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In Tsunami-Hit Sri Lanka, Design Matters

Far beyond “aesthetic perks,” design details become exceptional tools for improving and aiding various systems.

Lisa Le Fevre -- Interior Design, 3/28/2005 12:00:00 AM

Just hours after members of Architecture for Humanity heard about the devastating tsumani that severely damaged thousands of acres of coastal Asia last December, the group jumped to do what it does best—rally efforts to help millions of displaced people. Since that time, the organization’s Project Re:Build has raised funds and begun reconstruction to help the particularly hard-hit costal towns of Kirinda and Pottuvil in Sri Lanka.

Relying on what the organization calls an "outpouring of support" in both funds and relief efforts from the design community and others, including WorldChanging , a Weblog dedicated to sustainable technology and ideas, the non-profit has collected nearly $200,000, which is already funding repair for community and civic buildings.

"We chose to fund community buildings because they’re typically the last to be restored," explains Kate Stohr, Architecture for Humanity’s co-founder. "Yet, these buildings are critical to the well-being of the community, rekindling social ties and a sense of normalcy, as well as restoring livelihoods and generating long-term economic growth."

Working in conjunction with a team of locally based architects, Architecture for Humanity and its ground team have been working since January 2 to organize a redevelopment plan for housing prototypes and new village infrastructures. In Kirinda, for example, which was once a flourishing fishing port, the group is building medical facilities, a temple square and marketplace, and a postal-and-police station. Architects fought to keep the town near the coast to encourage economic growth and personal livelihood. Eco-conscious technologies such as solar power and rainwater harvesting are planned to be introduced.

In Pottuvil, the organization is rebuilding a local school with the help of Relief International, a grant from the Do Something foundation, and funds collected by school children in the U.S. A building prototype that allows growing families and businesses to expand via removable walls is also being developed.

The organization attributes its success to both the generosity of and fundamental role that architects and designers play in making communities work. “Design isn't just an aesthetic perk,” says Stohr. "And I think people—designers in particular—were looking for a way to help undo the tsunami somehow."

As for designing with limited resources, Stohr notes that it changes the playing field. "In this kind of work, it's the small but exceptional detail, or simply improving basic functionality, such as how an existing septic system works, that becomes the design focus."

A field report on the progress of Project Re:Build is updated every few weeks on the Architecture for Humanity website, where donations are still being accepted.

Architecture for Humanity was founded in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to crises worldwide. The group’s other current projects include building temporary housing facilities in earthquake-damaged Iran and providing shelters in Grenada.