Architects Without Borders Canada

Friends-International (FI) is a non-profit organization committed to building better futures for street children living in South East Asia and beyond. In 2006, FI purchased the land and buildings known as home to their main centre. Situated in the heart of Phnom Penh, it serves 1,800 children per day as an educational and healthcare facility. This location also provides offices for FI’s outreach staff serving an estimated 2,000 street children and their families through family strengthening programs. The only hitch is that the buildings are in poor condition and that all but two will need to be replaced in the near future. Sebastien Marot, co-founder and International Coordinator of FI has asked MID Studio 1 and Architects Without Borders Canada to work with architect Gabriel Marot on a preliminary design program and proposal for the new campus.

This project will begin as a collaboration between the MID Studio One, the architectural team in Paris, and the client. We will be asking AWB members for their assistance as mentors, designers, and researchers. An exhibition of the work and fundraising event was held in late January 2009.

Client: Friends-International (Phnom Penh)
Partners: Architect Gabriel Merot (Paris), FAUM MID Students
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Timeline: Sep 2008–Sep 2009
Type: Campus plan/conceptual development
Floor Area:
Humanitarian Issue: Children living + working on the street
Design Team: MID Studio 1 (2008), AWB members
Mentor: Kelley Beaverford
Status: In progress

Links:
Friends-International web site
Film: What I See When I Close My Eyes
 

Architects Without Borders and University of Manitoba Faculty of Architecture students and graduates worked with Art City, a nonprofit community art centre, to develop and deliver design-related activities for all ages in the West Broadway community.

The purpose of the activities was to introduce participants to various aspects of design such as social responsibility, sustainability, and context-specific solutions through making.