Ponchomi's story – building for safety

Ponchomi previously lived in a mud house. It was a one-room dwelling with thick walls made of a simple mixture of earth and water. Monsoon rains and floods eroded her home, so she had to constantly repair it. She often checked for snakes which like to burrow in the warm earth – a neighbour had died from such a bite. Her outbuilding was barely standing; the bamboo having rotted from rising damp and termite attack.

She dreamed of a house where she could feel safe with her children, a building that would withstand the elements. As a day labourer, her husband didn’t earn enough money to buy the bricks they needed, so they were about to borrow money from a loan shark.

Ponchomi heard about our ‘build for safety’ workshops, which offered an alternative and joined the training. We returned to see what difference it has made. Her family now live in a secure bamboo-frame house. The posts are raised above the damp earth on kaatla (pad foundations), the material is treated to resist termites, cross bracing reinforces the structure and stops it from twisting during storms and seismic activity, the corrugated iron sheet roof is securely tied back into the structure and steel bolts strengthen the primary building joints.

“My house is much stronger now. It will last longer. These are small improvements but they make a big difference.”

— Ponchomi

She invited us in for tea and proudly showed us all the improvements they’ve made. They only borrowed a small sum, and they’ve already paid it back. She’s now dreaming of an extension; a second room for when her children grow up. She feels confident she’ll again be able to use the techniques she learned.

Ponchomi is happy to share her skills. She’s now an advocate in her village for what can be achieved with bamboo, which is often seen as a ‘poor man’s’ material.

Help us train more women to build for safety in Bangladesh. Donate to our training programme.

Visit our project page for more information.

Author: J. Ashbridge

Design is meeting needs

We attended a ‘design quality’ conference for the built environment. One workshop, ‘Winning the hearts and minds’ was summarised as, ‘Engaging the community to obtain a YIMBY instead of a NIMBY (not in my back yard),’ or ‘How to assure you get your design through planning without local opposition’.

This suggests quality design is not a result of quality engagement, but rather, engagement is simply a tool to gain people’s favour (and that we already know what quality design is, so why would we need to learn from those who live and work there?)

What our project with Emmaus St Albans shows is that quality engagement right from the outset is vital for design that does what it’s supposed to do - meet users needs, hopes and dreams.

We began working with homelessness charity Emmaus UK in collaboration with Ryder and CRASH. We led a participatory design process to define the ‘big idea’ for expansion of their building in St Albans. This building is responsible for housing, training and employing 33 formerly homeless people.

Emmaus UK supports over 700 homeless men and women every year, known as companions. The social enterprise arm of Emmaus UK - their shops - recycles or reuses 3,302 tonnes of items. The shops are central to the charity’s success. They provide opportunities for companions to rehabilitate, learn and grow, while supporting the financial sustainability of the charity.

We gained insight into the experience and needs of those using the building - the companions, staff, leadership and trustees through co-design workshops, interviews, focus groups, participatory photography, and most importantly conversations over cups of tea.

A consensus was reached to expand the storage and shop floor space, something that came as a surprise to the Chief Executive, who believed the companions would have chosen to expand the leisure space.

Since the completion of the building, “profitability went up 23%”. The CEO, Tony Ferrier, believes the expanded space and storage has allowed staff to better look after and store items, creating an improved experience for them and for customers.

The St Albans location has added resiliency to the greater Emmaus Hertfordshire branches. One staff member shares,

“It’s taken a bit of pressure off. We have another shop that isn’t doing quite as well. It still means that we’re keeping steady. [It’s] a safety net.”

Our early conversations with companions revealed that there was a fundamental issue with loading furniture and other goods into the shop. There were between 7 and 10 tonnes of furniture going through the front door each year, which caused “havoc” one companion described.

“It’s made a vast improvement on the shop. I could remember one time we were having to lug an item, trying to stack it in there and trying to lift [sofas, king sized beds and stuff like that] past customers without hitting them... trying to get it through that front door, which is not exactly the biggest.”

Friction with customers before the extension led to arguments. This friction was aggravated by the physical and psychological state the companions may be in at any particular time. One companion shared, “a lot of people that come in here they suffer from anxiety, depression… not able to talk to people. When I first moved in here, I had really bad anxiety”.

The new space has gone a long way to address the range of needs for the range of users. As a result of the building “you’re not banging around so much, you’re not trying to dodge customers” and “we don’t have customers diving on us before the furniture’s even been put up”.

Since construction, companions and staff have noticed a range of positive outcomes. Aside from, “it has made life a lot easier” the expanded space has ultimately resulted in:

• Increased safety in the management of stock coming into and out of the shop - greater ease of working

• More opportunities for companions to work and grow

• Fewer mistakes, particularly around merchandising - greater confidence working on the shop floor

• Reduced friction between companions and customers

• A greater sense of place and belonging in the building

• More professional layout of goods

These outcomes are a direct result of brilliant collaboration between companions, staff and customers. The shop has improved financial sustainability for the charity, the shopping experience for customers, and physical and psychological security for companions.

To learn more visit the project page.

Author: N. Ardaiz

Learning through play

Our work with JAAGO Foundation to create a new playground, is more than simply designing a space for recreation. It’s an extension to the classroom. Many studies demonstrate the ways in which play supports children’s learning and development. Roleplay, for example, helps children to develop oral language skills, storytelling and vocabulary. As they pretend play, they are learning the semantics of language and developing their writing skills.

In Bangladesh, ‘jatra’ or theatre, is an important part of the culture that incorporates singing, dancing, roleplay and dramatic monologues. Jatra is often used to pass down stories about history and religion, and serves as a valuable tool to help children develop literacy skills.

“At the beginning, there was no technology and no radio, at those times people in villages would organise a get together and bring other people to learn more about religion and history.”

— Azit Roy, famous Jatra performer in northwest Bangladesh

We chatted with students from JAAGO school to hear more about the games they enjoy. 11-year old Utti* loves to play ‘kana machi’ (blind fly), an outdoor game where one team runs around a blindfolded player - the blind fly - whilst the others try to evade capture. Once the kana machi has successfully caught another player, the participants sing ‘kana machi bobo jake pabo taka cho’ (blind fly flying with bobo anyone I find I touch) and the captured player takes their place.

Having dedicated outdoor space at school, for storytelling and games such as kana machi, supports students to build both academic and non-academic skills. It paves the way for children to be positive contributors to society.

“Outdoor play offers something unique that either cannot be achieved, or is more difficult to achieve in indoor play.”

— The SAGE Handbook of Outdoor Play and Learning, 2017

Play also has significant benefits for numerical development and there is a wealth of research that demonstrates how play provides children with a strong foundation for future mathematical understanding. Playing with basic equipment such as water and sand encourages logical mathematical rationale, scientific reasoning, and cognitive problem solving. While playing with building blocks strengthens children’s ability to categorise geometric shapes and compose larger shapes with smaller shapes.

Sadly, many children in Bangladesh don’t get the chance to play at school or at home, as academic studies and helping with the housework often take precedent, and many schools don’t have access to playgrounds. Play is not seen as a priority.

We understand the importance of play for children’s learning and development, and have designed JAAGO playspace with this in mind. A creative wall will provide a space for students to engage with shapes, and colours, and create music together - aiding sensory development and sequential understanding. A circular theatre will act as a stage for students to perform jatra, develop their creative writing skills and vocabulary. There will be spaces for reflection and areas for challenge, where students will need to negotiate their environment, building coordination and orientation skills.

“I really enjoy listening to storytelling and I learn it from my parents and teacher. We sometimes do storytelling at school and I enjoy it. I like to tell stories about fairy tales.”

— Student

Play is not a 'nice to have', it's a child's basic right that leads to significant educational progression. The new playground will support students on their educational journey as they continue into adulthood.

Read more about the project

Author: C. Taylor

(*name changed)