Smart Shelter Foundation strives to make changes in which the poorest are directly involved, in which they can participate actively, giving them a feeling of pride and higher self-esteem. Through smart combinations and by fully utilizing all local possibilities, affordable and durable solutions can be developed. These solutions must be easy to adapt, in order to cause a positive snowball-effect. Important starting points are the respect of cultural backgrounds, protection of the environment and self-sustainability.
Their strong points:
Their first motto is: Let’s get started and take action. They want to build, build more and keep on building. The housing problems are increasing worldwide, more and more people simply need decent shelter and proper sanitation. We need to be practical and accurate, which is characterized by:
Full participation and cooperation with the beneficiaries. They will be involved throughout the whole project, from design to realization.
Local presence in the villages and at the building sites where we work. A Smart Shelter Foundation volunteer is always available in the field, for direct assistance during the project.
Strong technical background and realistic budgeting. We make all designs and estimates according to the actual local information. This makes our projects affordable to the people, whose participation is around 25%.
Through local research, we include alternative ways of construction and re-use of materials in all our designs, with regard to the local living conditions and the environment.
Training of local masons and carpenters. We give them extensive construction training, to ensure the quality of the workmanship and to create durable buildings.
We do al our work voluntarily and we are very proud of our minimal overhead expenses. Last year we only had to pay some transaction costs to the bank. We document our projects thoroughly and we are totally transparent to our donors.
The project:
In 2006 we have constructed a playful, child friendly and safe pre-school in a small village in South India, with the help of Chitra Vishwanath Architects. The design includes a variety of alternative building techniques, as a cost-effective building example for the local community. The walls are made of SMB; Stabilized Mud Blocks. These consist of a mixture of local soil, quarry dust (a local waste product which replaces sand) and only 6% of cement. The project was finished in the summer of 2007 and turned out to be more than 30% cheaper than the conventional Indian way of constructing houses with burnt bricks and plaster. See the website www.smartshelterfoundation.org for many many pictures.
Smart Shelter Foundation is a young, non-profit organisation, founded by Dutch architect Martijn Schildkamp in 2004.
