In the morning, at six am we woke up to the sound of the church bell at our ears. Outside the dawn was just breaking at this time, illuminating the blue of the lagoon. The mountains in the back, beyond the many layers of green, would not be visible until noon, when the sun clears the air of mist. Minute by minute the sun looked more and more like a burning flame. The lagoon quickly came to life; fishing boats set out, motorcycles, cyclists, pedestrians, three wheelers, buses, cows, goats, everyone began their day along the lagoon. The Hindu temple nearby broke into loud chanting and drumming. Blue and green everywhere. The changing color of the rice patty, from green to orange, marks the turning of the season.
Enter the Performance
Before: When we first arrived on site we immediately saw the natural arch created by the intertwining and dropping roots of the banyan tree. We wanted to find a way to emphasize this effect without taking away from the beauty of the tree itself and without impeding on its vast trunk system.
After: We created this simple but dynamic path that leads you ceremoniously into the performance space. It is framed by the overarching roots of the banyan and the added planting on the sides.
The best unexpected result is that the entryway turned into the ultimate launching pad for swinging on the vines!
Growing Friendship
Anu, Panush, Arthi, and Kiba surprise Sarah with a cake for her 21st birthday
Goofin off with the wheel barrow
beach day!
Arthi and Sasha put on a surprise performance for everyone, a tamil dance!
A growing friendship with the puppies
Hues of Green
Hues of green
I envision a jungle where the young can devise in mischief
Where a teen can escape from responsibility
And where the adult may reflect amongst an engulfing brush
Wild flowers splatter the Hagan grove like a ripened passion fruit freshly cut
Vines knit above
Waterfalls of green will shower as the years pass on
Strange people, familiar faces pass through the everlasting garden
Each time another flower blooms, another fruit born, another inch covered by creepers and vines
The garden will grow old with depth and color
Poem by Tony Petit, gently edited by Sasha Azbel
Dining Hall Door Design
The Dining Hall initially had one door, providing no connection to the Banyan Grove as well as providing minimal natural light to the interior. One of the important moves in our design scheme was to make the Banyan Grove a focal point from the surrounding buildings. We recognized the exciting possibility early on to open up the wall on the short end of the Dining Hall, that creates a fluid gateway from interior seating areas to outdoor ones throughout our scheme. Keeping in mind this constant theme of pixelation, we chose to use modular wooden blocks to create various patterns of solid and void. From within, the void pattern reveals the Banyan trees just beyond the extents of the Dining Hall. The doors are made out of teak, after discussion with local carpenters, in order to provide a consistence with local vernacular as well as have a material that would weather well.
Anu and the master mason cutting out the dining room hall for doors and windows.
Thuyaraja and Anandaraja’s thoughts on the process:
We are excited by the innovation in the project, the door design is beautiful. It has offered the students some practical practice and a new a new design to work with. The work ethic, dedication, patience, and attention to detail of the team are exemplary.
We had to be very flexible to accommodate the frequent changes in the design, it wasn’t always easy with such a tight schedule but it provided great insight and experience for our students. The collaboration and exchange, both technical and cultural, was very valuable for all the students that were involved.
Aren’t they pretty? 🙂
The Wheels in the Sky: Welding and Growing
The designers standing proudly with their first prototype
Master Welder:
I like the innovation in the project. The bicycle wheel trees are inspiring and I am exited to see how plants will grow on them. They are useful and beautiful and offered my welding students practical training as well.
Learning Masonry: Dedication, Patience and Precision!
We quickly found even ground with our Tamil peers. We found it with trowels and shovels. We also found it with the exchange of stories. We spoke to each other from opposite sides of slowly budding brick benches. As our hands flew across bricks, we juggled levels, scrapers, and song lyrics.
-Isabele Ramos
Cutting custom bricks to create a well designed step, dogs resting patiently in the meantime
Sarah and Jay working together to make a planter
A most enjoyable part of the working at the boys home, the “site”, was the time spent working with the boys who lived there – to be working with the people that would actually be using the space after we leave. During the week in the early morning, as we walked to the site, we would pass by the boys as they went off to school, each one of them so excited and cheering “good morning!”. It was such genuine warm greetings that very simply showed their gratitude. Around 3:00 PM, as day school ended, the boys would be rushing back to the site eager to help, or even to treat us to our afternoon tea (also another favorite experience). One day while I was working with a young boy to lay a brick planter, I realized he was better at this skill than most of us, the RISD students. He was teaching me such an honest skill of brick laying. I was learning through watching and repeated movement and although he did not speak much English, we worked in unison as smooth as butter.
-Sarah Haenn
Pouring the foundation for the cricket watching bench.
Always working with percision, Sasha using a level to create a well balanced and leveled step into the performance space.
Mr. Koneswararajah, the Master Mason
I appreciate the way the team worked, their determination, focus, and dedication. They strived for a good design and always tried to do things properly, despite the difficulties. If the soil was tough to dig they didn’t compromise the project by finding an easier alternative, they made things work. When they were advised to do something differently by their instructors they defended their design. When one team completed their task they immediately jumped in to help elsewhere on the site. The team’s work ethic and belief in their work was inspiring for our students at the vocational training center as well.
I started doing masonry work when I was 8 years old, I’ve been in the trade for a long time and was only one of 50 trainees in my class to pass a special test on international masonry standards. I really wanted to share my knowledge with the group and I am impressed with the progress they’ve made in their masonry skills in such a short span of time.
-Master Mason, Mr. Koneswararajah
Teamwork in Tamil
The experience of working with a variety of trades was rich, challenging, and rewarding. There were never enough hours in the day; there were language barriers and misunderstandings, holidays and unexpected delays. The rigorous and time sensitive learning experience created the need for flexibility and patience as designs changed within hours and things had to be made and remade to meet standards. Despite any setbacks however, the team worked beautifully together, supporting each other with physical labor and spirit. We produced a beautiful place that is exemplary in its sense of innovation and harmony. Everyone learned from each other, learned construction techniques, learned patience and quality, learned language, stories, traditions, and leadership.
Everybody pitching in design ideas
Isabel and Panush, working on the bench construction
Qi and the Master Mason, working together
Brick construction of the planters everybody doing their part
Thai Pongal: Harvest Festival
Group Dinner Y’all
Hey all! We went out to dinner the other night, via various modes of transportation. From the back of a truck, to some tiny boats, we did it all. Check it out!
Growing Roots 