PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Ekistics is the term coined by the Greek architect Doxiadis in the 1940s to describe how a community could build by itself, efficiently and sustainably. Basically all materials would be local and natural, while labor, also local, would range from unskilled to skilled.
Ekistics is also the science that takes precedence in this design proposal over engineering, since the apparent overall aim of the client, Nyaya Health, is to sustainably improve the quality of life of the community of Achham.
Naya Sahakara - Sanskrit for cooperate - would be a community cooperative set up by Nyaya Health to build the new project. It would rely on as much local material and labor as is possible to ensure a safe and functional building. The cooperative would survive after the construction of these new buildings by going on to erecting the satellite health modules and by setting up further cooperatives that would reinvigorate the local vernacular architecture and reinstate the confidence of the people to build for themselves.
The methodology of the design-engineering process is described in a matrix that outlines the different possibilities for each component in terms of skills needed and material availability. It aims to chose the more appropriate possibility which would ensure as simple a building process as possible.
The architecture itself is based on the smallest unit of space, the room, which is then repeated to create the entire centre with as little adaptability as needed. The concept of modular space allows for a high degree of flexibility, while cutting out any complexity to allow as low a skill of labour as is available. Though with the cooperative in place, the building process would become more organic, and changes in the design adapting to newly arisen needs during the construction phase would be possible without much disruption or added costs.
