1
An armed conflict has persisted in the Karen State of Myanmar for decades and has caused a steady stream of refugees and immi- grants to travel into neighbouring Thailand, including into the Thai town of Mae Sot, located a few kilometres from the Burmese border. Schools and orphanages provide these refugees and immigrants with accommodations and education. The open and airy temporary dormitories are designed to fit into the local environment and can provide some privacy and storage space for twenty-five students, many of which arrive in need of immediate housing. The building is constructed with local materials that are well known to inhabitants insuring that it is easy and affordable to maintain. While the walls, floors and roofs are made from bamboo and thatch, recycled timber is the primary building material. Although the con- struction materials will not last more than 2 years, they are afforda- ble and readily available throughout the year. The rising cost of timber, particularly of teak, at the Thai-Burma border has increased the local popularity of recycled timber. Recycled timber preserves traditional construction skills and raises awareness among the in- dustry and with the local community of deforestation and encourag- es environmentally-friendly practices. ALBERT COMPANY OLMO MAE SOT-THAILAND, JAN GLASMEIE MAE SOT-THAILAND TEMPORARY dormitories Recycled timber is taken from old buildings that are carefully stripped and the timber is polished, de-nailed, and cut down to size. Each timber frame is easy to disassemble and assemble again at a new location. The building is constructed primarily with recycled timber. While the timber rep- resents 70 percent of the total construction cost, it can be resold for 80 per- cent of the original price. Mae Sot, Thailand C0152e/1/06.16 http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/world-forestry-congress/treehousing/en/ © FAO2016
