26 Construction Progress: December 2009

Since July 2008, we did not update the blog at all. It does not mean that the construction has not been going on, it has but rather slow pace in comparison from the beginning. However, the second half of 2009, we got more funding mainly from Round Square International School Network, with many school participating on the actual construction.

We also received some supports on the water facilities from American Red Cross based in Krabi (Thanks to Khun Pu, Jantima, who has been working very hard on this).

Last December, we visited the construction site and here it is the latest development of the construction:


From the last report we made all the columns on the ground level. The further works are the retaining walls and water drainage around the site, 21 water tanks, toilet and sanitary systems and the 2nd floor structure of the back building.


We went up on the 2nd floor level to check if we can see the sea from there --> BINGO!


The water tanks are actually rather big! With 21 of them, we should not be shortage of fresh water collected from the rains.




Some 'interior' space before finishing the surfaces.


Although the building is still in an unfinished stage, we are planning to complete it by the coming October, when it will be The International Round Square Conference 2010 hosted by The Regent's School in Pattaya, Thailand during 9-15th October. The event is name WE WALK TOGETHER. Paul Crouch the key person of raising funding for our project is actually Conference Director. The building hopefully will be one of the successful projects of Round Square when some of the volunteer students will be working on the final stage of the building. We are working hard to reach the point by then.


The latest development of the island, apart from the news that electricity from the main land will arrive soon perhaps within this year, the road from Leam Tong Bay to Ton Sai Bay is already completed. Although it is a very small road of about 3-m. wide, it will surely change a lot of things around. Some villagers already bought motorcycles. We will see!

24 Chula Visit for Construction, July 2008

We were here again at the construction site of Baan Leam Tong International Community Resource Center. During 16-22 July, 23 of us, 16 students from Faculty of Architecture Chulalongkorn University (10 INDA students, 6 fifth year students, 3 architects from my office working as my TA. (Sor, Namkhang and Pan), Khun Pu Jantima from American Red Cross, Khun Chol from UNICEF and our beloved cook, P'Som were there to work on the construction site, continuing from what the Regent team had completed last month.

This was the stage of the construction site when we arrived. Sor, Namkhang and Pan surveyed the site before the students began to work.


Waiting for our first meeting at the site. We all enjoyed the cool breeze after the rains...


The first meeting: we divided into 3 groups, everyday 2 groups worked on the construction, the other worked on the public relation of the project in the area - the duty also including cooking and serving drinks to those who worked on the construction site. We began with already some fun as you can see here :)



Our tasks were to mold 22 columns in the site.. Our super contractor, Nirat, already prepare some of the molding and reinforced steel... so our first day... we began with mixing concrete. The students had to carry million bags of the mixtures (sand, stones and cement) to the site. :O



Then we began pouring concrete mixture into the column molds. Although it was raining once in a while, it was good so that the weather was not too bad.



Joe was already tired, while Nam and Pear were still super strong - super girls...



After few days of mixing and pouring concrete in the rains, we finished. But we couldn't take off all the molds yet, had to wait for at least 24 hours. So we had another job to do: digging around the site prepare for the retaining walls.



The day before last day, we finally took away the molds of all the colums..


This was the condition of the site when we left. :-) we were quite proud of our little selves of doing so.... The next step is to build the retaining wall and install the water storage... We have to wait for further funding - hope to be very soon.



Speaking about funding, this time, we did some public relation around the site - with the hotels around and the people in the village. Strange enough, all the hotels around did not know the existance of the project, some staffs of the hotels did not even know the existance of the school - very strange indeed. The students went around to the hotels (Phi Phi Natural Resort, Zevola, Phi Phi Erawan Resort and Holiday Inns Resort), asked the hotels to hand out our PR materials to the guests who might be interested in supporting the project. Pam and Chompu who could not make it this time, made a very cute postcard as handout and three boards to exhibit at the construction site


Ta proudly presented the postcards in the setting they brought to each hotel for the guests. It should be put in the lobby.

Khun Pu Jantima who was in charge of all our well-being organized a grilling party for us one night. Joe was the best boy scout who made the fire, with the support from the three girls here. :-)


Grilled fish. The fish were from our contractor, Nirat. Gigantic indeed. Thanks a lot ka.


Not to mention that everyday, we got fed by P'Som's food. The diet plan in Phi Phi never works. We got back to Bangkok FAT & TAN. :( But happy and full.


Looking forward to going back there again soon... we began to feel like another home there... :-)

23 Regent International School @ the construction again

Right after our site visit in June, Regent International School with international schools from India, Malaysia and Japan were working on the site for one week. Around 50 students were there, working hard. :-O

Basically they laid down the steel structure of the ground floor, as in the picture.


After that, they mixed and poured the concrete for the ground floor.


Well, the next step would be the columns.. leave them to INDA, Chula students then.

22 Progress on the construction

Last weekend, 14-15 June, I visited Phi Phi Island to check on the progress of our construction site. Pan and the other five INDA students (Pao, Name, Tool, Pam and Chompu) came along. Of course, we would not be there without Khun Pu Jantima.



We spent less than 24 hours on the island, since the complicated travelling route took most of the time - car, airplane, car, boat, boat :O....one leg of going there would take about 10 hours in total.

However, we were very happy to check the progress of the construction. The foundations are all done along with the plumbing system underneath. Then the beams of the ground floor are almost completed too.


The students from Regent International School along with the other students from four schools are coming this week to work on the floor and the columns. We will surely keep you updated. :-)