Chautara - The transformation of the school grounds

CHAUTARA: THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SCHOOL GROUNDS Master Dissertation Project Reconstruction of schools in Nepal

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent International Master of Science in Architecture Academic promotor: Ignaas Back Academic year: 2018-2019

All rights reserved under International Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or specific copyright owners. Š 2019 LUDMILA ANDREOLI PAREKH Contact: ludmila.andreoli@gmail.com KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent Belgium International Master of Science in Architecture: Resilient and Sustainable Strategies Master Dissertation Author BArch. Ludmila Andreoli Parekh Academic promotor Ir.- Architect Ignaas Back Academic year 2018-2019 Publication June 2019

KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent. www.arch.kuleuven.be www.internationalmasterofarchitecture.be

Chautara The transformation of the School Grounds Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Studio: ‘on Continuity and Identity’ limited resources Framework: Rebuilding the schools in Nepal - CEPP Team: Ir.-Arch Ignaas Back, MArch. Klaas Vanslembrouck, Dr. Hilde Bouchez, Dr. Tom Callebaut

TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION 15

Reconstruction after a natural disaster Basic facts on school reconstruction Coping process

ACTION RESEARCH

THEORETICAL RESEARCH

45

The outdoors as part of the curriculum The significance of participation Learning landscapes Space dispositions

CHAUTARA - DESIGN PROCESS

22

Workshop week in Nepal The trip to the villages Thadi Khola The school grounds

53

Meaning and history Creating impact Area of intervention Proposed strategies Zoning plan / Sustainable strategies Case studies and inspirations

CHAUTARA - DESIGN STRATEGIES

63

Program

Site Plan Section

Phases

CONCLUSION 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY 80 APPENDIX 82

PREFACE

I consider this opportunity of working on a real setting like the reconstruction of schools in remote rural villages of Nepal, a unique experience to develop my path as a professional, to contribute to society and to open my mind and eyes to communities under stress and transformation in a non-western world.

This experience enabled me to research further the topic of sustainability and education. I believe that this topic is the way to consciously help with climate change and regenerate our already degraded mother earth.

I would like to thank the Academic Promotor, Ignaas Back, and the team: Hilde Bouchez, Tom Callebout and Klaas Vanslembrouck for having inspirational projects around the world and to bring their experiences, knowledge and overview to the table, helping me to develop this Masters dissertation project.

I would like to also thank CEPP for the workshop days in Nepal, and specially to Mr. Teeka R. Bhattarai, who gave us an introduction and updated situation of the schools; Michael Rai for communication after the workshop, and the translator of my group, Dristy Shrestha, without whom it would have been impossible to fully understand the community of Thadi Khola.

Finally, I cannot forget my family and friends who supported me through out the process, encouraging me, funding me, and working with me; without them it would have been a “mission impossible�.

I hope that my project serves as an inspiration for future projects in a similar context and to the community of rural villages going through a transformation like the school grounds at Thadi Khola.

Fig. 1: Thadi Khola School Farewell. Image by author.

ABSTRACT

Children in the villages spend 30 hours per week in school. The school grounds offer hope, and it may be the last opportunity to reconnect children with nature and create a future generation that preserves and values the natural world.

Books about educational systems, design guides for the school playgrounds and papers on learning through landscapes show that regular interaction with nearby nature during childhood develops the formation of bonding and positive attitudes towards the natural environment, believing that if children don’t develop a sense of respect and caring for the natural environment while young, they run the risk of never developing such attitudes later on in life.1

The traditional school system does not include outdoor learning as part of the curriculum. The outdoor space, more communly refered as a playground, is a hidden but important part of the curriculum, described as an informal curriculum2, but only used during break time. As the playing, creating, and learning in the outdoors are so important for the depevelopment of the individual, it should be included as part of the formal curriculum. At least one day of the week, young students of primary and secondary schools should be outside of the classroom.

Our education system, needs to be adapted to our time, no matter where and in what climate. We need to re-think the amount of time dedicated to classes in the indoor environment and open up the door for exploration, discoveries, and the power of the children’s imagination through the natural environment; a space that is the center of communities perhaps, where change take place.

Chautara: the transformation of the school grounds project is the approach that I contribute to the process of transforming the schools grounds in the center of the community, changing the way education is viewed today through a more holistic lens and sustainable strategies. I aim to create the blueprint for a pilot project in Thadi Khola, that can also be implemented in other schools grounds.

1 Randy White, Young Children’s Relationship with Nature: Its Importance to Children’s Development & the Earth’s Future (School grounds offer hope) pg 3.

2 Wendy Titman, Special Places; Special People The hidden curriculum of school grounds pg 91.

“the best door is the outdoors� (unknown)

Fig. 2: Girls from the school playing with little cones from a tree. Image by author.

INTRODUCTION

Reconstruction after a natural disaster On the 25th of April 2015, Nepal was struck by the Gorkha Earthquake. According to the report from The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)3 almost 50% of the country was damaged.

Even though Nepal received help from all over the world, it will take years to recover all the damage, if not decades, to rebuild and restore what today is in ruins.

CHINA Epicentre 25 April 2015 7.5 Magnitude Epicentre 12 May 2015 7.4 Magnitude MT. EVEREST Kathmandu

INDIA

Fault Line

Fig 3 and 4: Topographic Map and Globe image from wikipedia. Globe and Map edited by author.

3

House Recovering and Reconstruction Platform, 18 Moderately Affected Districts pg 4.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

15

Basic facts on school reconstruction The newspaper, Kathmandu Post4, published an annoucement that the government would complete the rebuilding of all damaged school buildings by the fiscal year 2019-20, but it may run out of budget before finishing the construction.

As seen in fig. 5, there is still 16% of schools that are pending starting construction, and the other 84% are passing through a process of transformation.

Reconstruction Schedule andand Intent Reconstruction Schedule Intent Increase

Decrease

Total

0 910 -1000

398 1772

-2000

-3000 4476

on r de cti Un stru n co

for n ted ctio c u le Se nstr o c e r

t no ols hed o c Sch rea t ye

-4000

-5000

-6000

-7000

ed tal To stroy e d

tal To uilt e r b

-8000 -7923 -9000 Fig. 5: Chart showing the “Factsheet� found at the newspaper publication4.

4

Binod Ghimire, School reconstruction faces a huge funding gap of Rs27 billion Thousands of children will be studying in makeshift structures

for a few more years, April 22nd, 2019, http://bit.ly/2XCTAct. 16

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

As seen in fig 6, The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) identified 32 districts as earthquake affected, across five different categories of impact.

The region I visited is located in Makwanpur, as pointed with a black dot in the Fig. 6, it was qualified as Crisis Hit, together with Kathmandu Bhaktapur and tree others.

Fig. 6: Map showing the 32 districts affected by the earthquake in 2015. House Recovering and Reconstruction Platform, 18 Moderately Affected Districts pg 4.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

17

The earthquake of April and May 2015, has left a big impact in the lives of the Nepali people and flattened many of their historic symbols.

The two important squares, Durbar square in Kathmandu and Durbar square in Patan, as seen in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 respectively, both UNESCO world heritage sites and important for the local communities and for the touristm activities, are going through the process of reconstruction.

Fig. 7: Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, reconstruction of its historic buildings. Image by author.

Fig. 8: View of Patan’s Durbar Square across from the entrance of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT). Image by author.

5 Dr. Rohit Ranjitkar, “Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust - KVPT,” interview by the author, Patan, Nepal, February 11, 2019.

18

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

In an interview5 with the Architect responsible for the restoration of the Durbar square in Patan, at his office, he revealed that it is not viable to follow Nepal’s building code on how to build a resilient building using reinforcement steel bars and conccrete and at the same time follow the rules of UNESCO to re-construct heritage buildings using the same materials as they were constructed before and using ancient techniques. Mud mortar is not in use anymore and the engineers cannot calculate the value of its resistance to prove that it would be earthquake resistant.

The design of the buildings are exactly the same as before they were destroyed.

He reiterates that the key is to performe periodic maintenance and up keep of the buildings to prevent detereoration and avoid a disaster in case of earthquake.

Dr. Ranjitkar, himself, has restored circa 20 houses like the building we were at and states that all were intact during and after the earthquake.

He also explained that in the Nepalese culture people are connected to the building, and ancient buildings are regarded as auspicious for being sacred, therefore you cannot repair those buildings, but in fact need to replace them.5

Most of the public structures such as health centers and schools did not receive priority in the process of remediation after the earthquake.

Schools were the most negatively affected service in the quake hit areas, accordingly to this studio’s framework on re-construction of school buildings and the revitalizing of the schooling process in the Raigaun area as a whole.

Fig. 9: Shows the extent of the damage on the north facade of one of the compromised School Buildings in Thadi Khola. Image by author.

As shown in the fig. 9 and fig. 10 the schools in the rural village of Nepal are undergoing re-construction and the schoolgrounds are in a process of transformation.

The building design is a prototype proposed by the Federal governement and it is applied to all regions. The prototype follows the earthquake resistant building standards and the material and workforce are provided by the government.

Fig. 10: Demonstrates the process of re-construction of Thadi Khola school building that collapsed after the earthquake. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

19

Coping process The damage of the earthquake is still visible today. Over 8.800 people died and hundreds of thousands of houses, monuments, and public buildings collapsed.

To increase awareness among the local communities and to motivate them to construct their own safe house and environment, the government and smaller organisations started to immediately inform and educate the population on how to better maintain their houses, and how to employ resilient construction techniques.

One such information session was held in Sangachok VDC (Village Development Commitee), Sindhupalchok as shown in fig. 11 and fig. 12. A community theater teaches the importance of earthquake resilient buildings, showing the importance of horizontal bands all around the building to prevent the building from collapsing.

Fig. 11: Drama by local theater troupe spreading knowledge on basics of safe construction . Image extracted from a video in the website of the organization Build Change https://www. buildchange.org/locations/nepal/.

Fig. 12: Large and enthusiastic audiences learning from theater performances, in Sangachok VDC, Sindhupalchok. Image extracted from a video in the website of the organization Build Change https://www.buildchange.org/locations/nepal/.

20

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Another way of coping is through community gathering and exchange earthquake related information with victms and close the feedback loop by connecting citizens needing assistance with different organizations that could provide relief is very important for the healing and reconstruction process, like the one shown in fig. 13.

The process empowers the local residents to move foward for the reconstruction of their own houses and communities.

Fig. 13: Large group exchanging and sharing information about their communities re-construction. Image by: Sara Rodriguez, Accountability Lab Resident in Nepal http:// www.accountabilitylab.org/1420-2/.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

21

ACTION RESEARCH Workshop week in Nepal What I experienced...

Arrivng in Kathmandu few days before the workshop introduction was a great strategy to get rested from the long trip from Ghent, Belgium to adapt to the time zone, to the weather and get to know more about Nepalese food, culture, habits and culture.

Workshop Introduction Our day of information started with a lecture by Mr. Teeka Bhattari. He is a freelance, Educational Activist who studied Biodiversity in Ghent, and Education Studies in Leuven, Belgium. It was his idea to invite the Architecture Department to go with students to Nepal to study how architecture can help the reconstruction process of schools in a more effective and efficient way.

Fig. 15: Orographic Rainfall of the Himalayas, author unknown, https://w w w.quora.com/ What-is-the-distribution-oforographic-rainfall-in-India

Nepal is a diverse country in so many ways: geographically, climate, architecture, religion, food, and culture in general. An exemple of the diverse topography can be seen in fig. 14.

- The Hymalayas have the important role of bringing monsoons to India, without which India would be a desert with a severe winter when the cold air masses come from Central Asia.

Interesting fact about the Himalayas, besides having the highest mountain on Earth: - The mountains prevent the monsoon clouds from crossing the range and that is why the other side is a like a desert.

High Himalaya (2.500-8.848 m) High Mountain (2.000-2.500 m) Middle Mountain (700-2.000 m) Sivalik foothills (300 - 700 m) Tarai Nepali (< 300 m)

Fig. 14: Map edited by author. Map of Physiographic zones of Nepal. Joshi, Bal & Gauchan, Devendra (November 2017). Chapter I. Crop Biodiversity in Nepal.

22

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Nepalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population of over 30 million people has the characteristics of being hard working, loyal, and animists.

Politically, they struggle for alignment after hundreds of years having a Monarchy as a government system, that was abolished in 2008. Today, the system of government is a Federal Democracy.

Nepal is famous for their soldiers, called Gorkhas, who fought in many wars and conflicts around the world, receiving awards for their bravery.

It is so diverse that on one hand you can see child marriage and on the other hand you see women in the army; they are real fighters.

Economically, agriculture is the main activity in the mountains and the plains. The land is one of the assets of Nepal. 80% of the population lives in rural areas. The rivers are very important resource for agriculture and to generate electricity.

Tourism used to be very important economic activity for Nepal. Now, new generations are going to work for other countries, like India, Korea, the USA, bringing money to the country to help their families, principally to the rural villages.

Nepal is located between India, to the south and China to the North, and we can see clear the mixed styles in Nepali food. You can find all kinds of noodle, dumplings, but also a lot of the food prepared in a tandoori and curry sauce, typical of Indian cuisine.

In terms of religion, they are mostly Hindu, but we see a lot of Buddhist representation as well.

An interesting fact is that Nepal follows another calendar, the Bikram Sambat calendar. The current Year in Nepal is 2076. Nepali Calendar is approximately 56 years and 8 and months ahead of the Gregorian Calendar or AD.

Fig. 16: Collage diversity in Nepal: Mountains x Terai; Newari Architecture in Patan x Vernacular rural houses; Bagmati river in the city x in a rural setting; Peti, resting area in the city x Chautara, resting area in the countryside. Images by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

23

Towards a holistic education The governement has been implementing only one typology of school building in all affected areas by the 2015 earthquake, without studying the climate and topography of each region. Therefore, the classrooms can be found without thermal confort and missing natural light and ventilation.

The second big question was about the school facilities, such as toilets, libraries and food. The third one was about the greenery around the schools. Other important question was about adding walls surrounding the schools, dividing community and school spaces. All the points are showned in this scheme below.

Mr. Teeka, coordinator of the Centre for Educational Policies and Practices (CEPP) explained about the work that his organization has been doing in the villages of the Raigaun region in Nepal where de average of school attendance is 59%. Around 50 schools are receiving support, stimulating teachers to come to work, parents and communities to send their children to school and support the teachers to increase the school attendance.

Fig. 18: The scheme shows the school building delivered by the government and all the other missing facilities of the school grounds. Scheme by author.

The involvement of the community, students, school professionals, the organization and designers is essencial for the design to succeed.

Fig. 17: The graphic shows the attendance of school for Faparbari Village Development Committee. https://nepalmap.org/profiles/ vdc-1007-faparbari/. Graphic edited by author.

One of Mr. Teekaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big question is about the design of the schools: whether the design can help to change the reality of today and transform the school grounds to a more attractive place for the students, parents and school professionals; a place that estimulates creativity, education and culture.

24

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

The trip to the villages I was very excited the morning we got into our jeeps from Kathmandu to go towards the villages, as described in fig 21.

The group of around 20 students from Architecture and Interior Architecture was allocated to different villages.

The villages names were given the day before the trip at the Workshop introduction by Mr. Teeka.

Before reaching the our respective villages we all stopped in Kalidevi Primary School to visit the progress of the construction of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Post-School prototypeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; created few semesters back.

Fig. 19: The view from the road of the middle hills on the way to th villages. Image by author.

The journey going through the middle hills is represented by narrow roads in some parts, still in construction in others. We were able to experience all terrains, mud, river, asphalt.

There was a strange familiarity with the place, while we were on the road going through the middle hills, seeing valleys from the top, passing through them, as shown in fig. 19. I thought it was because my familiarity with the indian culture. But, later it came to me as a flash, I thought I was back in Switzerland going up and down throgh the Swiss alps. There is a similiarity on how the constructions on the middle hills of Nepal are with the ones on the Swiss mountains, as seen in fig. 20.

The roof tiles in Switzerland are normally made from stone tiles, that is what used to be in Nepal. Nowadays, the practicity substitute the local material, stone, to corrugated metal sheet roofing panels.

Fig. 20: The view from the road driving around La Forclaz in the Swiss Apls. Image by Brooke Bagan.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

25

1

Kalidevi Hetauda

26

1

100 Km distance from Kathmandu to Kalidevi Primary School, Chapp

2

50 Km distance from Kalidevi to Thadi Khola Primary and Secondary School, Faparbari

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Kathmandu

2 Thadi Khola

Fig. 21: The route by jeep from Katmandu to Kalidevi Primary school and from Kalidevi to Thadi Khola Primary and Secondary School.

Image from Š Google Earth Pro Image 2018 edited by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

27

The prototype Arriving in Chapp, at the Kalidevi Primary School construction site, we were shown the prototype of “The Ideal School”. This was created by the students in the previous semesters and supervised by the Studio ‘On Continuity and Identity’, studio that focus on projects in areas with limited resources. The construction started in 2018. The group that stayed in this village gave continuity to the construction.

The four structural walls, seen in fig. 22, symbolize the four elements essential to life: air, water, fire and earth.

They are constructed with a technique called plum concrete wall.

This type of construction is earthquake resistant and gives the feeling of safety for children, teachers and parents that are going to use the building. Since the earthquake, there is a prevalent belief that concrete is the safest material for construction; the governament and people trust in it much more than the vernacular techniques of construction using stones, wood and earth as materials.

Fire Air

Water

Earth

Fig. 22: The photo is showing the prototype construction that is in progress. The plinth, the four structural walls and the column are in place, the roof structure was added during the workshop week. Image by author.

28

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

The plum wall It is interesting to see that inside of the structure of each wall is formed of maximum of 20% to 30% of plum stones and cement, as shown in the scheme, fig.24.

This was the first time I have seen this technique being applied on a wall construction, fig. 23, as normally the construction using plum concrete are used for foundation or footing. Using this type of technique helps to diminish the quantity of concrete used in the construction.

The concept for the walls, the four primary elements essential for life, was explained by the Architect Wart Thys, a member of the construction team. For the Hinduism and Buddhism the elements characterise the sensory qualities: earth as solidity, water as fluidity, fire as temperature, and mobility as air.

Bigger stones (max 20-30% of the total vol.)

Concrete

Footing Fig. 24: Scheme Fig. 23 and Fig 24: The plum concrete wall and the scheme showing how it is constructed. Images by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

29

Thadi Khola The village I stayed with my group is south of Kathmandu Valley and located 50 Km from the city of Hetauda, capital of Makwanpur district, as shown in fig. 25. It is in Hetauda where all the hospitals, schools, parks and shops are located. The village is part of the Village development committee of Faparbari, as shown in fig. 26 (For coordinates location: 27°21’37.2”N 85°22’54.1”E).

Hetauda

Thadi Khola

The meaning of the village name is Thadi: Straight and Khola: River. The village is surronded by hilly forests, agriculture fields and cut by the Bagmati river.

Fig. 25: Map showing the distance between Thadi Khola to the closest city. Image by GoogleMaps edited by author.

Betini

Thadi Khola Ba gm ati Riv er

Fig. 26: Satelite view of Faparbari, showing the location of Thadi Khola village. Image by © Google Images 2018 edited by author.

30

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

2009

2001

2017

2012

Fig. 27: Satelite view showing Thadi Khola school grounds progress 2001-2017. Image by Š Google Images 2018 edited by author.

The school building used to be 1 Km north east from the actual location, around 20 years ago.

Subsequently two expansions built by the government brought two more buildings with classrooms.

Three buildings with classrooms, library and a toilet separate where constructed first.

After the earthquake, one building collapsed and two others are compromised, and a temporary shed for classrooms was built.

620 m 398 m

369 m

320 m

385 m Fig. 28: Satelite view showing Thadi Khola village and the elevation of its hills. Image by Š Google Images 2018 edited by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

31

Reception The people in the village were anxiously waiting for us. It was evening already, and after the whole day of travelling we were exhausted. They showed us where to go to be accomodated for the next few days. We stayed on the school grounds, in the library room.

First, after we arrived, they offered us dinner. That was my first time eating Dal Bhat (lentils and rice), their traditional meal. The warmth from the people is an incredible feeling.

The next day we woke up early and the sun was shining.

The landscape was absolutely beautiful. The view of the rice terraces, as shown on fig. 29, was captured on the way to one of the school teachers place, where we had tea before heading to our morning meal at our hosts house.

Fig. 29: Photo showing the rice fields. Image by author.

32

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

The weather in this region has very mild temperature ranges from its low around 3°C for the coldest night in the winter to its high of almost 40°C during the summer for the hottest day. It rains throughout the year, and the highest peak of precipitation happens during the monsoon season, from June to September. The heavy rains can last for days. The annual rainfall is of around 2000 mm of precipitation, as shown on the graphic on fig. 30.

In the winter you can see the tones of brown and yellow, but in the summer one can imagine that the colors can be intense green tones as seen in the satelites view fig. 28.

The other graphic, in fig. 31, shows how sunny it is and the amount of rain this region receives favoring the productivity of the agriculture fields.

Average Temperature and Precipitation

Fig. 30: Graphic showing average temperatures and precipitation in the village region. Image by Meteo blue website https://www. meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate/sami_nepal_7968204

Sunny - Cloudy - Rainy Days

Fig. 31: Graphic showing sunny, partly cloudy, overcast and precipitation days in the village region. Image by Meteo blue website https:// www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate/sami_nepal_7968204 Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

33

Mapping Thadi Khola We went around the village to explore how life is in this particular part of the world.

I felt priviledged to be there, discovering how a majority of the world lives their day to day life.

Forest

Settlements + Agriculture

Fig. 32: Rest point from our village exploration under the tree shade. Image by author.

As seen in fig 32, we stopped to rest under a chautara. The locals explained to us that the school used to be around this area almost 20 years ago.

They moved the school grounds, 1km away, to the area close to the river because there was more land available, as seen in the map fig. 34.

Current School Grounds

We had a great experience wearing Nepaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional clothing at one of the villagers home, as seen in fig. 33.

Normally they use traditional clothes for the festivities.

3 2

1

Main Path 6

4

Fig. 33: Wearing traditional clothes at Sorariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fig. 34: Thadi Khola map - tour around the village, getting to know the villagers life. house. Image by author 34

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Thadi Khola/ Lebari 5

Previous School Grounds

1. Host Family (Ram Kumari and Murali Tumsi Magar 2. Organizer teacher’s home: Sunita 3. Bridge 4. Sorari’s home (Typical clothes) 5. Tea time Parent: Ritu 6. Tea time at Head of the teachers’ home

Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

35

Vegetation and activities in the village As shown on the topographic map, fig. 14, on page 23, Thadi Khola is located within Sivalik foothills region, where the altitude can be from 300m to 700m.

The beautiful landscape is filled with terraced hills, Sal trees, that give hard wood for construction, and coniferous forests, besides those kind of trees, we also found banana trees, see fig. 36, and mango trees, see fig.

35, and my favorite, bougainvilleas trees, fig. 37.

There was some interesting vegetation growing as vines, as shown in fig. 38, they are called Luffa Sponge Gourd tree. The fibrous interious of its fruit can be used as bath or kitchen sponge. The other use for the fibers is as insulation sheet to keep the indoors temperature constant.

The Luffa sponge tree is originally from South Asia, but it grows in any tropical climate.

Fig. 35: Rice field and mango tree to the right. Image by author.

Fig. 37: Bougainvilleas tree in one of the houses. Image by author.

Fig. 36: Banana trees and forest hills in the back. Image by author.

Fig. 38: Sponge Gourd tree on the trail. Image by author.

36

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

The most predominant activity, as in most rural areas around the world, is agriculture. They cultivate crops of rice, soy, wheat, corn, etc on the terraces. The weather is favorable for the growth of all vegetables. The favorable climate is the reason for the inhabitants to stay in this village of Thadi Khola.

Every family has a piece of land where they cultivate their own agriculture. All the family together work year around for they own consumption. Almost every family has their own cattle and poultry that normally they are kept under the house, as shown in fig. 40, or in a rudimentar barn covered with straws, as seen in fig.42, or earth tiles roofing, as fig 41. In same cases, under a corrugated metal sheet.

Fig. 40: The yaks under a family house. Image by author.

The women normally collect water for cooking, cleaning and taking care of the animals.

Our hosts, a couple of senior citizens, had two children, one boy and one girl. Now, their son and daughter are grown up adults and they live and work in the city of Pokhara, Nepal.

They go often to the river for fishing, using a thin cloth as net to collect the fish from the water, like the girl in the fig. 39. This is a traditional way of fishing in Nepal.

Fig. 41: Chicken are kept freely outdoors. Image by author.

Fig. 39: Girls fishing by the river. Image by author.

Fig. 42: Chicken are kept freely outdoors. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

37

Materials used for construction The majority of the building are one floor above the ground. On the ground floor you will find the kitchen and eating areas and on the top floor the bedrooms.

Normally, they have a small varanda with an extended roof for protecting the walls against the rain, like the house of the family seen fig. 44.

Most of the materials are found locally in nature or can be bought from a neighboring village.

I was very impressed with how the ground of almost everyhouse is cleaned and very well maintained, the owners apply a thin layer of clay to sanitize the floor, not only where they have their meals eveyday but also on the varandas, as shown on the host family house, as shown in fig.45.

The vernacular buildings use the traditional techiniques and materials used for centuries, as seen in fig. 43, like: stones, wood, earth for floor and walls, and thatched or earth tiles roofing. Nowadays, the corrugated metal sheets for the roof is also an option.

Fig. 44: Traditional family house in the rural villages. Image by author.

Fig. 43: House made out of stones, wood, mud, and straws for the roof. Image by author.

38

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Fig. 45: Entrance of our hostâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home, the new layer of clay is applied almost everyday to keep the surface clean. Image by author.

The school buildings are constructed with more contemporary materials, such as concrete, steel trusses, corrugated metal sheets and corrugated translucent panels made of polycarbonate, as shown in fig. 46. There is also the use of bricks and stones, as seen in fig. 47.

Most of the modern materials like concrete, bricks and steel come from China or India. The governement department responsible for the schools construction reinforce the need for these materials to improve the quality and resilience of the building to be prepared for a future natural disaster, like another erthquake.

As explained by the Architect Dr. Rohit Ranjitkar interviewed while I was visiting Patan, many of the vernacular buildings that were maintained through the years were strong enough to survive the earthquake.

But since Nepal is dependent economically on China and India, the two â&#x20AC;&#x153;giantsâ&#x20AC;? provide and invest in the cement and steel industries of Nepal, therefore the agents will give preference to using contemporary materials for the school construction.

The use of the two contemporary materials does not prove that the traditional materials are unsafe. The use of the new materials make people be dependent on them instead of looking to get local material for free. The new materials represent a threat to the environment, due to the amount of energy and toxic emissions needed to produce them. Also, since they are fabricated far from these remote areas, they need to be transported to the site, with a high carbon footprint of logisitcs.

Fig. 46: School classroom and its materials. Image by author.

Fig. 47: School constructed on top of a 75cm stone plinth. Image by author.

The new school building is being built with bricks, steelreinforced concrete, and cement. The construction workers use wood and bamboo structures for the form work.

The buildings are always constructed on a plinth elevated 35cm to 75cm above the ground to avoid the water coming inside the constructed spaces during heavy rainy season.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

39

The school grounds The Public school Shree Sita Ni Ma V (Thadi Khola School) is located on valley between the forest hills. It is composed of 4 buildings, constructed in a semi-circle.

Two buildings (Bldg # 7 and Bldg # 8), on the south of the site, are located in a lower countour and the 2 others are located on the top of a hill (Bldg # 1 and Bldg # 2). The last two are going to be demolished, as shown in the plan in fig. 48.

There is a temporary shed (Bldg # 5) and a new school building being built (Bldg # 6), as seen in fig. 49. The temporary school building is going to be dismantled once the construction is completed. The toilet block (Bldg # 3) is buried under the wreckage from the building that collapsed during the 2015 earthquake.

The building # 1 holds the library, the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room and four classrooms. The building # 2 is serving as temporary housing for some teachers that lost their house after the earthquake and are in the process of reconstructing their houses, buildings seen in fig. 51.

The buildings # 7 and # 8 have five classrooms together and they are going to be maintained, fig. 50.

The number of students varies from day to day, but normally around 130 children come to school every day from 10:00 to 16:00 hrs.

8 teachers 8 grades Primary School and Secondary School 270 Students registered (33-34 per class) 130 Students attending (15-20 per class) 9 classrooms (4 in unstable conditions) 1200 - 2000 Inhabitants Languages: Thamang, Nepali

1

1 teacher rm., 1 library, 4 class rms.

2

2 class rms. / temporary housing

3

4 toilets are covered by earth

Unstable buildings:

Temporary buildings:

4

3 toilets

5

1 construction workers

6

New school Building

Talking to teachers and parents, they reported that both, children and teachers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to school on a regular basis. More than half of the students enrolled in the school do not attend classes and absenteeism among teachers is very common.

The students are not motivated enough to go to school, some of them prefer to stay home to help their parents in the house activities. One of the points that make the children not go to school was the lack of play space and play time.

40

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Existing buildings:

7

2 class rooms

8

3 class rooms

Fig. 48: Exisitng school grounds situation plan. Image by author.

2 1

7

8

3 4

6

1

2 5

8

7 Fishing | Grass Harvesting Agriculture Class Games and Sports Path

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

41

Fig. 49: Temporary shed and the new classroom building in construction. Image by author.

Fig. 50: Two classrooms building to be maintained. Image by author.

Fig. 51: The two school buildings that are going to be demolished. Image by author.

42

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

The relationship with the School Grounds Children walk to the school on their own and many of them come from far. For some children, it takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour and a half wallking from their home to school.

The only thing they bring with them are their study books. Everyday the teachers give them homework to do, so everyday they need to take the books back and forth.

The teaching method is very conservative and outdated.

We witnessed, when the children are in the classroom learning languages, the teacher ask them the repeat the words after him. The parents reported that it is common that teachers shout at or punish the students if they are not performing or behaving well.

During the break time they can eat and play outdoors, as shown in figs. 53 and 54.

Fig. 52: Boy walking through one of the paths to reach school in the morning. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

43

Fig. 53: One of the parents preparing snacks for snack time in the middle of a school day. Image by author.

Fig. 54: Playtime during the break, volleyball is one of the favorite sports of the students frequenting the school. Image by author.

44

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

THEORETICAL RESEARCH

The outdoors as part of the curriculum Wendy Titman, points out in her book6 that the school grounds are part of the school and should be included in the curriculum and she defines a ‘ideal’ school grounds.

Titman’s concept of the ‘ideal’ school grounds was multidimensional in nature: it described the grounds broadly as a place for ‘doing’ all kinds of things that offered opportunities for not only physical activities, but also intellectual stimulation, self-reflection, making and developing friendships, exploring and discovering nature and natural phenomena, and develop a deeper understanding and relationship with abstractions of life beyond the rigid curriculum of school. The grounds are places where study and learning about their surroundings and themselves can occur, where the child can appreciate color and beauty, and explore their interests, whether they are in thinking, observation, expression, or physical activity. The ‘ideal’ grounds also foster a sense of ownership, pride, and a sense of belonging; a place where children can be free without feeling vulnerable, where they can take care of the place and feel cared for by their colleagues; a place where they could simply be themselves, recognizing their individuality and their need to have a private persona and for being quiet or with friends.

where the children can be themselves, play and interact with others and be part of something that makes them growl a place that challenges their capacity and learning.

A natural landscape with greenery, natural colors, with different surfaces and places to sit in, on and under or lean against; where they can find shelter and shade. A landscape that provides different levels, equipments constructed by the students themselves with the help of the parents and teachers and materials which can be changed, actually, or in their imagination.

She analyses that where the design of the grounds met at least some of the children’s needs, this was read as a reflection that the school understood and cared about them and their needs.

Discussing case studies of schools projects with parents and teachers, as shown in fig. 55, they both agreed that the most important part of the school to be look at after the construction of the new classrooms is the outdoors for playing and for gardening.

As architects, we tend to focus on the buildings and forget the unbuilt space which is as important as the built volumes. The parents and teachers strongly believe that the outdoors can attract the children back to the school.

When I ask my own daughter (a third-grader) and her friends whether they would want to go to school if they didn’t have to, they unanimously say ‘no’, but when you remind them of their own outdoor space in school (the grounds) where they can play games, run around chasing each other, hide in nooks and corners, be with each other, and learn about themselves and about nature, while playing with ‘gendarmes’ or chasing butterflies, they inevitably change their answer to the positive. This affirms Titman’s observations and reflections about the grounds being an outdoor space surrounded by nature Wendy Titman, Special Places; Special People: The Hidden Curriculum of Shool Grounds”,1994 6

Fig. 55: Presentation and discussion with parents and teachears about schools around the world. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

45

The significance of participation A participatory design process, through co-creation, empathy and iterations is very important for the success of the project results. The whole process can be used with the community to make them an integral part of the design process, in effect, co-creating the design with the architect, agencies, and users.7

Transforming the outdoor space as an environmental amenity and including the use of the grounds for the formal curriculum will enhance and extend opportunities for teaching all the subjects within the traditional curriculum and increase the opportunities for involving children and teachers in doing things in and with the grounds.

Involving the children in the process of the development of the outdoors plan is likely to lead to a more appropriate design of the grounds, and children may have a different attitude towards the school, such as the feeling of ownership and pride.

Fig. 56: The children from school participating in the new fountain construction. Image by author.

Once such small co-creation project was that while we were in the village, my group and I had a wonderful experience constructing a water fountain with the school community participation, as shown in fig. 56.

To create empathy, the basis of co-creation, first, we observed how in the morning they would collect fresh water from the hose located on the school grounds to use for the entire day. The rest of the day the water would not be available.

7 The d.school at Stanford University, Definition of Design Thinking Methodology, 2019.

46

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Fig. 57: Water hose for collection of fresh water. Image by author.

The fountain that used to be located at the school grounds was destroyed when the new one needed to be constructed. Temporarily they were colleting the water from a hose with the help of two reinforcing bars, as seen in fig. 57, to elevated the hose for the women to be able to fill up their water bottles and vessels.

The wreckage from the building that collapsed after the 2015 earthquake covered the toilets and water fountain, preventing us to understand how the water fountain was designed before. We looked around the village to see what is normally the traditional design and how they use it for, and we found the one shown in fig. 58.

We asked them if they would like to redesign that water fountain, and if they would help us to get a small amount of material from the site. They agreed and we started working the next day, as shown in the series of images in fig.

59.

The new fountain can attach the hose to its wall, people can reach for washing themselves and when women are waiting for the bottles and vessels to be filled they can sit and wait.

Fig. 58: Traditional water fountain found in the village. Image by author.

Fig. 59: Image series of the participatory design and construction for a new fountain at the school. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

47

Learning landscapes Blurring the historic cultural distinctions of indoor learning spaces and outdoor play spaces9 we can make the transition from learning exclusively indoors to learn in the outdoors as well.

A survey conduted by Learning through Landscapes and Project Dirt, an education charity from the UK, reported that children taking part of the outdoor classroom day are happier and more engaged to learn after being in the outdoors9.

Fig. 60: Sociology of sitting: benchs at Park Guell, Barcelona. Sketch by Herman Hertzberger, Space and Learning.

Outdoor learning environments are becoming increasingly important aspects of school design around the world. Well designed school grounds help students build confidence through exploration of the natural environment, appreciate and understand natural resources, in turn: respect and protect.

Space dispositions Herman Herztberger cites in his book “Space and Learning: that the school hall is as important as the classrooms surrounding it. At the hall all kinds of intereactions happen. In the rural setting I see the hall as the outdoor space and it is as important as the classroom buildings surrounding it.

The other two main intersting points on his work were his studies about sitting positions and water channels. First, looking through Herman Hertzberger studies about the benches at Park Guell, fig. 60, we learnt that depending on the disposition of the bench people interact or not to each other. Second point was about the rain water channels in his projects, as seen in one example in fig. 61, he defends that when we see the rain water being transported the process inspires us, but when they are hidden, the process tell us nothing of what is going on,. For the school grounds outdoors space is important to think about the interactions and the natural way of water flow and collection and make it part of the project.

Aldo Van Eyck studies10 two kinds of centrality: people look to each other when sitting looking to the center of a circle. But the opposite happens if they look to the outside of the circle. They will look to the horizon - to the landscape.

Fig. 61: Rain water channel, Mosque in Cordoba, by Herman Hertzberger, Lessons for students in Architecture.

Fig. 62: Two kinds of centrality, Sketch by Aldo Van Eyck, Aldo Van Eyck Works.

My research for how the outdoors of the school grounds should be, made me remember the space where I sat with the group while going on a tour throughout the village, where the school grounds used to be.

Overthere there was a “Chautara”.

8 Dr Benjamin Cleveland and Isabella Bower, The next generation of Australian schools, University of Melbourne, November 2018 https:// pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/the-next-generation-of-australian-schools 9 Project Dirt, The impact of outdoor learning and playtime at school and beyond, May 2018 https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/2018/05/17/ not-enough-children-learning-and-playing-outside/ 10 Aldo van Eyck, and Vincent Ligtelijn. Aldo van Eyck, works. Basel: Birkhäuser Verlag 1999.

48

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simplicity is complexity resolved.â&#x20AC;?

Constantin Brancusi

Fig. 63: Chautara located in the village of Thadi Khola on an elevation of 369m high. Image 50

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

and collage by author.r Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

51

Fig. 64: Hamro Chautari, i.e. Beautiful Chautara in nepaleses. Image author unknown. http:// nepalaaja.com/gm/2018/2/201821482119

52

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

CHAUTARA - THE DESIGN PROCESS

Researching for the meaning of this type of resting seated area, I found the names “chautara”, “chautari” and “chautaro”.

What is the meaning of chautara? Chautara is a rest stop found only in the foot trails of rural Nepal. They are usually made by piling stones or concrete to create a platform under the tree12. Normally there is a Banyan or Peepal tree planted to provide shade, sometimes there are both trees planted.

Some trees are very old and the aerial roots droppped from the branches can develop into secondary trunks.

Orchids and many different species of fern make their homes on these old trees. They are likely to be many types of insects in this habitat too.12 Peepal is a Ficus type of tree and a sacred tree indigenous to Nepal. It was under a peepal tree that Gautam Buddha meditated when he achieved nirvana13. Barnyan trees represent “the tree of life” due to their long life span and their ability to purify the air. The holy trees at these sites may sometimes be decorated with thin white string or have a small shrine in amongst the roots and frequently have offerings of red tikka power and flowers placed at the base.

Around them the stone walls form seats, with a higher back for depositing baskets or bags carried. Sometimes farmers carrying a load of vegetables or travelers on their way to a village. At other times, the place is used by the villagers, groups of children, playing around the tree, teenagers or seniors may sit there, chatting and passing the time.

The primary aim of a chautara is to provide a brief rest stop to travelers hiking along the trail. However, in a village, besides providing shade, they also serve as a place for social gatherings, celebrations, talk, play and dance.

The chautara being the center of the school grounds, activates the use of the area by the community after the school hours, making the parents, teachears and students interact, celebrate, discuss initiatives and ideas.

The chautara, is part of the heritage of Nepal and unfortunately with road constructions they are being demolished and excluded complitely from the landscape to give space to automobiles.14 The old generation is teaching the young generation to preserve this legendary feature of the community.

Nepal has a vast network of hiking paths in the hilly rural villages, walking is still the main way of carrying goods or travelling from place to place.

Working as a criss-cross, Chautaras act as connecter, a Chautara in the middle of the school grounds would connect the classroom buildings to the outdoors activities.

Chautari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chautari Blog http://annmarcerinnepal.blogspot.com/2015/09/chautara-resting-places.html 13 Bodhi_Tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree 14 Rastriya S. Samiti, The Himalaian Times, July 11, 2018 https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/haphazard-road-construction-destroyingunique-heritages/ 11 12

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

53

Creating impact For us architects, to create meaningful impact and empower the communities, we need to change the way we think about our work and who it serves. We need a broader concept of design, something that grows from bottom up to transform lives and landscapes.15 Using all the information collected in the visit to Thadi Khola and through research, my aim is to design the outdoors space of the school for this rural remote area of Nepal that passed through a moment of stress and now is in transformation. A project that evokes awareness and knowledge about ecosystems and serve as inspiration to be applied to other schools with the same context, creating a meaning to the school grounds and the community, thinking about the future and rescuing historical symbols of the center of the community.

Design with, not for the community

DESIGN

IMPACT COMMUNITIES

Ther is no design without a visit

Start with one then multiply

Documenting, sharing and measuring

Transform

Design a system, not a thing

Fig. 65: The six design principles. Project H Design Process, by Emily Pillloton, adapted by author.

15

Emily Pilloton, Project H Design Process, October 2010. projecthdesign.org/about.html

54

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

DESIGN MAKING PERMANENT CHANGE

Proposed strategies The ambition of this project is to combine an active outdoors space for learning and relaxing, playing and community gathering with the following features: 1. an ecological water management strategies, collecting rain water, reusing it, and filtering the grey water for irrigation, while enhancing sanitation in the school grounds; 2. a biogas production for cooking, using the black water from the toilets and animal slurry and avoiding deforestation (wood is mainly used for cooking);

3. the use of the reclaimed materials from the buildings that are going to be demolished on the site as building materials for the paths, the toilets, storage room, digester and tanks, to avoid waste; 4. afforestation to create shade to the school buildings, preventing soil erosion, assuring enough water recharge in the ground, bringing biodiversity and reducing rain water runoff. this project serves to bring awareness to the community on how important it is to value the natural resources.

1

School Grounds Reclaimed Materials

Relaxing & Outdoor Education

Play / Sports

Community Gathering

Soil Erosion Control

Shade

Biodiversity

Reduce Runoff

Rain Water Collection

Toilet Flushing / Washing Hands

Playground / Water Trees

Filtering Black and Grey Water

Vegetation / Garden

Water Management

AL USE ONLY

All Rights Reserved (C) Triamant Digital NV 2018

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Fig. 66: Proposed strategies, graphic by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

55

Area of intervention

0

Foreground

School buildings (Government constructed or in construction) School buildings to be demolished School farm Fig. 67: Showing the school grounds foreground, graphic by author.

56

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

10

20

0

10

20

Background

School grounds Design with the existing siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecological features in mind, using sustainable strategies and materials Water as a resource not a waste Treat waste as a resource Fig. 68: Showing the school grounds background, graphic by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

57

dista nc 30 - 4 e from th e rive 0m r

Zoning plan

Quiet spaces

Toile t

safe

Keep existing trees

Top pro of hill t t o nor ected a be th e g ain ast win st d

Support area

Flat and area fo r play gro sports und

Center of the school grounds

Protect buildings against afternoon sun exposure

Flow of people

Fig. 69: Zoning Plan, graphic by author.

The zoning plan addresses the main opportunites, needs and constraints of the site.

Analyzing carefully where all the school grounds entrances paths are, as shown in yellow in fig. 69, it is possible to understand where the main traffic is and to locate the openings of the perimeter wall.

As per general guidelines, the toilet is located more than 40m away from the river.

58

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Deciduous trees on the west side of the school buildings are essential to provide shade in the afternoon.

Coniferous trees on the top of the hill to protect the school ground against the Northeast winds.

Outdoors learning space located away from the noisy activities of the play area.

Sustainable strategies

Reuse: wood, bricks and stones from the demolition Water recycling

Flow of water Water collection 1. use 2. treatment 3. reuse

Fig. 70: Sustainable strategies map, graphic by author.

The sustainable strategies map helps to locate the flow of the rain water and where the tanks to store water should be located, as shown in fig. 70.

The grey water from the sink and lavatory will be treated and filtered through a phytoremediation process. The recicled grey can be used for irrigation.

The water transported through stone channels, before being stored shall pass through a natural filter. The recicled rain water can be used in the cooking area, to flash the toilets and for washing hands.

The black water from the toilets are going to be collected into a digester where it will be mixed with animal slurry.

The biogas produced in the process can serve the cooking area adjacent to the toilets.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

59

Case studies and inspirations There are two schools I have visited in Ghent to understand how is the process of the designing of the school outdoors, adding greenery and playground.

The process of the design for both schools outdoor spaces was a co-design between the children, parents and architect. Bollekens school, and De Wonderfluit school, shown in fig. 71, had the help of parents and prior to the construction there was a fundraising process to fund the entire project. The result is a place where children can explore the nature and play on the three breaks they have between classes and after school.

The realization of the Bollekens school outdoors, seen in fig. 72, took one year, from planning till finalization was three years of engaging parent, school, students and designers.

The school grounds located in the rural areas of Nepal also can use the knowlodge and experience from other counties and take the iniciative to make the space themselves with the ressources available on site.

Fig. 71: School De Wonder fluit, located in Ghent, BE. The outdoors used to be a concrete pavement, now is an interesting landscape for children to play, learn and performe outdoors. Photo from the school page: https://www.facebook.com/DeWonderfluit.

Fig. 72: School Bollekens, located in Ghent, BE, the realization of the school outdoors was planned and executed with the children not for them. Sand pit, play cooking area, arena for children interations, play moments on break times and after class . Photo series from the landscape firm Frisin het landschap http://www.frisinhetlandschap.be/project_SCHOOL_Bollekens__Gent_?tab=Realisatie+2016.

60

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Project: Água Carioca Pilot at Sítio Roberto Burle Marx Architects: OOZE, NL This urban prototype project, seen in fig. 72, is a construction of a pilot demonstrating a natural sanitation system for informal settlements.

The installation is implementing the full cycle of the holistic Água Carioca strategy: a bathroom with a sink and toilet is connected to a new recycling system, consisting of rainwater collection from the roof of the house, a rain water storage tank, a septic tank connected to an outdoor toilet and sink, a constructed wetland and a water tank for the recycled effluent and rain water, as seen in fig. 73. 16 The aim of the project is to create a functioning pilot that deepens insights into the system’s functioning while making it simultaneously more widely accepted by the general public before reproducing it in a bigger scale.

The intent of this project is to reuse the water efficiently, avoiding waste, and treating the sewage with a natural process. Meanwhile, unpolluting the rivers close to the informal settlements located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fig. 73: Scheme shows the rain water being collected to be used for irrigation; the black and grey water being treated and filtered through wetlands to be reused for flushing the toilets. Image

by OOZE Architects, NL. http://www.ooze.eu.com/en/urban_ prototype/gua_carioca_stio_burle_marx/

In the rural villages of Nepal there is a cultural stigma around the topic of recycling waste, like black and grey water and reuse them as ressources. The example by OOZE Architects, constructed with the community to teach them how to use our natural ressources and treat our waste without polluting the fresh water, shows that it is possible to enhance the sanitation and water quality with low-tech solutions, as seen in fig. 74.

Toilet Rain water tank Septic Tank Wetlands

Fig. 74: Photo shows the prototype pilot in Sitio Burle Marx, Rio de Janeiro , BR. Image by OOZE Architects, NL. http://www.ooze.eu.com/en/urban_prototype/gua_carioca_stio_ burle_marx/ 16

OOZE Architects, Pilot Sitio Burle Marx, April 2016. http://www.aguacarioca.org/#/pilot/ Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

61

“We think that we should dominate nature, fight against her, so as to not be dominated by her. It so happens that the alternative ‘master or slave’ does not correspond to the reality of the matter. The road that ecology points out to us is that of being nature’s partner.”

Roberto Burle Marx

CHAUTARA - DESIGN STRATEGIES

Program As mentioned earlier, the strategies will address the background of the school grounds, and shown in fig. 68, pg 57. The classrooms are already built or being built by the government.

What is left to be planned is the outdoors spaces, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;hallâ&#x20AC;? of the school gorunds in the case of the rural setting of Thadi Khola.

The four parts of the tree: roots, trunk, branches and leaves, helped me to explain the program for the transformation of the school grounds as described in fig.

75.

Roots: the roots represent the sustainable aspects of the design strategies. Mostly known being underground, but sometimes is aerial, under the water or on a cliff.

Trunk: being the main body of the tree, it represents the village community. The trunk sometimes sway to prevent the tree from falling.

Branches: they branches represent the outdoors activities of the school grounds. They are the ones responsable for the development of the leaves Leaves: ah the leaves! they represent the people.

THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM: OUTDOORS ACTIVITIES

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

SUSTAINABILITY ASPECT TECHNICALITIES OF THE DESIGN

Fig. 75: Scheme of the program describing all the functions contained in the strategies. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

63

Site plan

A

8

11

8

View 2 5

6

7 View 3

3

4 2

1

View 4 7 View 1

1. Chautara 2. Rain water tanks 3. Water recycling system 4. Multifunction space + wcs 5. Deciduous trees 6. Coniferous trees 7. Playground 8. Learning outdoors 9. Fire pit 10 Dry stone wall seatting 11. Storage (Loose Parts)

A

9

Fig. 76: Site Plan, including design strategies. Image by author 64

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

10

gm

ati

Riv er

As mentioned before, the Chautara is an intersection of the important trails used as links from one village to another. At the school grounds the Chautara is the criss cross of the paths that lead the students from their home to the school.

The teachers and students can take their breaks under its shade. They can chat, play, celebrate festive dates and the most importantly discuss the future of the school.

The stone channels or creeks around the paths and serving as a gutter for the roof of the school buildings (#2) will transport the rain water into the underground tanks, passing through a natural filter system.

The water can be used for wahsing hands, clothes and vegetables, and for dip flushing the toilets. It can be boiled to be used as drinking water.

0

10

20

The low-tech sanitation system (#3) is a full cycle of the holistic strategy collects the grey water from the lavatory and sink into a septic tank, and from there the water is transported to a wetland were it is filtered through phytoremediation process. The water can be use for irrigation or can be reused to flush the toilets. A digester collects the slurry from the toilets and mixing up with the slurry from animals and other organic waste and produce biogas. The manure can be used as fertilizer in the agriculture fields.

A covered area for cooking and to shelter the toilets (#4) functioning as a multiple use space, it can be used for snack time and for cooking lessons.

The deciduous trees allocated on the west side (#5) of the buildings provide shade to the classrooms, avoiding overheating in the afternoon. Deciduous trees as Terminalia Tormentosa, Adina Cordifolia, are local trees that can be found in this region.

The coniferous trees (#6), as Sal or Chirpine Pinus Roxburghei, allocated to hilly area of the school grounds, protect the school grounds against the wind coming from northeast.

For the sports area (#7) the terrain needs to be leveled, the bleachers serves like an arena for those not playing but watching and chatting.

Fig. 77: View from the existing classroom building towards the chautara and playground. View 1 in the plan. Image by author.

The outdoor learning and performances spaces (#8) can be use for classes, theaters, dancing etc. A storage room constructed from salvage materials keeps all loose parts for future site projects, like playground equipments.

An outdoor fire pit (#9) for the winter nights is also part of the school grounds, since the community can use the space after school hours.

The perimeter of the school grounds has a dry stone wall with a seating height to delimit the areas from the agriculture fields and private houses.

Fig. 78: View from one of the entrances towards the chautara and multifunction space.

View 2 in the plan. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

65

Page to be cut and folded

Ba

The Chautara (#1 in fig. 76) located right in the middle of the school grounds will be the beginning of the transformation of the school grounds. The seating area made by pilling flat river stones will create the space of gathering around the tree, transforming the school grounds into the center of the community.

Section

Deciduous tree Multifunction space Chautara

Page to be cut and folded

Dry Stone Sitting wall

Existing Classroom Building

Fig. 79: Section A-A shown in the plan, direction from south to north of the school grounds. Image by author.

66

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Toilets

Coniferous trees and Playground Existing Classroom Building (under construction)

Loose Parts storage

Existing nursing shed

Outdoors learning

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

67

Page to be cut and folded

Sports court and Bleachers

Phases The project is divided into 4 phases. As shown in fig.

48, page 43, there are two buildings scheduled to be demolished after the conclusion of the new school building. The materials from these two buildings can be used as construction materials for the future phases.

The materials from the library building, # 1, are roof wood structure, wood panels from the windows and doors, wood planks from the floor. The materials from the classroom building are steel panels from windows and doors, roof steel, # 2, strutcture. Stones and bricks from the walls and foundation, as shown in fig 82.

Phase 1 1. Demolition phase - in this phase is when the salvage and storage of the materials occur. All the materials in a good state should be reused for this project or for future project. Clean up of the site.

2. Excavate the area for the Chautara. The process of planting a new tree is the beginning of a new chapter for this village. This will be where the community gather to discuss further the project. The tree historically known as sacred for Nepalese culture, Banyan or Peepal tree.

Fig. 80: View of the school grounds from the top of the hill in wet seasons. It can rain constinuously.

View 3 in the plan. Image by author.

Page to be cut and folded

1

2

Fig. 81: View from one of the entrances of the school grounds in the rainy season. The viklagers and school children can find shelter from the rain under the multifunction space.

View 4 in the plan. Image by author.

Fig. 82: Salvage materials from the library building and the classroom that are scheduled to be demolished. Image by author.

68

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Stone Path

The materials for the seating area are flat stones from the local river and cement to keep them together.

Rice Straw

The path on the surrounds of the Chautara area are made from stone of the demolished buildings or from the river.

The rice straw serves as mulch, it is a light soil top option to protect the soil against weeds without stop the soil from receiving the nutrients.

A

The water channels or creeks guide the rain water to the rain water tanks. It shows the trajectory of water making the process more interesting than if they were hidden.

Overlaping Rock Stairway or Stepping Rock and Riser Agregate Compacted soil Water channel or Stone creek

Banyan or Peepal Tree

Water creek

Chautara Plan Fig. 83: Chautara seating, path, tree and materials. Image by author.

River rocks Sand Aggregate

0

1

2

Straw Compacted soil Flat stones Cement Agregate

0.40

0.40

Fig. 84: Piles of rice straw found in the village. Image by author.

Section A

0

1

Fig. 85: Partial section A, chautara seating and materials. Image by author.

Chautara -AThe transformation of the Schoolgrounds

69

Phase 2 1. Toilet area and multifunction covered space with cooking area phase the multifunction space, shown in fig.89, can be used during school hours, as a covered area for snacks or cooking classes, or after school hours as a community space.

The toilets doors are reclaimed from the demolition. The thatched roof is supported by reclaimed wood structure, and made from dry rice straw, see elevation in fig. 88. The technique is used widely in the village to shed the water in constructed spaces in the outdoors (fig. 87), like animal sheds and cooking areas. The crafted bulk of dry rice straws densely packed traps the air helping to insulate the space on hot sunny days.

The walls and partitions are made from rammed earth. The technique, using a mixture of gravel, soil, clay is normally used to construct houses. The same technique is applied for the seating area.

Fig. 86: Cooking outdoors, seeing through out the village. Image by author.

2. Sanitation and waste management - recycling of the black water is essential part of the strategy for the rural areas where the rivers and underground water are contaminated from the non-treated sewage. The toilets, located around 40 meters away from the river to protect the fresh water, feed the digester where, with the mixture of the animals manure, produce biogas.

Biogas is a fuel produced from the decomposition of organic waste, human, animal waste and food. The process of decomposition releases of gases, like methane, and used for cooking. Nowadays, as seen fig. 86, the villagers use primarily wood as fuel for cooking, leading to a process of deforestation.

The reclaimed materials like brick, stones and steel panels can be used for the digester construction, keeping the cycle of circularity closed.

Fig. 87: Bulks of rice straws commonly used for roofing in the village. Image by author.

Multifunction Covered Space and Toilets Elevation

Thached roof Wood structure

Rammed earth seating and walls

Toilets doors reclaimed

Fig. 88: Multifunction space and elevation - view from the East to West . Image by author 70

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

0

1

2

Multifunction Covered Space and Toilets Plan B

C

To the wetlands Adina Cordifolia tree Gas tank

Digester Septic tank

Water channel

Rammed earth seating Wood planks flooring 0

1

2

Elevation Fig. 89: Multifunction space and toilets floor plan and distribuition of the sanitation strategy. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

71

3. Grey water treatment - The septic tank captures the grey water from washing hands, clothes or the cooking area, before the water reaches the wetlands, as shown in fig. 85. The water is treated and filtered through a phytoremediation process, i.e. the roots of the different local plants extract the contaminants from the water and soil, cleaning the fluid. The filtered water is safe to be used for irrigation, to recharge the underground water or if collected to a tank to use for dip flushing in the toilets.

Nepal is heavily investing into Biogas plants lately, accordingly to Climate Himalayas Organization17 In the past, people could not imagine using their own waste as a fuel for cooking their food. The inhabitants, who were initially resistent to the notion of using the slurry as a source for gas, became more positive when once they were told that they could mix with animal dung, like shown in fig. 90.

Fig. 90: Women from the small village of Kumroj. Image by Climate Himalayas http://chimalaya.org/2014/07/02/nepalwins-hearts-and-minds-with-biogasboom/.

The transformation of the school grounds benefits from the black water recycling. The digester installation, seen in fig. 92, has a collateral advantage of serving as a learning experience for the students in adition its core purpose of fuel generation.

Phase 3 1. Rain water collection - this phase will cover the rain water management.

The water from the classroom buildings and walkways is transported through a water drainage channels, also know as creeks, made out of small stones from the river. The channels are opened to allow the flow of water to be seen as shown in the sections details fig. 91, 92 and 95.

2. The rain water passes through a natural filter, see fig. 93, before been stored in three tanks of 20 m3 . From the tanks, the water is pumped to be used in the sink, in the toilets for washing and flushing, to wash hands and to water the plants and trees. The water can be boiled to serve as drinking water.

During the monsoons, the heavy rain sometimes last for days. The region where Thadi Khola is located receives an average of 2000 mm of rain per year, it is comparable with tropical forests. During the dry season the community exaplained that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough fresh water, or the water is not available for the entire day. The necessity for water collection has been increased in the last few years.

The water recycling system - collection, treatment and reuse - is developed during phases 2 and 3. See fig. 94.

Climate Himalayas Organization, Nepal Wins Hearts and Minds With Biogas Boom, July 2nd 2014. http://chimalaya.org/2014/07/02/nepal-wins-hearts-and-minds-with-biogasboom/

17

72

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Section C

Fig. 91: Partial section looking south

Thatched roof

1. Mixing tank: Slurry of cattles dung 2. Inlet chamber 3. Slurry and water mixture 4. Bio-gas 5. Outlet chamber 6. Overflow tank

Bamboo Opening for ventilation

4

6

5

1

2 3

Section B Fig. 92: Partial section through the toilets and digester for biogas generation. Image by author.

0

1

2

Vegetation Perforated Pipe Sand Gravel Septic Tank Natural Bacteria

Secondary filter tank

0

Filtered water for Irrigation

1

2

to the lavatory toilets, septic tank and wetlands grey water recycling process. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

73

Inlet

Rough water Charcoal Sand Gravel

Filtered water

20.000 l tank

20.000 l tank

20.000 l tank

To dip flushing, washing hands, cooking area, and wetlands

Fig. 93: Scheme shows the natural filter system before the water recharges the tanks. Image by author.

74

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Natural Filter Filters rain water

Septic Tank Primary Treatment Anaerobic Baffled Reactor

Digester Recycles Black water Produces Bio gas and fertilizer

Phytoremediation Basin Secondary Treatment Filters grey water

Water channels Transport the rain water

Water tanks

Fig. 94: Scheme shows the water recycling system around the multifunction space and toilets. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

75

Existing Classroom Path

Water drainage Creek - stone

Stone pavement Sand Aggregate

Curb stone Compacted soil

Extended path - sidewalk 0 1 Fig. 95: Partial section showing the existing classroom path and the extention of the path, the creek system and the stone pavement. Image by author.

76

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Phase 4 1. Paths - the school grounds buildings and activities are connected through stone pavement paths. The flat river stones can be found locally. It is a way to make the transition between the school grounds and the agriculture fields and, at the same time, making it playful to go from classrooms to the outdoors activities and viceversa. All paths lead to the main part of this project: the Chautara. In front of the classrooms buildings there are existing paths, the extension of the sidewalk helps the transition between indoors and oudoors, as shown in fig 89.

Historically used every where around the world, the dry stone sitting wall is an age-old craft where the stone are pilled in a interlocking shapes. The use of the technique, see details in fig. 89, make a resilient the wall and it is widely used in contemporary architecture.

3. The playground, gardens, sports court and loose parts storage is the last part of this phase, being an endeless phase where the spaces will evolue accordainly with their classes and community activities.

2. The school perimeter is surrounded by a dry stone sitting wall to delimitate the school grounds without closing it effectively. It is important to keep the school grounds open to be used after school hours by the community.

Cap stone

Dry stone Flat surface

Back fill Concrete bed Geotextile fabric Base stone Dry stone Close to the hill or argriculture terrace

Fig. 89: Dry stone sitting wall application. Image by author.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

77

CONCLUSION

Designing the Chautara: the transformation of the school grounds to be at the heart of the school and the center of the community. The concept of the Chautara enables us to apply sustainable and resilient strategies to the outdoor space as part of the reconstruction of Thadi Khola school, and was a challenging process that required ideation, creation, and multiple iterations.

Throughout the process of my master dissertation I discovered that the outdoors space of a school is as important as the classrooms indoors, for the development of children; that co-creation with parents, teachers and students is one of the key points for the success of the project; that the urgency of the preservation and rescue of the Chautara is the principal element after a natural disaster for the regeneration process, because it is a symbol of the community coming together.

It seems to me the right time to introduce sustainable ways of water and waste management while doing the reconstruction of schools in the rural areas of Nepal, allowing the community to participate in the decision-making process and construction. The school grounds can be the catalyst of the way sanitation is seen in the rural areas. The school grounds, eventually an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;idealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; school grounds, is not only a center for learning, but is a space for the community, people from all ages and backgrounds, to gather and celebrate life.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

HRRP), Housing Recovery & Reconstruction Platform. “18 Moderately Affected Districts.” 24. Jwagal, Kupondole, Lalitpur, Nepal: Housing Recovery & Reconstruction Platform (HRRP), 2018.

“Old Chautari Started Working with Development.” 2018, http://nepalaaja.com/gm/2018/2/201821482119 “Pilot Sitio Burle Marx.” Ooze Architects, 2016, http://www.aguacarioca.org/#/pilot/.

Change, Build. “Community Awareness”, Youtube, 2017, https://www.buildchange.org/locations/nepal/. contributors, Wikipedia. “Bodhi Tree.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia., 2019.

———. “Chautari.” Web Page: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia., 2015.

“Not Enough Children Learning and Playing Outside.” 2018, accessed 17 April 2019, https://outdoorclassroomday.org.uk/2018/05/17/ not-enough-children-learning-and-playing-outside/.

DeWonderfluit. “Project Outdoors Grounds.”, 2018.

Dr. Benjamin Cleveland, Associate Professor Clare Newton and Isabella Bower. “The Next Generation of Australian Schools.” University of Melbourne Website, 2018.

“School Reconstruction Faces a Huge Funding Gap of Rs27 Billion.” Ekantipur, 2019, accessed 22 April, 2019, http://kathmandupost. ekantipur.com/news/2019-04-22/school-reconstruction-faces-a-huge-funding-gap-of-rs27-billion.html.

Habitat, Health. “The Village Sanitation Program, Nepal.” edited by Simon J Forbes. http://www.healthabitat.com, 2014.

Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture. Vol. 1: 010 Publishers, 2005.

Hertzberger, Herman. Space and Learning: Lessons in Architecture 3. Vol. 3: 010 Publishers, 2008.

Joshi, Bal & Gauchan, Devendra, Map of Physiographic zones of Nepal. Chapter I. Crop Biodiversity in Nepal. (November 2017).

Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Physiographic-zones-of-Nepal_ fig1_321309916 [accessed 14 Mar, 2019] Lam, Lai Ming, Varun Khanna, Rob Kuipers. the Journal of the Association for Nepal, and Himalayan Studies. “Disaster Governance and Challenges in a Rural Nepali Community: Notes from Future Village Ngo.” 37, no. 2 (2017): 11.

“The Good School Playground Guide.” Government of Scotland, 2018, 2018, https://www.ncn.ie/images/Play-Tab/LTL-Scottish-GoodPlayground.pdf Landscape firm Frisin het landschap. “School Bollekens (Gent).” 2015, http://www.frisinhetlandschap.be/project_SCHOOL_ Bollekens__Gent_?tab=Realisatie+2016 Lloyd, Amanda, Tonia Gray, Place-based outdoor learning and environmental sustainability within Primary Schools, Journal of Sustainability Education, University of Western Sydney September 2014 Marcer, Ann, “Chautara - Resting Places,” Ann Marcer ed. Ann Marcer in Nepal, 21 September 2015, http://annmarcerinnepal.blogspot. com/2015/09/chautara-resting-places.html.

Makwanpur District Office, “Forest Fire Management Plan, January 2008, http://gfmc.online/globalnetworks/south_asia/DistrictLevel-Fire-Management-Planning.pdf

80

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

“Climate (Modelled) Sami.” Central Region, Nepal, 27.359° N 85.382° E, 322 m asl, 2019, https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/ forecast/modelclimate/sami_nepal_7968204 “Map of Faparbari, Vdc in Makwanpur, Nepal.” NepalMap, 2016, https://nepalmap.org/profiles/vdc-1007-faparbari/ (Regional Map).

North Lanarkshire Council, UK. “This Place Is Like a Building Site.” In A report on the introduction of loose materials to three primary schools in North Lanarkshire. UK: North Lanarkshire Council, UK, 2013.

Climate Himalayas Organization “Nepal Wins Hearts and Minds with Biogas Boom.” 2014, http://chimalaya.org/2014/07/02/nepal-winshearts-and-minds-with-biogas-boom/.

Pilloton, Emily, “Project H Design Process.” Project H Design, October 2010, http://www.projecthdesign.org/.

Plattner, Hasso, Christoph Meinel, and Larry Leifer. Design Thinking Research. Springer, 2012.

Quay, John, and Jayson Seaman. John Dewey and Education Outdoors: Making Sense of the ‘Educational Situation’through More Than a Century of Progressive Reforms. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.

Ranjitkar, Dr. Rohit. “Interview on Current Status of the Reconstruction Efforts in Nepal.” By Ludmila Parekh. Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust - KVPT (11 February 2019).

Robertson, Theresa Casey & Juliet. “Loose Parts Play - a Toolkit.” Scotland: Inspiring Scotland, 2016.

Rodriguez, Sara, “Gathering and Sharing Feedback to Improve the Earthquake Response in Nepal.” Accountability Lab, 2016, accessed 14 June 2019, 2019.

Samiti, Rastriya Samachar. “Haphazard Road Construction Destroying Unique Heritages.” The Himalayan Times, 11 July 2018 2018.

Titman, Wendy. Special Places; Special People: The Hidden Curriculum of School Grounds. ERIC, 1994. van Eyck, Aldo, and Vincent Ligtelijn. Works. Birkhauser, 1999.

White, Randy, White Hutchinson Leisure, and Learning Group. “Young Children’s Relationship with Nature: Its Importance to Children’s Development & the Earth’s Future.” (2004): 1-9.

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

81

APPENDIX

Model studies The first idea for the circulation was to use an elevated wooden deck for the water channels to run under it. Considering two important things: 1. the material available, the process cutting the wood planks for the paths would be costly and not possible to be done in loco; 2. the rain water would be hidden under the platforms, the children wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the water being transported, the moterial was changed to stone and the channels are open to the sky.

82

Ludmila Andreoli Parekh

Chautara - The transformation of the Schoolgrounds

83