Tohoku sees frigid winters that can stop construction, well, cold. It's a reminder to us to adopt the familiar mission to "take full advantage of Summer," in a construction sense. (We'll talk more about winter projects in just a bit.)

The end of July marks the half-way point for the Tohoku construction season, and we figured we could take stock of how our collaborative rebuilding projects are helping the tsunami-stricken region recover. The four featured cast a wide net of methods, materials and the unique conditions demanding their careful consideration.

Starting next week Architecture for Humanity will be showcased at three venues in Venice. The most important of these is the unveiling of the winners of the 2011 Open Architecture Challenge: Unrestricted Access. We are currently recreating a military bunker in the heart of the Future Steps exhibition with an awesome presentation. We will offer prizes for those who post the best photos of them using it in cammo!

Secondly our friends at Studio 427 and Moleskine are launching their 'Better World' symposium with co-founder Cameron Sinclair

Finally we are honored to be a sponsor of the American Pavilion and its show "Spontaneous Interventions", which includes many projects from Design Like You Give A Damn [2] and our local chapters in Chicago and New York. Cameron Sinclair will join a panel discussion on Aug 28th on transforming intervention into long term action.

Illac Diaz from My Shelter Foundation in the Philippines, sends us news on the impacts of flooding in the Philippines. We had worked with Illac previously on the Bottle School project after Typhoon Ketsana.

We made a fundraiser this last Sunday with rock bands and food relief drives. It ended successfully at 2:00 am and I am now recovered and heading back to the office.

There is a severe typhoon arriving tomorrow so we are bracing for the storms again. Tropical storm Haikui has left a death toll of 60 however, there is a larger one looming ahead.

One million people are listed as displaced in official counts but this is probably more as there are many more that prefer to stay in their homes with limited water, food, and lighting than head for already crowded evacuation centers. The problem as in the past is once the storm recedes, the disease started escalating, making the few and limited overcrowded areas less of a long term recovery area.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Architecture for Humanity
press@architectureforhumanity.org

In response to disastrous flooding this week in Manila, the Philippines, Architecture for Humanity is launching a long-term disaster response program to help rebuild and mitigate against similar future disasters in the region.

Bilang tugon sa mapinsalang pagbabaha sa Maynila, at mga karatig-pook sa Pilipinas – inilunsad ng Architecture for Humanity ang isang pang-matagalang programa na makakatulong sa muling pagbangon, at makakatulong sa pagharap sa mga kalamidad tulad ng pagbahang naganap.

On August 6, the Tropical Storm Haikui brought two days of heavy rains that caused massive flooding and landslides throughout the capital city of Manila in the Philippines. Over 800,000 people were evacuated from their homes and 250,000 people have moved into emergency shelters. It is estimated that 2 million people live in informal settlements in high-risk areas along riverbeds that are prone to flooding.

Noong ika-6 ng Agosto, dalawang araw ng matinding pag-ulan ang dala ng Tropical Storm Haikui. Nagdulot ito ng pagbaha at mga “landslide” sa Maynila. Higit sa 800,000 tao ang lumikas sa kanilang mga tahanan, at may 250,000 tao ang inilipat na sa mga emerhensiyang kanlungan. Tinatantiya na may 2 milyon katao ang nakatira sa mga high-risk o mapanganib na mga lugar, malapit sa mga “riverbeds” na madalas bahain.

Read the latest information about the Philippines floods.

Manila and much of the island of Luzon was flooded after an epic 3.24m of rain fell in less than 24 hours, this is following 2 days of non-stop rain. Meanwhile a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit offshore of Lubang; the area is experiencing aftershocks.

On August 6, the Tropical Storm Haikui brought two days of heavy rains that caused massive flooding and landslides throughout the capital city of Manila in the Philippines. Over 800,000 people were evacuated from their homes and 250,000 people have moved into emergency shelters. It is estimated that 2 million people live in informal settlements in high risk areas along river beds that are prone to flooding.

Architecture for Humanity is committed to helping communities in Manila rebuild and prevent future disasters. We need your help.

Our goal is to raise at least $100,000 to execute a disaster resiliency and reconstruction program and provide communities with the skills and training needed to mitigate the impacts of future flooding.

Support the Philippines Floods Response Program

Compressed Earth Blocks training in Manica.

Design Fellows by day, masons by night, Alina Jeronimo and Paulo Fernandes, are hosting a “how to make earth bricks” workshop in Mozambique. Providing skills training, the bricks produced will support the Manica Football for Hope Center.

Paulo and Alina give us their insight and reasons for the training:

アーキテクチャー・フォー・ヒューマニティのジャパンチームは東京を拠点におくKMDWオフィスと連携して、画期的な工法を使って、宮城県石巻市前網浜に新しい集会場を建てる計画を練っています。主宰の一人である小林博人氏は慶応大学の先生でもあり、彼は学生とともに宮城県南三陸町歌津地区に被災ベニヤを使って集会場を建てました。 このプロジェクトは賞も受賞しました。

Winners have been announced for the Open Architecture Challenge: [UN]RESTRICTED ACCESS hosted by Architecture for Humanity. The Founders' Award goes to Paicho Huts, a Ugandan proposal to transform a former IDP camp to benefit rural countrymen. The Winner of the challenge, OCO - Ocean & Coastline Observatory, is a Portuguese proposal to reassign the Trafaria defense batteries outside Lisbon.