Chapter Projects

Project Summary Reconstruction of sanitation, wells, village wall, community spaces and other infrastructure in tandem with the reconstruction of homes destroyed by flooding in two villages in Sujawal District,the Sindh province of Pakistan. The project was started in January 2011 in the villages of Swaleh Satho Goth Angario and Nodo Baran and completed in July 2011. Architecture for Humanity's Karachi Chapter provided design and construction expertise to Karachi Relief Trust. Number of housing units: 29 (Goth Angario) 12 (Nodo Baran) Additional infrastructure: common court, livestock leveling floor, village periphery wall, elevated water tank, septic tanks, seepage pits, surface tanks, sanitation and water supplies, planting of indigenous trees Beneficiaries: 300 Total grant: $42,000 Read the FINAL REPORT created in July 2011 for more detail. Background In the summer of 2010, many provinces in Pakistan were affected by enormous flooding conditions. The floods caused the death of 1,600 people and some 20 million citizens were displaced by this natural disaster. These devastating floods have had a serious impact on an already vulnerable population. It is estimated that, at one point, one fifth of the country's total land area was underwater. Much of the farming land, housing and infrastructures were completely destroyed, leaving millions of people living in precarious, sub-standard conditions. The population has since struggled with severe food shortages, lack of sanitation and access to clean, drinking water. Funds provided by Architecture for Humanity through a grant from Google addressed this acute issue. View Pakistan Flood Rebuilding Grant Program in a larger map About the Karachi Chapter and the Karachi Relief Trust The Architecture for Humanity Karachi Chapter was organized in the early 2010, right before the flooding took place. Chapter members include architects, engineers and site planners. All chapter members are experienced professionals who have already done extensive reconstruction projects following the 2005 earthquake. The Karachi Relief Trust, based in Karachi as well, is a disaster mananagement voluntary organization that was established in 2007 to provide relief to the people affected in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh by Cyclone Yemyin. In 2008, the organization mobilized to help the victims of the Quetta Earthquake by building shelters for the displaced population. In 2009, the organization assisted the internally displaced people of Swabi by providing relief for certain perishable daily necessities. The Architecture for Humanity Karachi Chapter and the Karachi Relief Trust have been working together since August 2010. Apart from short term relief efforts, the collaborative effort has yielding involvement in rebuilding the built environment of selected flood affected villages. Project Information The grant funding was directly applied to the improvement of two selected villages located in the Sindh Province (Nodo Baran and Goth Angario). These villages were selected because they were severely damaged by the floods. The population lives in deplorable conditions, with minimum or no infrastructure, water or sanitation facilities. Nodo Baran is a community of small-scale fishermen, residing on government owned land. The average income of the villagers is $46 per month. Goth Angario is a village of field workers, with an average monthly income of $69. The village land is owned by the local families and has existed for the last 45 years. Specifically, the project included the building of communal spaces, village boundary and containment, hard/soft landscaping, sanitation infrastructure and water supply improvements as well as design services for housing reconstruction. Peripheral mud walls around the villages were constructed and these walls were supplemented with local shrubs to limit future encroachments. Hard landscaping incorporated the use of indigenous materials, including small flagstone pedestrian pathways and compacted earth for livestock paths. Soft landscaping included various local trees. Communal spaces were central to the overall design and served as social spaces for community interaction and extended family units. These courts were proposed in mud plaster with rice husk finish over compacted earth. The periphery of the courts included a stabilized mud wall constructed of rammed earth technology with stabilized mud, cement and straw plaster finish. With respect to sanitation and water supply, existing hand pumps were converted to electric driven suction pumps (where possible) for filling surface reservoir. Overhead tanks were installed for even water distribution in the homes. Independent elevated storage tanks within the toilets were also installed to improve and regulate water distribution. For sanitation purposes, seepage/soak pits and septic tanks were incorporated to collect soil and waste from the toilets. Effluent from the septic tank discharged into seepage pits through gravity flow. The goal was to involve the local communities to partake in the reconstruction process. Funding Support In order to address reconstruction efforts for the exterior development and sanitation improvements of the villages, funds have come from a coalition of partners including Architecture for Humanity, Google and the Live4Pakistan concert, an online fund raiser developed by Bubbletank and Virgin Unite

Project Name: Fresh Moves Mobile Market >> A proposal for a mobile fresh fruit and produce store, built in a retrofitted city transit bus, to restore urban food access to low income communities. << Project Type: 6) architecture Project Mission/Goal: 4) address humanitarian crises - using a re-purposed city transit bus to serve as a mobile grocery store to Chicago's food deserts. Project Description: Fresh Moves Mobile Market is a proposal for a mobile store, built in a retrofitted city transit bus, to restore urban food access. Fresh Moves Mobile Market will focus on providing fresh fruit and produce. A July 2006 study sheds light on a major facet of community disinvestment in Chicago’s African-American communities: the lack of grocery stores. The study examines the phenomenon of “food deserts," described as “communities with little or no access to grocery stores and quality, nutritious food choices." Roughly one in six Chicago residents lives in a food desert. The report demonstrated statistically significant relationships between food access and diet-related disease, including diabetes and obesity, and premature death. A significant part of the cost and risk in grocery retail lies in real estate. This involves tremendous cost, and is an irreversible decision once made. Minimizing the real estate aspect of the business could reduce start-up costs and lower risk for a new enterprise. Parameters and Design Considerations: - Chicago Transit Authority bus - Four season operation - Green, sustainable and energy efficient technologies (i.e., bio-diesel fuel, solar-powered sound system, reused materials, etc.) - Appropriate shelving, refrigeration and storage for produce - Accessible/universal design - Storage area for packaged pre-ordered produced boxes/bags - Space for income generating signage/advertisements - Easy loading and unloading produce - Space for point of purchase area - Area for educational and promotional materials - Speedy Construction (easily replicated) The Chicago Public Transit Authority has agreed to donate a bus to the project, helping to move forward with scheduling and the budget. Links and Captions: http://www.afh-chicago.org/ Project Details: (Per project detail form) Location: Chicago, Illinois (United States) Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Architecture for Humanity Chicago Chapter Project Architect(s): Architecture for Humanity Chicago Chapter Project Partner(s): Food Desert Action, Good City, Architecture for Humanity Chicago Chapter Year (s): September 2009 - December 2010 Client: Food Desert Action User Client: Chicago residents Number of beneficiaries/users: Chicago's food desert residents Project Phase: concept design / fund-raising Major Funding: Chase Foundation, Polk Brothers, USGBC/Greenbuild, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Boeing, Whitney Young High School, WM Display, EPIC Cost/Cost per unit: TBD Area (if applicable): +/- 400 sq.ft. Structural Engineers: N/A Electrical/Mechanical Engineers: Alan Levin Contractor/Manufacturer: Paul Schribba Additional Consultants: N/A Other: Nominated by: Frederika Zipp

This is a project for the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic ferry Kalakala. Kalakala is built on the hull of San Francisco ferry Peralta, built in 1926, whose superstructure was destroyed in a devistating fire. In 1935, the ship was towed to Seattle for reconstruction. Kalakala (supposedly "Flying Bird" in Chinook jargon) debuted as the world's first Art Deco ferry with a radical streamlined profile and futuristic style. Her form was apparently influenced by Norman Bel Geddes' "Design for Ocean Liner" and executed by her naval architect and an engineer from the young Boeing company. She plied the waters of Puget Sound until the late sixties and was a famous site on the Seattle waterfront. She subsequently served as a floating cannery and was eventually beached in Kodiak, Alaska. Eventually she was refloated after a concerted effort and was returned to the Seattle area. Currently Kalakala is moored on the Tacoma, WA waterfront. She is in a poor state of repair and remains threatened with demolition as a potential "menace to navigation". But the situation is improving! A cadre of volunteers and staff have been working diligently on improvements. She's gotten a new coat of paint for the first time in 35 years! Her distinctive round and arched windows are being repaired or patched. Negotiations are in place with the Coast Guard for improved mooring arrangements and for her to stay at her current location for the foreseeable future. Current needs are for design and execution of a more secure mooring system, site planning and ongoing cleaning, painting and general upkeep of the vessel. Future work could include development of plans for restoration, adaptive reuse and exhibit displays. More information about Kalakala is available at Kalakala.org. The ship is significant for her radical design, being the first use of arc welding on a vessel and having the first radar on a commercial vessel. Kalakala is on the National and State of Washington Historic Registers. Kalakala Foundation is a 502 (c) 3 Private non-profit organization. Update: January snow and wind storms took their toll on Kalakala. She was blown into a derilict vessel, possibly compromising hull plating and temporarily causing a significant list. While despirate efforts are being made to preserve the vessel, the US Coast Guard is pursuing removal and possible demolition of the ship.

On June 10th, 2010 Architecture for Humanity Charleston will launch the chapter’s first open design competition, titled “The HuB.” The goals and objectives of the competition have been developed in direct response to dialogue with various Charleston non-profit organizations. Each group was asked to candidly answer the following questions: (1) If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in Charleston? (2) How is Charleston incomplete? Finish this sentence: “I wish Charleston had_____? (3) What is preventing your organization from reaching more people? In overwhelming fashion, the themes of accessibility, connection and better public transportation emerged out of the responses. Other re-occurring responses included the need for more community meeting space and the availability of affordable commercial space. As a result of the non-profit survey, AFH Charleston developed the competition program, which includes a new light rail system that will provide a connection between Charleston’s downtown peninsula and its surrounding communities. Entrants to the competition are challenged to design the two major components of the new transit system: • The Downtown Transit Hub: The new downtown transit hub is a mixed-use building that will be located within the heart of the Charleston peninsula. The building will provide services for light rail, bus riders, cyclists, pedestrians and will also address the growing need for community meeting space, affordable retail and office space. We have chosen an underused site in a prominent location adjacent to the Charleston City Visitor Center on Meeting Street. The site, which is currently used as a parking lot will be drastically improved by the new development, which will provide the prominence expected at a significant Meeting Street location and will help repair the urban-edge that has been severed by the sites current use. • The Node Transit Station: The node transit station is a prototypical design that will be located at various locations throughout the Charleston Lowcountry. It is a modestly scaled structure that will serve the new light rail system and the existing bus system. The node is a singular design that will occur at multiple sites and will accompany park-and-ride style parking lots. The two designs should collaborate to create a system of cohesive recognizable nodes for users. The HuB is an ideas competition geared towards the generation of innovative thoughts and solutions that will spark debate and help in the advancement of this rich culture. It will occur in a single stage, aimed towards identifying the most appropriate proposal that responds to the competition’s goals and objectives. The HuB Design Competition aims to: • Further research into the development of light rail and future sustainable development in Charleston. • Raise awareness to the needs of our diverse community. • Serve as a tool for exhibiting the power of design and the innovative thoughts and ideas of the emerging generation of designers.