21.08.2009
The proyectos page has been (hastily) updated. It’ll at least give you an idea of a few of the things I’ve worked on here. A more formalized update will come at some point…
www.patchesweaver.com
06.08.2009
So in addition to all of the random creative endeavors that I have been partaking in at Kafka, I`ve recently started working on a “real project”. The decision to introduce a pooltable into the multitude of perks that Kafka has to offer has spawned a whole series of projects that must be done in order to accomodate for it… This is good news for the resident architect who is no longer a resident.
The only room in all of Kafka that is suitable for a pooltable is the current downstairs bar. This means that the current bar must be moved into the current lobby/wasted space that is directly next to it.
Morgan (my boss) and I are heading the project. What this basically comes down to is long, vague, and about 70% of the time, unproductive creative ADD brainstorming sessions. We are making progress though… and we have to, he wants to be done by next Saturday.
I will post pictures of all of this in the near future (when the internet cafe that I am using has a card reader that actually works). Anyways, it feels good to once again be covered in construction dust and drafting out CD`s…
16.03.2009
One of the projects of Familias de Esperanza is to build houses for poor families in the pueblos surrounding Antigua. It is unbelievable, the majority of the families that Familias de Esperanza helps do not even own the land that they are living on. They are squatting; and when the government/landowner tells them to move, they have to move.
There are two kinds of houses that the organization builds. One is a fixed house with 2 rooms and the other is a moblile house with 1 room. The mobile houses are able to be dismantled if/when the families are forced to move.
Keep in mind that these “houses” are just rooms with a roof. There is no running water or even a bathroom. However, in most cases its a big improvement compared to what the families had before.
Last Thursday we built the larger 2 room fixed version. The process of construction between the two houses is more or less the same, the only difference is in the foundation, the mobile house uses concrete tiles while the fixed houses use a poured slab.
So here`s the work crew:
Charlie - Team leader. He`s good times. He`s a longterm volunteer and has been working for the organization for over a year. Unfortunately he`ll be leaving in about 3 weeks. This was his 45th house.
Felix. He grows his own coffee (he has a bag of it in his hand). He is always good with the bromas. On the first day, when I was leaving, he said (in Spanish) "Ok, bye... say hi to your sister for me"... There`s alot of this kind of thing that goes on around here...
Pablo - Macho.
These guys are the main workers in the shop. Felix and Pablo have been working for the organization for over 10 years.
Getting ready to drive to the site.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O6LPRdVovs[/youtube]
Charlie giving everybody a rundown of what needs to be done.
Constructing the first corner
Chalk-line
Make sure everything`s square
Second corner
Pablo and Felix getting the roof started
Front of the house. Not sure if Pablo was blinking or if he`s just sleeping.
The amazing thing is that the house went up in only 1 day (not including the poured foundation).
Ok, so as far as design: When I first saw the houses, I felt that there was easily alot of room for improvement. I`d have to admit though, after building one, I came to the conclusion that they are actually designed really well. They`re about as simple/cheap as they can get and can be put together by a bunch of volunteers with no prior experience.
12.03.2009
So I`ve started building houses for familias pobres…
Familias de Esperanza
The shop
The two jigs/workbenches for constructing panels (including 2 completed panels)
The chopsaw. Note that there isn`t one. This is a guide for the circular saw to ensure (+/- 25% of the time) perpendicular cuts
Area for making the concrete footings and floor
Completed footings and floor tiles
Familias de Esperanza is a private organization that has been around since the mid 80`s. Before beginning work, they require that you go on a tour of the surrounding communities that they are helping to educate you on what exactly you are helping to better. The state of some of the schools and living conditions is pretty unbelievable. Some of the schools don`t even have a roof nevermind running water (or books). Tomorrow I will be going on a house visits with a social worker to check in on certain families to see how they are doing. I`m sure it`ll be pretty eye opening…
03.03.2009
So patchesweaver.com has gone public (thanks Marc). You can view the recently published Architectural Record article here:
http://archrecord.construction.com/archrecord2/work/0903/LaidOff.asp
And for those of you that may be new to the site, don`t forget to check the blogroll…
30.01.2009
So I´ve begun to meet architects and other creative professionals. This is a good thing.
Otto´s aunt introduced me to her friend Antonio Prado Cobos (Tono) who is an architect in Guatemala City (thanks Carolina). He has been more than helpful and is constantly introducing me to people. He is a great person to talk to and has alot of very good advice .
At the beginning of the week, Tono took me to the School of Architecture of Universidad Francisco Marroquin. I came at the right time because this was the school´s first “Architecture Week”. He introduced me to his friend Roberto who is the dean of the school. Roberto is very nice and invited me to come back any time during the week. Francisco Marroquin seems like an excellent school and I look forward to visiting again…
I met with Tono again today. He wanted to show me one of the restorations that is currently in progress in Antigua. He took me to the Palace of the Captains General, a very large palace right off of Parque Central. The palace was built in 1549 and has suffered from many earthquakes since. It was a great opportunity to visit the palace since it is not open to the public. Tono explained how he has lived in Guatemala for over 60 years and has not been able to enter into the building until 1 month ago. So yes, it was a great opportunity…
After going the palace, Tono took me to an amazing restaurant for lunch. He told me that changing scenery will be a good thing for me and that I should be excited about living differently and thinking differently.
After lunch, Tono took me to his house in Antigua that he is restoring. He explained that he would like me to come every day to take photos and to supervise what is being done. Not sure if this will be a paying job yet, but either way, it seems like the perfect job while I´m taking spanish classes.
Tono´s house is beautiful. I am really looking forward to spending time there. I will meet him on Monday to talk about what needs to be done.
Clustrmaps