Today, the AIA's Architects Foundation announced a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action with All Hands Volunteers to launch a $3 million reconstruction plan for Nepal villages that were devastated by the catastrophic April 25 earthquake. Fundraising is underway for the two-year program, which will combine the efforts of the Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA), and Department of Small Works, a design firm founded by Cameron Sinclair, the founder of the now-defunct Architecture for Humanity.
The three phase–plan kicks off with SONA members and staff from All Hands Volunteers choosing a pilot village, where up to 75 new homes will be constructed. ARCASIA and the Department of Small Works will refer local architects to assist with the rebuilding program.
The second phase involves the training of beneficiaries in disaster-related resilient-design strategies as well as the houses' construction. The beneficiaries will then work with a global volunteer labor force through December 2015.
The final stage, which is expected to wrap up in May 2017, will expand the model to 10 additional villages in Nepal.
The announcement comes more than two months after the 2014 Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA, and his disaster relief organization Voluntary Architects’ Network pledged their support for a three-part disaster relief process to provide shelter, housing, and community facilities to victims of the earthquake.
