Training of 'barefoot' architects: report of a working...

[Unesco] Workshop on Barefoot Architects, Bangkok, 30 May-4 June 1983.Training of barefoot architects; report ofa Workshop Group. Bangkok,Unesco, 1983.53 p.

1. ARCHITECTS - TRAINING - ASIA. 2. ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION CURRICULUM EVALUATION - ASIA. 3. ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES - ASIA. 4. ARCHITECTURE - RURALDEVELOPMENT HOUSING .- ASIA. 5. ARCHITECTURE - INSTRUCTIONALMATERIALS - ASIA. 6. HUMAN SETTLEMENTS - ASIA. I. Unesco. RegionalOffice for Education in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok. 11. Title. Ill. Title: Barefootarchitects, training of ...

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Social Sciences in Asia and the Pacific

Training of'barefoot'Architects

Report of a Working GroupBangkok, Thailand, 30 May - 4 June 1983

UNESCO REGIONAL OFFICEFOR EDUCATION IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Bangkok, 1983

© Unesco 1983

Published by theUnesco Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific

P.O. Box 1425, General Post OfficeBangkok 10500, Thailand

Second Printing

Printed in Thailand

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in thispublication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on thepart of Unesco concerning the legal status of any country, or of £ts authorities, or concerning the delz"mitations of the frontiers of any country orterritory. Opinions printed here do not necessar£ly represent the officialviews of Unesco.

B KSS/83/M/695-1 000

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

CON TEN T S

Introduction

Building for the Poor : Summaries ofCase Presentations

Note on the Field Visits

The "Barefoot Architects" :Identification of Their Roles andElements for Their Training

Suggestions for Future Activities

1

7

16

· 19

29

Appendix I Inaugural Speeches

1) Mr Raja Roy Singh · 35

2) Dr Yogesh Ata1 · 37

3) Mr John Beynon · 43

Appendix Il Agenda 46

Appendix III Time Table 47

Appendix IV List of Participants 49

Chapter One

Introduction

A week long Workshop was organized at the Unesco RegionalOffice for Education in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok from May 30through June 4, 1983 to examine the emerging concept of a "barefootarchitect" and to consider the possibilities for the preparationof this new role.

Done in accordance with the approved budget and programmein 2lC/S (para 3146), the Workshop was attended by participantsfrom Australia, India, Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand. In addition, there were observers from the Asian Instituteof Technology, National Housing Authority of Thailand, Departmentof Town and Country Planning of Thai Government, Japanese VolunteerCentre based in Bangkok, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements(UNCHS, Nairobi), UN-ESCAP, and the United Nations University. Inall, 22 persons (including Unesco staff) attended the Workshop.

The list of participants & observers is given in Appendix IV.The Workshop was convened to discuss the emerging role of the "barefoot architect" in the context of developing societies and to discussthe possibility of training people to perform this role. It focussedon the following:

1. Sharing of experience on the improvement of marginalsettlements and rural housing where local people withlimited training have made a major contribution.

2. Examination of existing architectural curricula ofvarious institutions and identification of elements thatmight be included in the syllabi for the training ofbarefoot architects.

3. Suggestions for further activities in the area of training of trainers, organization of national level shortterm courses, and preparation of teaching materials.

The secretariat note specifying the context and scope of theWorkshop is reproduced below:

"It is being increasingly realized that solutions to manydevelopmental problems can be sought from within the society, andmuch work can be carried out by the people themselves with littleexternal support. Such a strategy is both economical and appropriate.

Workshop on barefoot architects

"Attention to the effectiveness of this model of endogenousdevelopment has been drawn by the social workers operating in localcommunities, who devised ingenious ways to tackle local problems.There are instances of people who employed such a model in theirwork related to the improvement of both marginal urban settlementsand rural habitats. There are also examples in the Asia and Pacificregion where multilateral and bilateral projects have successfullyworked for the improvement of such settlements applying this philosophy of local involvement in development. Furthermore, one mayalso find cases where the community people, under their own initiative, have managed to find sensitive and apt solutions to theirhousing and social needs by using their own resources. Indeed,some of the world's finest built environments have been producedthrough these local initiatives.

"on the other hand, the number of successful habitats comingfrom spontaneous endogenous development is limited. Examples ofhousing and social facilities which are unhealthy, unsafe, andsocially degrading places in which to live, abound in the ruralsetting as well as in the urban slums.

"The question which poses itself is:how can the experiencesfrom the successful settlements be communicated to the lesssuccessful?

"One answer is that the systematization and diffusion ofinformation on these experiences would help. Yet we know thatbarriers such as lack of funds for such a programme and the greatnumber of local languages used throughout Asia, and the situationwhere many people who live in these settlements are not literateeven in their own language rule out such an approach.

"Another possible answer is to provide these settlementsand villages with professional architects, engineers, and communitydevelopment advisers. The hopelessness of this approach, however,is even more evident than that of the information blitz suggestedabove. The large number of villages and marginal settlements farexceeds the supply of professionals available; few governments inthe region could afford to send out high salaried professionals inlarge numbers; and finally, the training of most professionalarchitects and engineers suits them poorly as village workers.

"A third approach is through providing the services of aspecial kind of person whom we shall call the IIbarefoot" architect.This concept is parallel to the concept of "barefoot doctors"developed and promoted in the People's Republic of China during the1960s. These doctors •.• provided a basic level of health servicesto remote and rural areas in China. These people had received training in medicine and public health which was sufficient only to

2

Introduction

enable them to deal with the most common health problems in thevillages. One great advantage to this approach was that theirsimplified training was of relatively short duration and thus withlimited resources, large numbers could be trained.

"The 'barefoot' architect would be someone who would spendhis energies on solving the major problems of marginal urban settlements or of villages. He or she would be able to deal with avariety of issues including roadways, water supply, and drainageas well as the construction of houses, and community buildingssuch as schools. He or she would be able to guide local people inthe introduction of simple technologies which enhance the use oflocally available resources.

"Above all, this person would be able to mobilize communitysupport for the various projects which would be undertaken to physically improve or expand such settlements.

"Such a person might best be drawn from the community itselfand be specially trained for this work. He would be armed withinformation on other successful experiences and the results ofresearch on life in villages or urban communities".

The participants were requested to bring with them materialspertaining to the existing curricula in architecture courses, andalso case descriptions along the following guidelines.

1. The problem and the focus of the development effort.

2. Situation of the settlement prior to the action programme.

3. Course of events

- how the problem was identified- solutions tried- mobilization of people and resources- obstacles encountered as also facilitating factors- outcome.

4. Innovation and indigenous architectural ideas utilizedin the project.

5. Lessons learnt.

THE OPENING SESSION

The workshop began in the morning of May 30, 1983 at theConference Room of Unesco-ROEAP, Bangkok. The Assistant DirectorGeneral of the Regional Office and Regional Coordinator of the UnescoProgrammes in Asia and the Pacific, Mr Raja Roy Singh, opened themeeting.

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In his remarks, Mr Roy Singh said that the "significance ofthis Workshop is two-fold. The first, and foremost is, of course,that this subject touches on a key issue of our time -- what kindof a world is man building for himself?", and "that it is interdisciplinary in nature". He said with regret, "that the most highlyeducated professionals remain in urban areas following their studiesand that their professional work is not normally in support of theneeds of the less fortunate members of society". He clearly foresawthe need "for men and women who are specifically trained to servevillages and communities on a number of issues relating to design,construction, and improvement of their man-made living environments."He described them as 'moving feet professionals'. He made a pleafor not getting "overly enchanted by technology. Culture is aninvaluable commodity and once traditional architectural culturesgive way to new built environments they may be lost forever. Theoriginal barefoot architects are, after all, the village buildersand their knowledge is considerable. We should not aim to replacethem, but rather to help them improve their work".

Thanking Mr Roy Singh for his inaugural remarks, the RegionalAdviser for Social Sciences in Asia and the Pacific, Dr Yogesh Atal,reemphasised the point that "the problem of settlements is a human,and therefore, a social problem". He said that "decision-makingrelative to building a house, or a settlement, requires not onlyconsiderations of topography, climate, strength of materials, andother finer points of engineering; equally important are the considerations of culture, and of social structure of the people whowill inhabit the placell

•

Referring to the role of architects in the developingsocieties, Dr Atal said that their availability is restricted "tothe elite groups in the urban areas ••• While the number of trainedarchitects is growing, it can still cope only with the demands ofa limited number". There are large number of additional demandsmade on the architects that relate to the housing for the poor andthe rural populations. and to meet them,perhaps some 'low 'brow'architects are needed. He said that the "idea of transfering thepower of knowledge and information from the professionals to thepeople, of involving common man in the shaping of the professionsis in fact a positive, and most welcome, response to the growingneed for broadening the base of knowledge and demystificationof specializations". He ended with the remark that the "adjectiveBarefoot is a gentle reminder to the specialist that the vast massesof people in the developing world are representatives of the cultureof poverty. Half-hungry, and half-naked, they cannot afford a shoe.The specialist has to work for these barefoot men and women".

4

Introduction

Mr John Beynon, Director of the Workshop, traced the concern forhuman settlements for the poor to the 1976 U.N. Conference on HumanSettlements. He identified the following trends in thinking:

1. "governments and the traditional architecture andengineering professions are not the correct instrumentsfor directly improving the built environment. Ratherthe main force for improving the built environmentis the people themselves";

2. "increased reliance is being placed on technologicalinnovations which are appropriate to the context wherethe technology is being appliedll

;

3. "professional and technician responsibilities have begunto be reexamined ••• in the hope of making them morerelevant to the needs of the majority of the population".

He then briefly summarised Unesco's activities in the fieldof human settlements, emanating from different sectors, and thensharpened the focus of the present Workshop, by tentatively inventorizing the role-attributes of the barefoot architect. He feltthat a barefoot architect is one who has (i) a broad vision of thebuilt-environment; (ii) a feeling for the practical; (iii) a facility incommunication with local people; (iv) knowledge of the value of money;and (v) a sound judgemnt and respect for local culture. He hopedthat the Workshop will attempt to construct a profile of the bare-foot architect and discuss the questions related to his trainingand to the linkages between him and the professionally trainedarchitect.

ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP

The participantsMr John Beynon, and thatan additional chairman.whe Workshop elected the

agreed that the Workshop be directed byit should do away with the task of electingTo facilitate the task of report writing,following rapporteurs:

1. Ms Cristina Velez (The Philippines)

2. Professor Balwant Saini (Australia)

Mr Yona Friedman was requested to address the Workshop inthe first session and inform the participants about the previousactivities carried out by Unesco and the International Union ofArchitects to promote the concept of barefoot architects.

Later seessions were devoted to the presentation of nationalcase studies, field visits, consideration of the profile of barefoot

5


architect, and the question of training.

The concluding session was held on Saturday 4th June 1983to discuss and adopt the draft report.

EXPRESSION OF THANKS

The participants of the workshop ccngratu1ated Unesco forrecognizing the important issue concerning training of "barefoot"architects, taking the initiative to explore the difficultiesassociated with elaborating the concept and finding practical waysand means to develop it to a stage where it can be implemented.They noted that this work falls very much within the scope and spiritof Unesco activities and expressed the hope that Unesco wouldcontinue to advance the proposals resulting from this workshop.

6

CHAPTER TWO

BUILDING FOR THE POOR: SUMMARIES OF CASE PRESENTATIONS

The presentation of case studies was preceded by observationsfrom Mr Yona Friedman on the workshop theme.

Mr Friedman stated

a) that "habitat" does not mean "house", but rather "foodand roof" (Le. house and livelihood);

b) that habitat, in the above sense, can be materializedbest by those who will make use of it for themselves,i.e., by the community of inhabitants rather than byexperts external to the community; and

c) that the principal assistance to this process could be"appropriate information" enabling people to materializetheir habitat.

The basic characteristic of the "barefoot architect" (whoever he might be) lies in his mastering such information. Thebarefoot architect is thus not necessarily a new professional: eachindividual member of a community who is able to create his ownhabitat by investing his labour, can be considered a barefoot architect.

Mr Friedman said that this workshop, dealing with the issueof the training necessary for the barefoot architect, may be regardedas a follow-up of a series of seminars: Dubrovnik (preparatory meetingfor the U.N. Conference on Habitat), Cairo, 1977 ("no-cost" housing),the U.I.A. seminars in Jakarta, 1979 (Urban Villages), and 1981(Kampungs), and Bombay, 1981 (Appropriate Information).

In these meetings, two main trends emerged, each concerninga particular type of information:

that which is necessary for the professional architectto usefully serve the community of the poor, and

- "information at large" which is understandable by laymenand dispatched to all members of the community thusenabling them to become their own "barefoot" architects.

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Barefoot architects, following this second trend, would besimilar to "barefoot cooks", existing de facto in every household,who are able to prepare the food for the family. Similarly, itwould be desirable that in every family there should be a personable to perform the role of the barefoot architect. Applicationof knowledge necessary for this role should require tools and skillsso simple that anybody should be able to make use of them.

Mr Friedman further observed that too many external interventions in community -- improvement schemes fail to recognize

- people's unformulated needs and motivations,

- people's desire to reach a higher status (a house is astatus symbol), and

- people's preference to make use of non-cash techniques, inorder to avoid long term indebtedness resulting from loans.

The barefoot architect's activity is necessarily a parttime one (exactly as the houswife's case with cooking). The barefoot architect, has a different major activity for his earninglivelihood. An example was shown of local basketmakers inMadras producing the basic elements which can be used for makingparticularly inexpensive roofs. The skill to make similar elementsby using "information at large" in order to popularize it can belearned easily by laymen.*

Dr Yogesh Atal re-stated three sets of outcomes that couldbe arrived at by.the end of the workshop, given the profile ofparticipants and observers:

i) a better understanding of what is happening in academia in response to emergent new demands at the community level;

ii) a better understanding of developments at the levelof managers and administrators who serve as a linkbetween communities and planners, policy and decisionmakers;

iii) an appreciation of emergent trends and demands atthe level of communities where the concrete andindigenous actions have been initiated in responseto shelter needs -- including design building andthe use of construction materials.

* See - "No-cost housing", (by Y. Friedman) Unesco, SC.77/CONF.707- "What can learn architects from urban villages, and what

can urban villages learn from architects", Y. Friedman,UrA, Jakarta Seminar 1979.

B

Building for the poor

Following the general discussion cases of different typesof intervention attempted in Papua New Guinea, India, Maldives,Philippines, Nepal,and Thailand were presented.

1. TWO CASES FROM INDIA : JAIMINI MEHTA

Primary resources of housing are identified as 1) Land;2) Finance; 3) Labour; 4) Material; and 5) Information.

In India,at present there exist three ways by which anindividual can organize the delivery of his house depending uponhis own priorities. These are 1) the organized private channel ofbuying or building the house in the open market through the agenciesof architects and contractors; 2) the organized semi-private/semipublic channel through the agencies of state housing boards or otherstatutory agencies such as HUDCOtand 3) the unorganized, and mostlyunauthorized private channel used mainly by poor people for findingsome land whereby using locally available building materials, theirown labour and very little money or information, they build shelterswithout basic services, but which satisfy their immediate needsand priorities. One case from each of the last two categories ispresented.

Case l:Modasa

New housing for a mixed constituency ranging from very poorrural people to middle class people having urban aspirations, wasto be provided through the Gujrat State Rural Housing Board (GRHB)and financed with a long-term easy credit loan from HUDCO. Thearchitect acted as a technical extension of the GRHB. High densityplanning coupled with cost reducing innovations such as sharing ofservices, labour intensive construction and creation of a labourcooperative to eliminate the contractor's profit were recommended.The last proposal could not be implemented as this required theintervention of a voluntary agency to manage the cooperative whichthe GRHB is not geared to accommodate.

Case 2:Ram Rahim Nagar-Ahmedabad

An urban slum existed on the riverbanks with practicallyno basic services, no land tenure and was threatened by annual flooding of the river. A voluntary group of architects, community workers,doctors etc. -- VlKAS -- is attempting an environmental improvementbeginning by: convincing the municipality to transfer the land tothe people on a long-term lease, introduction of basic services,education of residents in self-management of sanitation and ultimatelyimprovement of shelter. Necessary materials and technical assistance,

* HUDCO Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

9


if required, will be made available through a materials bank to beestablished near the site which will procure simple constructionmaterials from various sources and give them to the residents ona no-profit, no-loss basis. The project is on-going.

ISSUES:

At stake are some broader issues. One is the capabilityof the state agencies, as constituted at present, to meet the needsand priorities of their constituency in terms of number, cost,quality and the location of their shelters. Their present inabilityto improvise and incorporate individuals and institutions outsidethe established professional framework is detrimental to their statedgoal. Second is the desirability of thinking of human settlementsas a process of development which can be, at most, facilitatedthrough outside intervention rather than as a product of professionalservices.

Finally,there is the need to create an agency of change andto train change agents who can work as extension workers for thedevelopmental policies of the society with all the necessary organizational and institutional back-up.

2. COMMUNITY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN MALDIVES : ISMAIL RASHEED

Many community schools have been built in the islands ofMaldives. Twelve (12) schools have been completed and four (4) arestill under construction.

The building of community schools takes into account thenatural conditions of the islands and the construction materialsavailable in the islands.

Stronger and wider fo~ndations are laid because of the verysoft soil. Corals, lime, and sand are used for walls which arethen plastered (on both sides) with lime and sand. Roofing materialsare of corrugated galvanized iron. Cement, which is imported, isused for the floors.

All imported materials are provided by UNICEF. Labour costsare assumed by the government. Local community labour is used forclearing the building site; women of the island are also involvedto collect sand from the beach and carry to the building site.

Three wells service the water requirements (toilet andgarden). Six water storage tanks for rain water are built for eachschool.

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The experience of building schools in this manner, wherethe basic design comes from the outside, and actual constructionand supervision are in the hands of locals, suggests the need fora person from within the community who is also in close communicationwith the government. This person must be able to teach others howto read plans and how to use local materials; such a person mustbe able to invent methods and to use social knowledge; he must beable to find ways to reduce dependence on imported materials.

3. TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE IN NEPAL : B.N. GHIMIRE

Nepal is the country of mountains. Its inhabitants arefarmers who live in the remote areas. Due to geographic condition,lack of well educated technical manpower and the economic statusof the people, they have had to develop their own method of construction, using local resources with the mutual help of theirneighbours. Such type of low cost houses have been successfullybuilt in Nepal.

Traditionally flat, mud-roofed buildings have been constructedin the North and pitched roofs of slate, tile or stone slabs areplaced on buildings in the southern parts of the country. Nevertheless, the size of the buildings, the help provided by the community, and the use of local resources are common to both areas.

In 1979 a hostel for women was constructed in the remotedistrict of Nepal successfully by the Ministry of Education andCulture supported by Unesco and NORAD. The project was designedusing local architecture based on local materials. Therefore thebuildings constructed by this project are similar both in sizeand appearance to the local buildings. This was done to inspirethe people to use local resources, to strengthen the local economyand to continue the traditional architecture but in an improvedway.

During the construction period, a few skilled masons andcarpenters were hired from outside the project area. Workingtogether with these craftsmen, a group of local people developedskills which can be used to fulfill the building needs of thatcommunity in future. Very simple imported devices such as plumbbob,tangent string and transparent polythene tube were used to improveand maintain the standard of the buildings. A layer of plasticfilm which was the only major imported building material. Thiswas laid in between the mud layers of the roof to reduce the roofthickness and ensure water tightness.

The buildings constructed by this techniques are similarin appearance to the buildings of the surrounding areas and cost

11


less. The local people can copy the architectural approach and thenew roof construction technique. They can also easily repair andmaintain the buildings by using local materials.

4. TADLAK A AND B (PHILIPPINES) : CRISTINA VELEZ

The case materials, Tadlak-A and Tadlak-B and the annex,which contains the socio-economic profile of the community, thefinancial exhibits, and technical exhibits, are presented as casestudies used for a number of training purposes by the Pamantasan ngBagong Lipunan (University of Life).

The case studies present the objectives, the form, process,and costs of one intervention in the Philippine setting directedat a lakeshore community which was economically, physically, andsocially depressed. Conceived as a demonstration/model project forthe simultaneous delivery of the eleven basic needs of human settlements, the Tadlak story is told from a third party viewpoint. The"lessons" drawn from the experience are not drawn out; neitheranalysis nor evaluation is attempted. The lessons, analyses, andcritique are allowed to surface in specific learning situationsdesigned, facilitated and/or managed by the University of Lifetraining staff.

The case studies are developed along the following lines:

1. inception - how the intervention originated, for whatpurposes

2. identification of the community

3. entry of the project team

4. the population, the site

5. project team's initiatives

6. community's initiatives

7. other external/extraneous forces

8. key issues as they emerged in process

a. land

b. design

c. materials and construction

d. financing

e. community management

9. community organizing process

10. community structures for management and services

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The Tadlak experience generated revised guidelines andprocedures and provided bases for further refining the BLISSprogramme implemented nationwide by the Philippines' Ministry ofHuman Settlements as a shelter-cum-livelihood programme (BLISS-KKK).

5. INVOLVING RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES IN PAPUA NEWGUINEA: B.S. SAINI

An "eco-development" project in Nissan Island off the Coastof Baugainville Province attempted to integrate plantation andagricultural production, local institutions, housing and othersections into an all-round rural programme which required botheconomic and physical planning, as well as conservation of naturalresources. It utilized sun, sea, sand, sewage and sludge, sanitationfor water supply, waste disposal and water pollution control. Itwas based on use of pig waste to produce bio-gas for cooking, growthof algae for animal feed, fish culture and vegetable gardens.

Professional involvement was limited to the contributionof an architect/planner to devise a strategy plan for the entireisland involving location and linking of plantations to a towncentre and such improvement projects as the jetty and establishmentof a cooperative store. Detailed planning for establishing a selfreliant economic base for families was conducted by a sanitationengineer -- the actual implemention was left to local authoritieswho later spotlighted the need for a local sub-professional to actas a bridge between Architect/Planner and the consumer to helpmobilize local resources and cooperation of the community toimplement the proposal. It pointed out the need for not a "barefoot"architect but a local person who had a good understanding of theintentions of the professional on the one-hand and the limitationsand specific needs of the people on the other.

The second project concerned the contribution of a qualifiedarchitect to the local authoritY,in this case the Department ofPhysical Development,to help up-grade an existing squatter settlementand to devise ways to service a new site made available for housingimmigrants. The architect's contribution lay in conducting surveysto determine the housing space and other standards relevant tospecific population groups and "design" and supervise a model houseto provide guidelines for local people to assist with their selfbuilt construction. The architect's role terminated at this stage.The example of a model house made little or no impact on the otherhouses as there was no one on the spot to help people with theirday to day problems. The survey findings also offered little directhelp to people but were useful to the housing authorities to helpprovide guidelines to policies related to building for their owngovernment employees.

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6. MINBURI REHABILITATION PROJECT (THAILAND)SIRAPRAPASIRI

NUNTANA

The Minburi Rehabilitation project by Architecture Studentsof K.M.I.T. was an academic exercise in which students in theirfourth and then fifth year of their study were expected to drawon the general and technical knowledge that they had acquired inthe course of their study. The project was the upgrading of anabandoned market area into a low-cost residential development.A great deal of effort went into collecting and analyzing dataon the demographic, socio-cultural and economic conditions as wellas the physical conditions of the selected area and the communityof which it was a part. The students then started to formulatethe goals, objectives and concepts for improvement.

The aspects of socio-economic and physical improvementwere spelled out clearly and in great detail particularly, in thearchitectural outcome. The financing scheme, however, was relativelyvague due to the limited training and practice the students had hadin the area. They proposed to give the area the commerciallyneeded road access and visibility without disrupting the existingnearby canals used for non-vehicular circulation; to rehabilitatemost of the existing structures; and to apply self-help improvementin order to reduce cost.

The proposed project although not developed into a stageready to be implemented, appeared to be based on realistic grounds.Therefore, it was decided that the ideas should be made availableto the users including both the property owner and the renters.

The property owner made no response and has not even takenthe trouble to study the proposal. The people spent some timelooking at the work but did not endorse the proposal, which wasquite unexpected but also understandable. First, there werecertain elements in the proposal that seemed unfeasible ordifficult to implement. These could have been adjusted or alteredto improve the feasibility, if further communication between thepeople and the students had been established. Second, it proposedsolutions that the people were not familiar with, different fromwhat they had in mind and from their idea of 'improvement'.This pointed to the lack of the students' effort to familiarize thepeople with other alternatives.

The form in which the project was presented verbally andgraphically was very detailed and appeared to be inflexible. Thisadded to the feeling that certain values, and certain patterns werebeing imposed upon them. Had there been continuing dialoguebetween the users (the property owner and the people) and the

14


students and had the users been allowed to make their own decisionat the various stages of concepts and design development, the chanceof the proposal being adopted might have been greater.

These are lessons learnt from the experience. Another thingto be noted is that if an exercise is intended to concern itself witha rather large scale operation and a comprehensive way of solving problemsit might very well remain just an academic exercise. To produceworkable solutions in those cases would require time, effort andexpertise that are not usually possible in an undergraduate levelof study such as ours. For the purpose of being practical andimplementable,projects should be very well defined and rathersmall in scope as well as scale.

Nevertheless, the project did have great value and impacton our students in terms of increasing their awareness and understanding of the needs of the lower income people to whom theynormally would have little chance of providing services in theirprofessional practice. Thus, although technically this was notintended to turn the students into 'Barefoot Architects', it didfamiliarize them with the methodology of seeking and analyinginformation and of establishing communication channels with thepeople. This will be valuable if they are called upon to take partin the training of the 'barefoot architects' or developing the'knowledge stock' to be disseminated to,and used bY,the people atlarge.

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CHAPTER THREE

NOTE ON FIELD VISITS

Included in the programme were visits to several projectsin and near Bangkok which relate to providing shelter for the urbanpoor. These covered three situations: an unimproved squattersettlement in Klong Toey, which is planning for resettlement, an"Inner directed", self-help rebuilding programme in the Yanna Wa areaof the Bangkok inner-city and an "other-directed" self-help programmefor the construction of new houses in the Lard Prao suburban area.The Klong Toey project has support from the Duang Prateep Foundationwhile the Thanar Tok and Lard Prao projects are organized undera cooperative known as Building Together. In Lard Prao, technicalstaff from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) were activeparticipants. All three are associated with the National HousingAuthority (NHA).

At Klong Toey, Khun Sirichai Narumit-Rekagarn, vice chairmanof the Prateep foundation, explained the plight of the squattersin the area, gave a history of the foundation's involvement withpromoting improvements in the area. A 45-minute walking tour throughthe area was included. In reply to questions he pointed out thatthe dwellers in the area did not have a strong community organizationand that an important role for the foundation was to work as anintermediary between the governmental bodies and the dwellers sincethere was little understanding by one group of their aims andconstraints of the other and vice versa. It was pointed out thatthe residents were busy people and that one should be careful notto expect more from them than they can contribute. Training needsfor these people were not great, but information was always welcome.

In Yanna Wa, a community leader escorted the members throughthe site and discussions were held with several residents. Thisproject received building plans from government but the residentshad to replace these with their own in order to reduce cost. Exceptfor the constraints coming from the stadardized 4m x 12m lot (with4m x am available for construction) house owners are quite free tobuild in manner which suited their own taste and budget. Oneresident, a skilled carpenter and mason functioned as the mastercraftsman for the programme. He undertook work on contract andalso trained other persons in construction skills so that they couldbuild their own houses. There was no evident need to provide furtherinformation or training as regards basic construction. Drainageand other communal services, were so far undeveloped.

16

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1:Jf'1""'" "'

17

Note on the field visits

-


The third, and most sophisticated project, was that ofLard Prao. This project provided quite a high standard of housingfor low income groups (in the 15 to 25 percentile). These beingrow houses they had to be constructed collectively with each household being required to donate a total number of hours. This time(1400 hours in all) could be provided by any member of the familyor by persons hired by the participant. An internal managementcommittee was established to ensure everyone's participation.A number of mechanized labour saving devices were used to makeprecast concrete elements, cast the stabilized earth blocks, drivepilings, cut timber, raise precast elements into place etc. It is,consequently, a capital intensive project. It also requires extensive site organization and specially trained personnel for management and supervision. Training for workers, however, was quitesimple since their work is basically that of a non-skilled or semiskilled workers. Mr. Bruce Etherington of AIT staff,who had beenactively involved from the project's inception, guided the tour.

In all three cases, new housing was to be built on theprinciple of borrowing money for land and building materials, butdonating their labour.

After noting that all the above approaches involved architects and practitioners in varying degrees of participation, thediscussion that followed upon the case presentations and visitsgenerated around three clusters of concern:

a) intervention directed at the "poor" seem to end upservicing and benifitting a higher income group or topromote the "poor" to a housing standard at which theymay not be economically prepared to survive. Interventions of this type involving architects and otherprofessionals seem to result in insufficient attentionbeing paid to exploitation of skills and technologiespresent in the community.

b) successful initiatives at the community level demonstratethe potential that lies largely untapped (building skillsand crafts, creativity, and adaptation possible withregard to building materials, cost-reduction alternatives).They also suggest areas in which professionals' inputsare useful and the limits of such inputs, as well asareas in which further training would benefit practitioners.

c) An approach relying too heavily on technology to solve aproblem which has a large organizational and ideologicalcomponent tends to enhance and support the existing socialand economic order. This might mean that we have to keep

18

Note on the field visits

on relying upon the private builders and enterpreneursto provide settlement solutions. A limitation of thisapproach. however is that it seems to have littleeffectiveness in terms of reaching the people who mostneed low-cost shelters.

19

CHAPTER FOUR

THE "BAREFOOT ARCHITECTS" : !DENTI FICATION OFTHEIR ROLE AND ELEMENTS FOR THEIR TRAINING

The working session was introduced by a discussion paperpresented by Dr Yogesh Atal. The discussion paper sought to recast the main lines that emerged during the first 3 days of theworkshop in terms of the architect's effective sphere of involvementin developing nations' programmes for human settlements.

The paper suggested that current tendencies leave a largesector of the population -- the poor -- unserviced by architects;he called this the relatively untouched constituency. This consi~ted

of the rural, non-elite poor people, as also the urban slum dwellersand squatters. Recent developments clearly indicate that some ofthe professionally trained architects have begun turning theirattention towards this constituency in a variety of ways, examplesof which are the cases presented at this Workshop. Moreover, someother categories of persons, acting on behalf of the government orvoluntary organizations, are found in these areas who can be describedas functional equivalents of an architect, and thus perhaps qualifyingfor the appellation of a barefoot architect. He also identified athird category of indigenous architects who have been building housesfor the poor and the middle class people based on the traditionalwisdom and practical experience. He invited the workshop to considerthe following question. Can the knowledge possessed by the "indigenousarchitects" be systematized and formally transmitted to prepare futureworkers of this category? What new could be added to the repertoireof their knowledge so that better housing could be possible throughthese workers? Similarly, he suggested that the needs of thefunctional equivalent architects be identified so that their skillscan be upgraded. It is in this context that, he argued, the questionof creating a new intermediate category of barefoot architect may beexamined.

20

The "barefoot architects"

An attempt was made by the group to focus reflection andobservation on community-level concerns, as distinguished fromexternally initiated and institutional programmes. The folloWingpoints were forwarded:

a) there is need to render information on technologiesmore generally accessible to all

b) there is need to focus on basic issues relating to landand security of tenure on the land, economic survival,the right to essential services, and the capability tohandle emergency and disaster situations

c) there is need to train persons in the community tohandle and deliver technologies and services that areotherwise associated only with highly trained techniciansand professona1s

d) there is need for ground-level involvement of professionalarchitects, recognizing further that this trend hasimplications for reducing emphasis on architecturaldesign training

e) there is a place for the professional (architects,engineers and others engaged in shelter development)

f) there remains a tendency to insist on technologicalsolutions to what is not a technological problem.

Two working groups were formed: one, to draw up the elementsof a training programme for community-based or community-drawnagents; the other, to formulate a training design for communityworkers servicing a community.

REPORT OF GROUP I

Addressing itself to those who by their function (e.g. schoolteachers), position or influence (e.g. opinion leaders) in thecommunity, Group I outlined a broad strategy for making generalinformation available to the greatest number. This was presentedas "Survival Information on the Community Level", comprising thefolloWing elements:

1. information addressed to the unserviced social layersof society, regarding habitat as both house and subsistence.

21


2. the material content of such information emphasizinguse of non-cash resources, labour-intensive productionmethods, reducing dependence on cash inputs that tendto increase indebtedness, simple technologies and skillsaccessible to anybody.

3. accessing universal or stock knowledge regarding bartereconomy, land legal contexts, construction techniques,water, subsistence farming (in rural and urban settings),planning, sanitation and health, security.

4. conveying such information through the least expensivemedia, and modular presentation of individual topics.

5. responding to those persons who manifest or expressparticular interest in specific topics or areas (peoplein need, leaders in the community structure). Theserefer to people who emerge from the community and arenot imposed from above.

6. keeping track of further developments, improvements orinnovations initiated by the people who have been reachedby this stock knowledge.

7. building up a pool of information and a pool of externalexperts within the region.

REPORT OF GROUP 11

After an early and fairly exhaustive discussion it was clearthat the architect trained in the traditional professional educationalsystem has a fairly limited role to play at the grass root implementation level. At the same time the potential trainees attractedfrom the community could hardly be called "architects",barefoot orotherwise, as their training not only excludes the teaching of thesubject of architectural design, perhaps the most important subjectin architectural education , but in fact it extends well beyondwhat is normally considered within the orbit of professional architectural training. It includes, for instance, elements of humanrelations and community organization, mobilization of local resourcesand management, all of which must be conducted with intimate knowledgeand familiarity with local cultural traditions.

However despite the misgiving about the use of the term'architect' in its limited professional sense, it was generallyagreed that the term "barefoot" architects in its generic sense iswidely understood by most people and it is in this broad sense thatthe participants agreed to continue to use it during the deliberations

22


of this workshop. It was also agreed that a professional architecthas a contribution to make in the provision of housing for the poorand that he/she is not the "barefoot architect" but rather anarchitect who works for the "barefoot". -- the people in low-incomegroups who need such help but who cannot afford to hire a specialistto design the houses.

It was also agreed that the "barefoot architect" who is a"facilitator" or "change agent" must not be confined to a singlespecified role. Any strategy which is developed should involvetraining of number of persons who fall within a fairly wide rangeof responsibilities from relatively unskilled opinion leaders tothose who possess a reasonably sophisticated array of technicaland other skills involving study in a formally structured institution.The major emphasis will lay in defining the needs of the people atthe community level and then in examining how those needs can besatisfied.

Discussion concerned the whole range of tasks and a listof various categories of people with general and specific rolesto perform those tasks were identified. Three basic type of peoplewho could be trained to play the role of a "facilitator" would bethose who could be classed as follows:

a) Community workers with some technical orientation i.e.those who are able to mobilize community effort throughleadership and example. This includes those who havea sufficient grasp of technical problems to seek appropriate assistance from local and external sources.

b) Technical persons who have little or no community orsocial orientation and who already possess one or moretrade skills but have an adequate grasp of communityproblems to call upon appropriate assistance from localand outside sources.

c) Community Leaders. Whatever the orientation, the threecommon pre-requisites are that they must be able toliaise between government authorities and the people;they must primarily identify with the community'sinterests; and have a firm belief in the capacity ofthe people to help themselves.

Bearing in mind that the whole excercise is aimed at helpingthe people at village level or those in low-income sectors in urbanslums and squatter settlements who are at present unable to pay forservices normally taken for granted by those in better economiccircumstances, the following list of people and institutions mayhave a role to play in helping to upgrade the shelter and community

23


services which are considered as birth right of the people. Aboveall,the people prepared under this programme should be mouldedinto "facilitators" of improvements desired by the communitieswhere they work rather than as "manipulators" who are there toimpose programmes from external sources.

Society

I. Government and administration

11. Voluntary organizations

Ill. People at the community leveland common people.

opinion leaders,

Professional Setting

I. Tertiary Level

i) Teachers

ii) Researchers

iii) Professional Practitioners

iv) Students under training

11. Facilitators

i) Trained at a sub-professional or technician,level

ii) Government functionaries in the Human settlementsfield

iii) Construction Team members, both skilled andunskilled

Finally the Group formulated an outline of a possible framework for a training programme, which is given below:

FRAMEWORK FOR A TRAINING PROGRAMME

The following programme is evolved to cater to the needs ofa person who acquires certain additional skills while already workingto support himself and his family. Thus,a flexible and modularapproach is felt necessary whereby an individual can undergo trainingeither in small parts or a combination of parts depending upon hisor her personal inclination. Also,it is felt necessary that thetraining should keep opportunities open for those who wish to pursuehigher studies at a later stage.

24


As specific goals the programme addresses itself to thetraining of

1) community workers with sufficient technical orientationwho can mobilize community effort through leadershipand example and has sufficient grasp of technicalproblems to call for appropriate help from local and outside sources and

2) a technical person with very little or no communityorientation who is familiar with at least one of thebuilding trades and has sufficient grasp of communityproblems to orient his work in harmony with the community.

The programme is structured around three primary combinationsof courses covering three basic areas: i) technology, ii) management,and iii) community development. Various further combinations arepossible, a few of which are suggested here. These can vary dependingupon the needs and directions of an individual or a country. Butit is felt that the first conbination should be mandatory to all.

The suggested course offerings are, of course, indicative andshould not be regarded as comprehensive and offerings must be variedaccording to different needs and thus the detailed contents of thecourses and the methodology in regard to relative weightages, fieldtraining etc are left to individual institutions to work out.

COMBINATION I:

Duration - one year

Objectives

1. To equip the student to undertake, or supervise simpleday-to-day kind of construction.

2. To equip him in the use of basic tools of various tradesinvolved in the simple construction.

3. To equip him to manage a team of skilled or semi-skilledworkers.

4. To equip him to be sympathetic to the problems of thecommunity and identify with both the tradition andaspirations of the people.

25


Course Areas

Technology

T 1. Introduction to drawing materials and drawing techniques.

T 2. Survey of existing bui1dings,inc1uding preparation ofmeasured drawings.

T 3. Introduction to building materials and theiravailability.

T 4. Building components.

T 5. Introduction to construction technology traditionalto the region.

Management:

M 1. Introduction to cost of construction related tomaterial, labour, and transport.

M 2. Basic accounting and payroll management.

Community Development:

CD 1. Basic communication skills.

CD 2. Introduction to minimum community services and theirimportance in community development.

COMBINATION 11:

Duration one year

Objectives

1. To equip the student to act as a co-ordinator betweenthe community and outside agency.

2. To equip him to initiate technical project related toshelter or services and manage its implementation.

3. To equip him in the basic techniques of survey ofphysical condition and its communication to community.

4. To relate his role with the welfare of the weakersections of the society.

26


Course Areas

Technology:

T 6. Building materials and techniques (Indigenous).

T 7. Introduction to on-going research in indigenoustechnology.

T 8. Introduction to new and improved materials andtechnology.

T 9. Exercise in designing simple one and two storeystructures.

T 10. Exercise in site planning and land use planning.

T 11. Survey and levelling.

T 12. Building services and their installation andmaintenance.

Management:

M 3. Estimating of Building and services.

M 4. Materials management

M 5. Building and planning By-laws as related to smallproject.

M 6. Introduction to various Government and non-governmentagencies and their interrelationship as related tointegrated development.


CD 3. Introduction to the structure of society.

CD 4. Introduction to issues in settlement improvement.

CD 5. Human relations and communication skills.

27


COMBINATION Ill:

Duration one year

Objectives

1. To develop an understanding of the dynamics ofplanned purposive change and that of community workwith a view to equipping the worker with the capabilityto initiate the process of change in identifiablecommunities, groups, and individuals.

2. To equip the student in helping the weaker sectionsof society to adjust and readjust to the new situation.

3. To equip student with the knowledge of complexproblems of development in a developing societyperticularly his/her own.

4. To equip the student to deal with emergency situationas related to settlements.

5. To initiate in the students an appreciation ofscientific thinking.

Course Areas

T 13. Intermediate mathematics. (pre-requisite:ElementaryMathematics.)

T 14. General Science (Intermediate Physics and Chemistry)

T 15. Basic civil engineering.

T 16. Environmental planning and Ecology.

T 17. Detection of construction faults and maintenance.

T 18. Design and erection of emergency shelter.

Management:

M 7. Manpower and resource mobilization.

M 8. Financial management of projects.

M 9. Legal and administrative management.

M 10. Management of Development agencies.

28



CD 6. Social and community development -- surveys andtechniques.

CD 7. Motivation,public participation,and education.

CD 8. Project evaluation.

CD 9. Social problems and social change.

~o 10. Problems of weaker sections of the society.

CD 11. Problems of developing societies.

Suggested further combinations.

COMBINATION

COMBINATION

COMBINATION

COMBINATION

COMBINATION

COMBINATION

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

- Duration two years.Combination I plus T-6 through T-18.

- Duration two years.Combination I plus M-3 through M-lO.

- Duration two years.Combination I plus CD-3 through CD-ll.

- Duration three years.Combination I plus T-6 through T-18plus M-3 through M-IQ

- Duration three years.Combination I plus CD-3 through CD-llplus M-3 through M-IO.

- Duration three years.Combination I plus Combination 11plus Combination Ill.

29

CHAPTER FIVE

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES

Given that the workshop participants were from a number ofprofessions and that the subject had taken on a fairly wide scope,the suggestions put forth cover several of Unesco's sectors.

Inidentifying areas for possible future actions by Unesco,it was decided to relate these to the following groups: communityopinion leaders, and indigenous builders, external facilitators,construction managers, and professional architects. These are thepersons who are either members of low-income groups themselves orare most directly linked with them.

People at the Community Level

1. Popularize information on shelter and basic services.There exists in some Asian countries and elsewhereconsiderable information on human settlements which isaimed at servicing people. Information for popularconsumption should be developed in such a way as to beof practical use to recipients and presented in a wayas to be understandable. The media to be applied willvary according to that which is best understood bythe recipients. This information may also be disseminatedfor use by other people in other countries. Unescocan promote the exchange of information between countriesand its adaptation to local situations.

2. Introduction of information on the built environmentinto primary school curricula. Following from theexample of introducing an understanding of populationissues through schools, a similar effort could be undertaken to provide curricula development centres with basicconcepts on human settlements development. Consideringthat children in these areas who attend school may dropout at an early age, this introduction should be givenin the earlier years of schooling.

30

Suggestions for future activities

3. Research on local level innovations. A non-formalized"research and development" process takes place at villagelevel whenever a new idea is tried out and modified insubsequent applications. Studies on this process ofinnovation at village level would provide informationwhich could help "in the development of any future activityin this area.

At the Level of Village Leaders

4. Encourage non-formal training in specific skills requiredfor village people who have responsibilities for certainhuman settlements tasks. These should be communicablethrough distance education means.

At the Intermediate Level of External Facilitator

(e.g. community development worker or building technician)

5. Encourage the development of training programmes whichgive a broader based technical education includingcommunity organization and development, technical andmanagement skills. Such a programme should be flexiblystructured, based on self-contained modules and alsohave the potential of being disseminated through "openuniversity" type distance learning techniques. A largenumber of formal training programmes already exist forthe preparation of intermediate level technicians andcommunity development workers which could be modifiedin this direction. Existing networks, such as thoseunder the Asian Programme for Educational Innovationfor Development (APEID) could be utilized in accomplishingthis.

At the Formal Higher Education Level

6. Support of studies on the specific needs of particularareas and communities which are particularly in need ofimprovements in human settlements in order to understandtheir specific needs and thus identify which kinds ofskills might be imparted to people living in that area.This might be incorporated into the curricula of schoolsof architecture as a means of creating more awarenesson the part of students of the needs of the poorerpeople in their society.

31


At all Levels of Training

7. Continuing education. The concept of providing new andupdated information at all levels needs to be encouraged.Thus programmes of continuing education can be drawnup in a variety of ways ranging from one day programmesto more exhaustive treatment of selected topics as anextension activity of the formal, structured courseslisted in Chapter Four of this Report.

32

Appendices

Appendix I

WELCOME SPEECH

Raja Ray Singh

Assistant Director-GeneralUnesco, Bangkok

I am most pleased to be able to open this workshop on thetraining of "barefoot" architects. The significance of this workshopis two-fold. The first, and foremost is, of course, that this subjecttouches on a key issue of our time -- what kind of a world is manbuilding for himself? Should his built environment reflect onlyhis drive to survive? Or should it also reflect a desire to livewith dignity, to embody his own cultural heritage and to be animprovement over the living standards of his forefathers?

The other reason why this workshop is important is that itis interdisciplinary in nature. It cuts across four of the fivesectors covered by Unesco; it brings together the interests of severalUN agencies and the application of its conclusions will necessarilyrequire cooperation by ministries of human settlements, education,transport and health. This aspect of the workshop is particularlychallenging for without a spirit of cooperation and a dedicatedwillingness to work together for a common good, your efforts herewould be set at naught.

The origin of this meeting goes back to the United NationsConference on Human Settlements, also known as HABITAT which tookplace in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976. You will recall that thisConference created, for a time, a worldwide awareness of human settlements issues and underlined the need for improving the physicalsurroundings of the world's less fortunate people. Recommendationswere made for research, mobilization of resources and the trainingof personnel -- all focused on this important matter. The Conferencealso pointed out that there is more to man's "habitat" than housingalone -- schools, community centres, transportation systems, freshwater, and adequate drainage are all a part of the total vision.

But whichever aspect is studied one point clearly emergesthe scale of the work to be done far outstrips the capacity of thelimited number of professional architects and civil engineers

35


who are available except in all the most industrially advancedcountries. It is also true, and one notes this with regret, thatthe highly educated professionals remain in urban areas followingtheir studies and that their professional work is not normally insupport of the needs of the less fortunate members of society.Thus, when we say "barefoot" architect we foresee that there shouldbe men and women who are specifically trained to serve villages andcommunities on a number of issues relating to design, construction,and improvement of their man-made living environments. These willnot be desk-bound professionals -- rather moving feet professionals-in daily contact with the people whom they serve.

The vastness and the diversity of the Asia and Pacific regionis known to all present here, but there are several basic pointswhich should not be overlooked during your deliberations. Sincethis region has over 60% of the world's population, it is notsurprising that it includes countries where people survive on asubsistence economy as well as several of the world's mostindustrially advanced nations. The vast majority of Asians andPacific Islanders, live in rural areas. In almost all countries,these rural populations continue to grow and to require new andbetter dwellings as well as community facilities. The fifteenlargest cities in Asia are growing very rapidly and by the year2000 each will have surpassed ten million inhabitants. Many ofthese newcomers will start their urban life in squatter settlementsor other facilities which are ill-adapted to high density urban livingconditions. Small and medium size urban areas are in short supplyand in many countries policies have been drawn up to stimulate theirgrowth. Indeed, the Asian Institute of Technology based in Bangkokhas recently held a seminar on this very topic.

I made mention earlier of Unesco's five Sectors whose workrelates to this seminar, particularly those of training of humansettlements personnel, the support of research on low cost buildingmaterials for basic housing,and the design and construction ofeducational buildings. I should like to refer specially to thefourth sectoral activity which is concerned with building, therestoration of cultural monuments. Culture is an invaluablecommodity and once traditional architectural cultures give way tonew built environments they may be lost forever. The originalbarefoot architects are, after all, the village builders and theirknowledge is considerable. We should not aim to replace them,but rather to help them improve their work.

On this note, I have much pleasure in declaring the workshopopen and wish you every success in your owrk.

36

OPENING REMARKS

Yogesh Atal

Regional Adviser forSocial Sciences in Asia and the Pacific

Unesco, Bangkok

Let me offer a special welcome to our participants fromabroad, who had kindly responded to our invitation and agreed toparticipate at such a short notice. We are also grateful to sisteragencies who have sent observers to this Workshop.

We have at this Workshop, participants from Australia, India,the Philippines, Maldives, Nepal, and Thailand. We had also extendedinvitations to Indonesia and to Laos but could not get a favourableresponse. In addition, we have observers from ESCAP, Habitat, AsianInstitute of Technology, Duangprateep Foundation, Centre for Housingand Human Settlements Studies, Association of Siamese Architects,Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, andthe Japanese Volunteer Centre of Bangkok.

I am happy that Mr Yona Friedman -- a well-known name in thefield of marginal settlements -- could come all the way from Paristo attend this Workshop and give us the benefit of his experience.And I welcome him.

Though this activity has its origin in the Programme of theSocial Science Sector, the real intellectual lead is taken by myesteemed colleague and friend, Mr John Beynon, Principal Architectand Chief of the Educational Facilities Unit of the Unesco RegionalOffice for Education. He will be directing the Workshop. I amonly a "backstopper".

There is no need for me now to re-emphasise the fact that theproblem of settlements, like several other problems confronting thedeveloping societies, is a human, and therefore, a social problem.We need a broader, interdisciplinary, and an integrated perspectiveto comprehend the problem and to search for its resolution. Thisis where the social sciences gain an entry point, and ask for alegitimate visa to dialogue with scientists and technologists,architects and engineers.

37


Obviously, a social scientist cannot build a house; evenpreparing a blueprint is not his cup of tea. He only justifieshis raison d'etre by indicating that the decision making relativeto building a house, or a settlement,requires not only considerationof topography, climate, strength of materials, and other finerpoints of engineering; equally important are the considerationsof culture and of social structure of the people who will inhabitthe place. People of different 'cultures' and 'social structures'provide different definitions to the same or identical place. It istheir definition of the space that gives it an identity. It isthis which transforms a house into a home; a settlement into acommunity; a country into a culture. Even in this very buildingwhere we are meeting, while the basic infra-structure is the samefor all the rooms, each room has been given a distinct personalityby its respective occupant : the room is, in fact, a mirror of the'personality', and the 'culture' of its occupant. Similarly,the beautiful lawns and the lovely garden that surrounds this officebuilding is an outcome mainly of the extra-curricular activity ofour Assistant Director-General. Certainly, what he has done tothe garden was not a part of his job-description; but what you seebears the imprint of his personality and his life-style.

What is so common a phenomenon, is unfortunately oftenoverlooked by the so-called specialists who have been imprisonedin the water-tight compartments of their respective specialisms.In the Third World countries -- who received their first set of'experts' from the advanced, industrialized societies, and who alsosent their first set of students to get trained in those societiesand return as 'specialists' -- the situation is somewhat precarious.These 'experts' gained their specializations in a different situational context and away from the scene of their later operations.They brought with them considerable knowledge and skill, but sufferedfrom severe cultural shocks provided by the contrasting context andconspicuous absence of familiar landmarks of what th~y regarded as"modernity". The culture of the people was branded as 'tradition',and 'tradition' was condemned as bad and undesirable, and thereforeworthy of 'replacement'. In their heat of enthusiasm, and in theirpatronizing mood of sympathy and pity, they somehow refused to seethe point that even the tradition of the unlettered and the primitiveis a career of folk wisdom and unscribbled experience. That is whythe first decades of development emphasised on "enriching" thetraditional cultures by importation of elements from the outside,from the 'developed' world. "Innovation" meant only implantationof alien traditions and items, and not discoveries, inventions,and juxtapositions emanating from within. Erection of a multistoriedmonster of a building in the midst of dwarf dwellings in a townshipwas regarded as a symbol of achievement. It was rather viewedirrelevant even to consider whether the later day energy needs of

38

Appendix I

that symbol of success -- to operate its lifts and escalators, toprovide artificial light to its semi-dark corridors, and to thecentral airconditioning plant for keeping the rooms cool-- will bereadily or cheaply met or not.

Again, consider the extensive use of the glass frontagein the modern buildings constructed in the countries of the tropicalbelt. Use of glass was certainly an innovation in cold climatecountries where people wanted the sun to enter into their drawingrooms and keep the cold wind away. But in countries which do notknow what is real winter feel the other way round : they wouldlike to keep the sun at the door and welcome cool breeze inside tosave from the scorching sun. The people of these glass houses haveto use heavy coloured tapestry; and to save these curtains from thetyranny of fading colours, they have to provide a double curtain.And while it is true that people living in the glass houses areadvised not to throw stones at others, this wise counsel has nomeaning for those who live in thatch and mud houses and who providetheir children with an effective catapult which not only helps themfell fruits from the tree but also to strike glass of the house towhich they are denied entry.

Several examples of this sort can be multiplied. Let memention one more. In a newly built hostel complex for a university,wash basins were installed near the lavatories for ablutary purposes,without fixtures for a liquid soap. In the surrounding rural areas,from where the student population mostly came, people are usedto wash the hands with soil picked up from the ground. Quite soonthe white glazing China sinks had patterns of red and brown and thedrains were all clogged. As symbol of modernity the wash basinexisted but was soon rendered non-functional by those who weresocialized differently in matters of personal cleanliness.

I do not know whether examples of this sort are illustrationsof people's non-receptivity and obstinacy of tradition, or of failureon the part of our enthusiastic but ill-prepared innovators, theso-called agents of change, the well-qualified experts and specialists. Rather than blaming one or exonerating another, we can easilysee the existence of a mismatch between what is needed and what isprovided. No wonder that the past few years have seen a growingfrustration with the prevailing paradigm of development, and havegenerated a concern and a demand for endogenization of the processof development, emphasizing on the use of the 'local'-- bothresouraes and human talent.

39


This concern is vididly depicted in the powerful conceptof barefoot doctors advanced by one of the countries of this region.This is not a programme to take the shoes away from the doctors whoalready have them -- in the form of high medical degrees, flourishingpractice in the urban areas catering to a small elite clientele ona private fee, and taking pride in narrow specialization. Theauthors of the concept saw the dangers of growing professionalizationof the medical practice where hospitals start competing with hotels,where medical researchers "concentrated all their energy, on thetreatment of 'rare diseases and difficult cases' and were obliviousof the commonly-seen diseases that most affect the working people".Let me quote a very pertinent remark from Chairman Mao's famousstatement of 26th June 1965:

"Tell the Ministry of Public Health that it only worksfor 15 per cent of the entire population. Furthermore,this 15 per cent is made up mostly of the privileged.The broad ranks of the peasants cannot obtain medicaltreatment and also do not receive medicine •.••

"Medical education must be reformed. It is basicallyuseless to study so much •••• Three years are enough.The important thing is that they study while practising.This way doctors sent to the countryside will not overratetheir own abilities, and they will be better than thosedoctors who have been cheating the people, and betterthan the witch doctors".

The barefoot doctor was a new role fashioned by the Chineseleaders to make available the medical facilities to the country'steeming millions living in the villages. The syllabus was designedto equip them with skills to diagnose common diseases and treatthem with local pharmacopoea. This required shortening the periodof training, recruitment of trainees from the local areas, combiningmedical work with other work, and extensive use of locally availableherbs and medicines.

What was felt in the field of medicine and public healthis also felt in the field of housing and human settlements. Thegrowing professionalization and specialization of the disciplineof architecture has restricted its availability to the elite groupsin the urban areas. The approach and thinking of the specialists isoriented to meet the needs of this kind of clientele. While thenumber of trained architects is growing, it can still cope onlywith the demands of a limited number. In the developmental context,however, there is an increasing recognition of the role to be playedby the architects. Their contribution is sought for a good dealof community work, as part of the process of integrated rural

40

Appendix I

development and also of urban improvement and development andredevelopment programmes. They are needed to assist in theconstruction of new houses to lodge the newly added populationsthrough the planning of new colonies, or transforming old neighbourhoods; they are invited to offer solutions to the problems ofslums and squatter settlements; they are in demand in situationsof disaster where houses are required to be rebuilt and at greaterspeed; and they are, in addition, being approached by more and moreindividuals to provide expert advice in their personal housingprojects. For these, and many other roles, the number and kind ofarchitects that are needed are just not available. The conventionalmeans of training new architects are both lengthy and expensive,and much of what is taught is not of immediate use to the presentday societal concerns. Such a situation calls for a carefulreexamination of the system of training, and consideration ofalternative way of providing needed trained manpower.

It seems to me that three things are required to be done:

1. To reorientate the existing cadre of architects.

2. To train a new and a somewhat different kind ofprofessional, a low brow architect who will be preparedto work with the people in a participatory frame ofreference. A man without an aplomb, but having thefeel of the field.

3. To induct the people engaged in construction work inthe culture of architecture, that is, to transform the'quacks' into low-brow professionals so that they couldthink architecturally sound local solutions to localproblems.

I am not sure which one of these can be, or should be, labelledas barefoot, but in each case there is an addition of a new role anda new responsibility to attend to the problems of the common man.Some of these require urgent attention: the problem of water,drainage, ventilation, light, roads and the like. These may beconsidered as symptomatic of some kind of sickness and thus worthyof a treatment; in this sense the barefoot architect's role isidentical with that of the doctor. But the architect has also toplan new settlements that would provide better and healthier livingconditions. In doing so, he has to ensure that they are congruentwith the cultural needs and values.

41


It is not strange that the concept of barefoot has takenbirth in Asia. In many countries of this region there is atradition of taking off the shoes while entering into a house orthe sacred precincts of a temple. It has two symbolic meanings.Without shoes, a person's feet feel the earth, the floor and thus,have direct contact with the place; secondly, it prevents theoutside 'dirt' from polluting the inside -- thus a house welcomesthe man but not the pollution. This is what may be called a processof "cultural screening" and lIcultural scrutinyu. Making theprofessionals barefoot, or training the barefoots as professionals,thus implies two things : have the feel of the field, and be selectivein accepting outside elements. Anyone following these principlesis bound to contribute to the process of endogenous development.A barefoot architect is also to be perceived in these terms.

The concept has been floating in the intellectual circlesfor quite sometime. The International Union of Architects hadearlier organized some discussions on this, about which our resourceperson, Mr Yona Friedman, will be talking in some detail. Unescohopes to utilize the outcome of this Workshop in organizing furtherdiscussions and developing training manuals for the new professionals.

The idea of transferring the power of knowledge and information from the professionals to the people, of involving commonman in the shaping of the professions,is in fact a positive andmost welcome response to the growing need for broadening the baseof knowledge and demystification of specializations. Knowledgeought to be shared, not monopolized; and knowledge must be utilizedfor the good of society and people.

The adjective 'barefoot' is a gentle reminder to thespecialist that the vast masses of people in the developing worldare representatives of the culture of poverty. Half-hungry andhalf-naked, they cannot afford a shoe. The specialist has to workfor these barefoot men and women.

As a concerned social scientist but a total illiterate inthe field of architecture, I am looking forward to witnessing thegrowth of the idea through the discussions during the Workshop.

42

INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP

John Beynon

Principal ArchitectEducational Facilities Service

Unesco ROEAP

Those who attended the 1976 United Nations Conference onHuman Settlements, often compare the main conference with theparallel activity organized by the Non-Governmental Organizations,the HABITAT Forum. The official conference was the secure domainof government officials and was where the excellent preparatorywork of the UN secretariat was scrutinized, refined and renderedacceptable to the world as a whole. The HABITAT Forum, by contrastwas the peoples forum. From there,sprang a lot of talk aboutimproving the standards of the built environment of the world'sdisadvantaged people. These appeals which emanated from theHABITAT Forum were clearly understood by the main conferencewhich was taking place some miles away. This week's meeting is yetone more attempt by the United Nations system to respond to theseappeals.

Several important trends have developed since HABITAT.

One school of thought contends that governments and thetraditional architecture and engineering professions are not thecorrect instruments for directly improving the built environment.Rather the main force for improving the built environment is thepeople themselves. Thus, the argument goes, emphasis should beplaced on providing the people with information and other facilitieswhich will enable them to develop their own environments.

Another direction is the increased reliance on technologicalinnovations which are appropriate to the context where the technologyis being applied. This has led to the creation of several largeorganizations which provide professional advice,much of it in thearea of human settlements. It has also led to the creation of"networks" whereby a large number of individuals and organizationsare able to share information between themselves. The centraloffice of these networks usually does little more than to maintainmailing lists and issue a periodical newsletter.

43


Third, professional technician responsibilities have begunto be reexamined. Architectural engineering curricula are beingexamined in the hope of making them more relevant to the needs ofthe majority of the population. Governments begin to realize thatthe day when they will have an adequate number of fully qualifiedprofessional architects/engineers may be decades into the future.Thus, to service national rural development programmes a growingnumber of polytechnic institutions are offering what are some timescalled "sub-professional" diplomas in fields directly related tothe built environment.

to eachof thissector.

Unesco has, in its wide variety of activities, given supportof these trends. You have already heard about the antecedentsmeeting and the relevant activities of the Social Sciences

Let me comment briefly on the work of two other sectors.

In the Science sector, Unesco has organized a network whichbrings together researchers in universities and governments to exchangeexperiences in science and technology. A certain number of theseexchanges -- which often take the form of a national seminar to whichother participants are welcomed -- deal with the built environment.Another project prepares abstracts of significant cases where people'sdirect participation has led to improved environments. Thesecarefully prepared documents will then be disseminated on a world-wide basis.

In the Education sector,school construction projects inNepal and Burma are being carried out with the people donating mostof the labour. In Nepal, the first building was designed by aninterdisciplinary team which hiked two days to reach the villagewhere the prototype school was to be constructed. After a threeday "design-in",plans and an illustrated guide were prepared.Henceforth the project will be in the hands of construction supervisers who have but two years of technical training. In Bangladesh,some 600 technician level engineers are overseeing the planningconstruction of 6000 classrooms annually. A very large part ofthe specialist training for educational building specialists givenby Unesco in Asia in the last three years has been given to peoplewho are not qualified architects.

Our colleagues from ESCAP HABITAT have made even greaterefforts to improve the built environment.

Let us not be complacent by magnifying the importance ofour past accomplishments. The purpose of this workshop is for usto exchange our collective experiences. The participants havebeen carefully selected to include a cross-section of professionalbackgrounds and experience: professors, administrators and two

44

Appendix I

people who might be described as 'barefoot' architects. Knowingwell the work of these two people and their colleagues elsewhere,it would seem to me that the successful barefoot architect willhave the following characteristics.

1. A broad vision of the built environment. Besidesbuildings, he or she will also know about building roads,fresh water systems, and drainage.

2. A feeling for the practical. These people will knowhow to read a drawing -- as well as how to make one -and will be able to transform that drawing into realitywith their own hands.

3. A communicator with local people. The 'barefoot' architects will have to convince people about which projectsmust be done. They must also know how to listen inorder to understand and apply village wisdom.

4. Knowledge of the value of money. Budgets will be shortin these areas thus money will need to be spent onlyfor critical items not available locally.

5. A sound judgement and respect for local culture. Thebarefoot architects will have to discriminate betweentrue socio/cultural/economic improvement and theunrewarding physical symbols of progress.

The workshop will, I trust, leave us with a much clearerpicture than the one sketched out here. In closing,may I put beforethis distinguished group several questions which should be coveredin the course of this week's work:

What are the linkages between the barefoot architects, andthe fully qualified architects on the one hand and the skilledfield-workers on the other?

Is the 'barefoot' architect a new profession? Is itsimilar to the "diploma" or "sub-professional" architectpresently prepared in the region's polytechnic institutes,or is it more akin to that of the community developmentofficers?

Where should these people be trained? Is it the job ofthe formal education system, or of the non-formal?

We are looking forward to a stimulating week as you wrestlewith these and other issues.

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Appendix II

AGENDA

Item l. Opening

Item 2. Presentation of Case Studies

Item 3. Profile of Barefoot Architects- Definition and Nature of the Work

Item 4. Field Visit

Item 5. Elements for Syllabi

Item 6. Proposal for Training Progrannne

Item 7. Conclusion and Adoption of the Report

Item 3. Closing

46

30 May 1983

(Monday)

8:30 - 9:00

Appendi X II I

PROGRAMME OF THE MEETING

Registration

9:00 - 10:00

10:00 - 10:30

Agenda Item 1

Coffee Break

Opening Session

10:30 - 12:00

13:30 - 16:30

31 May 1983

(Tuesday)

9:00 - 12:00

13:30 - 17:00

1 June 1983

(Wednesday)

8:30 - 17:00

2 June 1983

(Thursday)

9:00 - 12:00

13:30 - 16:30

Agenda Item 2 Presentation ofCase Studies

Agenda Item 2 (contd.)

Field visit to K10ng Toey

Agenda Item 3 : Profile of Barefoot

Field Visit to Asian Institute ofTechnology (AIT), Lad Phrao

"Building Together" project site andNHA New Road project site

Agenda Item 5 : Elements for Syllabi

Agenda Item 5 (contd.)

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3 June 1983

(Friday)

9:00 - 12:00

13: 30 -

4 June 1983

(Saturday)

11:00 - 12:30

48

Agenda Item 6 : Proposal forTraining Programme

(Report Writing)

Agenda Item 7 : Conclusion andAdoption of the ReportAgenda Item 8 Closing Session

PARTICIPANTS

1) Australia

2) India

3) Ma1dives

4) Nepal

Appendix IV

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Professor B.S. SainiProfessor of ArchitectureDepartment of ArchitectureUniversity of QueenslandSt. LuciaQueens1and;Te1: (07) 3772415 (office)

(07) 3711039 (home)

Professor Jaimini MehtaDirectorCentre for the Study of

Urbanism and ArchitectureDa1a1 HousePanchwati MargEllisbridgeAhmedabad 380 006; Te1: 461362

Mr Ismai1 RasheedConstruction CoordinatorEducational Development Centrec/o Ma1dives National Commission

for UnescoMinistry of EducationMa1e;Te1: 2257/2902 (home)

Mr B.N. GhimireActing EngineerHMG/Unesco/NORAD ProjectMinistry of Education and CultureKeshar Maha1Kanti PathKathmandu;Te1: 15045 (office) ext. 50

49


5)

6)

7)

Philippines

Thailand

Thailand

Ms Cristina VelezSenior Vice-PresidentUniversity of LifeMeralco Avenue, PasigMetro Manila;Tel: 7748ll,local 384 (office)Residence Tel: 8284891

Ms Nuntana SiraprapasiriInstructorFaculty of ArchitectureKing Mongkut's Institute of TechnologyLadkrabang CampusLadkrabang, Bangkok 10520Tel: 525-0162

377-9818393-9827 (Direct line)

Ms Supha PhasukAssistant ProfessorFaculty of ArchitectureKing Mongkut's Institute of TechnologyLadkrabang CampusLadkrabang, Bangkok 10520

OBSERVERS

1) Professor A. Bruce Etherington

Associate ProfessorHuman Settlements Development DivisionAsian Institute of TechnologyG.P.O. Box 2754Bangkok, Thailand

2)

3)

Professor Ray W. Archer

Mr Shuma Fukumura

Associate ProfessorHuman Settlements Development DivisionAsian Institute of TechnologyG.P.O. Box 2754Bangkok, Thailand

Field CoordinatorThe Japanese Volunteer Centre of

Bangkok67, South Sathorn RoadBangkok, Thailand

50

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

Ms Takako Fukatsu

Ms Preechaya Rangsiraksa

Mr Chalerm Keokungwal

Mr Ramesh Manandhar

Mr Terry C. Standley

Ms Somsook Boonyabancha

51

Appendix IV

Public Relations OfficerThe Japanese Volunteer Centre of

Bangkok67, South Sathorn RoadBangkok, Thailand

LecturerFaculty of ArchitectureKing Mongkut's Institute of

TechnologyLadkrabang CampusLadkrabang, Bangkok 10520ThailandResidence Tel: 585-2695

Deputy DirectorDepartment of Town and Country

Planning224, Asoke-Dindaeng Road ExtensionHuay KwangBangkok 10310, Thailand

Asian Institute of TechnologyC.P.O. Box 2754Bangkok, Thailand

Institute of Housing StudiesProject Leader: Centre for Housing

and Human Settlements StudiesNational Housing Authority905, Sukharphibal 1Bangkok, Thailand

Centre for Housing and HumanSettlements Studies

National Housing Authority905, Sukharphibal 1Bangkok, Thailand


U.N. AGENCIES

1) Ms Narelle Ray Townsend

2) Mr Kenji Okazaki

3) Mr Jens Overgaard

4) Mr Mathias Hundsalz

5) Mr Yona Friedman

U.N. Centre for Human Settlements(HABITAT)

ESCAPU.N. Building, Rajadamnern AvenueBangkok 10200, Thailand

Expert on Human SettlementsESCAPU.N. Building, Rajadamnern AvenueBangkok 10200, Thailand

Human Settlements SectionESCAPU.N. Building, Rajadamnern AvenueBangkok 10200, Thailand

Officer-in-ChargeShelter and Community Services

SectionUnited Nations Centre of Human

Settlements (HABITAT)Nairobi, Kenya

Coordinator Centre for Communicationof Scientific Knowledge - UNU ProjectlIT Compus COSTED BuildingMadras, Tamilnadumailini address:42, Bd. Pasteur75015 ParisFrance Tel: 3209923

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SECRETARIAT

Unesco

Secretaries

Appendix IV

1) Dr Yogesh AtalRegional Adviser for Social Sciences

in Asia and the PacificUnesco ROEAP ANNEX24/1 Sukhumvit Soi 59C.P.O. Box 1425Bangkok 10500, Thailand

2) Mr John BeynonPrincipal ArchitectUnesco ROEAPDarakarn Building920 Sukhumvit RoadC.P.O. Box 1425Bangkok 10500, Thailand

3) Mr A.I. DyankovSpecialist in InstructionalMaterialsUnesco ROEAPDarakarn Building920 Sukhumvit RoadC.P.O. Box 1425Bangkok 10500, Thailand

4) Ms Koto KannoAssociate ExpertOffice of the Regional Adviser for

Social Sciences in Asia and thePacific

Unesco ROEAP ANNEX24/1 Sukhumvit Soi 59C.P.O. Box 1425Bangkok 10500, Thailand

1) Ms Siriwan Tanggriwong

2) Ms Sarinya A.M. Sophia

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