Outline:

Paraa in collaboration with EMK Centre, Leedo and Ghorami.JON is launching its intensive ten-day Design – Build Bamboo workshop based in Dhaka. The workshop will primarily focus on experimenting with design and learning about bamboo as an architectural material and its possibilities.

The workshop will be divided into two parts:

• Structured series of presentations and lectures lead by renowned national experts, artisans and architects which will focus on the following topics:
• bamboo as a natural resource,
• the methods of growing and culturing bamboo,
• bamboo in product design and crafts,
• bamboo as the next generation building material
• methods of treating bamboo
• participatory design approach and its importance
• Strategic planning incorporating entrepreneurial thinking

• Design – build series where participants will be working together to design a public play space. To enroll in hands-on workshops guided by skilled experts on bamboo construction and get the opportunity to build their ideas.

Benefits for participants:

Participants will receive:

• Training under skilled professionals and mentored throughout the process
• A scope to be involved in hands on bamboo building construction
• A scope to experience project coordination and management at a small scale
• Food and drinks throughout
• Access to work at Paraa’s studio space
• use of all relevant resources and reading materials at Paraa and Ghorami.Jon
• Selective reading materials from Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
• Opportunity to attend and participate in lectures, workshops and seminars organized by Paraa and Ghorami.Jon in future

The ‘public’ play space:

Set within a context which is soon to be engulfed in a dense fabric of concrete jungles, the project aims to act as an urban breathing space, serving not only to the immediate surrounding community but to all those within Dhaka. The project challenge is also to design a method of revenue generation through functions of play and recreation.

The primary user group of this space is comprised of vulnerable urban children.  What adds to the complexity is that this space is to be designed also for public use over certain periods of time, to generate revenue, social interaction and knowledge exchange. Participants will be encouraged to think of an experiential urban platform of learning and sharing among children, the surrounding community and visitors from within Dhaka or otherwise, which embodies an environment conscious design.

The design of the play space is to incorporate the following crucial aspects and beyond

• child friendly design ideas,
• low building and maintenance cost,
• designing and building through participation,
• economic sustainability of the project,
• designing to reduce environmental pollution,
• methods of thermal cooling in urban public spaces,
• earthquake resilience,
• creative methods of resource collection

Existing site plan / images will be sent to successful participants

Decision making team in the final design before execution:

The users of the space; namely the children and the community along with invited guests, academics and experts.

Eligibility:

This workshop is limited to 20 people. Please take into consideration this is an intense series, and will require your full time dedication and that places are limited. We expect there will be a big response, and sadly, this time we will have to reject some applications.  At the same time, we encourage everyone to apply, and we will do our best to ensure that those most excited and willing to commit to the ten days, will be given the opportunity.

The workshop is aimed at current students (in their third year of study and above) and recent graduates (with a graduation in the past 3 years) of architecture and other related disciplines.

 Registration is open to all individuals and there is no need to apply through groups.

To register each individual must submit the following information:

• Full name
• Contact information (email id and contact number)
• A copy of a valid I.D. card( student card, national I.D card)
• A short piece of writing ( 150- 200 words ) on why you would like to participate, your initial responsetowards the project, especially the role of design in social projects, and what you hope to gain from this workshop

Registration Deadline and Fees:

Before registering, please look at the timeline on the following page to make sure you are able to be present throughout.

We have included a token payment for each successful participant of 5000 BDT, this will be payable upon confirmation of place. To contribute towards the costs of course materials and administration.

Usually, such workshops can cost upwards of 15,000 BDT as it is also a construction workshop, there will be lots of additional support required.

Please note we will be happy to consider those in financial hardships to make contributions towards the fee, this will be on an individual basis.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: 20^th MARCH 2017 ( 4000 BDT ) 20% discount.

FINAL REGISTRATION: Midnight, 25^th MARCH 2017 ( 5000 BDT )

Register here: www.paraa.org.uk/bamboo

Timeline:
Dates are subject to change in case of emergency.
More detailed times will be released to participants.

Workshop launch:                                                 09 March 2017 (Thursday)

Early bird registration:                                        20 March 2017 (Monday)

Registration closes:                                      25 March 2017 (Saturday)

Announcement of shortlisted participants:   27 March 2017 (Monday)

Workshop one:                                                      29 March 2017 (Weds)

Workshop two:                                                      30 March 2017 (Thursday)

Design launch:                                                       04 April 2017 (Tuesday)

Design development:                                           05 April 2017 (Wednesday)

Submission (Jury):                                       06 April 2017 (Thursday)

Design detailing:                                                    07 April 2017 (Friday)

Site preparation:                                                   08 April 2017 (Saturday)

On site implementation:                                      09 April – 13 April 2017

Public opening of space:                            16April 2017 (Sunday)

EMK CENTER
Created in 2012 through a partnership between the Liberation War Museum and the American Center of U.S. Embassy Dhaka, the EMK Center is a non-partisan platform committed to open dialogue, informed action, individual and artistic expression, and personal and professional development. We define public service as service on behalf of the people – by anyone, anywhere, anytime.

For more information, http://www.emk.com.bd/

LEEDO

Local Education and Economic Development Organization – LEEDO – is a nonprofit organization established in Bangladesh (2000). To improve the lives of vulnerable urban children, especially those living on streets in critical areas, LEEDO field volunteers work to offer them with choices within their environment and assist them to make significant decisions by building trust. LEEDO primarily works with volunteers, running SHETU, a Transition Shelter (with Muslim Charity UK) in Babubazaar and a recently built Peace Shelter at Bosila, near Mohammdpur.

For more information, http://www.streetchildrenleedobd.org/

GHORAMI.JON

Ghorami is the Bangla word for grassroots architects and builders of indigenous structures for rural people. Founded in 2012, Ghorami.Jon was constituted with a vision to exercise the ideologies of appropriate technology in architecture; by exploring its applications both locally and globally. To the team, architecture is not merely an objectified entity, rather it is a system which is profoundly influenced by both nature and human induced variables. Integration of various ecological and biophilic factors with human habitation is what drives us most. We strive for synergetic amalgamation between ecology and appropriate technology.

For more information, https://www.facebook.com/ghorami.jon/

PARAA

Paraa is an architectural studio, focusing on enhancing spaces for communities in Bangladesh through multi-disciplinary practice. It has a clear set of values underpinned with critical research and methods that engage and encourages collaborations.

For more information, www.paraa.org.uk/