John;
Though Joel has asked, here in this thread, that Emmet and Will proceed with some research, there is nothing at all preventing you, or, indeed, any of us from doing so. I find myself in a position which reflects your own; This is a client to whom I have not spoken, and thus, cannot truly, nor, adequately proceed. Education should not diminish any of us.

I agree that there is no reason, whatsoever, to delay in the Organization, and developing, the infrastructure needed to carry through with this. The Design will come, and be finalized, as We Garner a Patron Organization. As with J.K. Rowling, and her First Harry Potter manuscript, we may need to approach a great many Relief Agencies before finding one which will back us. But, does anyone doubt this thing will happen?

Wow!

There has certainly been a lot of traffic here since last I visited. I'm really glad to see some new names and interest in this idea. The broader the group of ideas and participants, the better chance of getting something real done.

I think as some have pointed out that delivering a product suited to the clients' need is paramount. I think, though, that as others have mentioned, that the affected area is vast. I have seen the design and have talked with people who have been in the affected area, and it is my belief that the frame as designed will find a receptive client. Think of the success of the "100 Best Home Plans" magazines.

With a little more work, we can put together a proposal, much as Will has outlined. With this proposal in hand, we would then shop it to aid groups that might help deliver it to the appropriate area. We have a product. They have knowledge of the area. They can identify the right location - with all that entails. Again, given that the area of need is so large, is there any doubt that someone, somewhere will appreciate both our efforts and our product. I understand the argument that in custom residential building, client contact is of incredible importance. This venture is a little different. There is no specific client, there is a product. By partnering with the appropriate aid agency, we will find a client for our product. I should mention too, that I strongly agree that our product includes the sharing of our knowledge and skills. The educational components of our offorts should be lcal to both us and the receiving clients' communities.

I have looked at the USAID link provided by Emmett earlier. In going through the mission statements of the linked groups, I found nine organizations that I both thought might be interested in our product and whose stated goals did not conflict with my own. If others were to do the same, we could cross reference our lists and perhaps use that as basis of initial contact.

The concept of building a frame and auctioning it off has been discussed before. While I would not want it to be the whole model of our effort, Jim's last post makes some good points and I could see the sense in displaying and auctioning a frame.

As for participation, I am about to leave the country for several months. Depending on schedules as they develop, I would gladly host a mini-rendezvous. Should that not prove feasible, I am ready to help coordinate efforts in any way possible. I do think that, for now, working under the guild umbrella is a good idea. With work and luck, this effort might eventually live on it's own. The long term need, both internationally and domestically is there. We'll see.

Hiya,
Great to see the continued enthusiasm for this idea.
I am writing as member, not staff here. Joel and I will do anything the Board of Directors directs us to. If the frame appears at the parking lot in Burlington and is auctioned off without the funds going through the Guild accounts and sent to SE Asia, then I'd guess the Board would support it as a grassroots effort. Without an educational component it may not be appropriate to use Guild resources (time, money).
I have a friend here who is an architect and has taught in Malaysia for many years. He knows the area well and I asked him to comment on the various initiatives proposed here. Here's what he recommends:
Sending skills is more important than buildings. Avoid the bureaucracy of USAID and send someone directly to an affected village (pick one), meet with the elders and see what they need. Come back and then mobilize the tropps. The effort expended to build something here equals the cost of one person's plane ticket and expenses for an exploratory trip.
Avoid Indonesia (Sumatra). Graft, corruption, guerrilla movements and poverty are rampant, and only the largest organizations can cope with that. Concentrate instead on places like Phuket (where English is widely spoken), India or Sri Lanka.
Sending frame(s) is the least appropriate option, in my opinion. The termites would devour non-native species. Chengal is a SE Asia native wood that is extremely rot and termite resistant, plentiful and available for framing. Finally, I am frankly surprised that such an environmentally aware group as y'all would prefer using oil to transport heavy frames halfway around the world to using native materials. I haven't seen Will T's design (but would like to - can you send me a copy?), but I hope it would pass muster as socially an architecturally appropriate. At MIT there is the Agha Khan Center for Architecture (I'm not sure of the name) with world renowned staff that know the answer to that.
Auctioning something here and sending money seems the most appropriate, since many of us would not be able to go to Asia. This is what we (the TFG) did after 9/11. The wakaf is a simple yet elegant roadside structure found throughout Muslim SE Asia. Wakaf is an Islamic concept founded on the principle of charitable giving. It can be anything from cash to an office building given for the well-being of others. In Malaysia it is a small open tiered hipped roof pavilion often given to the general public by an individual as a place for rest, prayer, refuge from inclement weather, and the like. It is often stocked with water and refreshment for the traveler.
Here's a concept: bring over a few SE Asian carpenters to teach us the framing techniques they use (the educational component - I have pictures of wakafs and they're timber framed). Build a few wakafs (once we're taught how to) in different regions and auction them off, sending the money to the SE Asia relief. Or, donate the wakafs to mosques in the US as a symbol of all that US/Muslims relationships should be. Or both. We would build a timber frame indigenous to the Muslim culture of SE Asia at the same time sensitizing people here to much more than just the tsunami disaster.

Aga Khan Center for Islamic Architecture is at http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/AKPsite/.

And troops, not tropps.

As part of my research for an appropriate partner I have today sent an email to a friend of some 35 years who spends 3 months (Dec - Feb) each year on the east coast of southern Thailand opposite Phu Ket (80-100km away). This past Dec she arrived on 23/24 Dec and was in the thick of initial relief activities. Her contacts in that region should prove valuable for current information. She is a professor in a Korean University from March - November each year. She is not famous for responding promptly so an answer may be delayed.

Will - Thanks for your post. For those of us who are not familiar, would you mind posting a brief overview of the post 9/11 build/auction? Is there a past write up in any of the scantlings or any wheree else in Guild documents ? Thanks.

Steve

Steve,
After 9/11, at the Canaan Valley Conference, we took up a collection for the NYC Firemen's Widows and Orphans Fund. I can't remember clearly now if there was an auction item associated with it. We raised $1300 and sent it. This is a rare instance where auction funds and time were earmarked for purposes other than Guiold activities. See December 2001 Scantlings.

I can add very little to Will's advice; he seems right on target. I worry about cultural imperialism in these discussions; doing what we know and enjoy without much regard for or understanding of the destination and recipient.

Will's solution seems rational enough; send someone who knows what we can do to find out what is needed. If we're itching to be building something, auction that thing off to finance the expedition.

I think the Guild has much to offer to, and as much to learn from, folks in these parts of the world with housing needs and timber nearby. Further, the Guild network is now wide enough so that one of us already knows the person or the institution we need to connect with.

Don't start building yet; it's still time to talk.