Conference Proceedings 2010 [pdf] - Art & Design Symposium ...

Nepal (Agency, 2009). According to Savada the non-ruling majority of the population is considered “peasants”,
a word she uses referencing the Marxist feudal mode of production (Andrea Matles Savada, 1991). Most
members of the new ruling elite have descended from the old landed elite, thus traditional extended family
based social systems still continue (Andrea Matles Savada, 1991).
Refugees
Currently 7 million refugees have lived in refugee camps for 10 year or longer, the housing for these longer
term or protracted camps is not significantly different from other camps as the population uses UNHCR tents
created to house six individuals. Refugee camps immediate and long term are also shown to be unhealthy
according to UN reports citing the rapid spread of malaria, dysentery and other diseases can spread because
of close quarters and shared resources such as water and waste disposal sites (Slaughter, 2009). Host
countries of refugee camps also complain of environmental degradation and natural resource depletion (Berry,
2008). Other UNHCR reports discuss the fatigue relief contributing countries feel when these protracted
refugee camps require constant upkeep. A 2004 report states that, “40 percent of UNHCR’s budget is spend in
care and maintenance of refugee camps rather than on solutions” and that these limited funds and waning
commitment by donors lead to “stop gap solutions such as sheathing plastic (moisture barrier) to replace work
tent shelter materials. (United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 2004).
Refugees in Nepal
Refugees in Nepal are of Bhutanese origin and are descendants from those who immigrated to southern
Bhutan in search of farmland, according to the United States Department of State Cultural Orientation
Resource Center (COR). These immigrants were isolated from the rest of Bhutan, and a distinct Lhotsampa
culture formed retaining much of the Nepali language, heritage, and religion. In 1958 Lhotsampas were given
Bhutanese citizenship and were permitted to work for the government. In the 1980s the ruling majority of
Bhutanese or Druk Buddhist culture became concerned over the population shift that was occurring as the
Lhotsampas began to gain a larger minority. The Druk Monarchy and government created a series of policies
that imposed traditional Druk customs while banning Nepali and Lhotsampa languages and customs (Didier,
2000).
Lhotsampas began to organize and advocate for democracy and freedom resulting in large-scale violent
protests in the early 1990s. Bhutanese authorities targeted ethic Nepalese with violence and forced those of
Nepali ancestry to sign “voluntary migration certificates” which expelled them from the country. In December of
1990, the government of Bhutan declared that any Lhotsampas who could not prove citizenship would be
expelled from the country, and since 1990 Bhutan has not permitted a single refugee to reenter the country. In
the past non-governmental organizations (NGO), or the government of Nepal have helped to run the refugee
camps of Nepal. However, because of complaints of abuse towards women, the UNHCR again has direct
control of the camps (Watch, 2003).
Refugee housing structures in general can be sources of contention, as people already living in areas where a
refugee camp is located may perceive the refugee settlement as an intrusion (Banki, 2004). There are no
regulations about how refugee housing is built or utilized. The UNHCR organizes and maintains refugee
housing with the help of the refugees themselves, when possible.
Growing Home is a way to build that does not create total permanence but still offers functions found in
permanent structures such as elevated secure storage, built in cooking areas, and solid walls. The name of the
project specifically includes the term home to reflect the psychological desires one has in a home as opposed
to a house. A home, as defined by Anthony Giddens, is more than a physical place, but a “setting in which
basic forms of social relations and institutions are both constituted and reproduced” (Giddens, 1984). Growing
Home is also a secure, more permanent home than currently used refugee tent buildings but without being a
fully permanent space. Growing home can meet the needs of displaced people, but if no longer needed would
again revert to a grove of bamboo.
Growing Home Description
Growing Home will be a test of growing live elements of bamboo together to create a building structure. The
structure created by incorporating the bamboo elements is initially conceived to be a possible alternative
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