SIDAREC Foundation Walls Nearly Complete

Construction workers placing rock for foundation walls at cybercafe and main entry.

Foundation walls for computer training main wing complete.

Foundation walls for Early Childhood development wing nearly complete. View from soccer field.

Foundation walls for Early Childhood development wing nearly complete. View from cyber cafe area.

View of main building wing from near street.

SIDAREC Building Strong Foundation

Site overview from large pile of excavated soil. Early Childhood Development center in foreground.

Below grade foundation walls under construction.

Below grade foundation walls and footings under construction.

Below grade foundation walls and footings under construction.

Site in rain storm.

Building footing formwork after the rain storm.

SIDAREC's Foundation Formwork in Progress

Formwork for the building foundation in progress. Looking along service alley toward road.

Formwork for the building foundation in progress. Looking from future ECD to rear of site.

Formwork for the building foundation in progress. Looking along service alley toward rear of site.

Site perimeter wall nearly complete djacent to existing health clinic.

From the Archives....Animation of SIDAREC Winning Competition Entry

SIDAREC Mukuru Youth Technology & Media Lab Winning Competition Entry from The Global Studio on Vimeo.
The animation showcases the original 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge competition entry for SIDAREC's (Slums Information Development and Resources Centers) new technology and media resource center for the youth of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, a slum east of Nairobi, Kenya. For more information on the project's progess visit the project page on the Open Architecture Network.

SIDAREC's Mass Excavation of Poor Soil Complete

Construction Site from Access Road

Note the "black cotton soil" layer at the back of the site along the block wall. Black cotton soil is highly expansive and very poor for building foundations and slabs, which is why it all had to be removed.

Excavation Complete for Early Childhood Development Wing

Excavation Complete for Main Building

Building Excavation Complete Looking West toward Rear of Site

Building Excavation Looking East toward Street

Leveling of Foundation Base

Laying out of Foundation Base

SIDAREC Youth Technology and Media Lab Animation

SIDAREC Mukuru Youth Technology & Media Lab Schematic Design Animation from The Global Studio on Vimeo.
The video showcases the revised schematic design for the Slums Information Development & Resource Centre (SIDAREC) Technology Hub. The hub is a sustainable, technology focused community resource center in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, an informal settlement east of Nairobi, Kenya. The SIDAREC organization believes positive development occurs by realizing the concept, "Community problems need community solutions." SIDAREC strives to empower the youth in Mukuru to generate community solutions and positive change by utilizing education and technology to harness the untapped potential the youth inherently have. SIDAREC's ultimate goal is to enable the community's youth to raise their standards of living and improve their community.

Perimeter Site Wall and Building Excavations Underway

New temporary Early Childhood Development (ECD) building constructed as interim facility during construction.

Children in class in temporary ECD.

Foundation excavations underway for new permanent Early Childhood Development center.

Foundation and column reinforcement.

Perimeter security wall under construction.

Massive excavation underway for new SIDAREC youth technology and media center.

SIDAREC Construction Commences in Mukuru

Nearly two years to the day of submitting what would become the winning entry to the 2007 AMD Open Architecture Challenge, and tens of thousands of combined air miles later, construction finally commenced this month in the dusty slum of Mukuru  Kwa Njenga on the eastern outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. The new community technology resource center is set to give the expectant African community a powerful tool to end the cycle of poverty. The community center, designed for Slums Information Development Resource Center (SIDAREC) and the needs of Nairobi youth by The Global Studio from Seattle, WA, USA, will give Mukuru residents access to the Internet, computer and technology training, health clinic services, early childhood development programs, and a community theater. A radio station and recording studio will top out the six-month construction project, beaming SIDAREC’s radio station Ghetto 99.9 to more than 650,000 local residents and countless listeners around the world.

Road Construction in front of SIDAREC site

Official construction sign

Culvert and construction materials on site

Form work and concrete placed around new drainage culvert

New culvert will ease access to SIDAREC's community center

Construction site work in progess

Construction site work in progress

Building form work

Building temporarty early childhood education center to replace the one demolished for construction of the new facility.

Roots & Wings Computer Lab

The Global Studio is working with Roots & Wings International to assist with the visualization of a new computer training center in the village of Pasac, Guatemala. Roots & Wings is currently working on securing funding for a new building which will house a computer resource lab and local offices.

SIDAREC set to begin construction!

After months and months of waiting, the day we've been building toward is here.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Dec. 2, 2009 – Construction is cleared to begin on the SIDAREC-Mukuru Kwa Njenga Center here, giving the expectant African community a powerful tool to end the cycle of poverty. The community center, designed for Slums Information Development Resource Center (SIDAREC) and the needs of Nairobi youth, will give Mukuru residents access to the Internet, computer and technology training, health clinic services, early childhood development programs, and a community theater. A radio station and recording studio will top out the six-month construction project, beaming SIDAREC’s radio station Ghetto 99.9 to more than 650,000 local residents and countless listeners around the world.

The community center is a cooperative effort by the 50x15 Foundation and Architecture for Humanity, in local partnership with SIDAREC. Leaders from the three organizations met at the building site Nov. 17 to launch the construction phase and campaign to garner additional support to help “Raise the Radio.”

During the planning for the new community center, a fire destroyed SIDAREC’s previous radio tower and studio. “Ghetto 99.9” is the energizing pulse and beat of this community, providing news and music to thousands in Nairobi. 50x15 and Architecture for Humanity modified the overall plan to include a completely new studio and have launched an incremental “Raise the Radio” fund-raising campaign to ensure the entire community center opens as scheduled. (http://bit.ly/raisetheradio) Please visit the link to contribute to the success of the project.

---partial press release from AMD's 50x15 Initiative