Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Life Education and Assistance Facility (LEAF)
Proposal for a Telemedicine Center for Nyaya Health in Achham, Nepal

Project mission:
Our proposal enables the incorporation of information technology and telecommunications in a design that creates a set of sustainable, programmatically flexible structures while minimizing energy requirements and environmental impact during construction of the facility. As a sustainable structure, its design and form are rooted in and derived from the earth and organic matter, allowing it to eventually return to the earth at the end of its life span.

In addition to our role as designers, we propose actively engaging residents in a collaborative process that draws knowledge and resources from the local context in achieving project goals. Teamwork with community members furthers Nyaya Health’s mission of empowerment of the local population, and reinforces the importance of using local labor and materials in the construction process. The development of resources and technology transfer mechanisms will further enhance the function of the Telemedicine Center as an integral part of regional approaches to education and information exchange.

The potential for impact on the personal lives of members of the local community is enormous. The facility will effect the lives of marginalized women and families in the region living with HIV, providing an opportunity for communication and enhancement of knowledge in ways that will impact the health, welfare, and availability of resources.

Design Features:
The outreaching LEAF design of our proposed Life Education and Assistance Facility serves as a medium for dissemination of local resources and information in a framework that both reaches outward to share these resources, and that draws inward from the surrounding community. Seasonal shifts in population will be accommodated by a design that allows for the shifting spaces that are expandable, interchangeable, and stackable depending on needs. Flexibility in built form goes hand in hand with an interactive process of information and technology sharing, decision making, and resource gathering, unifying architecture, environment, and personal space through a program that has the potential for impact as a positive model for the village and its region in a new amalgam of technology and local tradition.

Our preliminary design concepts extend beyond the utilization of sustainable technologies and the construction of physical structures, to the creative application of know-how and the use of indigenous resources (straw, bamboo, and other fibrous matter) to minimize construction costs and to work with the community, using our human resources to create rice rope, string, straw bails, bamboo shades and rain screens, mud walls reinforced with rice straw and bamboo, and other basic building materials. The design allows for effective microclimate controls as well, making use of indigenous and low-cost materials such as rice straw and clay mud insulation and wall covering, foliage grown on exterior walls, wood bamboo screens, and vinyl sheeting, with ventilation methods that make use of a cistern for evaporative cooling.

The programmatic layout of rooms within the structure is based on our flexible building system and the concept of expandable/retractable forms that adapt to seasonal space requirements and allow for adequate gender separation of spaces. Rooms are arranged along a central spine, with separation of private, public and semi-public spaces on either side of the spine.

Siting is crucial as well, with strategic location of the structure in close proximity to the main community in a flat terrain setting that allows for future expandability. Synergies between the Nyaya Health Clinic and the Telemedicine Center will be enhanced by this proximity and visual link once the Center is placed on the site. A public courtyard at the Center will serve as both a seasonal and a celebratory space, strengthening the role of LEAF within the community. Directional orientation of the facility private areas on the south side of the building with seasonal sun exposure.

(A) Building components:
The built structure incorporates the use of stones for the wall, floor and foundations, and wood for the structural elements (posts and beams) and the floors, windows, and walls. Whenever available and economically advantageous, indigenous materials will be used, as will local technologies and applications. Natural, indigenous wood can be used after proper treatment, with bent wood being used creatively to construct beams by placing it in upward arches to resist gravity loads. The structure will also utilize other easily available indigenous materials, including slate for use in rain screens, roofs, and wall covers, clay for use in mud walls, floors, and foundations along with rice paper and paint, and rice straw that can be used to create ropes, string, straw bail insulation, mats, screens, rice paper and fiber additives. Rice straw can also be used in constructing thatched roofs, employing a smoking process to prevent insect infestation and provide mold retardation. Bamboo will be used for screening and lath construction of walls and ceilings.

Plaster will be used if it is locally available and cheaper for wall and ceiling applications than cement. Gabion walls will be employed for structural strength, especially against earthquakes. Corrugated metal sheets and/or vinyl sheets will be used for roofs, with corrugated metal sheets incorporated into walls as well. If possible, glass will be used for the construction of operable windows, and cement may be used to strengthen walls, as well as for wall and ceiling finishes. Vinyl sheeting will be employed in constructing the heating, and steel anchors and connectors will be used for structural systems.

. (B) Building System:
We seek an adaptable system that is best suited for this locale and environment, and that is flexible enough to be used under different environmental conditions and seasonal climate changes. A scalable design based on a modular wall system will be implemented, creating a 1.2 meter grid and a 6.0 meter module. The resulting structure will be stackable to 2 stories.

The building system will innovate by providing at low cost the best structural system possible with locally available materials. The structure will be created using a surface reinforced masonry system with gabion cage (GMU). Materials to construct GMU are locally available, and the construction system is one with which local people are already familiar. The introduction of a gabion system is especially well adapted to safety during earthquakes, with walls reinforced with gabion baskets that hold stone and clay inside the wall, avoiding quick collapses during earthquakes. Following local surveys and information gathering and sharing with the community, alternative construction systems might also be employed or combined with GMU construction. Other appropriate alternative construction technologies include the Japanese kura system that uses mud and wood post-and-beam construction with bamboo and aranawa rice fiber ropes. This technology has proven effective in earthquake zones. Other technologies that could be utilized included a rammed earth system, a straw bail system, and a bamboo structure. Locally available maintenance teams will be utilized, and no high tech components or complex manuals will be required in the building process. Climate controls will include the design of storm resistant buildings with storm shutters

The structure will implement micro-climate control systems, taking advantage of natural ventilation and providing seasonal shading devises, along with creating rainwater powered ventilation systems and water evaporation cooling systems. Flexible design solutions will allow for site-specific adaptation to the climate and locale, including advantageous use of slopes, directional orientation of functions, and adaptation to seasonal hot and cold climates. Serviceable areas will provide access for required services, such as compost toilets. Other design features include environmentally sensitive and sustainable design including the installation of photovoltaic panels and other solar heat collectors, extended rainwater collection and use, and a biomass waste system employing methane gas.

(C) Building functions:
We seek community involvement that invites the participation of local community members. Communal spaces will provide opportunities for gatherings and for collection and dissemination of information, including an internet library hub. Community space will allow for the provision of both pediatric counseling, and counseling on health and hygiene issues. Our aim is to design spaces that are family friendly, that provide for adult supervision of children, and that provide open spaces that are easily adaptable for community events. Educational uses of the facility will include mini-seminars on nutrition and cooking lessons that teach ways to create nutritious meals. Artifact display and art/craft work sessions will promote the use and educational introduction of local artifacts and craft-making approaches including bamboo crafts, and workshops will allow for the dissemination of construction technologies utilized throughout the project including carpentry, PME work, daub and tile work.

Security issues are addressed with the layout and construction of security features. The design will provide control points in the administration section of the building that allow for visual recognition of visitors and control access. The site will have high visibility from both the clinic and other public areas, with “green screens” acting as security grilles.

As part of our mission to be fully sustainable, we will also make use of agricultural technologies, growing local herbs and testing and promoting the development of secondary products from local crops, including rice straw rope and string and rice paper. LEAF will also act as a base for business development and the marketing and distribution of local products.

(D) Construction Implementation
Our proposed building size is 203 square meters, slightly more than the 175 square meters specified as a starting point for calculations listed in the program. If the budget allows, we propose a two phase construction project. In Phase I, four wings would be built, and computers labs would be put in place instead of sleeping quarters for staff. The main corridor would be designed with 8 feet of clearance in order to be suitable for future possible expansion as a health care facility.
The second phase of implementation would expand the facility by an additional 146 square meters. In Phase II staff sleeping quarters and other miscellaneous rooms would be added.