El Tomatin, Honduras

WENDY EVANS JOSEPH TRAVELING SCHOLARSHIP
MEZCLA
ANTONI GIERCZAK, CARISSA LIM, EMILY SIEGEL, SHIRA STEARNS
SUMMER 2015
Established in 1999 by Wendy Evans Joseph, Class of 1977, the purpose of
the Wendy Evans Joseph Traveling Scholarship is to support summer travel
to study the natural and built environment in any region of the world.
The scholarship is awarded each May to juniors in the undergraduate Major in
Architecture on the basis of a competitive application process. The scholarship
recipients are required to document their study in the form of a photographic
essay submitted upon the completion of travel.
The Undergraduate Program in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania
is a studio-based liberal arts and sciences program in the College of Arts & Sciences.
In addition to the general requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree, the Major in Architecture
includes a six-semester studio sequence and two theory courses, taught by faculty in the
Department of Architecture in the School of Design, and four courses in the history of art and
architecture, taught by faculty in the Department of the History of Art in the School of Arts &
Sciences. The program offers an Intensive Major, with seniors enrolling in graduate-level
technology courses, a Minor in Architecture, a Minor in Design,
and a summer program for high-school students.
For more information on the program and examples
of students’ work in the undergraduate design studios visit:
http://www.design.upenn.edu/architecture/undergraduate-program-architecture
Richard Wesley
Undergraduate Chair, Architecture
rwesley@design.upenn.edu
Book design: Sarah Beth McKay
(cover spread) Hand-mixed concrete, drying.
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“Mezcla,” the Spanish word for “mixture,”
“blend,” or “mortar” serves as a symbol of
the multifaceted nature of our service trip to
Honduras. In the literal sense of the word, we
spent days physically hand-mixing concrete to
be laid out as the base for a community bank.
In the symbolic sense, this word describes the
close interpersonal relationships that we built
with the people of El Tomatin in one short week.
Our group, Global Architecture Brigades,
consisted of nine undergraduate architecture
students looking to make a positive change
in a struggling community. We traveled to El
Tomatin, Honduras to help build a community
bank in order to help the community jump-start
their micro-economy. The trip served as a
valuable opportunity to hone our architecture
skills with hands-on work. More importantly,
it allowed us to use these skills to empower a
developing community.
El Tomatin
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El Tomatin:
local vegetation
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San Juan de Flores, a neighboring town:
vernacular colors and textures
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El Tomatin:
local dwellings
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San Juan de Flores
contrasting wood finishes
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El Tomatin:
local ingenuity
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El Tomatin:
life in the village
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El Tomatin:
Service Project
As part of our mission, we held an educational
workshop with the local students. Using simple
tools like gummy bears and toothpicks, they
uncovered the definition of architecture.
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El Tomatin:
local construction methods
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El Tomatin:
making concrete mezcla
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El Tomatin:
laying out mezcla
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El Tomatin:
leveling the floor
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El Tomatin:
putting the final touches on our concrete floor
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