Up! Up! And away…

March 9th at 9pm I will fly out and the mission will begin. As a case study for finishing my diploma at FAUP (Porto Architectural School), I've decided to volunteer and join A4A (Architects for Aid) in one of their humanitarian architecture projects. The projected on which I've been assigned is the construction of the LCCU (Lesotho Children Counseling Unit) centre in Lesotho. The building has been halted and an assessment, survey and new proposal and program will be drawn up in order that the building might finish to be built. Once this is completed a second trip will be organized and I'll be overseeing the building on site. The objective of this blog is to keep record of the work that is being done, both for the benefit of the members of A4A in London, FAUP to whom I'll also be reporting, my own record as well as friends and family that might want to know what I'm up to. Please comment on any post that you have an opinion, as this will undoubtedly help me in the completion of my thesis. Disclaimer: The information displayed on this site has not been previously edited or checked by any A4A staff and I'm the sole responsible for it's contents. A4A or any of the other involved organizations are not to be hold responsible on any account for what is published on this blog.

Friday, 11 May 2007

Containers and Lectures…


My day was pretty much divided between these two events.

In the morning I went to check out the delivery of the containers to the old LCCU site. Quite an unbelievable experience! The amount of stuff that was actually in them was unthinkable and some of it pardon me saying so, quite useless, a walking aid (same as used by old people) for a children’s home??? What were people thinking!

But on the other hand it’s nice that so much stuff has been sent out, it will definitely help and furnish the building once it is finished… Just a pity that it has all arrived leaving us with a storage problem, that seems to have no easy solution… We’ll manage no doubt an in a few months stuff will be being moved in to the new building.

I also went on a short visit to the site, only to discover that the men where, as I had asked them to, demolishing the old slabs… It occurred to me that all their work and sweat could be saved, and our work capacity increase, if we could actually organize to have on site a pneumatic-hammer, it would probably do the work in less that a 1/10 of the time! I’ll suggest it to the contractor and hope that he accepts it so that we can carry on with the important task of rebuilding, and not demolishing.

In the afternoon however I had the high point of my day! I manage to go through the lecture without making too much of a fool of myself! I’m sure I did a few mistakes but none that I’m deeply ashamed of!

So all of that went well… Let’s see how the weekend goes! I need to meet the students tomorrow to see if we come up with a solution for Lydia’s house and also on Sunday I’ll be meeting the engineer.

Wish me luck! Goodnight!

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