Building In The Himalayas

BROTHERS!
(all of you... seriously, how do all of my brothers work in building construction? I mean, I get it, but like... ALL of you? We couldn't have one Policeman? Painter? Gym Teacher? Conductor? It's coo. - Daniel, get Ai to explain that reference to you.)

The idea for this blog began way back in May when Jigar and I ventured into the Spiti Valley via the small town of Reakong Peo. Little did I know that much of my summer would be learning about traditional Himalayan building techniques and the research going into more efficient and sustainable earth-building practices.

I wanted to show you some of what I found, unfortunately I didn't take the best photos to show case these things... walk with me through my summer in the Himalayas!

The Chandika Devi Temple outside of Reakong Peo

 

The use of these massive stones between the timbers is what fascinated me the most here.

I didn't learn anything more about that... there you go.

Building a greenhouse at 4400m, Langza, Spiti Valley 

we spent much of our time mixing mud and straw to make Adobe,

using the "rammed earth" method, we layered up the walls,
dumping the Adobe materials into the wall frame section by section,

willow branches placed across poplar beams make the base of the roof,
 about a foot of mud is placed on top of the wood and packed in

Kunga, our Ecosphere host, the mason and the workers basically pointed us in the directions, I still have know idea what wetness or texture different things need to be or why. Along with rammed earth, we made some Adobe bricks for the front wall! All of the homes in Langza are made with these same techniques and principals. Kunga said the homes typically last about 25 years before they need to be rebuilt, seeing the remnants of the old homes gives a good perspective of the whole process. Of course there's only a few to be seen as the dirt gets reused for other construction.

The biggest resource obstacle is the lack of water due to mild winters... 

Leh, Ladakh,

Leh Palace, 16th century, overlooking the main market

LEDGeG courtyard stairs,

I really should've taken more photos here. The Ladakh Ecological Development Group is truly at the forefront of research and implementation of sustainable development practices in Ladakh.

One of my favourite things that I learned here was the use of the double wall. On the south-facing side of a structure, build a thick Adobe wall with regular breaks for the windows, and vents at the base and the top of the wall, paint the outside of it black. About a half foot further out, build a second wall consisting fully of window panes. The idea is to preserve the solar heat in the Adobe wall throughout the night, as it has spent all day warming in the sun. The ventilation circulates the air as needed.   

Which brings us to SECMOL
The whole campus is centered around alternative living, from the education model, to the building construction. They are currently making a new boy's dorm, so we got to see the process in action, on a very large scale...

...but first, we looked at soil samples

mixing mud (see how much water you need??)

straw selections

 

 mixing to make... Adobe bricks!

cement bricks, made with old bottles filled with water, to preserve heat

base of cement bricks, Adobe brick on the upper storeys

the lumber yard

fresh cut Kashmiri fir (left)

timber features inside of the Timken Hall (above)

south side of the Terra building ft. grape vines (left)

finished cob walls and hardwood floor inside the Terra building (above)

outside of Timken Hall, in typical Himalayan fashion, you can see the poplar timbers of the roof, the black boarder above are the layers of willow branches. 

a cafe in Leh, an example of the exposed poplar and willow branches from the ceiling.

And that's all I got for you!
Spending much of my life surrounded by a bunch of people who build things for a living makes me the person asking all the questions, and spending way too long looking at walls and ceilings... I also learned that rammed earth and Adobe bricks won't work in central Alberta, the soil needs to be sandy. Cob is the way to go for clay soil projects ;P

Hope all of your projects are on track for being closed up for winter.
Much love,
K

Music Monday - No Reason To Get Excited pt.2

In high school, one of my teachers asked us to write an essay defending original thought vs. inspiration. I took a stance that was something along the lines of: people build on existing inspiration. The "new" is never possible without what came before... like cover songs!

A few years ago my sister made a post comparing herself to our father through the use of a song cover as an example. Same... but different.

The song of choice was, All Along The Watchtower, and the illustration painted our dad as the Jimmy Hendrix version, whereas Ailen was the Dave Matthews rendition.

Today, I accidentally stumbled upon Jamie N. Commons singing the same song, and I am very happy to claim it as my own "same but different" All Along The Watchtower:

We're all just copies of each other, trying to rediscover ourselves.
You can find my sister's original post here.

Dance Party Anybody?

I must admit, I was pretty sad to not have a good dance party with the kidlets this holiday season, so I made it so that they could dance party with me!! This is, running around Edinburgh, during New Years to the song Geronimo by the Australian band Sheppard. Sending love! -K

Boxing Day Skate; Going The Best Way I Can See How

When our cousin Torgny was quite small he lead our Aunts, Uncles, Parents, Grandparents, and other Palm Family Cousins through some pretty patchy snow/grass combination, on a cross-country ski adventure. Upon receiving some criticism on the chosen route, little 7 year old Torgny spun his torso around and hollered back,

"I am going the best way I can see how, so don't complain!" 

We all ended up getting to the destination, and having a wonderful picnic in the end, and no one complained, or even remembered the difficulty of the journey, the phrase however, it has stuck around.

I had the opportunity this past Christmas, to spend time with Torgny, and we were once again faced with a patchy route, instead of snow, this time we were looking for ice, where mainly grass resided. I reminded my cousin of the phrase he had used so many years ago, and this time he responded with,

"Well this seems pretty bad, no matter which way I see it." 

Yet again the group persevered, making it across the grassy lake inlet, to where an icy platform awaited our sharpened blades, and  expectant hearts.

It's probably experience, and an awareness foreign to children, that caused the change in Torgny's phrasing. The first one... "Going the best way I can see how..." has been used to describe many situations over the years, from picking up the wrong groceries at the store, to trying to choose flowers for a funeral. I like having a different response though. What I like most about it is that both situations ended the same; Good company, good food, good memories to hold close. The path to getting there, doesn't really ever matter.

Music Monday: Such Great Heights

"Everything looks perfect from far away, "Come down now." but we'll stay."

These lyrics have been resonating with me. It's extraordinary that the same words said from two separate perceptions can be so very very different.

This song speaks about a 'great perhaps' about being willing to venture into unknowns. It explores fate, and destiny, and taking chances, including what others my say about the choices made, and the responses to them. It's whimsical as well as deep, flighty as well as grounding, and done so perfectly in very different ways by these soulful artists.

Postal Service version leaps towards the excitement of new places and adventures. Searching with reckless abandon for distant horizons:

Iron and Wine gives us a song full of longing, wishing for the chance of something more, drenched with the sadness of missed opportunity:

While meandering, there are some days I have associated more strongly with one of these two, very different, renditions. I think it's been an exploration on being exactly where you are supposed to be regardless of how you are feeling about it. There is as much to explore within the parameters of somber isolation as with exuberant camaraderie. Recognizing the basis of these experiences as the same, while allowing room for varying perspectives, has been an exercise in patient self-acceptance for me of late. Whatever else is left to come is just bonus, I've already been to such great heights:

*see me waving

- k

Music Monday: Night Owl

Category: Songs That Describe Me

The Good Lovelies - In The Morning

our father in heaven...

...made certain we were taken care of. From roofs over our heads, to light in our spirits.

He cherished small moments within the most significant ones... 

...gave us incomparable love, 

making sure we KNEW fully and completely we occupied his heart. 

...and once upon a time, our mother said "Neil, I had the funniest dream that we got married!"                                       ...To which he replied, "Why not?"

He gave us a life for which we are so grateful. He gave us music, laughter, joy, warm fires, bedtime stories, long talks filled with rich conversation. He made us believe in the goodness of the world, and that what we have to offer is not only a worthwhile contribution but a necessary one. 

"I do not value material items, I value experiences." he'd say, in reference to birthday gifts, which we then would take and apply to deep philosophical issues, just as he taught us to do.  

Impossible, it is, to imagine a life without his exuberant affection, unending patience, or gracious mentorship. He left for us this example of how to appreciate the actions, the words, the people who make life so valuable. Our father... 

"How did I get so lucky?" - Ailen White

Thank-you friends. For continuing to share in this. Your support gives us hope. And all the world must know that hope, though faint at times, is indeed not lost. 

We love you.

K.