Estudio Damgo - Week 12

This week marks 60 calendar days since ground breaking back in November.  It has only been 48 construction days to this point and only 46 calendar days left until the end of the semester.  The prevailing message from the Dean of the Architecture Department tells the students that the building needs to be completed in order to graduate.  This has put a lot of pressure on two, fifth year students, Rick and Von, to complete the daycare. They should feel more at ease now that the building is taking shape.  We have the bamboo columns, beams, and trusses in place.  The next steps are to place the purlins, roof members, and sak-sak (a traditional natural roofing material).  We're forming the concrete seat over the rammed earth wall on the south facing side of the building.  The septic tank is 100% complete with top slab, manholes, and clean-outs for each chamber.  We're digging the trench for the drain pipe from the septic tank to the field west of the building.  Now we are able to back fill and rough grade the soil for the play yard above the septic tank area.  I never would have guessed seeing progress on a septic tank would be so satisfying.

Leigh explains the construction tasks for the day.

Rick drills a larger hole in each bamboo column for the bolts.

 The butong bamboo columns are now fastened with thru-bolts.

 Efren takes a break in the make shift hammock that just appeared this week on the site.

The septic tank is 100% complete.  Concrete slab has been poured with three manholes and clean-outs.

Covering the septic tank with soil, the kids will soon have their play yard back.  Ray's dad came to visit from Maryland.  He's in the back with blue shirt and red visor shoveling the dirt.

Efren explains with his sketch detail how to place the re-bar for the concrete bench top that will be formed over the rammed earth wall.

 Form work for the concrete bench top.

Two fine art students prep and prime the existing school wall for the mural.

Von, Leigh, and Rhea work out the concrete curb detail at the corner of the building.  In the background Efren and Rick bend re-bar for the concrete bench.

At the end of the school day, it is the duty of the children to clean and organize the classroom.  Here four girls have collected all the trash and manage the daily burn pile just outside the play yard.  It is common in the evening to smell a burning sweet smoke from residential yards, but it is not every day to witness this burning ritual administered by four girls in pink outfits.  Even through this chore, the girls make it fun, where one girl has even picked up a piece of paper that has caught her eye.  Perhaps the letter had a familiar written name, or a sketch of a heart, or some other kind of gossipy news that was simply discarded and fated to be  burned at the end of the day.