Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This scheme attempts to embody the three elements of sustainability: Environment, Society and Economy. Each design decision has explored how more than one of the three elements can be enhanced.

The detailed requirements of Nyaya health have changed, and may change again before construction, so one guiding principle has been flexibility and scalability. Recognising that this facility will be bridging an ancient culture and a modern one, both modern seismic design and Vastu Shastra have been incorporated.

Keeping in mind that poverty is behind most of the health problems in Acham, every choice of construction material has been made with an eye on opportunities to create new employment and businesses.

The design of the public building takes the form of a square courtyard, with an overhanging roof to provide shelter from the monsoon rain, but admit winter sun. For flexibility and expansibility, there are unenclosed areas under the roof to permit future expansion of facilities. The requirement for a large gathering area is most economically served by an unenclosed area under the roof; this will be most comfortable for a large gathering during the warm months, avoiding the need for mechanical ventilation and cooling. The sleeping rooms are provided in a separate block that can be expanded or contracted as the budget and final brief dictate. The main building can be secured when closed by shutters on the windows and by gates, which also provide means of controlling admittance of sun and wind.

Space requirements
With regard to the space requirements, the revised brief gives a number of functions and suggests that 175m2 is the starting point for the design. The following breakdown shows that the space requirement is likely to be much greater.

Space Brief

Environment
There are two primary drivers: the earthquake potential and the climate at Sanfe Baghar.

Structural Philosophy and Approach
The structural philosophy for the Telemedicine Centre follows the design approach as set out in the Protection of Educational Buildings Against Earthquakes – A Manual for Designers and Builders published by National Society for Earthquake Technology – Nepal (NSET – Nepal) OFDA/USAID and UNESCO – Kathmandu. NSET-Nepal are also promoting earthquake resistant building initiatives set up to ensure earthquake resistant communities by 2020 using local material and construction practices in Nepal. The Manual also adopts the recommendations of the Nepal National Building Code (NNBC).
The Telemedicine Centre is thus considered to have the same importance as an educational facility with higher protection levels for Seismic Zone A requiring Category I considerations.

Structural Form
The Telemedicine Centre consists of a single storey building with a two storey element to include the server room and other functions. The form of the building is based around a courtyard configuration to provide enhanced performance in an earthquake situation. The building will be constructed using fired brick and lime based mortars with the incorporation of brickwork reinforcement and strengthening bands at various levels of the building to reinforce areas of potential weakness in the building structure as set out in Section 8 of the Earthquake Manual. By adopting brick as the main construction material, longer internal walls (up to 9m long) can be achieved between main structural walls.
The roof comprises of timber roof trusses covered with a tin roof supported on purlin members and using a mixture of lime and rice hulls in the ceiling plan for acoustic and thermal insulation. The trusses will be fixed to the wall with steel straps or anchors set into the brick walls to ensure fixity in high wind uplift situations. The roof members will be fully braced and detailed in accordance with the recommendation outlined in Section 11 of the Earthquake Manual. Overhang details can be developed from the details shown in the Manual.

A Portland Cement Concrete or Lime strip footing detail is considered to be suitable for the two and one storey sections of the proposed facility. The recommendations of Section 8 in the Earthquake Manual are considered necessary based on the alluvium soil conditions for he proposed site. A lime based concrete floor slab is also considered necessary to provide a floor surface which is durable, smooth and easy to clean.

Construction Benefits to the Local Community
One of the philosophies of the project is to introduce new manufacturing capabilities to the local community. One of the initiatives would be to import raw clay material and establish a manufacturing process to produce fired bricks with a minimum strength of 3.5MPa for the building of the proposed Telemedicine Centre. From this work a new local business to manufacture more clay brick could be established to provide future building materials for future building project in the area.

Another area business initiative, could be to introduce a lime making business in the local area to supply raw lime for use in mortars, lime based plasters and renders. Stones from the river bed could also be gathered and crushed to provide a source of aggregates for concrete and stone production on the Telemedicine Centre and also future local building projects.

Climatic response
With regard to responding to the climate in the most appropriate and low-energy ways, research studying the Kathmandu Valley was used. Climate Responsive Building Design in the Kathmandu Valley by Anir Kumar Upadhyaya, et al, was the primary reference. The primary conclusions of this paper were:
• Make use of passive solar heating; orient rooms to receive direct solar gain to south
• Ensure solar access in those months requiring heat, and exclude solar gain through shading in those months that do not require heating
• For the monsoon period, design for ventilation and rain protection. Used single-banked construction to facilitate cross-ventilation.
• Provide for passive solar gain for eight months of the year. Size windows to 25-40% of the floor area
• The Mahoney tables suggest a lightweight wall construction, but local experience suggest that heavyweight construction give greater comfort
• Design the roof to provide insulation, protection from summer sun and a 10-hour thermal lag.
• Provide a plinth and good surface water drainage for the monsoon season.
All of these recommendations have informed the design.

Rice and lime
It is proposed that the occupied rooms be insulated with a mixture of rice hulls and lime. Rice hulls are a local waste product that have the desirable properties of resistance to vermin and fire. By mixing them with lime, an insulating render can be made for the walls, and with a higher mix of rice hulls, an insulation for the ceiling with thermal storage capacity can be made. The lime can be used to plaster the inside of the walls, allowing the walls to breathe.

Additionally, rice hull ash can be mixed with lime to create a pozzolanic floor material. It is suggested that a collaboration with the charity Practical Action could be beneficial, as they have experience with introducing technologies to remote communities.

Energy and Mechanical Systems
A number of options have been explored, and must be costed prior to making the final decisions. For the electrical requirements, a 20kW turbine is proposed. This will provide power for the whole facility when adequate wind is blowing, and a UPS should be provided for the computer equipment. The roofs of both buildings can take photovoltaic arrays, but the cost is probably prohibitive today. Solar hot water has a better cost-benefit performance, and would suit the residential block. A methane generating sewage disposal system should be considered that would provide gas for cooking and possible hot water heating.

The server room has a requirement to avoid high temperatures and both high and low humidity. A small air-conditioning unit would provide the required treatment for this room. Generally, wood fired stoves can be provided to provide heat in the winter.

Computer equipment
Detailed recommendations for the installation and specification of computer and internet equipment are outside of our expertise. The intention is to provide security for the server room by placing is upstairs, and generally securing the building at night by use of shutters and gates.

Society
In order to make the Telemedicine centre welcoming and comfortable to the local users, it was decided to base the design on the principles of Vastu Shastra. A courtyard design was suggested by several aspects of the brief, not least security. The location of the entrances and the functions were chosen according to Vastu Shastra principles, which did not prove a problem. Someone knowledgeable in the subject should be consulted to validate the design.

The staff quarters are in a separate building, to give more privacy for bedrooms and the shared facilities. It is intended that the male and female rooms can be placed either side of the common rooms.

Economy
To make the building affordable to build, it has been planned on a modular basis so that it can easily be expanded or contracted. As mentioned above, facilities to make the bricks and lime could be built to provide ongoing work in the community. By introducing the seismic design programme of NSET, more local jobs could be created. The choice of materials includes conventional materials, such as brick, stone, concrete and corrugated metal, and new materials, such as insulating lime render.