16. AFECT’s “Happy Children’s Mud House”: Mae Jan, Chiang Rai 2016
15. “Little Smiles Centre”: Mae Wang Noi Chiang Rai 2015
14. Baan San Rak children’s home’s “Visitor House, Take 2”: Chiang Rai 2015
13. Baan San Rak children’s home’s “Library of Love”, Chiang Rai 2014/15
12. School Building Workshop: Nam Hpat Kar (Myanmar) 2014
11. Wat Kong Krailat’s “SukoThaibrary”: Kong Krailat, Sukhothai 2013/14
10. “Bumblebee Preschool”: Mae Soon, Chaing Mai 2013
9. “Baan Didi” Group Home: Sangkhlaburi, Kanchanaburi 2012/13
8. Wat Sao Thong School Library: Wat Sao Thong, Suphanburi 2013
7. “Smile Kids Center” preschool: Siplang, Chiang Rai 2013
6. Warm Heart Foundation’s dormitory: Phrao, Chiang Mai 2012
5. Dragonfly Strawbale Bungalow: Meuang Nakhon Ratchasima 2012
4. Baan Nongtaloompook School Nature Study Center: Baan Nongtaloompook, Nakhon Ratchasima 2011
3. Mae Sot Center for Children in Need walls and floors: Mae Sot, Tak 2010
2. Baan Luuk Rak Library: Meuang Khon Kaen 2009
1. Baan San Rak children’s home “Visitor House”: Mae Lao, Chiang Rai 2009
16. “Happy Children’s Mud House” 2016
AFECT had a dilapidated building on their campus that they wanted to tear down and re-build as a play house for young children. Alby convinced them to keep the roof and columns there and his team built an incredibly wild and colourful place for kid to play and do activities.
Location: AFECT Project Dormitories, Mae Jan, Chiang Rai
Partner: AFECT (The Association for Akha Education and Culture in Thailand) provides care and education to Akha ethnic minority children in Thai and their native language in order to preserve the rich traditions of this distinct cultural group.
Construction Dates: January – March 2016
Building Size: 1 room, 1.5 stories, 6m X 8m, somewhat rectanglar in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; compressed earth brick and recycled wood walls; used existing tile roof
Team: two dozen Thai and international volunteers, AFECT kids and staff
Managers: Albert Marcos and Andrea Dobinsky
15. “Little Smiles Centre”: Mae Wang Noi Chiang Rai 2015
Children in the ethnic Lisu village of Mae Wang Noi had no pre-school programs to attend, because they had no school building to assemble in. Enter ARC once again, with a plan to construct and fund a learning centre, and the DCF’s Alby Marcos with the vision to build it. Working with a handful of volunteers and a lot of local villagers, we built a fantastic learning centre with a great view of the mountains. Visit the project’s Facebook Page here.
Location: Wang Mae Noi, Phrao District, Chaing Rai
Partner: The Always Reading Caravan runs a stationary and a mobile library and supports early education projects in Northern Thailand with a goal of improving early literacy for kids.
Construction Dates: February – March 2013
Building Size: 1 room, 6m X 8m, wavy rectangle in plan
Materials: gravel bag foundation; concrete floor; mudbrick walls; exiting roof
Team: 4 international and Thai volunteers and countless local villagers
Managers: Yoshimi Horiuchi and Albert Marcos
14. “Visitor House, Take 2”: Chiang Rai 2015
The first building we ever built was damaged after a powerful earthquake struck Chiang Rai in 2014, and we made the decision to demolish it for safety reasons. But with the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Mae Sai, building manager Alby was able to rebuild better than ever. Building on the old foundation, he and his volunteers gave it a light, flexible roof to prevent earthquake damage, built in furniture and a bathroom, and painted it in bright, fun colours for the kids to enjoy!
Location: Baan Saan Rak children’s home, Mae Lao District, Chiang Rai
Partners:
Rotary Club of Mae Sai (Chiang Rai),a branch of Rotary International, brings together local Mae Sai people to perform charitable works in and around their region.
Baan Saan Rak provides housing, meals, and access to education for children from remote villages (mostly from the minority Akha ethic group) in Chiang Rai province.
Construction Dates: March – April 2015
Building Size: 2 rooms and small bathroom, 4m X 7m, oval in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; mudbrick walls, light tile roof
Team: 8 Thai and international volunteers, BSR kids and staff
Manager: Albert Marcos
When we asked our long-time partner Baan Saan Rak what their kids needed, they said a library. The DCF answered with a building that would make Gaudi proud. After our first building there was damaged in a powerful earthquake, this one was designed with a light-weight natural roof and plenty of earthquake resistance in its bamboo framed cob walls – and the kids love it!
Location: Baan Saan Rak children’s home, Mae Lao District, Chiang Rai
Partner: Baan Saan Rak provides housing, meals, and access to education for children from remote villages (mostly from the minority Akha ethic group) in Chiang Rai province.
Construction Dates: November 2014 – January 2015
Building Size: 1 room, 4m X 6m, wavy rectangle in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; bamboo framed cob (mud and straw mixture) walls; grass thatch roof
Team: 12 Thai and 8 international volunteers, BSR kids and staff
Manager: Albert Marcos
12. School Building Workshop: 2014
Long-time partner Whispering Seed was invited to design school buildings and lead a building workshop for an embattled community in Myanmar, and the DCF was invited to join in. Together, we led a 10-day mudbrick building workshop which trained locals as well as groups of volunteers from neighbouring villages. We built the first classroom with a modular hexagonal design and advised on the layout of 2 whole schools. We also showed the participants how to plaster and paint using locally available materials, and they immediately incorporated traditional designs into this construction system. What an experience!
Location: Nam Hpat Kar, KutkaiTownship, Shan State, Myanmar
Partners:
Whispering Seed are long-time friends of the DCF and first introduced us to sustainable building. This project cares for orphaned and abused children in Myanmar and also teaches sustainability and holistic education.
Nam Hpat Kar Mare Baptist Church supports a local community of largely Kachin ethnic people in Shan State and currently hosts a camp for nearly 300 internally displaced people fleeing violence in Kachin State.
Construction Dates: March 2014
Building Size: 1 room, 6m X 6m, hexagonal in plan
Materials: stone and cement foundation; mudbrick walls
Team: 5 international and Burmese volunteers, countless Kachin villagers
Managers: Jim Connor and Daniel Lockwood
11. Wat Kong Krailat’s “SukoThaibrary” 2013/14
Wat Kong Krailat invited us to build a community library and donated land and labour to get the project started. Our revolving team of volunteers got a boost from over 100 kids from the nearby school who came by a few times to help (ant power!) and play in the mud. Together, we built an incredible building covered in sculptures and filled it with donated books.
Location: Kong Krailat, Sukhothai
Partner: Wat Kong Krailat is a large temple in rural Sukhothai Province.
Construction Dates: November 2013 – January 2014
Building Size: 1 room, 6m X 8m, rectangular in plan
Materials: gravel bag foundation; concretefloor; mudbrick walls; steel roof
Team: 12 international and over 100 Thai volunteers and monks
Managers: Natachanok Chookasem and Daniel Lockwood
10. “Bumblebee Center” Preschool 2013
Location: Mae Soon, Phrao District, Chaing Mai
Partner: The Always Reading Caravan runs a stationary and a mobile library and supports early education projects in Northern Thailand with a goal of improving early literacy for kids.
Construction Dates: February – March 2013
Building Size: 1 room, 4m X 7m, rectangular in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; mudbrick walls; earthen roof
Team: 2 international volunteers and 40 local Karen villagers, 1 paid foundation builder, plus a whole off-road driving club
Managers: Yoshimi Horiuchi and Daniel Lockwood
ARC’s indefatigable Yoshimi once again asked the DCF for help building a preschool in a remote hilltribe community. An offroad driving club generously offered to carry building materials up the mountain and the local Karen people gave their time and labour to build a cute little building for their kids’ futures. ARC decked out the interior with play mats, posters, books, and most crucially a paid teacher.
9. “Baan Didi” Group Home: 2012/13
In 2004, Didi Anuraga, a Neo-Humanist nun, built a small house and there started the Baan Unrak School to educate orphans and stateless children on the Thai-Myanmar border. Year later, she had built a whole campus and her small house, which was now occupied by disabled students, was needed for an additional classroom. So she began building a new house, but the work stalled. Whispering Seed staff asked the DCF to help and offered us advice and accommodation during the project. We used mudbricks to help complete the large house, building comfortable rooms with curved, brightly painted and beautifully sculpted walls.
Location: Sangkhlaburi, Kanchanaburi
Partners:
Baan Unrak School provides education to migrant and stateless children in the troubled Thai-Myanmar border region of Sangkhlaburi.
Whispering Seed are long-time friends of the DCF and first introduced us to sustainable building. This project cares for orphaned and abused children in Myanmar and also teaches sustainability and holistic education.
Construction Dates: November 2012 – February 2013
Building Size: 8 rooms, 12m X 20m, rectagular in plan
Materials: pre-established concrete foundation and floor; mudbrick and cob(straw and mud) walls; pre-established tile roof
Team: 10 international and 14 Thai volunteers, over 100 Baan Unrak School staff and students
Manager: Daniel Lockwood
8. Wat Sao Thong School Library / Classroom 2012
The DCF was asked to build a library for Wat Sao Thong School as their current one was needed as a classroom for their special education program. But there was one problem – the earth around Suphanburi is nearly 100% clay – not great for building. But thanks to our earlier experiments, we were able to design and build a strawbale building instead of our usual mudbrick. The result? The special education program loved our building with all it interesting shapes and textures and moved into it instead!
A thousand thanks to the Skoolbo literacy company for providing the bulk of the funding for this project!
Location: Wat Sao Thong, Suphanburi
Partner: Wat Sao Thong School is a rural, mid-sized primary school which includes a special education program for autistic children from the surrounding community.
Construction Dates: March – April 2012
Building Size: rooms, 8m X 8m, square in plan
Materials: gravel bag and concrete foundation; concrete floor; strawbale walls with earth plaster; tile roof
Team: 8 international and 12 Thai volunteers
Manager: Daniel Lockwood
7. “Smile Kids Center” preschool 2012
We were invited by the ARC and Warm Heart Foundation to build a small pre-school in Siplang, a very remote Akha village. We used a small but available platform of land on a hillside to build a small school which is now thriving. Thanks to continued funding by the ARC, it’s used every day to teach local children in Thai and Akha languages.
Location: Siplang Village, Chiang Rai
Partners:
The Always Reading Caravan runs a stationary and a mobile library and supports early education projects in Northern Thailand with a goal of improving early literacy for kids.
The Warm Heart Foundation provides housing and access to education for children from remote hilltribe villages, provides training in sustainable farm management and pollution reduction, advocates for disabled and elderly community member, and much more!
Construction Dates: February – March 2012
Building Size: 1 room, 4m X 7m, rectangular in plan
Materials: stone and cement foundation; concrete floor; mudbrick walls; earthen roof (later replaced with tile roof)
Team: 2 international volunteers and 20 local Akha villagers, plus a whole off-road driving club
6. Warm Heart Foundation Dormitory 2011
After we introduced mudbrick building techniques to the Warm Heart Foundation, they were hooked and asked us to help them build a new dormitory so they could house more female students. We used cob and later mudbricks to undertake our largest project to date. We needed to use a tractor and hired workers to mix and stomp cob, but received funding from Trekking for Kids to make the whole thing happen.
Location: Warm Heart Foundation home and farm, Phrao, Chiang Mai
Partners:
The Warm Heart Foundation provides housing and access to education for children from remote hilltribe villages, provides training in sustainable farm management and pollution reduction, advocates for disabled and elderly community member, and much more!
Trekking for Kids is a non-profit company that incorporates volunteer work into their trekking tours.
Construction Dates: November – December 2011
Building Size: 1 central hall and 4 dorm rooms, 12m X 6m, bowtie-shaped in plan
Materials: gravel bag foundation; concrete floor; cob (straw and mud) and mudbrick walls; tile roof
Team: 20 international and 6 Thai volunteers; Warm Heart staff and kids; 4 paid cob-stompers
Managers: Daniel Lockwood and Hans Maes (design)
5. Dragonfly Strawbale Bungalow 2011
In 2011, the DCF was briefly joined by 2 engineers who gave us design advice for our buildings and pushed us to experiment with a wider array of building systems. To try out strawbale construction, we built an experimental cottage in the garden outside of our office out of re-used, recycled, and agricultural waste materials for next to nothing. Admittedly it wasn’t pretty, but we learned a lot!
Location: Dragonfly Community Foundation office, Meuang Nakhon Ratchasima
Partner: Two international engineers came to work with the DCF and proposed this building to test new techniques and experimental building methods.
Construction Dates: January-February 2011
Building Size: 1 room, 3.5m X 4.5 m, rectangular in plan
Materials: experimental re-used concrete and gravel foundation; strawbale walls with earthen render; bamboo and palm thatch roof
Team: 12 Thai and international volunteers, DCF staff
Managers: Paul Laroque and Daniel Lockwood
Baan Nongtaloompook wanted to interest their students in sustainability, so we agreed to teach them about building with local, natural materials by working together to build a little building. Lot of our friends came out to help, and the kids loved it. The little open-air classroom, set on an old foundation under some teak trees, inspired the school and also won them an award for environmental awareness!
Location: Baan Nongtalookpook, Nakhon Ratchasima
Partner: Baan Nongtaloompook School is a mid-sized primary and middle school on the outskirts of Nakhon Ratchasima city providing education to local children, most of whose families work in the nearby industrial estate. The school added a roof to this building once the walls were complete.
Construction Dates: December 2010 – January 2011
Building Size: 1 room, 4m X 5m, mickey mouse-shaped in plan
Materials: re-used concrete foundation; earthen floor; mudbrick walls; palm thatch roof
Team: 10 Thai volunteers, 10 international volunteers, students from Baannongtaloompook School
Manager: Daniel Lockwood
3. Center for Children in Need walls and floors 2010
This was an unusual project. The CCN was situated in a converted barn, so the roof and pillars already existed. We added flooring as well as walls, windows, and doors to change a large open space into rooms for separate uses so it looked less like a barn and more like a comfy home. Generous funding was provided largely by Club Canada Thailand, a social club in Bangkok.
Location: Center for Children in Need, Mae Sot, Tak
Partner: The Center for Children in Need supports disabled and abandoned children from the troubled Thai-Myanmar border region, providing them with housing and schooling.
Construction Dates: May-July 2010
Building: multiple rooms and hallways, 12m x 18m, rectangular in plan
Materials: concrete and earthen floors; mudbrick walls and furniture
Team: 3 Thai volunteers, 7 international volunteers, 4 paid local workers, CCN children and staff
Manager: Daniel Lockwood
2. Baan Luuk Rak Library 2009*
After supporting Baan Luuk Rak with volunteer for years, we uncovered the need for a meeting place, and so we built one. The kids, who are home-schooled on site, helped every step of the way as they studied the subject of “Baan Din” (earthen houses) for the month. We added bookshelves and called it the library because multi-purpose hall is a mouthful!
*In 2017, the building was assessed and a decision was made to perform renovations of this building. See our Current Projects for details of this on-going work.
Location: Baan Luuk Rak children’s home, Meuang Khon Kaen
Partner: Baan Luuk Rak is a home for over 40 children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, operated by the Child Help Foundation of Thailand. Kids live at this site and receive care and schooling from the project’s staff.
Construction Dates: October 2009 – January 2010
Building Size: 1 room, 6m X 8m, oval in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; mudbrick walls; wood and tile roof
Team: 8 Thai volunteers, 30 international volunteers, Baan Luuk Rak kids, 2 paid local roof builders
Managers: Charlie Crowson and Daniel Lockwood
1. Baan San Rak children’s home “Visitor House” 2009*
We sent Baan Saan Rak volunteers, but the little project was crowded and needed a better place for them and other visitors to sleep. So we built one. This little 2-room bungalow was our first independent building after training with other projects. The BSR kids liked it and fought over who would get to sleep in it when they had no visitors!
*In 2014, Mae Lao was hit by an earthquake and this building was damaged. After inspection, the tough decision was made to demolish the Visitor’s House for safety purposes. It was re-built in 2015, better than ever, under the management of Albert Marcos.
Location: Baan Saan Rak children’s home, Mae Lao District, Chiang Rai
Partner: Baan Saan Rak provides housing, meals, and access to education for children from remote villages (mostly from the minority Akha ethic group) in Chiang Rai province.
Construction Dates: March-April 2009
Building Size: 2 rooms, 4m X 7m, oval in plan
Materials: concrete foundation and floor; mudbrick walls; earthen roof
Team: 10 volunteers from a local high school, 10 international volunteers, Baan Saan Rak kids, 2 paid earthen roof builders
Managers: Charlie Crowson and Daniel Lockwood