The First Dormitory

"The design of our dormitory has undergone numerous changes in its evolution. From the beginning, we wanted to create a blueprint that satisfies four main goals: practicality, cost-effectiveness, security and repeatability. We wanted to create a design that ensured students’ safety, yet in a way that can be achieved with a low cost and by using generic materials that can be sourced even in remote locations. From an original design in 2018 (depicted below), the building was staged further and further down, and any unnecessary components we found were stripped from the build. In the end we discarded the original plans, as they became too difficult (and too expensive) to complete. We wiped the slate clean. I met up with an old construction colleague, (Ben Campbell Constructions, Brisbane) and we brainstormed how we could create a design that satisfies the ideals mentioned earlier. We took some reference from old Roman architecture (a personal favourite of ours) and realised that an atrium-style building would satisfy our needs. Having an internal courtyard ensured that the children were safe inside their building, and as the building becomes the external wall itself, no fence was needed. The atrium design also allowed for our water catchment to run off the roof to collection tanks at the rear, the male/female dorms were able to be naturally separated into each ‘wing,’ and the well could then be placed in the courtyard, protected by the walls of the building. The atrium design also proved to be the most cost effective method, as, essentially, we are building a great big shed with a hole cut out in the middle. While that may sound unfavourable, the hole in the centre also acts as a natural heat-dispersing ventilation. We designed windows and breezeway bricks on all external and internal walls, which forces ventilation, causing a breeze which naturally sucks the hot air out of the centre of the roof...

After that, we designed the most efficient plumbing and electrical system we could. Having all of the bathrooms at the rear, next to gravity-fed water tanks, we were able to eliminate the need for water pumps. And using the natural gradient of the land, we were able to design a waste system that naturally drains via gravity to a septic pit beyond the rear of the building. The electrical system was designed similarly. The vaulted ceilings enable minimal cable running, and provide the ability for the lights and fans to be hung directly off the ceiling rafters.

We wanted to fit the most amount of students in the building as possible, to ensure sufficient accessibility to all students in the remote communities outside Nechishala High School. However, we still wanted the students to feel comfortable and not over crowded. We did this by designing the internal walls to be above standard height and the internal width of each wing to be sufficiently large. This allowed us to put in bunk-beds on both walls in each wing. A half-height partition wall will separate each bunk, providing the necessary privacy, and also allowing space for an external window to be placed, providing the ventilation.

With the wings separated into male and female, this will allow a total of one hundred students to reside in this building. We know (at present) of approximately twenty students at Nechishala High School that already sleep in the classroom, cook on a fire outside, and bathe in the river down below, just for a chance at an education. Our accommodation will not only provide for those specific high school students, but will also provide the accessibility for other students who previously believed they were too remote to receive an education.

After deliberation with World Vision Zimbabwe, and their sub-contractor ‘Halsteds,’ we were able to have our design finalised into working drawings (see below). We are now at a point where we believe we have found the most cost-effective, practical and safe design possible, to ensure that no money is miss-spent on superfluous extras. We believe that what we are able to accomplish with this design - 100 students safely housed with running water, bathrooms, and electricity - is immense for the cost of the building. For a construction cost that would only cover the earthmoving on a job in Australia, we are able to complete a giant, 400-square-metre, dormitory. We believe in squeezing all the value out of a dollar possible, and with the Nechishala Boarding House design, we have done just that." - J