TEAM 13 IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN OF DHOKSAN TO PLAN AND BUILD THEIR NEW KINDERGARTEN!
25.09.2024
Unsere ersten Wochen hier in Nepal bestehen neben dem Crowdfunding vor allem aus Planen, Organisieren, Konzeptfindungen und Ausflügen in nahegelegene Städte, um lokale Bauweisen und –materialien zu studieren. Uns ist schnell aufgefallen, dass man in den Randgebieten Kathmandus einige Holzwerke und Altmetallhändler findet. Auf unserer Reise nach Bhaktapur haben wir traditionelle, beeindruckende Holzschnitzwerkstätten gefunden und durften diese sogar besichtigen. Wir hoffen, diese nepalesische Handwerkskünste später in unser Gebäude einbauen zu können. Zudem sind wir auf Ausflügen immer wieder an alten Holztüren und –fenstern vorbeigekommen, welche in unseren Augen viel Recyclingpotential bieten. Basierend auf unseren Beobachtungen und Funden vor Ort, betreiben wir research zum Thema Holzbau und der Verwendung von organischen Materialien, wie Reis-, Mais- und Hanfpflanzen, die hier im Lande in großen Mengen vorkommen. Dabei haben wir gerade unseren Forschungsfokus auf Reishülsen als potenziellen Dämmstoff. Bei der Besichtigung einer Reismühle haben wir uns einen Sack der Hülsen gekauft und führen derzeit einige Materialtests durch und dokumentieren diese.
Als Ausgleich zu den Computer lastigen Rechercheaufgaben freuen wir uns, jeden Freitag mit den Schul- und Kindergartenkindern spielen zu können. Denn schnell war uns klar, dass diese als Zielgruppe und Nutzer des Kindergartens, in den Gestaltungsprozess einbezogen werden müssen. Während der gemeinsamen Zeit können wir beobachten, wie die Kinder spielen und welche Bedürfnisse wir in ihrem zukünftigen Kindergartengebäude berücksichtigen müssen. Bei unserer gemeinsamen Baustellen-Aufräumaktion haben die Schülerinnen und Schüler tatkräftig angepackt und in Hochgeschwindigkeit als Ameisenstraße Holzreste von A nach B transportiert. - So macht Baustelle Spaß!
Danke auch für all die tollen Unterstützungen, die wir bisher schon bekommen haben- ihr seid der Wahnsinn! Trotzdem fehlt noch Einiges zum Erreichen unser Zielsumme, damit wir bald schon anfangen können, unsere Pläne in die Tat umzusetzen!
Wir freuen uns auf weitere gemeinsame, motivierende Momente und freuen uns, wenn Sie uns auf dieser Reise begleiten!
Ganz liebe Grüße aus Dhoksan
Desmond, Hannah, Sven und Johanna
In addition to crowdfunding, our first few weeks here in Nepal consist mainly of planning, organizing, concept development and trips to nearby towns to study local construction methods and materials. We quickly noticed that there are several timber mills and scrap metal dealers on the outskirts of Kathmandu. On our trip to Bhaktapur, we found traditional, impressive wood carving workshops and were even allowed to visit them. We hope to be able to incorporate these Nepalese handicrafts into our building later. On our excursions, we also kept coming across old wooden doors and windows, which we believe have a lot of recycling potential. Based on our observations and findings on site, we are conducting research into timber construction and the use of organic materials such as rice, corn and hemp plants, which are found in large quantities in Nepal. We are currently focusing our research on rice husks as a potential for insulation. We visited a nearby rice mill, where we bought a large bag of the husks and are currently carrying out and documenting some material tests.
As a counterbalance to the computer intensive research, we are happy to play with the school and kindergarten children every Friday. It quickly became clear to us that they, as the target group and users of the kindergarten, should be involved in the design process. During our classes, we can observe how the children play and what needs we need to consider in their future building. When we cleaned up the building site together, the children got involved and made an ant trail from A to B at high speed. - This is what makes a building site fun!
Thank you also for all the great support we have already received - you are amazing! Nevertheless, there is still a lot missing to reach our target sum so that we can soon start putting our plans into action!
We look forward to more motivating moments together and would be delighted if you would join us on this journey!
Best regards from Dhoksan
Desmond, Hannah, Sven und Johanna
07.09.2024
Nachdem wir in dem wunderschönen Dorf Dhoksan angekommen sind und die unglaublichen Menschen kennengelernt haben, die diesen Ort ihr Zuhause nennen, freuen wir uns, den Start unserer Crowdfunding-Kampagne bekannt zu geben. Diese Reise war mit zahlreichen Herausforderungen verbunden - unzählige bati ari (Stromausfall auf tamang) und viele monsunverregnete Tage - aber unsere Motivation und unser Tatendrang sind nach wie vor groß!
Jetzt sind wir endlich bereit für den nächsten großen Schritt: Mit Ihrer Unterstützung können wir damit beginnen, unsere Pläne zu verwirklichen und die Kindergärten zu bauen, die Dhoksan so dringend braucht. Um Ihnen unsere Wertschätzung zu zeigen, haben wir einige besondere Goodies kreiert, die von der frischen Bergluft Nepals inspiriert sind. Das ist unsere kleine Art, uns dafür zu bedanken, dass du Teil dieses Projekts bist.
Wir freuen uns unglaublich darauf, diese Reise mit dir zu teilen. Lasst uns diese Kampagne zu einem Erfolg machen und unsere Pläne in die Tat umsetzen!
Euer Team 13
Desmond, Hannah, Johanna, Sven
After arriving in the beautiful village of Dhoksan and getting to know the incredible people who call this place home, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our crowdfunding campaign. This journey has been filled with its fair share of challenges countless bati ari (the Tamang word for power cuts) and more than a few rain-soaked days, but our excitement and determination have never wavered.
Now we are finally ready for the next big step: with your support, we can start to realize our plans and build the kindergartens that Dhoksan so desperately needs. To show our appreciation, we have created some special goodies inspired by the crisp mountain air of Nepal. It's our little way of saying thank you for being part of this project.
We’re incredibly excited to share this journey with you. Let’s make this campaign a success and turn our plans into reality!
Your Team 13
Desmond, Hannah, Johanna, Sven
23.08.2024
Lassooooo! (Hallo auf Tamang)
Wir sind Hannah, Desmond, Sven und Johanna und haben alle kürzlich unseren Bachelor in Architektur gemeistert. Nun wollen wir die Zeit bis zum Masterstudium nutzen, um eine neue Seite der Architektur kennenzulernen, indem wir partizipativ mit den nepalesischen Dorfbewohnenden arbeiten und gegenseitig voneinander lernen. Unser Ziel ist es, vor Ort die Vorteile nachhaltigerer Bauweisen aufzuzeigen und traditionelle, lokale Bauweisen mit moderner Technik zu verbinden. Durch ressourcenschonende, lokal angepasste Methoden und Recycling hoffen wir, neue Perspektiven zu eröffnen.
Als Team 13 führen wir das Projekt Kindergarten im Himalayadorf Dhoksan fort. Seit August sind wir nun hier in Nepal, wurden schon herzlich von den Dorfbewohnenden in Empfang genommen und haben uns gut eingelebt. Derzeit befinden wir uns in der Crowdfunding-Phase und bereiten parallel die Baustelle vor. Wir freuen uns auf die kommende Zeit und wollen nicht nur über die Architektur durch die Verwendung nachwachsender Rohstoffe, sondern auch durch praktische Workshops zu Themen wie Müllentsorgung, Recycling und den respektvollen Umgang mit der Natur, die Kinder für ihre Umwelt sensibilisieren.
Verfolgt uns gern und werdet Teil unserer aufregenden Reise;)
Liebe Grüße aus dem noch Monsun verregneten Dhoksan!
Hannah, Desmond, Sven & Johanna
Lassooooo! (Hello in Tamang)
We are Hannah, Desmond, Sven and Johanna and
have all recently
completed our bachelor's
degrees in architecture. Now we want to use the time until our Master's degree to get to know a new side of architecture by working participatively with the Nepalese villagers and learning from each other. Our aim is to demonstrate the advantages of more sustainable construction
methods on site and to combine traditional, local construction
methods with modern
technology. By using
resource-saving, locally
adapted methods and
recycling, we hope to open up new perspectives.
As Team 13, we are continuing the kindergarden project in the Himalayan village of Dhoksan. We've been here in Nepal since August, have already been warmly welcomed by the villagers and have settled in well. We are currently in the crowdfunding phase and are preparing the construction site at the same time. We are looking forward to the coming period and want to sensitize the children to their environment not only through the architecture by using renewable raw materials, but also through practical workshops on topics such as waste disposal, recycling and the respectful treatment of nature.
Follow us and become part of our exciting journey;)
Best wishes from Dhoksan, still in the midst of the monsoon season!
Hannah, Desmond, Sven & Johanna
22.06.2024
Mal wieder ist viel zu viel Zeit seit dem letzten Update vergangen, dafür wollen wir uns entschuldigen – aber wir haben auch viele sehr gute Ausreden, denn es ist einiges passiert! Vor allem auf der Baustelle geht’s voran, aber auch im Team und in der Planung hat sich viel getan. Darum lag unser Fokus voll und ganz auf dem Projekt. Jetzt wird’s aber mal wieder Zeit euch hier mitzunehmen!
Im April haben wir es geschafft alle Wände und die beiden Fachwerke hochzubringen. Das war auf jeden Fall um einiges schwerer als gedacht. Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes: das Sal-Holz ist nämlich tonnenschwer, sodass wir teilweise 10 Arbeitskräfte für eine Wand gebraucht haben. Zur Aussteifung der Wände wurden diese beplankt, damit das Haus jetzt erstmal stabil steht!
Im Mai gings weiter mit allen Sparren. Da man Holz nicht unendlich lange nur bis zu einer bestimmten Länge bestellen kann, mussten wir uns zuerst um Fügungen kümmern, die wir dieses Mal nicht vom Werk bestellt, sondern selbst umgesetzt haben. Zusätzlich mussten bei den Sparren dann auch noch die Kerven eingeschnitten werden, damit sie perfekt auf Fachwerk und Wand aufliegen und damit den Rohbau abschließen.
Kaum war das getan gings schon weiter mit dem Dachaufbau. Hier wurde uns auf jeden Fall veranschaulicht, dass gleichzeitiges Planen und Bauen eine ganz schöne Herausforderung darstellt. Wir mussten Vieles erst ausprobieren, bis wir zu einer Lösung für die richtigen Anordnungen von Leisten, Hasendraht oder Autoreifen kamen, die sinnvoll und schnell umzusetzen ist. Am Ende sind dann aber auch die ersten Felder mit der Dämmung – der Holzspan-Borsalz-Molke Mischung – gefüllt worden.
Zwischendurch überraschten uns auch noch die ersten heftigen Regenfälle, der Monsun kam etwas schneller als erwartet. Dadurch mussten wir unsere Pläne anpassen und das Gelände und alles rund um die Häuser regenfest zu machen. Regenabläufe und Außenraumgestaltung wurden in Angriff genommen.
Und dann war da noch Zeit für Abschied. Nach und nach haben wir, Team 11 Dhoksan verlassen und das Projekt nun in Camillas und Sophias Hände gelegt. Zehn Monate Nepal sind vorbei. Es war eine unglaubliche Zeit. Wir wollen uns an dieser Stelle auch nochmal bei allen bedanken, die uns mental unterstütz haben, uns planerisch ihre Expertise geschenkt haben, mit uns gebaut haben und natürlich bei allen die uns bei der Finanzierung geholfen haben– wir sind sprachlos, DANKE!
Once again, far too much time has passed since the last update, for which we would like to apologize - but we also have very good excuses, because a lot has happened! Things are progressing on the construction site, but a lot has also happened in the team and in planning. That's why our focus has been entirely on the project. But now it's time to take you with us again!
In April, we managed to get all the walls and the two trusses up. It was definitely a lot harder than we thought. In the truest sense of the word: the Sal wood weighs tons, so we sometimes needed 10 workers for one wall. The walls were planked to reinforce them so that the house is now stable!
In May, we continued with all the rafters. As you can only order timber up to a certain length, we first had to take care of the joints, which this time we didn't order from the factory but did ourselves. In addition, we also had to cut the notches in the rafters so that they fit perfectly on the trusses and wall, thus completing the shell.
As soon as that was done, we continued with the roof construction. This showed us that planning and building at the same time is quite a challenge. We had to try out a lot of things before we came up with a solution for the correct arrangement of battens, chicken wire or car tires that could be implemented quickly and sensibly. In the end, however, the first fields were filled with the insulation - a mixture of wood chips, borax salt and whey.
In the meantime, we were surprised by the first heavy rainfall, the monsoon came a little faster than expected. As a result, we had to adjust our plans and make the site and everything around the houses weatherproof. Rain drains and exterior landscaping were tackled.
And then there was time to say goodbye. One by one we, Team 11, left Dhoksan and put the project in Camilla and Sophia's hands. Ten months in Nepal are over. It was an incredible time. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us mentally, gave us their planning expertise, built with us and of course everyone who helped us with the financing - we are speechless, THANK YOU!
05.05.2024
Wir sind sprachlos! Und überglücklich.
Was eine Crowdfunding-Kampagne! Wir können es selbst noch kaum glauben. Wir möchten uns von Herzen bei jedem Einzelnen von euch bedanken, der/die diesen Weg mit uns gegangen ist und uns bei diesem Wunder unterstützt haben. Nicht nur für all die großzügigen Spenden, sondern auch für jeden unterstützenden Zuspruch und jede liebe Nachricht! Ohne euch wäre das alles nicht möglich gewesen und wir können kaum in Worte fassen, wie glücklich und stolz wir sind, eine solche Community im Rücken zu haben.
Wir werden euch für immer dankbar sein!
StartNext wird das Projekt in den nächsten Tagen prüfen, bevor das gespendete Geld von den Konten abgebucht wird. Und dann werden werden nochmal fleißig Ziegen geknuddelt, Runden gerannt, Lieder geträllert und eine wunderbare Schatzsuche organisiert.
Wie immer halten wir euch gerne auf dem neusten Stand über Updates auf unserer Website, auf Instagram (www.instagram.com/supertecture), über den Newsletter (www.supertecture.com/news/newsletter ) oder unserem Blog auf StartNext (https://www.startnext.com/recycled-kindergarten-nepal)
Herzlichste Grüße aus Nepal
Euer Team 12
Camilla und Sophia
We are speechless! And over the moon.
What a crowdfunding campaign! We can hardly believe it ourselves.
We would like to thank each and every one of you who has travelled this path with us and supported us in this miracle. Not only for all the generous donations, but also for every supportive encouragement and every kind message! Without you, none of this would have been possible and we can hardly put into words how happy and proud we are to have such a community behind us.
We will be forever grateful to you!
StartNext will review the project in the next few days before the donated money is debited from the accounts. And then it's back to cuddling goats, running laps, singing songs and organising a wonderful treasure hunt.
As always, we will be happy to keep you up to date with updates on our website, on Instagram (www.instagram.com/supertecture), via the newsletter (www.supertecture.com/news/newsletter ) or our blog on StartNext (https://www.startnext.com/recycled-kindergarten-nepal)
Best wishes from Nepal
Your team 12
Camilla and Sophia
28.04.2024
Der Countdown läuft!! Er rennt!! Wir befinden uns in den letzten Zügen einer wunderbaren und nervenaufreibenden Crowdfunding-Kampagne und haben großartige Neuigkeiten! Unser wunderbarer Gönner Fabian hat sich bereiterklärt, unser Crowdfunding einen absoluten Megaboost zu verpassen! Wenn wir bis zum 2. Mai gemeinsam die 15.000€ schaffen, füllt Fabian die restlichen 5.000€ auf! Ist das nicht der Wahnsinn? Also lasst uns alle gemeinsam diesen Traum wahr werden lassen! Nur noch 4 Tage habt ihr Zeit, unser wunderbares Projekt auf StartNext zu unterstützen.
Wir freuen uns von Herzen über jeeeeeden Beitrag!!
Herzlichst,
euer Team 12
Camilla und Sophia
The countdown is on!!! It's running!!! We are in the final stages of a wonderful and nerve-wracking crowdfunding campaign and we have great news! Our wonderful supporter Fabian has agreed to give our crowdfunding an absolute mega boost! If we collectively raise €15,000 by 2 May, Fabian will top up the remaining €5,000! Isn't that amazing? So let's all make this dream come true together! You only have 4 days left to support our wonderful project on StartNext.
We are very happy about every contribution!
Best wishes,
your team 12
Camilla and Sophia
10.04.2024
Wir sind Camilla und Sophia, zwei frisch gebackene Architektur-Absolventinnen aus Stuttgart. Als Team 12 für Supertecture sind wir seit Mitte März vor Ort in Nepal. Wir möchten unsere Zeit vor dem Master dazu nutzen, konkret soziale Verantwortung zu übernehmen und unser Wissen dort einzusetzen, wo wir einen Unterschied machen können. Darum haben wir uns Supertecture gUG angeschlossen.
Im Bergdorf Dhoksan wurden wir mit offenen Armen empfangen, sowohl vom Team 11, als auch von der Dorfgemeinschaft. In dieser Zeit durften wir bereits unsere erste Momo-Party schmeißen, an einer traditionellen Haircutting-Zeremonie teilnehmen und als Gäste bei einer klassischen Tamang-Hochzeit mitfeiern. Bei allen Festlichkeiten wurden wir mit köstlichstem Essen und Trinken umsorgt und es bot sich die Gelegenheit, bereits viele Leute aus dem Dorf beim gemeinsamen Anstoßen kennenzulernen.
Momentan befinden wir uns in den letzten Zügen einer aufregenden und nervenaufreibenden Crowdfunding-Kampagne und bereiten unsere erste Schulstunde vor.
Gemeinsam mit der Community soll für die Kinder ein sicherer und nachhaltiger Ort zum Wachsen, Lernen, Spielen und Entfalten entstehen. Dabei sollen die Kinder spielerisch an den Entwurfs- und Bauprozessen beteiligt werden und Raum bekommen, ihre Wünsche und Bedürfnisse zu kommunizieren.
Uns ist wichtig, dabei die Balance zwischen innovativem und ökologischem sowie dauerhaftem Bauen zu finden.
Wir schicken beste Grüße aus Dhoksan,
euer Team 12,
Sophia und Camilla
We are Camilla and Sophia, two recent architecture graduates from Stuttgart. As Team 12 for Supertecture, we have been on site in Nepal since mid-March. We want to use our remaining time before our Master‘s degree to take on social responsibility and use our knowledge where we can make a difference. That‘s why we joined Supertecture gUG.
We were welcomed with open arms in the mountain village of Dhoksan, both by Team 11 and by the village community. During this time, we were lucky to throw our first Momo party, take part in a traditional haircutting ceremony and celebrate as guests at a conventional Tamang wedding. We were spoilt with delicious food and drinks at all the festivities and had the opportunity to get to know many people from the village while toasting together.
We are currently in the final stages of an exciting and nerve-wracking crowdfunding campaign and are preparing for our first school lesson.
Together with the community, we want to create a safe and sustainable place for the children to grow, learn, play and develop.
The children will be playfully involved in the design and construction processes and will be given space to communicate their wishes and needs.
We want to strike a balance between innovative, ecological and sustainable construction.
We send best wishes from Dhoskan,
your team 12,
Camilla and Sophia
08.04.2024
Die lange Vorarbeit hat sich ausgezahlt: letzte Woche konnten wir die jeweils ersten drei Wände beider Häuser aufstellen und seit heute hängt auch schon das erste Fachwerk! Es ist wirklich ein unfassbares Gefühl das Geplante nun einfach vor sich stehen zu sehen. Bisher funktioniert auch alles nach Plan und wir sind sehr zufrieden.
Das Sägewerk arbeitet auf Hochtouren und schiebt - teilweise auch mit unserer Unterstützung -Nachtschichten, damit wir die letzte Bestellung noch vor Neujahr bekommen. Das ist tatsächlich kein Scherz – in ein paar Tagen beginnt in Nepal nämlich das Jahr 2081!
Auf der Baustelle wird an allen Ecken und Enden weiter gesägt, geschliffen, gebohrt, gebrannt und gespalten. Parallel zu den Wänden sind auch schon die ersten Vorbereitungen für die Dächer getroffen. Kalpona – „Chairwoman of the Jungle“ – näht unsere Zementsäcke zu langen Bahnen als Windpapier zusammen und die erste Mischung aus Holzspänen mit Molke und Borsalz für die Dämmung ist schon getrocknet.
Über Ostern haben wir uns als Team eine kleine Auszeit gegönnt und waren in Kathmandu. Währenddessen scheint in Dhoksan wohl ein heftiger Sturm getobt zu haben, denn neben diversen Dächern, die abgedeckt wurden, wurde auch unser Klohäuschen zusammengefalten. Glücklicherweise hat sich niemand verletzt und alles wurde repariert und unsere Wände sind unversehrt geblieben!
Bis bald aus Dhoksan,
Euer Team 11,
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils und Sophie
The long preparatory work has paid off: last week we were able to erect the first three walls of both houses and today the first truss is already hanging! It really is an incredible feeling to see all we have planned now standing in front of us. So far, everything is going according to the plan, and we are very happy.
The timber mill is working at full speed and is putting in night shifts - sometimes with our support - so that we can get the last order in before New Year. This is no joke - in a few days' time, the year 2081 begins in Nepal!
On the construction site, sawing, sanding, drilling, burning and splitting continues everywhere. The first preparations for the roofs have already been made at the same time. Kalpona - "Chairwoman of the Jungle" - is sewing our cement sacks together to make long sheets of wind paper and the first mixture of wood chips with whey and salt for the insulation has already dried.
Over Easter, we took a little break as a team and travelled to Kathmandu. During this time, a violent storm must have raged in Dhoksan, because in addition to various roofs being covered, our toilet block was also folded down. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and everything was repaired and our walls remained intact!
See you soon from Dhoksan,
Your team 11,
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils and Sophie
20.03.2024
Seit ein paar Wochen sind wir jetzt schon fertig mit den Fundamenten! Es waren einige harte Tage mit viel Graben, Steine schleppen oder Beton (per Hand!) mischen. Jetzt sind wir aber froh Zement, Sand und Wasser weg zu legen und endlich mit Holz weiterzuarbeiten.
Die Wartezeit auf die Holzlieferungen, die es durch ein paar Verzögerungen im Holzwerk gegeben hat, haben wir nicht nur damit verbracht, die Fundamente zu feiern, sondern haben probiert alles so weit wie möglich vorzubereiten. Wir fahren mit Trucks herum und sammeln Holzspäne für die Dämmung und Autoreifen für die Dachhaut. Die Holzspäne werden dann mit einem speziellen Salz und Molke gemischt, um später resistent gegen Ungeziefer und Feuer zu sein. Daneben stapeln sich schon die Baumstämme, aus denen die Schindeln abgespalten und später abgezogen werden. Ihr könnt ja mal schätzen, wieviel wir fürs ganze Haus brauchen werden :). Außerdem durften wir auf eine traditionelle Tamang-Hochzeit mitkommen und somit noch bisschen Kultur miterleben. Nun ist das große Ziel der Woche jeweils die ersten drei Wände aufzustellen. Dafür werden viele Löcher vorgebohrt, alle Bauteile auf die richtige Länge gebracht und die Stützen für Haus 1 gebrannt.
Last but not least haben wir letzte Woche zwei neue Team Mitglieder begrüßen dürfen! Camilla und Sophia werden bis August hierbleiben und sind für das dritte Haus zuständig.
Es gibt also wie immer viel Neues und viel zu tun – also geht’s jetzt wieder ran an die Arbeit!
Liebe Grüße aus Dhoksan,
euer Team 11
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils und Sophie
We've been finished with the foundations for a few weeks now! It's been a tough few days with lots of digging, hauling stones and mixing concrete (by hand!). But now we're happy to put away the cement, sand and water and finally continue working with wood.
The waiting time for the timber deliveries, which was caused by a few delays at the timber mill, was not only spent celebrating the foundations, but also trying to prepare everything as much as possible. We drive around with trucks and collect wood chips for the insulation and car tyres for the roof. The wood chips are then mixed with a special salt and whey to make them resistant to bugs and fire. The tree trunks, from which the shingles are split, are already stacked up next to it. Can you guess how many shingles we will need for the whole house? :) We were also able to go on a traditional Tamang wedding and experience a bit of culture. Now the big goal for the week is to erect the first three walls. This involves drilling lots of holes, cutting all the components to the right length and burning the pillars for House 1.
Last but not least, we welcomed two new team members last week! Camilla and Sophia will stay here until August and are responsible for the third house.
So, as always, there is a lot of news and a lot to do - so let's get back to work!
Best wishes from Dhoksan,
your Team 11
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils und Sophie
01.02.2024
Yesterday the first cubic meters of earth were excavated. We are very happy about this, because it officially means the start of construction of the first two kindergarten buildings! The top fertile layer of soil has already been laid to one side to serve as the basis for planting later. Now it's time to continue excavating levels to bring them up to the height of the foundation slabs and to build stone walls in the supporting layers all around.
At the same time as the seven workers who are actively supporting us, we are still working on finalizing the plans, calculating the perfect dimensions, but also digging diligently.
In the meantime same time, we keep driving to the nearest villages or towns to check the availability of materials. We've been to various sawmills, scrap dealers and cheese dairies. We successfully asked the latter for whey, with some difficulties due to the language barrier, to make our insulation more resistant to fire later on. We are carrying out initial fire tests with the wood or chopping up whole tree trunks - perhaps you can already guess what the facades will look like ;).
All in all, we are very pleased with everything that is going on and have gained a little more motivation from the start of construction.
Best wishes from Dhoksan,
Your Team 11
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils und Sophie
07.01.2024
We can hardly believe it, but we've made it again. The target sum of 20,000 euros was reached again before the end of the campaign and topped up to a total of 22,413 euros - unbelievable! We are eternally grateful to you. Together with our first crowdfunding and other direct donations, we have now raised over 70,000 euros, which more than secures the financing of the first two kindergarten buildings! Now we'll leave you in peace with the financial side of things - we promise.
StartNext will check the project in the next few days before the donated money is debited from the accounts. And we will then send out all the donation receipts, cuddle the last goats and get the first tomato and mango tree seeds.
In the meantime, of course, we are already making some progress. Shortly before the end of the year, we finalised our first construction phase, the retaining wall, and celebrated with a momo party. At the end of January, we will continue with the foundations of the buildings. Until then, we will be working on the designs for the houses, deciding which timber construction method to use and considering how to deal best with the gradient of the slope. Although the schoolchildren are on winter holidays for a few weeks, they will of course still be considered in every decision. So, we are starting the new year with a lot of motivation!
All of this is only possible thanks to you, it is incredibly wonderful to receive such great support. Not only every donation, but also all the approval through your messages makes us happy every time. It's hard to put into words how grateful we are for your support.
As always, we are happy to keep you informed via
the updates here on the website,
Instagram www.instagram.com/supertecture,
the newsletter www.supertecture.com/news/newsletter
or the StartNext blog www.startnext.com/kindergarten-nepal-2.
Best wishes from Nepal,
Your Team 11
Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils and Sophie
07.01.2024
After a somewhat quieter Christmas period, we got back to work full of motivation.
A lot has happened since the last update 3 weeks ago. After the plot was prepared, we worked hard on the support wall that protects the slope where our site is located from slipping. Especially before the foundations for the first two buildings are poured. This additional weight must be supported.
With the great help of the Berlin-based civil engineering company PST Grundbau GmbH, we managed the calculations and dimensioning of the wall.
Together with a total of six Dhoksanis, who all have experience in wall construction, we almost completed the wall within seven working days. We have left a section of the wall above ground in the middle so that large machines can still drive onto our site to dig pits or deliver materials. This means that the site is still secured underground in this area.
Of course, we haven't forgotten the school subject! The retaining wall forms the lower boundary of the kindergarten and is also the access wall for the entire property. As our focus is on the children, we have planned their own access for the little ones. In addition to the usual access via a staircase, the kindergarten can also be accessed via climbing stones, ropes or similar. The bricks protruding from the wall were painted by the kindergarten children in our "We Build Our House" class. We are delighted to be able to involve the little ones once again.
We wish everyone who is following our project a happy new year and look forward to updating you again next year with news from the building site.
Many greetings from wintry and sunny Dhoksan.
Sophie, Jakob, Matthias, Nicola and Nils
06.01.2024
Here are all the news, funny videos and milestones for everyone who missed our advent calendar. Just click on the picture to see all the doors (again).
Greetings from Nepal,
Sophie, Jakob, Matti, Nicola, Nils
11.12.2023
We are making progress! Now that the bushes have been removed by some helpers from Dhoksan, it is time for us to analyse which trees need to be felled. Some of the trees are no longer alive or are at risk of falling onto buildings in the future. Together with two Dhoksanis we went on the site with two axes and a pruning saw. The two-metre pieces are now ready to be used again later on the site as seating, steps or whatever else we can think of.
Then, after some organisational troubles, we were able to get an excavator after a four-day delay (we are learning from this), which has now prepared the site as a building plot. All the root stumps and the top layer of soil were removed and stored. Also, an edge was built to pave the way for the construction of the retaining wall. The work of the last few days has enabled us to mark out the buildings on the site in order to finalise our master plan so that we can start digging the foundations soon.
In the meantime, we have already held our sixth school lesson. The children and we are still having a lot of fun and we are also getting some exciting, constructive input. Small updates on our school lessons and everything else can also be found in the Advent calendar - so feel free to drop by!
We have also launched our second crowdfunding campaign to raise €60,000 in total. This will allow us to finalise the financing of the first two buildings that we will be constructing. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our donators once again. You really are amazing and make it possible to realise such cool projects.
Best regards from Dhoksan,
Sophie, Jakob, Matti, Nicola and Nils
21.10.2023
Unbelievable, but true! We have actually made it! The new target amount of 27,000 euros was reached and we owe that ONLY to YOU!
Not only have we reached the first target amount of 22,000 euros, we have exceeded it by 25%. This is of course accompanied by the fact that our generous super donors, as described in the offer, fill it up to 30,000 euros.
So you have given us and especially of course the children of Dhoksan the basis to soon have new space to learn, play and grow up.
What's next? Planning for the earthworks, foundations and primary structure material can thus, thanks to you, soon become a reality. Of course, we are already busy refining the designs and translating the children's initial ideas from the school subject into ensemble and building designs. We are currently determining the exact building locations and dealing with the tree population. We are also already in contact with material suppliers and companies for earthworks. As you can see from the pictures, the school subject ,,We Build Our House" is also constantly evolving and enriching us with never-ending inspiration for the design of the kindergarten buildings.
And once again. We are infinitely grateful to you for the support you give us. Not only through the incredible amount of funding, but also the encouragement that reaches us. We read every message on Instagram, Startnext, every email and every YouTube comment. You give us constant support and for that we want to thank you especially on the occasion of this milestone!
We will keep you posted and provide you with regular updates, on our other channels as well.
Instagram instagram.com/supertecture
Newsletter supertecture.com/news
StartNext startnext.com/kindergarten-nepal
Best, Team 11 from Nepal
11.10.2023
We are infinitely grateful to you that we have reached this milestone together. As of this morning, the target sum of the Startnext campaign counts more than 22,000 euros in donations. We would like to thank each and every donor and supporter for placing their trust in us. Now you are an integral part of the future Shree Shila Devi Kindergarten. This is the most successful crowdfunding in the history of Supertecture and we have only you to thank for that. We managed to raise the amount in 20 days, ensuring the project launch in two-thirds of the time. To underline how incredible this whole thing is, we've put together a few hard facts for you.
20/30 days until the minimum amount was reached
104 donors
122 donations
for this we have...
30 x cuddled a goat
26 x Ayrak Shots enjoyed
4 x shoutouts
11 x postcards printed
1 x gave our editor behind the scenes material
1 x drew a supercharicature
2 x started project books
You are the crowd we could not have dreamed of.
Now the first hurdle has been overcome. The project can start and we are already working with hot fingers on the execution planning and are simultaneously busy with the preparation of the building site.
Best, Team 11 from Dhoksan
4.10.2023
In the beginning, our time in Nepal was filled with a lot of planning, organization and concept considerations. We quickly agreed that we definitely want to include the actual users of the kindergarten in the design process. After spending a few weeks putting the finishing touches on our newly planned school subject, we had our first school sessions last Friday!
With a lot of attention to detail, we spent the week working hard until late at night preparing, printing, folding and organizing to make our debut as teachers in the best possible way - and it was absolutely worth it. After a small introduction with the whole school, we had four lessons to include as many age groups as possible. We made sure to adapt to the children´s abilities. There was cutting, painting, crafting and thinking. Our goal in each lesson is to get as many results as possible for our building project, but also to have learning objectives for the children. At the end of the day we were overwhelmed by all the creative, interesting and motivating moments and results. Now we are busy preparing the new lessons and revising the old ones.
Moreover, we are of course very happy about the progress of the crowdfunding - you are simply the best! If you tell all your friends and everyone else you meet about it, we will manage to raise the missing percentages by leaps and bounds!
We are looking forward to many more new things the children and we are about to learn and are happy if you accompany us on that journey.
Best regards from Dhoksan,
Jakob, Nils, Matti and Sophie
12.09.2023
Team 11 has arrived in Dhoksan! Since August we - Matti and Nils, two architecture students from Berlin and Jakob and Sophie, two civil engineering students from Innsbruck - are here to plan and realize a kindergarten. Next to the existing Shree Shila Devi Primary School, four classrooms and a sanitary room with kitchen and toilet are planned. Currently the kindergarten children use several rooms of the elementary school.
Already in the first weeks we were warmly welcomed by the school management and were able to get to know the entire elementary school directly at an internal school event.
Now we are motivated to the fingertips to start with the project and are of course very happy if you accompany us on the way to the finished building. We also want to give smaller and bigger updates about our progress here from time to time.
Best regards from Nepal and see you soon,
Jakob, Matti, Nils and Sophie