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A rchitectural Facets

The Passion to Serve - IDEA Project 2009Robert Wong, STEP Design Team

On 20 – 28 February 2010, Involve in Design, Empower with Action (IDEA) Project 2009 successfully built a school for 45 pre-school children in Kampong Trach, Kampot Province, Cambodia. This project was completed and fund-raised by 33 volunteers coming from different backgrounds, including architects, teachers, bankers, helping professionals and university students. Volunteers came from Germany, UK, mainland China and Hong Kong. (Photo 1)

Springboard to Dreams: A School for Future

IDEA Project 2009 was set up by three NGOs / volunteer groups in Hong Kong: Shower Talent Exclude Prejudice (STEP) Design Team, Humanity in Focus (HIF) and Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students’ Services Association (HKOTSSA). To encourage local participation, the project invited a Cambodian NGO - Cambodia Children’s Advocacy Foundation (CCAF) as a local partner. (Photo 2)

Aiming to create a new learning space for the children in Cambodia, over the past 18 months, IDEA Project 2009 held a series of events and activities including a pre-trip investigation visit, event promotion, information sessions, fund-raising and training workshops to volunteers. All volunteers were trained with design skills to contribute to the project. (Photo 3)

IDEA’s Mission & Belief

IDEA believes that ALL people should have equal opportunity to ENJOY, PARTAKE IN and HAVE ACCESS TO the design of a human environment and architecture. IDEA Project takes a broad definition of architecture to connect people and promotes “participatory approach” in building community architecture. The

underprivileged and the poor should also have the right to express their view in the community needs.

The Participatory Design Approach

Truly, building a school in Cambodia is not just providing a shelter for children’s schooling; it also symbolises the road to development and prosperity of the village. (Photo 4) In the process, building a pre-school created a great opportunity to promote the participatory design approach to the developing world. Through involving the children and their parents in the design and construction of a village school, they met up with Hong Kong architects and volunteers, expressed their design ideas. They were trained with skills and empowered to make their best contribution to the new school. It is a good example of communal participation and sustainable architecture. (Photo 5 & 6)

In the field trip to Cambodia, there were visits to local NGOs, local cultural and historical spots, sharing sessions with Cambodian volunteers and teachers, design workshops with children, and the construction of IDEA School. Cambodian children worked together with the volunteers to draw, design and build up different elements of the school. Each contributed their talents to build the school together. Volunteers and children found the site work an invaluable experience in their lives. (Photo 8 – 11)

Quotes by IDEAers

“Being in the design and construction process allows me to understand how a good architecture could give significant impact to users,” a local teacher reflected.

“Our finger print and palm painting on the walls of IDEA School makes our great contribution to

our school. We are living with the school,” a pre-school child in Cambodia said.

“This architecture emerges with lives,” a Hong Kong volunteer said.(Photo 12-16)

Our Dream Continues…

Feedback from both volunteers and Cambodian residents were extremely overwhelmed. We see the need for improving the learning environment in the developing countries. In the future, we do hope that more schools can be built for serving this purpose; the project idea “Involve in Design, Empower with Action” can be spread over the world to let more people ENJOY, PARTAKE IN and HAVE ACCESS TO the design of a human environment.

With support from the Young Architects’ Project Fund 2010, we are proposing a number of architectural projects in Cambodia in 2010 – 2011 aiming to:

- Connect Hong Kong to the developing countries by encouraging young professionals to help the needy;

- Improve learning environment of the children living in the remote rural areas;

- Create a harmonious relationship between people and architecture.

All HKIA members and interested persons are welcomed to join IDEA Project 2010-11 to make your contribution, shower your talents, share your expertises and promote architectural excellence to the developing world.

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Captions:

1: IDEA Project Volunteers (33 volunteers) arriving Phnom Penh on 20 February 2010

2: IDEA Project Organising Committee coming from various professions:Back: Lawrence Lui, Chau Yau Fai, Wong Man Lung, Calvin Cheng, Carol Ma, Dorris LeungFront: Mang Yiu Wing, Wagner Lam, Robert Wong

3: Design Workshops organised in Hong Kong - Architects volunteers provided training for other participants

4: Existing Informal School for Pre-school Children in Kampot, Cambodia - Teaching classes are held at the covered area of the teacher’s house

5: Design models made by 5 volunteers design teams

IDEA Project 2009 Exhibition and Launching of IDEA Project 2010-2011

To share the experience of IDEA 2009 to the public, an exhibition will be organised by the IDEA Project Organising Committee and volunteers. There will be photos gallery, models display and video showcase. The exhibition also offers an array of seminars and workshops where specialists and volunteers are invited to share their works in the developing world. Supported by the HKIA Young Architects’ Project Fund 2010, a forthcoming IDEA Project 2010-11 will be launched on the same day.

Details of Exhibition:

Date: 27 August 2010 (Friday) – 30 August 2010 (Monday)

Venue: Gallery L0, Jockey Club Creative Art Centre (JCCAC), 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon

Opening Hours: 27 August 2010 (7pm – 8pm) 28-29 August 2010 (10am – 8pm) 30 August 2010 (10am – 5pm)

Opening Ceremony will be held at 7pm on 27 August 2010. Workshops will be organised by IDEA Project volunteers from 2pm to 4pm on 28-29 August 2010.

For more information, please visit IDEA Project official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/IDEA.Project.HK or the website http://www.humanityfocus.org/idea09

A book documenting the whole process of IDEA Project 2009 will also be available in the exhibition. You are welcome to donate and get a copy.

6: Final Design of IDEA School

7: Site visit & preparation - Volunteers conducted site visit and purchased necessary materials for the design workshops and construction campaign

8: Design Workshops & Construction Campaign (Group 1) - Design of Music corner and Playground Equipment

9: Design Workshops & Construction Campaign (Group 4) - Design of School Sign and Game Corner

10: Design Workshops & Construction Campaign (Group 3) - Design of Interior Graphic Wall

11: Design Workshops & Construction Campaign (Group 5) - Design of Mosaic Walls

12: The IDEA School – Architecture

13: The IDEA School – Interior

14: Opening Ceremony of IDEA School - District Governor of Kampot Province, Ministry of Education in Cambodia, School Principal, IDEA Project volunteers and over 400 IDEA School Students joined the opening ceremony

15: The first teaching class in IDEA School organised by IDEA Project volunteers

16: Pre-school children enjoying different facilities of IDEA School

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For enquiry, please email to ideaproject2009@gmail.com

Details of Participating NGOS / Volunteer Groups

Shower Talent Exclude Prejudice (STEP) Design Team www.step-designteam.org

Humanity in Focus www.humanityfocus.org

Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students’ Services Associationwww.hkotssa.org.hk

Cambodian Children’s Advocacy Foundation www.ccaf-khmer.org