Orkidstudio - The People.
Orkidstudio provides high quality, affordable and efficient end-to-end design and construction services that promote health, education and equality. They focus on the ‘process’ of design and construction as much as the final product, leveraging opportunities for local employment, education and women in construction.
They believe everyone has the right to good design and access to healthy, inspiring and dignified spaces. Their projects focus on the process of construction rather than just the final product. They believe this process is a powerful tool for affecting social change and empowering people through the sharing of skills and knowledge on site.
Building collectively brings communities together, supports local economic growth, empowers, instils pride, and leaves a legacy that reaches far beyond final completion.
Involvement.
We hired local labour, trained them in how to build with masonry, timber and steel to produce the external shell and structure of the new school.
We taught unskilled workers not only how to build, but also the value in building well and accurately, it was extremely rewarding to see individuals making strides in their confidence, encouraging them to learn, and use their initiative.
We had several members of the team with us from start to finish, who started as labourers, and ended as either semi-skilled carpenters or masons, or as foreman, and administrators. This was the most rewarding part of this project for me, the teaching aspect.
If you want to learn more about the build process, go on over to the Build Page.
Gallery
All photos courtesy of Peter Dibdin Photography.
The People
Portraits of people involved in Swawou, from the furniture maker, school manager, skilled masons and loyal workers.
By Peter Dibdin Photography.
Most photos courtesy of Peter Dibdin Photography.
Individual certificates of work I created, personalised, printed and
laminated to be hand delivered back to site for those involved in the build.
It means a lot to them, to be able to use this for a reference for further work.
