Here is the first update from the Chulalongkorn team.
Thian, Pim, Big, and Non (MIT) talked to Ploy (CASE) yesterday and she seemed very interested in helping us on the bridge project. She is interested in working with us and she even said that she can get some architects and engineers to work on this project.
It was a good two hour talk and we worked out a rough plan as follows.
1. Collect general information (2 months)
Chulalongkorn team would go to the site area to talk to Lam Hin people to get the general information. We will answer the questions of who would mostly from the bridge, a single person or the community as a whole? Would the bridge by any chance create conflicts within the community? and etc.
So basically during this process, we would make sure there are no problems that would be arise from the existence of the bridge.
2. Bridge design (1-2 months)
At this point, architects and engineers would be working with the community in designing the bridge. Since people in the community probably know more about their own area better than outsiders, we would need to work with them to figure out where the bridge should located, what size it should be, what materials should be used, etc.
During this process, we hopefully will get the actual design of the bridge and also find out how much the bridge would actually cost.
We are thinking of getting architecture students from Chula or other universities to do a workshop with CASE in designing a bridge as well. So I would say this would also be a good time for MIT students to come to Thailand to work on the bridge design. Non told me that MIT students will have a fall break during October. So do you think it would be possible to plan some kind workshop between MIT and CASE. Or if October is not a good time, when should it be?
3. Legal Issues (2 weeks)
Because the bridge will be connected the public road, we have to ask permission from the district to build the bridge.
4. Preparation (1 month)
We will try to get people in the community and also Chula students volunteer to help building the bridge. One month should be enough to do the work.
5. Construction; should be during January
We heard that all MIT students have a four weeks off during January. So I think January would be an appropriate time to start building the bridge. Esther told me that she wants to come during January. Tim might be coming as well.
The fund raising process would begin after we get a concrete design of the bridge.
So It would leave us roughly about two months to get the fund before January.
So for MIT students, can you help us answering these questions.
1. Would it be possible to set up an MIT team to come to Thailand to work on this project? If yes, in what form? a class doing a workshop or individuals? Are you interested to come? When would be the appropriate time for you to come to Thailand? According to our rough plan, we think the good time for you to come would be during October (bridge designing process) and January (Bridge building process). But it is still a very rough plan and can still be changed.
2. Non told us about organization at MIT called UROP. Do you think it would be possible to get UROP or other organization (may be private sector) to sponsor this project.
Esther will represent the MIT group. She and Tim were in the group observing Lam Hin during the MIT-Chula workshop, so if you have any further questions, they might be able to answer those.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t be hesitated to make any comment on this blog or contact us via email. From now on, this blog will be the main channel of communication between Chulalongkorn and MIT people, we will keep you update via this site.
For those of you who did not participated in MIT-Chula workshop but would like to help either by providing us human resources or financial resources, you are more than welcome.
Let ‘s make a difference for the Lam Hin community.
Chulalongkorn Team
lamhin.chula@gmail.com
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A Bridge for the Lamhin Community
Who We Are
The Go Lamhin Team is made up of Architecture, Planning and Economics students from MIT and Chulalongkorn University and architects from CASE (Community Architects for Shelter and Environment) who want to make a difference in the Lamhin community in Minburi, Bangkok, Thailand. Go Lamhin is supported by SIGUS.
Why We Are
Lamhin is an agricultural community in northeast Minburi that is separated from major roads by the Lamhin Canal. People in the community are suffering from low and limited income because agricultural products are carried out of the community by hand, over an old wooden footbridge that can only carry the weight of a couple people. Crops often decay in the fields before they can be harvested.
The mission of this project is to build a bridge that can support automobile access to the village. The bridge will allow cars and tractors to get inside community to help people plant, harvest and transport the community’s main source of income. It will create an alternative way for the people to earn money by providing means to commute to downtown Bangkok.
In the long run, the bridge will allow the community to proceed with their plan to form a co-operative to produce and sell fertilizer. As the community earns extra income, the bridge will also facilitate transport of construction materials and machinery that will be used to build better homes and roads within Lamhin.
The mission of this project is to build a bridge that can support automobile access to the village. The bridge will allow cars and tractors to get inside community to help people plant, harvest and transport the community’s main source of income. It will create an alternative way for the people to earn money by providing means to commute to downtown Bangkok.
In the long run, the bridge will allow the community to proceed with their plan to form a co-operative to produce and sell fertilizer. As the community earns extra income, the bridge will also facilitate transport of construction materials and machinery that will be used to build better homes and roads within Lamhin.
3 comments:
MIT has two 4 day weekends in November, though one of them is Thanksgiving weekend, so that seems to be preferable over October. IAP is definitely doable for construction time.
IROP might be better than UROP to tap into for travel funds, like what we did for this past workshop.
It seems like Chula-CASE is doing a lot of the dirty work (why is MIT so inconveniently located across the planet) If that is the case, then I think we can support you with finding funding and skilled manpower.
I'd definitely love to help in whatever way possible! Thanks to the Chula + Non team that went to talk to CASE! I'm really excited for this project!
Do you think there would be enough time if we begin Bridge Designing process on November? That will leave us less than two months before the Building Process.I mean would we need an actual bridge design to write proposal to get the fund? If not, it should be ok. Oh and one more thing, i have to check how long it will take for the Minburi district to approve our proposal of building a bridge. Let 's hope it will not required a long time.
Big
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