While we haven't posted anything in a while that doesn't mean we haven't been busy...... so here is a quick rundown of the fun stuff we have been up to in the last couple of months.
- Site Selection Manual and Training
Agros International asked us to help them with their process of site selection for new villages in Central America. We worked with them to develop a process for evaluating property for its potential to house a new Agros village with regards to human habitation..... Housing site, human waste, runoff..... The fun stuff. The basic idea is to choose the best possible site to reduce future problems. Seems simple, right. Well, it gets a bit complicated when you have upwards of thirty criteria to evaluate and balance. Simple is boring.
As much as we love us some manual writing (and architects love writing), we were excited to get the opportunity to travel to Honduras to train a local Agros team in the art and science of site selection. We went over everything from how to measure capacity of a stream to common signs of flooding and landslides.
- New Village Site Selection
That same team went on to evaluate a large number of sites culminating in a shortlist of potential properties for a new village of 150 families. As they were still fresh off the training run, they asked us to come back down and assist the team with evaluating the finalists. Field Trip!
The finalists were in the Jinotega region of Nicaragua. We had worked in the Matagalpa area before and were excited to get back there as we remembered how beautiful it was. Well..... Turns out the Jinotega area might be even more beautiful.
We worked with an outstanding crew from Agros and managed to narrow the field to two. We put together a nice little report and it looks as if things are moving forward. If all goes well, we should be starting on the master planning process soon. More to come on that as soon as it gets going.