first pinup

We have been really busy over at UM!

Here are the aerial photos of our site, thanks to google earth:


and site plan we've created:

Today we had our first pinup in studio in order to discuss our concepts, site strategies, and intentions for dealing with mother nature and our limited resources.

We've all been looking to take cues from the traditional Khmer (Cambodian)/Thai/Malay house because it has dealt with the heat and cooling issues relevant to this climate for so many years. The students inside the classrooms were sweating (though not as much as we were!) and we'd like to eliminate their discomfort because air conditioning is neither the solution nor an option. But we're also finding out how we can use their typical, readily availabe materials creatively. Some of the discoveries thus far include casted coconut husk powder, smoked, and therefore hardened, bamboo, and aerated concrete.
We discussed whether the answer is several bar buildings, clusters of smaller buildings, one massive tent like structure, or some combination of these.
A definitive answer is eluding us for the time being (as it always is in the beginning).

Jeff's project is looking into clusters of classroom-sized units:




Rose is looking into taking advantage of the shade from the trees the children naturally gravitate towards:



And Jen and Goldy are trying to create the ever-elusive wind tunnel, using physical principles:




And it's only the beginning...

Our Malaysian teammates are in Cambodia right now and planning to visit the site on Saturday and share their findings with us on Monday morning. Once they've seen it for themselves we will be able to collaborate more fully and see where things are headed.

We'll keep you posted on the results as soon as they return!