View of Roche Health Center from the road

Forming the ring beam

Creating formwork for concrete is a challenge when, in addition to having no power tools, there is no plywood or comparable sheet good available. As a result, formwork is created using 1x8 cypress lumber. This image shows the intensive formwork for the ring beam, the most challenging concrete element in the building.

Columns are up!!!

These columns were created with no plywood formwork, no power tools, hand-crushed aggregate and all cement was mixed by hand. The concrete team has done a phenomenal job.

The columns are emerging

Creating formwork for concrete columns with no power tools and no sheet good materials (such as plywood) as very challenging. Our team has just unveiled the first few columns and they look fantastic.

View east from the porch

This is the side of the building that will eventually face the courtyard. We can see one of our colleagues testing out the structural capacity of the ring beam.

Forming the columns / capping the ISSB

All openings (windows and doors) in our design are between columns for structural reasons as well as many others. The columns also wrap around the ends of the ISSB to lock them in place. In addition, steel is tied between all columns along every fifth course of the wall. These shots show the column steel and the formwork for the columns.

overview of ISSB walls

Richard has been our documentary photographer and he has found a perch from which to capture the full health center walls. We can begin to get a sense of the rooms at this point....