http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org

Greetings I found the above website and it maybe a good idea to approach them and see if they are available to assist in the design and construction of your School. Below is information that I found about them on their website listed above ..

* This link tells you how to start a project with them: http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/how_to.html

What is the Open Architecture Network?

The Open Architecture Network is an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Here designers of all persuasions can:

• Share their ideas, designs and plans
• View and review designs posted by others
• Collaborate with each other, people in other professions and community leaders to address specific design challenges
• Manage design projects from concept to implementation
• Communicate easily amongst team members
• Protect their intellectual property rights using the Creative Commons "some rights reserved" licensing system and be shielded from unwarranted liability
• Build a more sustainable future

Who is behind this?

The Open Architecture Network is the brainchild of Architecture for Humanity and the designers who volunteer with us and through our local chapters. It grew out of our collective frustration in sharing ideas and trying to work together to address shelter needs after disaster, in informal settlements and in our own communities.

Architecture for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings design services to communities in need. To learn more about our work, please visit our website.

Who else is behind this?

The Open Architecture Network is the result of a yearlong partnership that began in spring 2006 when Architecture for Humanity won the prestigious TED Prize. Each year the TED community honors three individuals who have positively impacted life on this planet. Recipients are granted one wish to change the world. Members of the TED community voluntarily contribute to granting the wish, by offering their resources and talent. Our wish: To build on our success creating opportunities for architects to help communities in crises. We envisioned a truly collaborative online community and gathering place for those dedicated to improving the built environment.

Sun Microsystems, Hot Studio, Creative Commons, AMD and other partners joined Architecture for Humanity in realizing this ambitious undertaking, and at this year's TED conference, together we launched a beta version of the Open Architecture Network: the first site to offer open source architectural plans and blueprints on the web.

Who will the Open Architecture Network serve?

Architects, designers, engineers and anyone else involved in the building trades is welcome to share their ideas on the network - but the network is not just for professionals. Community leaders, nonprofit groups, volunteer organizations, government agencies, technology partners, healthcare workers, educators and others are also invited to collaborate on projects and share their expertise. After all if we're to meaningfully address the challenges of building a sustainable future, we'll need (a lot of) help from people of all walks of life.

What is our goal?

Far from replacing the traditional architect, the goal of the network is to allow designers to work together in a whole new way, a way that enables 5 billion potential clients to access their skills and expertise. The network has a simple mission: to generate not one idea but the hundreds of thousands of design ideas needed to improve living conditions for all.

Let the revolution begin.

--
Jennie

Hello,
My name is Dijana Alickovic. I am an architectural designer who has been involved with various nonprofits such as Architecture For Humanity and Habitat for Humanity. I can offer my architectural skills that include schematics, design, construction documents, and construction administration. Let me know if I can be of any help. Thank you.

Thanks for the post! Is this an organization you are involved in or are you just an excellent researcher?

--
Anna Soper

Great news - we now have to skilled architects who will be helping us on this task! Thanks Dijana and Julianny

--
Anna Soper

The less expensive way to build a school building is using soil-cement. A brick machine cost US$200? and use villagers/parents to provide the labor. The appropriate technology group in your country can help. Maybe even has a machine to loan.

Great!

These two links are great.
We are glad to know about these. I see we have found contacts of two ARCHITECHs and Dijana and Jurlian Jordan.

We may consult the responsibles of those links to ask advise ,but the need of architect is now reached.

Thank you for the contribution.

Thank you Dijana Alickovic

You are welcome to help BCDC to have this plan.

Yes, I agree with you. Soil-Cement is a less expensive way to build a school.
To by bricks machine can be another way of stopping us progressing. In Burundi, there are people who make bricks with good quality, and they sell one brick "not yet sure mesure/square CM??" at a not cost price. If we have 200 USD we can buye may be 5000 bricks ready to be used.

-If prefer to make ours, it will be costy: time to make them, efforts...
-But if we prefer to buye our efforts will be directly investigated in "HOW TO FIND 200USD?"

What do you think?

Hi Jean-Claude,

If each brick is 9 inches long x 3 inches high, so each brick will give you 27 square inches of wall. 5000 bricks will give you 135,000 square inches of wall. This is 937 square feet, or a wall which is about 78 feet long and 12 feet high. If you convert the 78 feet length into 4 walls, with one or two walls being shared with adjacent rooms, this might roughly meet the requirement of bricks for one classroom only.

As mentioned by you, you need US$200 for 5000 bricks. Since this will meet the needs of only one classroom, you will need about US$200 for the bricks for each classroom that you build. Hence, if you build 10 classrooms, you will need US$2000 for bricks alone. In addition to bricks, you will also need $$$ for other works to make the building complete.

You could compare this with the expenses for self-made bricks, which could be a lot cheaper.

The focus must be on how you can keep the expenses low, so that the available funds can meet more critical needs.

Vijai

Hi Vijai,
Thank you for that.
It was just an example based on what Ken said.
I leant a lot from you. But the cises of the bricks are what Burundian's houses are made in. I find this link of Hope University in Burundi show how the schools constructed in such dimension of bricks are better: http://www.hopeafricauniversity.org/index.html

Hi Jean-Claude,

I see that you already have two neighbours willing to help you with the architectural designs of the school building.

When the designs are ready, you will need to execute the construction of the building.

For constructing the building, if bricks are to be used for the walls, you have two options:

option 1 - buy the bricks from people who make the bricks
option 2 - make your own bricks

By using option 2, you will be able to spend less money, and hence your savings will be more, and hence the money that you save can be used for buying other more critical goods required for your project.

I cannot help you with the architectural designs of the building. I can help you only with some suggestions on how you can reduce the expenditure.

With best wishes

Vijai

Great,
This is key advise! and was noted.

Regards

Update:
Drawings for the school building are in progress, thanks to our two dedicated architects Julianny and Dijana.

Please see the attached drawings of the proposed school building and feel free to comment!

--
Anna Soper

Phase-1-sketch.pdf

plans-elevs092109.pdf

The sketch indicates doors and windows facing North and South. There are no openings towards the East or West.

East is where the sun rises, and the rays of the morning sun are good for humans. The rays of the morning sun need to get inside the classrooms.

West is where the sun sets, and the rays of the setting sun are not considered good due to their high infrared content.

Direction of the wind for most parts of the year in that region must be ascertained. Natural air circulation and cross-ventilation in the classrooms are important to keep the needs for artificial ventilation low.

Vijai

Great Vijai!

The link you provided on the climate is great! Do you know of any websites where wind directions can be looked at? It would be very useful to know the wind direction. Thanks!

What do you suggest about windows orientation? (I agree with East facing due to psychological factors. I also agree that the classrooms need to be very well lit during the day because of the humid climate. There cannot be dark corners that mibhg promote all those facts you mentioned: microbes, pathogens, fungi, insects like mosquitoes, etc.

Dijana