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PROJECT DETAILS

Project name: Black Bamboo Community Center
Description: A community center built by volunteers above drainage.
Category: Housing
Design: Andrea Fitrianto and Jasri Mulia
Consultants: -
Building status: In use
Construction period: May - June 2013
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Community-Based Architecture

Recently, this has become a new interesting hot topics. In which architects might directly collaboratewith non-profit and community organizations without themselves being non-profit entities.

The community in Indonesia needed a space for gathering. That is what they needed the most. Ther structure underutilized space between two houses as well as built on stilts on top of drainage channel which normally turned out to be waste of space. Made out of local black bamboo where foundation rests on retaining wall over drainage, facing Winongo River. Volunteers among community built the structure after they managed to raise fund for total cost of $2,500 for entire construction.

 

People in the Kampong need often regular meeting. Sometimes, they hang out, they play chess, occassionally they hold wedding ceremony. Their population increases within three decades period of time, however houses were too small to host meetings.  Degrade social cohesion due to insufficient seating capacity for meetings. Few women among community have actually joined a city-wide network of 31 riverside communities in Yogyakarta, called Kalijawi. It is non profit architecture firm who partnered with Kaijawi, to work with the community.

 

They raised enough fund to kick-start the project only within four months. The construction took less than two months. In Indonesia, bamboo is a very adaptable plant which can perform different functions or activities. Traditionally, bamboo is cultured for food, to make household tools, baskets, houses bridges, etc. Harvesting bamboo culms as shown in photo improves the vitality and productivity of the bamboo culm. Bamboo is unique and can sustain for future.

 

Before the construction stage, architects have done schematic design stage where technical or working drawings are prepared. They have even made a scale model of floor truss to study the workability of structure. In short, though this is non-profit job, but they did every part of design and construction with full heart. We see love in their community. Community and bamboo specialists working together, the architects suggested the joint of black bamboo with steel bolt and mortar infills on primary floor joints. Volunteers not only managed to help, they learn construction method of bamboo too. Women has actually helped to insert sand-cement mortar into bamboo joints. Those bamboos were got from suppliers with discounted price.

 

It was built on stilts for natural ventillation. Not only designed creatively with footing over drainage retaining walls, the architects designed it in response to hot-humid climate with temperature range of 22 to 30 throughout the year. It is cool and airy in hot weather. In the centre of Java island, Yogyakarta has high average rainfall which lead to high risk of water surge to structures near streams. This design was immuned to flooding. By compromising with that, the community center is designed with huge overhangs and high clearance from drainage floor.

 

Overall, community architecture made a significant change of how people shower their love to the need ones. In the world today, most of the people would not talk without money. They are too materialistic. This is not how the world are supposed to be. Architecture is the best way to help community. This is because the basic need of each individual is a home or even a simply shelter where they can sleep, eat and get protected from weather. Volunteers are much appreciated to built home with bare hands rather than paying money to contractors where they only aim for profit.

Detail of pedestal

Natural Ventilation Design

Huge Overhangs and high clearance from drainage floor

Computer Generated Model

A smale study model of floor system

HO XIN YUN 1001541096

Community Architecture that has made a significant change.

 

Base on my understanding, the meaning of community architecture is a place or area where people gather and share the happiness, difficulties together. Besides that, is also a place where united the people from different religion and races. In the same time, create a better and safe living community.

 

Now, I would like to show my case study about the community architecture that has made a significant change. Firstly, the case study I would like to show is:

 

“Plywood on ice”

Architect: Patkau Architects Vancouver

 

Plywood on ice is actually a Shelter. The objective of this shelter which located in Winnipeg, Manitoba is to provide a shelter for the community during winter time while they are looking for a shelter in the temperature of negative 30 Celsius when they having skating activity or others.

 

Before that, there was no any place or shelter over the place. It always a problem while during the winter time. Community found this so hard and finally now there is an architect find out the solution for the community. Winter time last for 6 months, people suffer for at least 6 months before that. It was not a long period of time, but I believe that the 6 months you and I couldn’t even withstand.

 

The shelter built up with six lanterns and each accommodating only a few people at a time. They are grouped in a small village or flock. Blocking the wind from the outside to inside is one of the functions from this shelter. When there is a big wind, people gather inside, chilling together. After that, continue their activity like skating when the wind is stopping blowing.

 

Each shelter is formed of thin, flexible plywood which is given both structure and spatial character through bending/deformation. Skins, made of 2 layers of 5mm thick flexible plywood, are cut in patterns and attached to a timber armature which consists of a triangular base and wedge shaped spine and ridge members. The position or the arrangement of the cluster creates a very good quality of entrance.

 

What I find this shelter interesting is how it shows good relationship with the natural environment. The people do not feel like freezing during day time because the arrangement actually allowing certain of sunlight penetrate into the shelter.  In the same time, good ventilation is provided by allowing certain wind flow flowing into the shelter.

 

Lastly, “plywood on the ice” really changes the live of the community who love to stay on the place and people who love skating during winter time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001541143

HWAN CHING SHEONG

Community Architecture

TYIN Tegnestue Architects

Klong Toey Community Lantern

Klong Toey Community Lantern are a built community space in Klong Toey which  is currently the largest and oldest areas of informal dwellings in Bangkok. More than 140.000 people is estimated to live here, and most are living in sub-standard houses with few or no tenure rights or support from the government.​


The design with an objective to tackle the social issues in the area. The area has great social challenges mostly due to the lack of public services like healthcare, affordable education, sanitation and electricity. An extensive drug problem greatly affects the social climate followed by high unemployment rates, violence and crime.

The main function of the Community Latern are football court with a public playground which aim to bond the young and old generation in the local community to achieve a social sustainability. The construction's simplicity , repetitive logic and durability enables the local to gather and communicate in the area which bring a positive impact to the local community.

In my opinion, the method of educate others are positive communicate and social. A community architecture should be a platform for people to get connect in order to social and communicate to achieve a social sustainability and safe community.

 

A place that gather people make a community space

 

 

1001541101

LAI HONG JING

Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in Gando in Burkina faso. According to world bank, Burkina faso is one of the poorest country in the world. In Gando there was no electricity, no water supply, and no school. Francis's dad wanted him to learn how to read and write, so he left to a city faraway when he was seven. After a great effort of study hard, Francis was lucky to get the scholarships to study in Germany. Even though he has succeed to become an architect, but he never forget where he come from, and wanted to help and bring up the opportunity to the kids in Gando.

Francis has collected 50,000 USD, with his own hard work to build a school in Gando. When he went back to tell the community to build with clay, the community was shocked, because they uses clay to build all the time, but the building collapse or decay after rain. Francis successfully convince them and started to work. The walls and floors was building by clay except the structure. He innovates the traditional technic to build the clay floor by pounding the clay over and over, then polish the surface with stone, and at the end the clay become very fine and compacted floor. The roof was built by cheap steel, and the first school was built in Gando. The school was just in a simple design form, but it gives a lot of value to the community. The aim of the architecture was to provide shelter and more comfortable environment to the commnunity.

Using material they have and making simple ideas into architecture. Example of another project, they uses the claypot to create opennings. Claypot was cut and placed on top of the roof, allow light to penetrate into the space and also letting the hot air out.

Another innovation is from the problem lacking of material in Gando. Not just short of money to buy material, if they want to get materials from different place, they still have to consider about transportation fee. So Francis use the idea of casting concrete and convert it by using clays. Making formworks, adding rebars to reinforce the cast, even cover up the casting during rain. Rain may seem to destroy their building, but it also bring them sand and gravel after the rain, this allow them to mix with the clay and continue building

.

Francis built with the community and trying to pass down the knowledge of building, so that one day the community will still build themselves even though Francis was not there anymore. The knowledge also create a working opportunity for the community. It is easy to help a community. Start by helping ur own small community with the resource you have. Architecture could give a big impact to others who needed.

TAN YEONG EN

1001231238

 Lagos in 2013 to document a radical new school, the Makoko slum 

was facing demolition. Now the building’s global recognition is helping to give the community fresh hope. Design by Architect Kunlé Adeyemi, 

the founder and principal of NLÉ in collaboration with the Makoko 

Waterfront Community.

Makoko Floating School

From my understanding about community architecture. It’s mainly about the ideal of solving an issue faced in part of the worlds. Whether is issue about human or environmental.

Makoko, Nigeria’s oldest slum, is home to a population 

of roughly 80,000 residents who, over the centuries, 

have banded together to create an informal but fully 

working city on stilts at the edge of the lagoon. Most of 

the population work in fishmoking and fishing industry.

 

After visiting this area architect Adeyemi, the founder of NLE was inspired by the environment and the way of

living and building of Makoko. He volunteered to work 

with the community to meet one of their needs the 

expansion of nursery and primary school built on 

reclaimed land. The relationship resulted in a holistic, 

innovative architectural solution as well as a wider urban vision that address the challenges of urbanization, 

climate change, energy, waste, water and food facing 

many African coastal regions.

Unpredictable climate changes along the world's most vulnerable coastal communities, have produced some fascinating design solutions that test the resiliency of architectural possibilities and the need for adaptation that will produce these changes. Which is the floating accordingly to the tidal wave height.

The building has three levels. The 1st level is an open play area for school breaks and assembly, which also serves as a community space during afterhours. The 2nd level is an enclosed space for two to four classrooms, providing enough space for sixty to a hundred pupils. A staircase on the side connects the open play area, the classrooms and a semi enclosed workshop space on the 3rd level.

The simple yet innovative structure adheres to ideal standards of sustainable development with its inclusive technologies for renewable energy, waste reduction, water and sewage treatment as well as the promotion of low

carbon transport. Furthermore it was constructed using eco friendly, locally sourced bamboo and wood procured from a local sawmill. Its main aim is to generate a sustainable, ecological, alternative building system and urban water culture for the teeming population of Africa’s coastal regions.

From my point of view, I believe this move is an important signal for mobilizing local and global interests critical

 for addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by rapid urbanization and climate change in developing Africa waterfront cities and communities.

1001541161

LIM WINN SERN

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