Smart Shelter Foundation

The coming period we are looking at new projects. Smart Shelter Foundation wants to emphasize more on the promotion of alternative construction techniques and on technology transfer. We are thinking about starting up a Research and Technology Centre where local people can learn how to build. A logical step would be to collaborate with a university or resrach centre, preferably in a developing country. As soon as we have more news, we will inform you right away!

Two Earthquake Resistant Mountain Schools in Kaski District, Nepal		new project

Finished projects

Earthquake resistant construction and masonry training in general (2007 -)

Hostel for blind students in Bhandar Dhik, Nepal (2008 - 2011)

13 Earthquake Resistant Schools and an Animal & Agricultural Centre in Nepal (2007 - 2009)

Pre-literacy school in Vellalapatty, Zuid India (2007)

Rebuilding after the tsunami in Kurukkalmadam en Mankadu, Sri Lanka (2006)

Two Earthquake Resistant Mountain Schools in Kaski District, Nepal

For the coming period we have selected the two most urgent schools. Due to continuous seismic action combined with inferior construction quality, these schools are on the verge of collapse. We will improve this situation in the villages of Khalte and Dargauntar. One classroom on average costs 3.000 euro (around 4.000 dollar) and the People's Participation is around 30%, either in materials or labour. Smart Shelter Foundation will execute this project with our local partner SEED Foundation. The general school construction sheet can be downloaded here.

Finished Projects

Below you can find a selection of projects of Smart Shelter Foundation, which we have carried out succesfully in the last few years. The files contain background information of the projects, it explains about the costs of the projects and they show many many pictures.

Earthquake resistant construction and masonry training in general (2007 -)

Before we start with the actual construction of our projects, we give training to the local masons, carpenters and village representatives. The topics include general construction principles, knowledge about earthquakes and earthquake resistant construction methods, and proper material handling. Part of the training is informative and theoretical, but we also include some practical sessions on site. After that we treat the complete construction process as one huge training. Click below to find out how we make our buildings in Nepal earthquake resistant and how we improve the general quality. Of course the same knowledge applies for other countries that have a risk of earthquakes, such as India, Peru and Indonesia. For questions or technical support with your project, don't hesistate to contact us via info@smartshelterfoundation.org.

Hostel for blind students in Bhandar Dhik, Nepal (2008 - 2011)

The school community in Bhandar Dhik includes one special classroom, where 10 blind and visually impaired children learn to read and write in Braille. After the first year of learning, they can follow the regular classes from year 2 upto year 5. As these children are all coming from the remote mountain areas, the school was in desperate need of decent and specially adjusted accommodation for these children. Also the school wanted to double the number of children to 20, and enable them to stay in school upto class 10. Smart Shelter Foundation, with its partner SEED Foundation, has started with the construction in December 2008 and finished it in March 2011.

13 Earthquake Resistant Mountain Schools and an Animal Centre in Nepal (2007 - 2009)

Between 2007 and 2009 we have built an impressive number of 13 earthquake resistant mountain schools in the Kaski District of Nepal. Also we have constructed the regional Animal and Agricultural Centre. All projects were executed together with our local partner SEED Foundation. Their chairman Damodar Bhakta Thapa has proven that he fully understands what earthquake resistant construction is all about and we highly recommend him to anyone involved in construction around Pokhara. Click on the picture below to find an extensive overview of all these projects.

In a little village named Vellalapatty, about 10 kilometers away from the city of Salem in the south of India, a pre-literacy school is built using several alternative building techniques. The new building is a good example of a safe, child-friendly and playful environment. The school should encourage the parents to continue sending the children to school. The total construction costs were 5.800 euro, which was 2.600 euro less than the lowest offer from the local contractors. Click on the picture below for a detailed photo report.

The Canadian relief organization CRWRC has been working in two villages on the east coast of Sri Lanka. Fisrt 20 houses were built in Kurukkalmadam, for people who were living too close to the sea and therefore received no help from the government. After that new houses were built in two villages, following the ‘people driven housing’ principle. This means that the people were responsible themselves for the construction of their houses, but with technical and financial assistance from CRWRC and the government. The projects were started in November 2005 and were finished around the fall of 2006.