Summer is wrapping up and Fall has arrived in Seattle.  It is a busy time and there is a lot to tell – please check out the exciting events and the great projects that AWB is working on.  There is a lot of behind the scenes work making this all happen and we are building AWB into a important design resource for organizations and communities.  One way to help out that is easy and incredibly important is to Become a Supporter. Supporters keep us going and help us continue to our mission to provide an effective, ecologically sensitive and culturally appropriate response to those in need.

Summer Soiree: The AWB-Seattle Summer Soireee was a great success.  The weather was nice, the music was smooth and sublime, the company was fantastic, and over $3,000 was raised to benefit current and future AWB projects.  Thanks to all who made it possible – Anne DeOtte and the Berger Partnership for the graphics and postcard printing, Top Tum Thai for the delicious food, Ambience for the wonderful music, Juan Hernandez for taking pictures, everyone who donated auction items, and all the guests who made it all worth while. THANK YOU !

Carve for A Cause: Pumpkin Carving to Benefit Architects Without Borders – Seattle
When: Thursday October 30th, 5pm to 8pm
Where: Design Within Reach, 1918 First Avenue

We are partnering with the Seattle Architecture Foundation and Design Within Reach to sponsor a pumpkin-carving contest like no other! Individuals ($20 donation) and firms ($350 donation) are encouraged to submit their vegetable masterpieces and be judged by an illustrious panel of local design experts. Come and enjoy some food and wine and see what local designers can do with a good good knife! Carving will not occur during the reception. Please drop off your completed pièce de résistance at Design Within Reach between 2:30pm and 3:30pm on the day of the reception, Thursday, October 30th. All are welcome to attend and vote for the People’s Choice Award. All proceeds will benefit AWB’s current and future projects. See you there carvers, browsers, and jack-o-lantern enthusiasts! http://awb-seattle.org/events/carve-for-a-cause-2008/

Village by Village – Ghana Project Fundraising Event
When: Thursday, Oct. 2nd
Where: Belt Collins (1925 Post Alley)

Save the date for our upcoming Happy Hour fundraising event!  It will be at Belt Collins (1925 Post Alley) at 6pm – on their rooftop deck, if weather allows. Light refreshments and Ghanaian Music provided by members of Ocheami African Dance Company featuring Kofi Anang. Check out his bio and their website: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~ocheami/ .

If you think you might be coming, please let us know at http://crush3r.com/page/cbhoovlyxp so that we can get a headcount for refreshments.  And feel free to spread the news – the more the merrier.

The Ghana team has been researching appropriate building technologies and environmental responses to deal with erosion control in the village of Gboloo Kofi, and two AWB volunteers will be travelling to Ghana late October to implement some of these findings, as well as assess conditions for potential future AWB design projects with Village by Village. Our goal is to raise $2000 for donations to Village by Village and to help offset costs associated with this trip. Any level of donation will be greatly appreciated. And if you can’t make it to the event, but still want to give please donate via our secure website: www.awb-seattle.org

This research will also benefit two other projects we will are gearing up on in Africa – Grafton, Sierre Leone Community Buildings with All as One and Sudan Lost Boys School Compound with the Deng Ater Foundation. Come to the fundraiser for more information on these two projects as well.

SRI LANKA: Grand Opening: Kalapuwa Sri Orphanage

Project Description: The Kalapuwa Sri Project involves the design and documentation of a new orphanage facility located near the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The new facility will more than double the capacity of the existing Sumadra Sri Orphanage, itself a major successful local institution located in the same area. Funding for the construction of the project is provided by Asiana Education Development (AED), a non-profit organization based in Sri Lanka with US Offices in Seattle, WA.

The project is divided into two phases: The Phase 1 portion (recently completed) houses approximately 250 boys ranging in age from 2 to 16 years old in clustered residential cabanas. These cabana clusters are arrayed around a large fresh water lagoon that provides numerous recreational and vocational opportunities. The lagoon itself also serves as a primary part of the site’s water management and drinking water reclamation system. Phase I opened in May, 2008.

Phase II will include a diverse set of additional amenities, including a nursery, an infirmary, educational facilities, kitchen and dining facilities, meeting spaces, and guest quarters to be shared between the two orphanages.

Project Team: There were many volunteers involved over an approximately 2 year period. The AWB team was led by Robert Humble, Ben Dalton, and Evan Bourquard. We also worked closely with Engineers Without Borders, San Francisco chapter, who provided structural and Civil engineering support. In the end, the team put together design development level drawings for 16 building types ranging in size and function. Special thanks also to the Miller|Hull Partnership which donated computer equipment, staff time, and support.

VENTARRON, PERU

The ancient temple of Ventarron is an important discovery of the oldest murals ever discovered in the Americas and what archeologists believe to be a newly discovered civilization. It is also an opportunity for an impoverished community to build infrastructure and create a sustainable means of income and pride in their pueblo.  Community leaders want to use indigenous bamboo to build a museum and an iconic roof structure to protect the temple from the elements. In addition, solar panels will be incorporated into the design and green plumbing practices will be introduced to the entire pueblo. Stephanie Wascha with Studio Three and Molly Cherney with Jones and Jones just returned home from an initial site visit and fact gathering trip to Ventarron. The Ventarron team will meet to kick off schematic design and grant writing this week.

NEW ORLEANS

Rebuild a historic home in New Orleans in October. Seattle developer Kevin Daniels, board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be taking a group of architects and developers to New Orleans October 6-10 to rebuild a historic home. Informational meeting September 23, 5:30, First United Methodist Church.  If you would like to participate, contact Kevin Daniels for dates and more information.

The trip is planned for the first full week in October – the 6th through the 10th.  We will have a short orientation meeting on Sunday the 5th at a local hotel to coordinate transportation and inform all participants of the specifics of our assignments.  We are hoping to work on two homes within the Holy Cross neighborhood as a follow up to the last trip in January.  For more information go here.

COMPETITION

Design for the Children is a collaboration of Fight for the Children, American Institute of Architects: Seattle, and Architecture for Humanity:Seattle. The challenge is to design a pediatric clinic that can be adapted to different sites around East Africa. The goal is to eliminate the thousands of needless adolescent deaths that occur every year from malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and preventable deseases by working with people in villages across East Africa to build clinics that will be locally run. One of the sponsors, Fight for the Children, has experience building pediatric clinics in Africa and has already secured funding for the winning entry. The winning design may also be modified for several more sites. Funding is also in place to build the winning entry, secured from various private donors, and the hope is that the design can be modified for many more future sites.

People of all skill levels, students and professionals alike, are encouraged to participate. There is no entry fee and entrants may work in teams. The competition is international, and they’ve had registrations from over 22 countries since our kick-off on August 14.

The website is www.designforthechildren.org for more info.  If you are interested in teaming up with other AWBers for this competition email: info@designforthechildren.org and put AWB-Seattle team in the subject line.

AWB – Seattle has a new address

Our new home is located at 1205 East Pike Street, Suite 2C, Seattle WA 98122.  Please make a note.