,
assessment found that public spending is
poor rural infrastructure (particularly rural
also regressive, there is ample room for cost
roads), the high costs of transportation, and
recovery. In the health sector, increasing
non-tariff barriers, such as complicated and
the access of the poor will require further
discretionary export requirements.
reallocating public expenditures toward primary health care and increasing costrecovery from the non-poor who were found to be major users of public health services. There is ample room for cost recovery, particularly in urban areas. • Apart from macroeconomic fragility, political instability, and an overvalued real exchange rate in competitiveness terms, the poverty assessment found that the recovery of the agricultural sector has been slow due to several sector-specific constraints:
67
APPENDIX 6
BUSINESS MODEL BAMBÚBUENO INTRODUCTION
In El Rama, the Bambú Social foundation
Bambú Social is a foundation with the
has set up a sustainable construction course,
mission to solve the housing problem in
together with the local university and the
Nicaragua by sharing knowledge about
municipality, to create a sustainable and
use of local resources for sustainable and
dignified housing alternative. This building
affordable housing with the local students
method can be practiced in a completely
and craftsmen and stimulate the social
local manner, with the integration of a
acceptance of bamboo as a standard
decentralized, low-tech, natural water
construction material.
purification and storage system in order to provide clean drinking water for the
68
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in
inhabitants of the house. In 2014 a model
Central America. There is a great shortage
house was constructed, which forms
of housing and the existing houses have
the base for the design of an affordable
many qualitative shortcomings. Building
social house and is a great example of the
techniques used are often influenced by
possibilities of bamboo. Bambú Social
the modern, first world architecture and
also made the construction manual ‘Un
not adapted to the local environment
manual de construcción sostenible’, which
and subtropical climate. The construction
explains the entire process with step by
materials used in El Rama, for example,
step drawings. The model house has been
create a warm and humid interior and are
donated to the local university and currently
produced with processes that pollute the
functions as a library.
natural environment. The use of wood could be a great danger for the local rainforest. In
Starting november 2015, team Bambú
addition, the local population dependends
Social will contribute to the project and
on unreliable systems for building, electricity,
travel to El Rama. Based on the knowledge
clean drinking water and food.
and experience of the past two years we’ll investigate ways to improve the design of a social bamboo house. Our aim is to get one step closer to an affordable, easy-to-build house of good quality that is adaptable to the various needs of the residents of Nicaragua. We will evaluate and analyze the work done by the previous group and write a report on the current state of the model house and the social acceptance of the model house as well as bamboo in general.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
The first two stages both result in a report.
the bamboo elements that are needed for
Based on those reports we will conclude
the construction of a bamboo house.
what the enablers and the barries are and
This prefab company, named BambúBueno,
which aspects/components of the design of
is an important factor in achieving the
a social bamboo house could be improved.
mission of Bambú Social and making a
By making multiple design options and
sustainable, affordable and comfortable
constructing and testing them we hope to
house accesible for all citizens of Nicaragua.
improve a part of the design.
A development boost like this will affect the gross domestic product (GDP) of Nicaragua, and strong evidence was found on the influence of GDP on the infrastructure-stock in a society (Canning and Pedroni, 1999). This in turn will lead to further improvements in living standards in general, and to further increases in economic growth (Barro and Sala-i-Martin, 2004). In this way a vicious cycle will be put in motion.
As explained earlier, the Bambú Social
To reach these goals, BambúBueno
foundation is working on a construction
should meet the definition of a
manual for an affordable social house. The
sustainable enterprise, in a social as well
design for this social house is still being
as in an ecological way. How sustainable
improved and, if our hypothesis is correct,
entrepreneurship can be defined, and
one of these improvements will be the
how it differs from development aid
possibility of prefabricating the construction
or the old colonial relationships with
elements. In that case, the manual will
developing countries is explained by the
explain step by step how to connect the
book Entrepreneurship, Innovation and
prefabricated elements and build the social
Sustainability: “The colonial relationship
house.
focused on financial goals, the development aid relationship focused on social
By pursuing the objectives of Bambú Social,
and/or ecological goals. Sustainable
a chain of entrepreneurship and employment
entrepreneurship tries to combine the
opportunities will be triggered. The demand
strengths of both the 8 colonial and the
for bamboo plantations, bamboo treatment
development aid relationship, aiming to
companies, transport, the production of
balance financial, social and ecological
prefab bamboo elements and bamboo-
goals, therewith creating a viable alternative
house constructors will increase. This
for both” (Wagner, 2012). This definition
business plan is written for one link in that
gives a global idea of the mission of a
chain; a small, local company that produces
sustainable enterprise, what can help
69
during the formation of the business
range of possible ratios” (Seelos, 2004).
plan. Besides the definition of sustainable
This entrepreneurial approach towards
entrepreneurship, it is important to
development problems is very interesting
know what makes a sustainable or social
for BambúBueno but also for the Bambú
entrepreneur. Gregory Dees explains the
Social foundation, because it gives a good
social entrepreneur as follows: “Social
idea of how they can implement their good
entrepreneurs play the role of change agents
intentions in a feasible way.
in the social sector, by adopting a mission
70
to create and sustain social value (not just
Another supporter of this entrepreneurial
private value), recognizing and relentlessly
approach is William Easterly who states in
pursuing new opportunities to serve that
his book The white man’s burden (2006)
mission, engaging in a process of continuous
that the last decades have shown that
innovation, adaptation, and learning”
the governmental and philanthropic aid
(Dees, 1998). Gregory Dees also explains
programs are less effective as expected.
that a social/sustainable entrepreneurial
It has been revealed that the major social
approach to social and developing problems
sector institutions are often inefficient,
can be a highly effective solution because
unresponsive and ineffective. Instead he
it combines development aid with the
promotes a bottom-up approach that tries
possibility of financial profit. This idea
to offer a solution through entrepreneurship.
is confirmed by Christian Seelosa who
By keeping this bottom-up approach in
states that “social entrepreneurship is a
mind, we believe that BambúBueno can
structure that allows individuals to strike
have a great impact on the developing
their own balance between the desire to
problems in Nicaragua. While writing this
make a social contribution and the personal
business model some assumptions were
need to capture an economic return
made. All these assumptions are based on
from professional activity, across a wide
experience of the Bambú Social foundation and our local contacts in El Rama. These are mentioned in the references.
THE BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS This Business model canvas is based on The Startup Owners Manual by Steve Blank (2004). This manual explains the theory behind the canvas and gives examples of how it can be filled in. The Business model canvas for BambúBueno is added at the next page, and forms a summary of the business
Construction
Maintanance
Bamboo treaters
Transport company
Personal assistance Professional assistance (bamboo community)
Prefab elements Construction service Maintenance service
CO2 emission (transport)
Treatment chemicals
Jealousy of competitors
Less deforestation, less soil
erosion, less use of harmful
Employment, education, awareness, safety, health
materials, more CO2 absorbtion
ECOLOGICAL REVENUES
(maintenance)
Construction service
architects or contracters
Professionals
social housing project
who want to set up a
foundations
Government/
sustainable house
who want to build/buy a
Individuals
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
SOCIAL REVENUES
Repair service
Product sales
REVENUE STREAM (FINANCIAL)
Handcraft courses
Newspaper articles
marketing
Word to mouth
Construction manual
CHANNELS
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
VALUE PROPOSITIONS
Fixed costs (rest, water)
ECOLOGICAL COSTS
Marketing costs
Transportation costs
Production costs
SOCIAL COSTS
Workers (labour costs)
Marketeers
Employees
Transportation
Finance
Equipment
Workshop
Treated bamboo
Material costs
COST STRUCTURE (FINANCIAL)
Micro Finance agency
University of Managua
KEY RESOURCES
Production
Bamboo farmers
Construction company
KEY ACTIVITIES
KEY PARTNERSHIPS
PROJECTPLAN BAMBĂš SOCIAL 2.0
71
model. In the next chapter the different
have adequate housing, we can conclude
blocks of the canvas are explained.
that this is a segment of customers for who almost no other affordable products of good quality are produced. This phenomena is
BUSINESS MODEL BLOCKS
very well described the book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (Hart, 2002).
72
1. CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
This book explains that almost all the wealth
Nicaragua has a serious need for houses.
of the world is owned by a small elite group
Over the past decades, Nicaragua has been
on which almost all product producers are
hit by devastating events; not only politically,
focused. However, there also is a group of 4
by the dictatorship and revolts against the
billion people who make less than $1,500 a
Somoza family, but also economical and
year, which is ignored very often by product
environmental. This has left the nation in a
producers. So when you come up with an
precarious development position. 78% of the
affordable product that fulfils the needs of
people live in substandard homes or do not
this ‘poorer’ costumer group, you reach a
have adequate housing. BambúBueno serves
huge market with lots of possibilities. This
these people of Nicaragua by offering them
is exactly the plan for BambúBueno, and
an affordable, easy-to-build and comfortable
with the help of microfinance companies,
alternative for their current home.
BambúBueno can even reach a bigger group
The first and most important customer
of people.
segment is formed by individuals who are in need of a (new) house. Their income is very low and they do not have access to a banking account and a loan or mortgage. The average income of this costumer segment is around the $3000 a year. Since building your own house keeps the price down, most of them have basic construction knowledge. On the other hand, some of them will need help with assembling the
Apart from the individuals, BambúBueno
prefab elements.
works with a customer group that we call the professionals. These are mainly architects
An often heard criticism is that the proposed
and contracters who are convinced that
customer segment of BambúBueno is
social housing can be cheaper and more
too poor which makes the business not
sustainable by using bamboo as main
feasible. However, this does not make it
construction material. They have a lot of
impossible to create a huge demand for
knowledge about constructing, also on
the offered products. In fact, since 78%
a bigger scale. They are hired by bigger
of the inhabitants of Nicaragua does not
housing companies, foundations or
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
governments who do big investments and
Nicaragua, the company has three products
provide the people from entire villages in
which form the three value propositions of
social homes. Because the quality of the
the business model.
product will not only attract the poorest, these professionals can also work for
1. Prefab bamboo elements - Customers
individuals with a larger budget, who prefer
can buy these prefab elements and build
to outsource the construction of a new
their own house according to the manual.
house.
Calculations of the Bambú Social foundation show that the price of a standard wall element will be around the $800. This product is meant both for the families as for the professional contractors and architects: - Individuals can buy bamboo elements and get construction manual, with which they can build their own house. The need of housing is then solved on individual level. Microfinance or paying in terms, could make this product more accessible.
2. VALUE PROPOSITIONS
- Professionals can buy the construction
To be able to tackle the housing problem
elements and build the (social) houses for
in Nicaragua, BambúBueno has to look
their clients, in order to provide the housing
for workaround, improvise solutions and
need in Nicaragua with the involvement
find ways to incorporate those into the
of professional construction workers.
offerings it creates. This process can be
Cooperation between these professionals
described as design thinking which involves:
and BambúBueno is important to scale up
“Designers who consider what we call the
the project. Yet the professionals are the
edges, the places where extreme people
customers because of their need of prefab
live differently, think differently and consume
construction elements.
differently” (Brown, 2010). Design thinking
2. Building service - The individual
can be the first step to social innovation
customer segment can also choose to let
and by approaching the housing problem
their house be constructed. If they do not
in Nicaragua from a designers point of view, BambúBueno can make a major progress. So, in order to make a difference BambúBueno has to come up with a value propositions that meet the needs of the costumers, while taking into account the cultural, social and infrastructural context. To serve the two costumer groups of
73
have construction knowledge the prefab bamboo company can provide them with a
To reach the individual segment, word of
building service. Professional construction
mouth will be the most effective publicity
workers usually don’t provide individual
for the company. Not only is this a free way
constructions, therefore this building service
of marketing, it also gives the customers the
of the prefab bamboo company is meant for
most trustworthy information. To push this it
the individuals.
is possible to invite possible customers over to a model of the house or the workshop so
3. Maintenance service - This service
they can be introduced to the product.
is mostly meant for the individuals who
74
have built their house themselves. These
Also the built houses will attract a lot of
customers aren’t professional, and if errors
attention, since the use of bamboo is
occur after the house has been built, the
relatively unknown (we call this trendsetter
prefab company could be hired by this
marketing). The more houses are built, the
customer group to do maintenance of the
faster the demand will increase. Articles in
house. If they built their house with help of
the local and national newspapers will also
the building service BambúBueno can give a
be a reliable channel with a long reach.
quality assurance and at for a given amount of years, the maintenance service will be
A professional portfolio website gives the
free. This will enhance the credibility of the
opportunity to expand the reach of the word
product and increase the demand of the
to mouth- and trendsetter marketing. The
customers.
customers that have access to a computer have the chance to evaluate the product by
3. CHANNELS
listing finished houses on the website or post
Because bamboo is a relatively new
reviewson the product.
construction material in Nicaragua, BambúBueno has the task to raise awareness
Maintaining a positive relation with the
among the people of El Rama about the
customers ensures positive reviews and
benefits of constructing with bamboo.
is beneficial for the images and publicity
BambúBueno needs several channels in
of the company. This is why an after
order to reach the customers.
sales ‘department’ had to keep in touch with finished projects. By combining this department with a maintenance service, BambúBueno can maintain a positive relation with the costumers. The professional customers require some different channels than the individual customers. For them, reports and articles in journals and professional trade magazines
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
adapt orcreate new bamboo elements. If more companies get involved and if the prefab bamboo construction method is implemented in multiple municipalities, a bamboo community can arise where topics about bamboo as a construction material are discussed. In this community the key partners will be involved. are an important channel. Also
workshops
5. REVENUE STREAMS
and activities and the distribution of the
The financial revenues of Bambú Bueno will
construction manual to architects and
mainly exist of the sales of the prefabricated
contractors will have a positive influence.
bamboo construction elements. The price
Cooperation agreements with special prices
is established by the variable costs and the
for professionals and large orders will attract
fixed costs and the relevance of the piece.
attention for BambúBueno.
The costs of the resources should at least be covered. Therefore is it beneficial for the
4. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
company to make as many elements of the
Both the individual and professional
same sort as possible.
customer segment require a personal and long-term relationship with BambúBueno.
Beside the standard prefab elements that
This means personal assistance is important.
the company will produce, they will also
This is the main reason that BambúBueo
produce custom elements meant for the
provides a maintenance service. Individuals
designs of the architects and contractors.
should always have the possibility to ask
The bigger the order, the cheaper each
BambúBueno for help when they have
element. This stimulates the contractors to
problems with their house. The maintenance
construct as many as possible at once.
service must always be ready to visit the customer or help him with his problems. For
From individual customers there’s also the
the professionals it is important to maintain
revenue as a result of the maintenance
a personal and long-term relationship
service and the building service. This can be
because they are big current and future
sold for a permanent price dependent on
customers. Furthermore, the professionals
the average working hours needed.
have a lot of influence on the image and publicity of BambúBueno, therefore it
6. SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL REVENUES
is important to maintain a personal and
Setting up the BambúBueno business it is
positive relationship. When an architect
very important to take the idea of shared
comes up with a new model BambúBueno
value into account, as explained by Porter
can initiate partnership and potentially
and Kramer. According to them, shard value
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is a solution for the recent increase of social,
pollution rate will decrease. Apart from that,
environmental and economic problems that
bamboo has a high CO2 absorbtion level so
business cause for their environment. In their
by increasing the demand for bamboo, more
paper they suggest to address this problem
and more CO2 will be absorbed. Also the
as follows: “The solution lies in the principle
use of bamboo will prevent deforestation
of shared value, which involves creating
of the rainforest, because bamboo is an
economic value in a way that also creates
alternative for hardwood. On top of that, the
value for society by addressing its needs
bamboo roots work against soil erosion and
and challenges. Businesses must reconnect
in contrast to the centuries-old rainforest,
company success with social progress.”
bamboo won’t die after beïng cut down.
(Porter, 2011) This quote is a perfect explanation for the goals of BambúBueno and the Bambú Social foundation. The business they propose leads to many social and ecological revenues which can have a major impact of social and ecological
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progress. The most important social revenue is the creation of awareness among the local people about the benefits of constructing
7. KEY RESOURCES
with bamboo. Also BambúBueno will create
In order to conduct the key activities,
more employment for the people of El
BambúBueno needs several key resources.
Rama. Not only will the people gain more
The following list sums up these required
salary, they will also be educated. They
resources.
will learn about construction mechanics, safety and sustainability (taking care of the
1. Treated Bamboo: This is the main
environment). Because a high safety level is
construction material and it is needed
maintained, health among the employees
to produce the prefab elements and to
can be assured. Educating them about the
maintain the social houses already build.
environment should also teach them how to
2. Workshop: BambúBueno needs a place
handle waste how to reuse materials, and
where they can produce the elements.
they will pass it on to their families.
3. Equipment: Tools and other equipment are needed for the production of the
As mentioned above, by using bamboo as
elements.
main construction material, awareness about
4. Finance: In order to start the business
the environment is created. Slowly but surely
there needs to be a start capital with
BambúBueno will create a new construction-
which the business can make the needed
culture and use of materials that have high
investments.
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
5. Transportation: BambúBueno needs
1. Bamboo farmers and treaters: The
a truck to transport the elements to the
bamboo farmers produce and cut the
costumer or to visit the costumer for the
bamboo. After the harvesting the bamboo is
maintenance of the house.
treated to give the bamboo more durability
6. Employees: BambúBueno needs several
and resistance against the weather and
skilled employees who are experts in
bacteria. This treatment can be done by
producing these elements. These employees
the farmers or there could be another party
should also be able to do maintenance work
involved that takes care of the treatment.
at the costumers place. They first have to
After the treatment the bamboo needs to
get educated, and will later on be able to
dry for several months. The drying process
educate others.
gives the bamboo stems more strength and
7. Marketeers: BambúBueno needs a
durability. The products are treated and
marketing strategy. This can help them with
dried bamboo stems, ready for production.
the promotion on their product and reach
2. University of Managua: The University
out to potential customers. This tasks also
of Managua is an important partner for the
includes keeping the bamboo community
company. The students can do research
running.
on bamboo as a building material and on the production process of bamboo. This
8. KEY ACTIVITIES
research helps to improve the production
The main activity of the proposed business is
process of the company as well as the quality
the production of prefab bamboo elements.
of the product. Furthermore, by involving
With these elements a social house can be
young students, the company can ensure the
built, with help of the construction manual.
continuation by delivering new designs. They
Customers can buy these prefab elements
could also teach apprentices or students
from BambúBueno and build their own
the trades of the company after which they
house with use of the manual, which comes
can work for the business or start their own.
with the elements. However, customers can
Both ways support the use of bamboo. As
also ask BambúBueno to build the house
mentioned before, after a while a community
for them; this leads us to the second key
will be created. This community will be the
activity; the construction of the houses. The
bamboo platform in Nicaragua. For students
third key activity is the maintenance of the
this forms a platform through which material
built houses. Owners of the house can call or
characteristics and designs are spread.
visit the workplace if reparations are needed.
9. KEY PARTNERSHIPS The key partners provide BambúBueno from the key resources needed for the key activities. The following list shows these key partners and their value.
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3. Transport Company: The transport
10. COST STRUCTURE
company has to make sure that the bamboo
When starting the company, some
is transported from theplantation to the
investments have to be made. When starting
company in time and safe. By hiring a third
BambúBueno, the most substantial costs are
party to take care of the transportation,
the workshop and the machinery. These are
BambúBueno and the bamboo farmers
two big investments and the business will
can focus on their main activities. For
need a start capital to finance them. It is also
BambúBueno it is a good choice to
possible to implement this business model
outsource the transportation so they do not
in an existing workshop, in that case the
have to worry about to main side activities.
investment costs can be reduced.
4. Construction company: To provide the
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housing need in Nicaragua on a bigger
While running BambúBueno there are
scale, also al collaboration with professional
several costs that need to be taken into
construction workers can be very usefull.
account.
5. Micro finance Company: A big part of the
• Fixed production costs: wages, machinery
population of Nicaragua lives on a minimum
• Variable production costs: production,
income, for these people it is hard to pay for
electricity, water, petrol, transport
their house. Microfinance could offer these
• Raw materials: treated bamboo
people a solution by enabling them to pay
• Rent: Bank loans
in installments. To be able to focus on their
• Marketing costs: articles in magazines/
own specialization, it is not a good idea
journals, discount for professionals,
for BambúBueno to offer the microfinance
promotion, community costs
themselves. Instead they could partner with
• Investments: quality and efficiency
a micro financer. By involving a partner who
improvement
is specialized in microfinance, BambúBueno does not have to deal with the risks but can
11. ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL COSTS
focus on their prime activities instead. A
These costs can be described as the
microfinance organization is a very important
negative impact that BambúBueno has
partner because it increases the sales market
on the environment and the ecosystem.
and the accessibility of good housing
The cause of these costs is, unfortunately,
drastically.
the production and transport of bamboo elements, but also the impact of the raw materials on the environment is taken into account. The following lists sums up all the ecological costs that result from the production of the elements, with a distinction between direct and in-direct costs. • CO2 emission by transport and production
PROJECTPLAN BAMBÚ SOCIAL 2.0
• The chemical treatment of the bamboo
and the whole idea of building with bamboo
• Ecological production costs like,
can spread around the country and grow
electricity, water, heat
rapidly.
As the list shows, there are a few ecological
DISCUSSION
costs that result from the production and
By working out this business plan we
construction of a bamboo house. However,
have developed a better understanding
when comparing these ecological costs
of social entrepreneurship in general but
to the ecological costs produced by the
also a better understanding of the specific
construction of the most common house in
situation in Nicaragua. We have learned
Nicaragua (concrete blocks with aluminum
that starting up a business requires a lot of
roof sheets), we can conclude that the
planning and research but at the same time
costs are significantly reduced. Therefore
a lot of flexibility. The lean start-up theory
we can say that even though there are
has thought us that it is important to be
some ecological costs, the bamboo social
able to pivot your business plan around in
house is environmental friendlier as most
order to succeed. This could be difficult for
of the current houses in Nicaragua and on
a social entrepreneur because this means
ecological costs a big improvement. Also
that you must be able to alter your mission
the ecological revenues, as describes earlier,
and maybe not follow your passion, but it is
largely outweigh the costs of the use of
important for the success and therefore also
bamboo as a construction material.
the impact of the project.
Apart from the ecological costs, it is
In Nicaragua we will evaluate this business
possible that the company creates some
plan and check if it is a realistic plan. We
social costs because it is a new player in the
will investigate if the partners that are
housing market, which can result in some
needed for BambúBueno are interested and
competition. This competition could be
if the quality of the needed infrastructure
seen as a positive result because it forces
is sufficient. Furthermore, we will check
the company and its competitors to keep
if there are people interested in starting
improving. However, this competition could
this BambúBueno company. Also practical
also turn into jealousy when the company
aspects will be investigated, like the local
takes more and more customers from the
salaries, the costs of the workshop, etc. After
competitors. This jealousy could increase
we have analyzed the plan we will write a
when BambúBueno promotes their products
report with our findings. We will share this
as better and eco friendlier and could result
report with BAMBÚ SOCIAL so they can
in negative publicity for the competitors. It
take it into account when they expand their
is recommended that the business involves
project.
local competitors instead of squeezing them out of the market. In this way, BambúBueno
The evaluation of this business is part of a
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new methodology for launching companies,
there is a profitable future. The block about
called the “lean start-up”. This methodology
key partners gave us a lot of insight in the
was introduced by Steve Bank in his paper,
complexity of the project. It shows the
Why the lean start-up changes everything.
different partners that are needed for the
In summary, this new methodology can be
business to succeed. Because there are
explained as follows: “Instead of executing
many partners, there are many factors that
business plans, operating in stealth mode,
can disrupt the functioning of BambúBueno.
releasing fully functional prototype, young
Therefore, it is important for the business
ventures are testing hypotheses, gathering
to establish a good relationship with these
early and frequent customer feedback,
partners and make clear and transparent
and showing minimum viable products to
agreements.
prospects, This new process recognizes
The social costs of this business plan
that searching for a business model is
needs some further research because the
entirely different from executing against that
difference in culture makes it difficult to
model” (Blank, 2013). This early evaluation,
predict the reaction of the community on this
enables us to recognizes problems and
new business plan. It is important that we
flaws of BambúBueno, which gives us the
get a better definition of these social costs
opportunity to pivot the business around
by for instance interviewing or questioning
to a whole new value proposition for which
the locals.
BIBLIOGRAPHY • Barro, R.J., & Sala-i-Martin, X. (2004). Economic Growth. 2nd edition. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. • Blank, S. (2004). The Startup Owners Manual. Stanford: School of Engineering U.C. Berkeley. • Blank, S. (2013). Why the lean start-up changes everything. Cambridge: Harved business review. • Brown, T. (2010). Design thinking for social innovation. Stanford: Stanford social innovation review. • Canning, D., & Pedroni, P. (1999). Infrastructure and long run economic growth. Consulting Assistance on Economic Reform II Discussion Paper, 57. • Dees, J.G. (1998). The Meaning of “Social Entrepreneurship”. Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership. • Easterly, W. (2006). The white man’s burden. Oxford: Oxford University Press. • Hart, S. (2002). The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing. • Porter, M.E. (2011). Creating Shared Value. Cambridge: Harved business review. • Seelosa, C. (2004). Social entrepreneurship: Creating new business models to serve the poor. Bloomington: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. • Wagner, M. (2012). Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing
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