To download the multi-page PDF report maps file click here. You will need to unzip the file once it is downloaded.

An assessment in Gansu was important to see what the local villagers were building them selves, with the material (durable waterproof tarp) supplied by IBAS. I was very happy to see that all of the tarp had been given to the villagers and it was mostly being used to cover their primary shelter.

There were instances where the villagers covered their secondary shelter (food storage) with the IBAS tarp as they received it after they had already built their primary shelter. This gave me an opportunity to see what materials they could afford and what techniques they used to build their primary shelters with. However there were also instances of the government tarp being damaged so they would then use IBAS tarp in its place. When IBAS tarp was supplied after they had built their primary shelter, in most cases the villagers were using the coloured tarp (government supplied) and transparent waterproof plastic sheeting (bought them selves at 4RMB/m) as a laminate on either side of the coloured tarp. This produced a waterproof cover albeit not very strong; however I assumed surrounding trees and bamboo plantations diffused the wind adequately to protect the shelters.

Most structures were made using split bamboo much like that of IBAS shelters although using thinner walled species (arrow bamboo) that grows all over the mountain. The shelters built resemble your iconic house; 4 straight walls, a hinged door and a double sloping roof. As I mentioned before with the material that covered the shelter, the same goes for the structures built. They are somewhat feeble and I was not confident with a strong wind these structures would survive however they would survive a large earthquake, due to the “play” (movement) the building technique and material allows.

The structures that used wood as sidewalls instead of material would stand a better chance of staying upright in strong winds. (for images of the bamboo structures and shelters covered with IBAS tarp, please see photo gallery “Gansu shelters”).

Charts and maps of how, how much and where IBAS tarp has been used will be up shortly.

Having received emails from both Heifer and Lee at Sichuan Quake Relief telling us that people where in need of assistance in Southern Gansu, which was also hit by the quake but hadn’t received nearly as much aid or media attention as Sichuan, we set out to determine if the project could potentially help in this area. We were put in contact with Mr Hu, Director of the Golden Monkey Nature Reserve in a remote area in Southern Gansu bordering Sichuan and Shannxi, we sent him our spec sheet for the shelter, and talking through translators discussed whether we could help. Mr Hu told us that the community there were interested so Ali and Sam headed up to check it out. Five days later, two bus rides, two very long taxi rides, two six hour rides in government jeeps along dirt roads, one government banquet, and LOTS of toasts with ruddy cheeked officials later we’re back online again to update you all on what’s going on!

VISIT

The earthquake had destroyed some key bridges along the direct route into Gansu and so our trip took us from Chengdu through Guangyang and Lue Yang in Shannxi to Long Nan Shi, and then on to Yuhe where Mr Hu and the General Yang greeted us at the Golden Monkey Nature Reserve headquarters. We sat down to discuss how the project could help but before we could start we were welcomed by a deep growling and shudder from the mountain beneath us as an aftershock had everyone scrambling out their houses. We were taken around the village to see the extent of the damage and had the opportunity to meet and talk with local people who had been forced down from the hills above as their homes had been totally destroyed. The next morning we drove to Feng Xiang where we again were given a tour of the area and shown the damage caused by the earthquake.

SITUATION THERE

Although far away from the epicentre, the buildings up in the mountains of southern Gansu are mostly mudbrick and wood and as a result fared much worse than concrete buildings further south. Whilst the days are currently hot and humid winter is not far away and with this in mind work is already well underway in Yuhe. Where previously a two story building stood a roof had been built on top of the still standing first floor and other roofs have been replaced on buildings where the walls are intact. All around villagers are salvaging the wood, bricks and tiles from their destroyed houses in preparation for rebuilding. Feng Xiang, the second village we visited was 80% destroyed and nearly all the villagers were living in tents and makeshift shelters above their destroyed village in a muddy field. In both locations settlements above the main villages are even worse off with many hill farmers expected to move down to the larger villages to be housed in the villages as they are rebuilt.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

It has been a full month since the quake and most of the villagers have already built fairly sturdy shelters using salvaged materials. Following our survey of the situation and discussions with the village leaders and the local people, we have decided that the best way we can assist is by providing good quality durable tarpaulin and other roofing materials for their shelters. This makes sense since they already have plenty of wood for building new frames and most of the flat space for placing new temporary shelters is already occupied. The majority of the existing shelters are not water or wind proof and providing tarpaulin will provide an immediate improvement in living conditions for the people affected by the earthquake.

Spoke to Luke in Chengdu–they just returned from a day of setting up two demonstration shelters in Bai Guo Cun village. The shelters were extremely well received and the villagers can use up to 300 more. Right now they are receiving food and water relief but little shelter as of yet-they are living in lean-to’s as are many people in the area. Everyone was happy to chip in and learn how to set up the shelters…when Luke, Sam and Caroline return they hope to use the same team of people and hopefully it’ll take much less time after having been through it once-probably two hours per shelter. While they wait for a bulk order of materials to come in they’ll head to another neighboring village tomorrow (hopefully) and assess the need there.

Things are moving fast!

For the past few days we have been splitting up and driving out to small villages along the edge of the mountains north-west of Chengdu. Yesterday, Luke and Sam visited two villages near Mianzhu and met with local officials to work out how the shelter project can help there. Caroline, and Stefanie and John from HODR have done the same further north in villages near Beichuan and have made arrangements with local government and police to return with the shelters. We now plan on returning to demonstrate the shelters and show locals how to put them up following Luke’s design plan before ordering in the first batch based on their response.

Materials were delayed due to a broken bridge and the truck having to wait for a ferry crossing for 2 days but it’s all here now and today we’re off to Bai Guo Cun - our first village to demonstrate the shelters. The nearby village of Xin Kai Cun is also involved and is sending some people over to see the shelters and place an order if they want them.

Tomorrow we’ll head further north and try and do the same near Beichuan.

What a week. Luke, Sam, and Caroline are now in Chengdu with Stefanie from Hands On Disaster Response. They’re meeting with a number of NGOs on the ground, learning how the relief effort is unfolding and headed out to villages this week to see where they can be most effective. Jackie from “putinto” website helped us find a warehouse in Chengdu and Anne got the materials for the first ten bamboo and tarpauline off into a truck and headed to Chengdu to arrive on Thursday. The gang hopes to have identified a site for testing and then will do so on Thursday as soon as materials arrive. We are also sourcing local materials so we can put as much into the local economy as possible…things like bamboo, eyelets, etc. The more that can come from Chengdu the better for everyone. Huge thanks to David Campbell and Stefanie from Hands On Disaster Response for taking in donations on our behalf—the link for donations is now officially live!

Today Luke met Claire Strudwick of Shanghai Media Group (SMG)–Claire was interested in the “I Bought A Shelter” story and will consider following us out to report from the field…if we can talk her into it! Meanwhile Luke is putting the finishing touches on the tent tomorrow: fixing the floor, applying a door to the other end, cutting the top ventilations. Sam, Kim, and I have been having on-going phone meetings with Save the Children, CFPA (Mercy Corps local partner), and HODR. We are learning the larger relief organizations tend to need products in greater bulk while the smaller organizations are probably better suited to take in our shelters–basically there are huge needs at all levels and each organization fits into the overall relief effort in a different way…we’ve just got to find that match. Anne will be meeting with HODR when they hit the ground in Beijing on Saturday (Stef from HODR will head to Chengdu on Sunday) and Anne will also attend the UN session Friday morning. Probably the most important news of the day was positive feedback on the design of the tents from relief workers on the field.

News from Wednesday, May 28

We’ve got a prototype we like!! The last few days have been spent out on the field near Moganshan Lu at Island6’s old building, testing and making changes to the prototype (Click here for PDF shelter specification sheet). Architects Vincent Degraaf (AIM), designer Karin Rijlaarsdam, and other “experts” in the field stopped by to help and feed-in suggestions. Luke has been making improvements to the design before he and Sam head out to Sichuan on Monday. The changes are good—added groundsheets, strengthened bracings, air vents and rain gutters that channel water runoff away from the shelter.

We’re challenging ourselves on the safety and durability of the shelters to make sure this thing is a sound design. We think the beauty of it is it’s lightness, size, and that it uses local materials with much less waste since the materials can be used elsewhere once the shelter is dismantled. There is also no in-factory manufacturing necessary as all of this is done during installation on-site. The design can also be winterized by adding an insulating felt layer beneath the plastic cover…always room for improvement but these are all critical factors in providing effective sheltering solutions! And we’ll need to further test when we’re on site to make sure those living inside are comfortable with the shelters. There was a news article today about a group of college kids who were talking about being cold and wet in their tents…further reinforcement that what we’re doing is the right thing.

Kim Chu and Sam and have been furiously calling to NGOs trying to work out the best way to integrate our efforts with those already on the ground—everything we read says relief efforts are in desperate need of locally-produced shelter but how to get it to them is something we haven’t yet figured out. It’s not easy. Jennifer Smieja recommended we talk to Hands on Disaster Response and they were incredibly helpful in pointing us in the right direction as well as sorting out how to legally take-in donations. HODR’s approach to relief work is to be on the ground assessing the needs of survivors and responding with speed and efficiency. Their initial team is traveling here May 30 so we’ll work with them as much as we can. Right now what we’ve heard and read here is that there are tons of people volunteering to help but there is more need for organization and instruction regarding tent installation and building of shelters. We’re also hearing that foreign agencies have been asked to cut down on their foreign bodies on the ground. Not sure what that’s about yet but it probably has to do with trying to keep the chaos to a minimum.

Blogsite is also officially UP! And we’re just working out the kinks… We’re unable to take in funds at the moment but hopefully tomorrow! Facebook is up too! More pics to come!

There are reports of an estimated 5 million people in Sichuan province displaced from their homes and in need of basic shelter. They are unable to move into permanent structures either because remaining structures are not safe or because they were wiped out altogether. Particularly in small towns and villages, tents are the immediate answer now and into the summer.

Existing tent manufacturers are trying to meet the increased demand but many tents in use now are made from materials that keep in heat and thus won’t hold up as well in the long term. Other tents being constructed by individuals are being made out of cheap woven plastic material—the material is not waterproof and is a very temporary solution.

There is a need NOW and will be a need throughout the summer and fall for cost-effective locally-produced shelters that can hold up through rain, hot sun, and storms.

What we’re doing
British industrial designer Luke Cardew has previously studied and designed emergency relief shelters. He has returned to Shanghai to design an inexpensive and environmentally responsible local “kit” made out of bamboo and a low-tech durable plastic that can be constructed on-site into spacious temporary shelters to house six to twelve people for up to one year. The shelters have many benefits over conventional tents being cheaper, more spacious and better ventilated. Friends Alistair Kille, Sam Keam, Cynthia, Li, Anne Halvorson, Rebecca Pasquali, Kim Chu, and a team from Wieden + Kennedy are joining together to help source the kits, raise money, maintain a blog, and deliver shelter kits to victims in need throughout Sichuan (focusing first on smaller villages further away from aid stations).

The final Prototype has been tested and refined on the lawn of Island6. Luke and Sam will head to Chengdu on June 02 to test ten prototype shelters and make any further adjustments to the design while the team back in Shanghai prepare to produce and deliver more.

How you can help
Buy a shelter for 700RMB (price may vary slightly depending on material suppliers and transport costs). Track the progress of the project on our blogsite as shelters are produced and shipped to affected communities in Sichuan. Donations will be taken on our behalf by Hands On Disaster Response (HODR), a US-based, volunteer-staffed, non-profit organization with 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, Tax ID # 20-3414952. Or if you wish to contribute in a different way please contact Anne Halvorson at anne.halvorson@wk.com or +86 138 186 36611. For more information on the project please contact info@iboughtashelter.com

An important note on buying a shelter or any donations to iboughtashelter.com:
While field testing in Chengdu we will be collaborating with HODR as they conduct an initial assessment of the situation in Sichuan including their/our ability to make a difference in light of current relief efforts. If, through their assessment we learn that existing relief efforts are not able to integrate our shelters, we will redirect shelter donations to an effective charity on the ground. In other words…if the red tape becomes too thick we’ll call off the dogs!…but your money will still go towards a relief effort we trust to do the job well! Please consider this in making your donation. Thank you!