Mela – schools for rural Nepal
Mela is the name of a project for schools in the rural areas of Nepal located in the tropical to moderate zone, up to 2400 meters above sea level. These schools are built by local inhabitants using local natural materials.
The project was created by a group of architects, Meemarchitecture, and is based on the experiences of team members and their volunteer activities in educational programs in schools in Nepal, as well as collaboration with local schools and villagers.
Project History
One of the main motivations for the realization of the project was its success in the international architectural competition Open Architecture Challenge 2009 - Classroom of Future, organized by Architecture for Humanity (USA). The design was one of eight finalists among 400 submitted. Based on this success, Meem Architecture organized an exhibition in January 2010 and at the end of 2010 a workshop in Nepal, where the planned materials and construction methods were subjected to practical tests. Subsequently, collections were organized, and together with the civic association Namasté Nepal, preparations were made for the first construction of the Mela school.
Context and Goals of the Project
Nepal is located in a highly seismic area, and the structures must also withstand strong winds and heavy monsoon rains that last for four months of the year (June to September). When planning for land use, the high risks of landslides on slopes and floods in valleys must also be considered.
Today's rural schools in Nepal are usually quite overcrowded, with 40-45 students in a typical classroom of 16-20 square meters, which in itself depicts the dynamics of the learning space. The distance to schools can be up to two hours of walking. Such distances are a barrier for children, especially during the monsoon period when many access paths become impassable and dangerous. Rural schools also struggle with a lack of teachers, with one teacher often instructing multiple classes simultaneously.
Among the fundamental shortcomings of existing prototype school buildings are seismic instability (most of these buildings suffered significant damage during the earthquake in April 2015 and became uninhabitable), a lack of natural lighting in classrooms, poor acoustics during prolonged monsoons, and the overall inhospitable condition of these spaces. Poorly executed foundations and missing furniture are additional factors that we aimed to avoid in our model.
The model bamboo school Mela is a financially accessible and environmentally friendly alternative to the existing type of schools in the region. The design opens classrooms to views of the landscape, provides natural daylight, and, if necessary, allows the class to expand its capacity outward. This new building type aims to create a school environment that children will love, where they will enjoy spending time and which will invite the entire village community to gather freely. The prototype also focuses on seismic resilience, which is often neglected in contemporary models.
At the heart of the project is the use of suitable technologies and low-emission materials that are energy-efficient, local, environmentally friendly, and available. The design utilizes local stone, bamboo, and clay, and imported materials such as cement and reinforcement for the beams and floors are minimized to the essentials.
The project follows several principles, including:
The building is designed as a single-story structure with a compact floor plan, with modules of classrooms arranged side by side, and the number of classrooms is determined by the specific conditions and situations of the particular locations. The basic module from which it starts is a double classroom.
Each classroom has an entrance from the outdoor walkway surrounding the entire building. If the topography of the chosen location allows, the school building is situated so that on one side, with large window openings, the classrooms are open to the landscape, and on the opposite side, it is closed to dampen noise from the playground, only opening through the main entrance into the classroom.
The slope of the building facilitates the subsequent installation of the roofing and vertical load-bearing structure, while the long overhangs protect against direct sunlight, and the stone base of the building and drainage protect the structure from prolonged monsoon rains.
The bamboo school is intended not only as a shelter for teaching. It is conceived as an open, colorful space where not only children but also the entire rural community can spend time, and the space is intended for their gatherings. Schools are usually the only public buildings and therefore very important in rural Nepal.
Each classroom features built-in benches on the outside, part of the covered walkway around the school. Rural schools also face a shortage of teachers, who often have to teach in two classrooms simultaneously, transitioning from one to the other during lessons. The window openings of the bamboo school are designed so that teaching can be observed from outside when listeners can sit on the windowsills, thereby potentially increasing classroom capacity. The multi-classroom variant even includes a so-called outdoor classroom—a free space between classrooms that allows for variability in teaching or gatherings of the entire village community.
The school complex also always includes the construction of a restroom building and a supply of drinking water, unless this situation is resolved otherwise. Elements for children's play are also part of the complex, which can be used for outdoor teaching as well as during breaks between lessons.
Construction
The building is founded on strip stone foundations, upon which a reinforced concrete beam rests. A stone base is placed on the foundations and the classroom floors are concrete on a stone substrate. Reinforcements for securing bamboo poles are already attached to the foundations.
The vertical load-bearing system can be executed in several variants, depending on the quality of local resources. In practice, bamboo skeleton and monolithic compressed earth systems have been used. In terms of implementation and durability, compressed earth is recommended for future buildings.
The roof structure is made of bamboo beams and covered with corrugated sheet metal, further covered with thin small bamboo rods to mitigate rain noise during the monsoon season.
The ceilings of the classrooms are made of bamboo mats. Windows, doors, and school desks are made by local carpenters, and the chalkboards are plywood from formwork or a cement layer.
Materials Used
Bamboo – local bamboo, treated on-site with an insecticide mixture, used for the construction of columns and roofs, bamboo mats, and weaving; play elements in front of the school were also created from bamboo.
Clay – excavated from the area around the construction site, used for earthen mortar for the base and foundation, and for compressed walls in a mixture with gravel and sand.
Stone – local stone, or stone from the nearest quarry, used for the foundations, base, and benches.
Steel reinforcement – from the nearest supplier, requiring transportation - beams, vertical connections of the structure.
Plywood - from the nearest supplier, requiring transportation - used as formwork for load-bearing walls of compressed earth, and after wall completion utilized as bulletin boards in classrooms and bench covers.
Corrugated sheet metal – a common and available roofing material in the area.
Cement – cement mortar for foundations, floors, beams, and if necessary, stabilizing compacted walls at 5-10% of the mixture volume.
Wood – window fillings, frames, headers, furniture.
Ensuring Seismic Stability of the Structure
Seismically resilient construction is a key aspect of innovative design and a preventive measure against natural disasters. The measures included in the project involve suitable site selection, extending the ends of load-bearing walls according to the principles of seismic-resistant structures, ensuring rigidity of the structure with vertical connections of structural elements from the foundations to the roof and horizontal connections with beams; a bamboo skeleton with diagonal bracing or a monolithic earth wall, and a lightweight roof covering.
Completed Buildings
So far, two schools have been built according to the Mela project, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Namasté Nepal.
The initial phase of each individual project is always selecting the most suitable, most needed location and testing processes for technologies and materials at the future construction site. The construction of schools was preceded by the realization of a laundry building in the village of Teksing in the Kavre province, made from bamboo and unburnt bricks, where technological and organizational aspects of construction and cooperation of a multicultural team were tested.
The current prototype of Mela schools is also based on experiences gained from the two previous Mela projects:
SCHOOL No.1
BAL PRATIVA LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Location: Anaikot, Kavre, Nepal
Implementation: 10/2012-04/2013
Built-up area: 239.4 m2
Number of classrooms: 3 classrooms + 1 outdoor classroom
Total construction costs, materials, and organization: 31,120 USD
Funding: Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi, collections of the Namasté Nepal association, support from Vodafone Foundation Czech Republic, private donors
The first building was constructed in the village of Anaikot, located about 30 km from Kathmandu (equivalent to 4 hours of travel on local roads), from October 2012 to April 2013. The building consists of three classrooms and one outdoor classroom and serves as an extension of the existing school infrastructure. The primary material for the load-bearing structure of the school in Anaikot was bamboo; it was used for the roof structure and vertical wall construction in the form of bamboo poles clad with bamboo matting on both sides.
SCHOOL No.2
SHREE RANGEEN NEPAL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Location: Mahadevtar, Kavre, Nepal
Implementation: 10/2014-04/2015
Built-up area: 124.3 m2
Number of classrooms: 2 classrooms
Total construction costs, materials, and organization: 9,725 USD
Funding: collections of the Namasté Nepal association, private donors
The school building with two classrooms for the youngest children was constructed in a beautifully green landscape amid the hills of the village of Mahadevtar. The village is located in a more remote area of the Kavre province, about 40 km east of Kathmandu, which is approximately a 4-hour journey on local roads and an additional 3 hours through challenging terrain on an unpaved road. At the time of construction, there was no road leading directly to the school or the village that could facilitate the transportation of materials by vehicle. Therefore, the materials were transported to the construction site in the last thirty-minute phase by the villagers themselves, who are accustomed to carrying all goods on their backs. The transported construction materials such as cement, reinforcements, and roofing were thereby reduced to a necessary minimum, while local resources were used for the rest. The vertical load-bearing structure in this case was made of compressed earth (since the local clay had insufficient clay content, cement was added to the mixture), and again, bamboo dominated the roofing structure. Compressed earth has proven to be very effective, and this technology is favored for potential future projects.
The construction costs per classroom were lower for this project than for the first school. The reason was lower wage claims in a more remote location and also a higher number of unpaid foreign volunteers.
After the Earthquake
A significant lesson for Nepali construction was the earthquake in April 2015, which left behind enormous damage and underscored the need for safer seismic-resistant constructions. The Nepalese public has also shown increasing interest in financially accessible and resilient building solutions. The Mela schools withstood this disaster without damage and confirmed that both technologies used, compressed earth and bamboo skeleton with weaving, are a safe and sustainable alternative for simple buildings in rural environments. They confirmed the meaning of the ongoing work on this project, whose design, technology, and work processes can be further improved with every new experience.
The project was created by a group of architects, Meemarchitecture, and is based on the experiences of team members and their volunteer activities in educational programs in schools in Nepal, as well as collaboration with local schools and villagers.
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Project History
One of the main motivations for the realization of the project was its success in the international architectural competition Open Architecture Challenge 2009 - Classroom of Future, organized by Architecture for Humanity (USA). The design was one of eight finalists among 400 submitted. Based on this success, Meem Architecture organized an exhibition in January 2010 and at the end of 2010 a workshop in Nepal, where the planned materials and construction methods were subjected to practical tests. Subsequently, collections were organized, and together with the civic association Namasté Nepal, preparations were made for the first construction of the Mela school.
Context and Goals of the Project
Nepal is located in a highly seismic area, and the structures must also withstand strong winds and heavy monsoon rains that last for four months of the year (June to September). When planning for land use, the high risks of landslides on slopes and floods in valleys must also be considered.
Today's rural schools in Nepal are usually quite overcrowded, with 40-45 students in a typical classroom of 16-20 square meters, which in itself depicts the dynamics of the learning space. The distance to schools can be up to two hours of walking. Such distances are a barrier for children, especially during the monsoon period when many access paths become impassable and dangerous. Rural schools also struggle with a lack of teachers, with one teacher often instructing multiple classes simultaneously.
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Among the fundamental shortcomings of existing prototype school buildings are seismic instability (most of these buildings suffered significant damage during the earthquake in April 2015 and became uninhabitable), a lack of natural lighting in classrooms, poor acoustics during prolonged monsoons, and the overall inhospitable condition of these spaces. Poorly executed foundations and missing furniture are additional factors that we aimed to avoid in our model.
The model bamboo school Mela is a financially accessible and environmentally friendly alternative to the existing type of schools in the region. The design opens classrooms to views of the landscape, provides natural daylight, and, if necessary, allows the class to expand its capacity outward. This new building type aims to create a school environment that children will love, where they will enjoy spending time and which will invite the entire village community to gather freely. The prototype also focuses on seismic resilience, which is often neglected in contemporary models.
At the heart of the project is the use of suitable technologies and low-emission materials that are energy-efficient, local, environmentally friendly, and available. The design utilizes local stone, bamboo, and clay, and imported materials such as cement and reinforcement for the beams and floors are minimized to the essentials.
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The project follows several principles, including:
- The villagers themselves participate in the construction of the school, building it for their children
- Simplicity of layout and construction, which is comprehensible, easily executable, and replicable in multiple locations
- Variability of materials used in the load-bearing structure (bamboo, compressed earthen), according to the specific conditions and quality of local resources, and the natural aesthetics of the materials
- Maximizing the use of local resources; imported materials are limited to a minimum, heavy machinery is unnecessary, making it possible to build especially in remote areas where material transportation poses a challenge
- Ecologically, economically, without the need for high subsidies
- Seismic resilience, adapting the shape of the structures and materials to comply with the principles and guidelines for seismic-resistant buildings
The building is designed as a single-story structure with a compact floor plan, with modules of classrooms arranged side by side, and the number of classrooms is determined by the specific conditions and situations of the particular locations. The basic module from which it starts is a double classroom.
Each classroom has an entrance from the outdoor walkway surrounding the entire building. If the topography of the chosen location allows, the school building is situated so that on one side, with large window openings, the classrooms are open to the landscape, and on the opposite side, it is closed to dampen noise from the playground, only opening through the main entrance into the classroom.
 |
The slope of the building facilitates the subsequent installation of the roofing and vertical load-bearing structure, while the long overhangs protect against direct sunlight, and the stone base of the building and drainage protect the structure from prolonged monsoon rains.
The bamboo school is intended not only as a shelter for teaching. It is conceived as an open, colorful space where not only children but also the entire rural community can spend time, and the space is intended for their gatherings. Schools are usually the only public buildings and therefore very important in rural Nepal.
Each classroom features built-in benches on the outside, part of the covered walkway around the school. Rural schools also face a shortage of teachers, who often have to teach in two classrooms simultaneously, transitioning from one to the other during lessons. The window openings of the bamboo school are designed so that teaching can be observed from outside when listeners can sit on the windowsills, thereby potentially increasing classroom capacity. The multi-classroom variant even includes a so-called outdoor classroom—a free space between classrooms that allows for variability in teaching or gatherings of the entire village community.
The school complex also always includes the construction of a restroom building and a supply of drinking water, unless this situation is resolved otherwise. Elements for children's play are also part of the complex, which can be used for outdoor teaching as well as during breaks between lessons.
Construction
The building is founded on strip stone foundations, upon which a reinforced concrete beam rests. A stone base is placed on the foundations and the classroom floors are concrete on a stone substrate. Reinforcements for securing bamboo poles are already attached to the foundations.
The vertical load-bearing system can be executed in several variants, depending on the quality of local resources. In practice, bamboo skeleton and monolithic compressed earth systems have been used. In terms of implementation and durability, compressed earth is recommended for future buildings.
The roof structure is made of bamboo beams and covered with corrugated sheet metal, further covered with thin small bamboo rods to mitigate rain noise during the monsoon season.
The ceilings of the classrooms are made of bamboo mats. Windows, doors, and school desks are made by local carpenters, and the chalkboards are plywood from formwork or a cement layer.
 |
Materials Used
Bamboo – local bamboo, treated on-site with an insecticide mixture, used for the construction of columns and roofs, bamboo mats, and weaving; play elements in front of the school were also created from bamboo.
Clay – excavated from the area around the construction site, used for earthen mortar for the base and foundation, and for compressed walls in a mixture with gravel and sand.
Stone – local stone, or stone from the nearest quarry, used for the foundations, base, and benches.
Steel reinforcement – from the nearest supplier, requiring transportation - beams, vertical connections of the structure.
Plywood - from the nearest supplier, requiring transportation - used as formwork for load-bearing walls of compressed earth, and after wall completion utilized as bulletin boards in classrooms and bench covers.
Corrugated sheet metal – a common and available roofing material in the area.
Cement – cement mortar for foundations, floors, beams, and if necessary, stabilizing compacted walls at 5-10% of the mixture volume.
Wood – window fillings, frames, headers, furniture.
Ensuring Seismic Stability of the Structure
Seismically resilient construction is a key aspect of innovative design and a preventive measure against natural disasters. The measures included in the project involve suitable site selection, extending the ends of load-bearing walls according to the principles of seismic-resistant structures, ensuring rigidity of the structure with vertical connections of structural elements from the foundations to the roof and horizontal connections with beams; a bamboo skeleton with diagonal bracing or a monolithic earth wall, and a lightweight roof covering.
Completed Buildings
So far, two schools have been built according to the Mela project, in collaboration with the non-profit organization Namasté Nepal.
The initial phase of each individual project is always selecting the most suitable, most needed location and testing processes for technologies and materials at the future construction site. The construction of schools was preceded by the realization of a laundry building in the village of Teksing in the Kavre province, made from bamboo and unburnt bricks, where technological and organizational aspects of construction and cooperation of a multicultural team were tested.
The current prototype of Mela schools is also based on experiences gained from the two previous Mela projects:
SCHOOL No.1
BAL PRATIVA LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Location: Anaikot, Kavre, Nepal
Implementation: 10/2012-04/2013
Built-up area: 239.4 m2
Number of classrooms: 3 classrooms + 1 outdoor classroom
Total construction costs, materials, and organization: 31,120 USD
Funding: Embassy of the Czech Republic in New Delhi, collections of the Namasté Nepal association, support from Vodafone Foundation Czech Republic, private donors
 |
The first building was constructed in the village of Anaikot, located about 30 km from Kathmandu (equivalent to 4 hours of travel on local roads), from October 2012 to April 2013. The building consists of three classrooms and one outdoor classroom and serves as an extension of the existing school infrastructure. The primary material for the load-bearing structure of the school in Anaikot was bamboo; it was used for the roof structure and vertical wall construction in the form of bamboo poles clad with bamboo matting on both sides.
SCHOOL No.2
SHREE RANGEEN NEPAL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Location: Mahadevtar, Kavre, Nepal
Implementation: 10/2014-04/2015
Built-up area: 124.3 m2
Number of classrooms: 2 classrooms
Total construction costs, materials, and organization: 9,725 USD
Funding: collections of the Namasté Nepal association, private donors
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The school building with two classrooms for the youngest children was constructed in a beautifully green landscape amid the hills of the village of Mahadevtar. The village is located in a more remote area of the Kavre province, about 40 km east of Kathmandu, which is approximately a 4-hour journey on local roads and an additional 3 hours through challenging terrain on an unpaved road. At the time of construction, there was no road leading directly to the school or the village that could facilitate the transportation of materials by vehicle. Therefore, the materials were transported to the construction site in the last thirty-minute phase by the villagers themselves, who are accustomed to carrying all goods on their backs. The transported construction materials such as cement, reinforcements, and roofing were thereby reduced to a necessary minimum, while local resources were used for the rest. The vertical load-bearing structure in this case was made of compressed earth (since the local clay had insufficient clay content, cement was added to the mixture), and again, bamboo dominated the roofing structure. Compressed earth has proven to be very effective, and this technology is favored for potential future projects.
The construction costs per classroom were lower for this project than for the first school. The reason was lower wage claims in a more remote location and also a higher number of unpaid foreign volunteers.
After the Earthquake
A significant lesson for Nepali construction was the earthquake in April 2015, which left behind enormous damage and underscored the need for safer seismic-resistant constructions. The Nepalese public has also shown increasing interest in financially accessible and resilient building solutions. The Mela schools withstood this disaster without damage and confirmed that both technologies used, compressed earth and bamboo skeleton with weaving, are a safe and sustainable alternative for simple buildings in rural environments. They confirmed the meaning of the ongoing work on this project, whose design, technology, and work processes can be further improved with every new experience.
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