Help Junko Build in Ghana!
Donation protected
*** UPDATE ***
Dear friends,
Thank you very much, again, for your support. In order for GoFundMe to complete the review process, I was asked to include the following information in my campaign for my donors, so here you go!
1. Who you are and where you’re from:
My name is Junko Yamamoto. I am an architect, trained in Japan and in the US, licensed in Japan - I am originally from Japan, and have lived in the US for 13 years. I have been doing art and architecture in both countries - Since I studied at night schools (up until graduate school), I worked during the day and have been practicing as an architect for 12 years.
2. Your relationship or contact to the parties you're raising funds for:
I am raising funds for myself to run the project. The project was originally a competition that my friends and I won last year while we were students at Harvard Graduate School of Design. We were offered a chance to realize it in the Abetenim Arts Village in Ghana.
3. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible):
In the order of priority below:
(1). Construction cost = $3,648 (detailed in the campaign description)
(2). Cost of documentation, publication and exhibition (including editing, printing and material expenses in the US) = $1,500
(3). Lodging and accommodation ($90/wk x 2wks in village, $40 x 6 nights in Accra) = 420
4. Your withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the ultimate beneficiary/ies:
Withdraw from my bank account and pay for the above cost.
****************
Hello, my name is Junko Yamamoto. I am an architect, trained in Japan and in the United States. I have been doing art and architecture in both countries.
[ What is the funding for? ]
This is for the public art project, which will be installed in the Abetenim Arts Village in the Ashanti Region in Ghana this August.
Initially, this was a competition that two of my classmates and I have won last year when we were graduate students, and we have been offered a chance to build the project in the Abetenim Arts Village in Ghana, if we can find funding.
This competition was part of a larger initiative to enrich the neighborhood that is being developed by Nka Foundation, a non-profit organization, with the aim of creating a truly unique experience for the village to function as a place.
In order to realize the project, I incorporated it into the educational program of the Boston Architectural College, so that we could form a project team before we travel to Ghana.
This is a tremendous opportunity for all of us to be part of the cross-cultural community development, and learn physically and intellectually through the hands-on construction experience, and by realizing the public art in a unique cultural context.
[ What we did so far? ]
Over the past two semesters, a team of 10 students have tirelessly worked together to develop and test the project. Since the college is a night school and most of us work full-time during the day, we got together after work and on weekends to research, design and test.
Now that the team has worked over the past year, we are ready to go!
[ How much? ]
My goal is $5000.
A big Thank You to the Boston Architectural College's EDCO grant, which would cover a good portion of construction cost ($3,000). This was a very first, encouraging support that allowed us to move forward with the project, however, however, I do need additional funding in order for us to complete the project. I am fundraising to cover the entire cost of the construction, accommodation in Ghana, documentation and publication, as well as a portion of travel expenses for the team who could travel and participate in the construction.
The raised funds will be used in the order of priority below:
(1). Construction cost = $3,648 (detailed in the campaign description)
(2). Cost of documentation, publication and exhibition (including editing, printing and material expenses in the US) = $1,500
(3). Lodging and accommodation ($90/wk x 2wks in village, $40 x 6 nights in Accra) = 420
____
Wall dimension: 12ft x 16.57ft x 15inch (x two pieces)
Soil for rammed‐earth construction will be collected on site, considered no cost:
For rammed earth walls (3 pieces)
Formwork ‐ framing lumber per linear foot at 1 USD
36 pieces *20 ft/piece * 2 sides *1 USD/ft (times two): 2,880 USD
Wood trellis (internal reinforcement)
14 pieces*16 ft/piece*1 USD/ft (times two): 448 USD
Cement (8% of volume): 100 USD
Screws/nails: 60 USD
Paint and paint brush: 100 USD
Cementitious waterproof coating: 60 USD
Foundation (15 in x 2 ft x 16.57 ft) Concrete mix: 80 USD
Subtotal 3,648 USD
(20% contingency 730 USD)
(Grand total 4,474 USD)
______
THANK YOU:
Thank you very much for being interested in my story, and in our project. Your support would truly be meaningful to all of us. We are aspiring to grow as designers, who care about people, believe in good design and want to make positive contribution to the world.
Your donation would certainly make this valuable learning experience possible, and help our educational practice more accessible across countries.
I would greatly appreciate your donation, or sharing my page with your social network. Thank you very much!
Our initial competition proposal:
[ A S H A N T I D O M I N O ]
A rectangular void is dug on the ground. With the removed earth, we propose a wall, roughly the size of a domestic partition, using the construction technique of rammed earth. Often times, land art introduces a foreign entity or removes something from the site creating an aggressive displacement. Here the earth taken is simply put back next to the void vertically as a singular element of architectural delineation, bearing openings of door and windows. One side of the wall is the negative space on the ground, the other side is an array of the cutouts from the wall, creating the Ashanti Domino.
The wall and the cutouts are painted in patterns similar to the facade of a gurunsi house. The wall together with the displaced pieces simply provide shade during the day, a ledge to sit on, an appealing graphic to look at, a shelf to place a plant - pleasant but unsignifying. The negative space in the earth from which the rammed-earth wall is formed is a place of gathering under shade of the wall.
Then, a glimpse of the wall from a certain angle. The wall and the cutouts at a distance align, and the graphic is made whole. The completed graphic ambiguously recalls that icon of modernism - the maison domino - abstracted, barely evoked. Modernism painted onto Africa, and Africa which inspired that very Modernism and that very author, Le Corbusier, to begin with.
In 1956 Ghana declared independence. But what, exactly, is independence? How does one reconcile African and Modern? The questions are rippled in the Ashanti Domino
_________________________________
[ Construction ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Cenxue Wang, BAC Student
Quiren Zhao, BAC Student
[ Design Development & Construction Details ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Daniel Delgado, Cenxue Wang
Gloria Asaba Kwaiza, Cenxue Wang
[ Research & Design Development ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Sara Afaian, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Ashlee Ortstadt, BAC Student
Carlota Muzzo, BAC Student
Cenxue Wang, BAC Student
Daniel Delgado, BAC Student
Danny Mpoto, BAC Student
Gloria Asaba Kwaiza, BAC Student
Ivana Muzzo, BAC Student
Quiren Zhao, BAC Student
Lulwah Al-Harb, BAC Student
Tan Trani, BAC Student
[ Competition Participants ]
Sara Afaian, Junko Yamamoto, Jenny Zhan
[ Competition Organizer ]
Barthosa Nkurumeh, PhD, Nka Fondation, USA
[ Community Coordinator / Project Collaborator ]
Frank Appiah-Kubi, RADeF (Rural African Development Foundation), Ghana
[ Advisors ]
Dr. Yaw Mantey Jectey-Nyarko, Kwame, Nkrumah University of Science and Technology / RADeF
Len Charney, Dean of Practice, Boston Architectural College
Emily Anne Williamson, Anthropology PhD student at Boston University/Cultural heritage, consultant
[ BAC Coordination ]
Benjamin Peterson, Director of Practice Instruction, Boston Architectural College
[ Consultation ]
Robert J. Dermody, AIA, NCARB, Professor of Architecture, Roger Williams University
Nathan Roy, P.E., Associate, LeMessurier
Dear friends,
Thank you very much, again, for your support. In order for GoFundMe to complete the review process, I was asked to include the following information in my campaign for my donors, so here you go!
1. Who you are and where you’re from:
My name is Junko Yamamoto. I am an architect, trained in Japan and in the US, licensed in Japan - I am originally from Japan, and have lived in the US for 13 years. I have been doing art and architecture in both countries - Since I studied at night schools (up until graduate school), I worked during the day and have been practicing as an architect for 12 years.
2. Your relationship or contact to the parties you're raising funds for:
I am raising funds for myself to run the project. The project was originally a competition that my friends and I won last year while we were students at Harvard Graduate School of Design. We were offered a chance to realize it in the Abetenim Arts Village in Ghana.
3. How the funds will be spent (be specific as possible):
In the order of priority below:
(1). Construction cost = $3,648 (detailed in the campaign description)
(2). Cost of documentation, publication and exhibition (including editing, printing and material expenses in the US) = $1,500
(3). Lodging and accommodation ($90/wk x 2wks in village, $40 x 6 nights in Accra) = 420
4. Your withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the ultimate beneficiary/ies:
Withdraw from my bank account and pay for the above cost.
****************
Hello, my name is Junko Yamamoto. I am an architect, trained in Japan and in the United States. I have been doing art and architecture in both countries.
[ What is the funding for? ]
This is for the public art project, which will be installed in the Abetenim Arts Village in the Ashanti Region in Ghana this August.
Initially, this was a competition that two of my classmates and I have won last year when we were graduate students, and we have been offered a chance to build the project in the Abetenim Arts Village in Ghana, if we can find funding.
This competition was part of a larger initiative to enrich the neighborhood that is being developed by Nka Foundation, a non-profit organization, with the aim of creating a truly unique experience for the village to function as a place.
In order to realize the project, I incorporated it into the educational program of the Boston Architectural College, so that we could form a project team before we travel to Ghana.
This is a tremendous opportunity for all of us to be part of the cross-cultural community development, and learn physically and intellectually through the hands-on construction experience, and by realizing the public art in a unique cultural context.
[ What we did so far? ]
Over the past two semesters, a team of 10 students have tirelessly worked together to develop and test the project. Since the college is a night school and most of us work full-time during the day, we got together after work and on weekends to research, design and test.
Now that the team has worked over the past year, we are ready to go!
[ How much? ]
My goal is $5000.
A big Thank You to the Boston Architectural College's EDCO grant, which would cover a good portion of construction cost ($3,000). This was a very first, encouraging support that allowed us to move forward with the project, however, however, I do need additional funding in order for us to complete the project. I am fundraising to cover the entire cost of the construction, accommodation in Ghana, documentation and publication, as well as a portion of travel expenses for the team who could travel and participate in the construction.
The raised funds will be used in the order of priority below:
(1). Construction cost = $3,648 (detailed in the campaign description)
(2). Cost of documentation, publication and exhibition (including editing, printing and material expenses in the US) = $1,500
(3). Lodging and accommodation ($90/wk x 2wks in village, $40 x 6 nights in Accra) = 420
____
Wall dimension: 12ft x 16.57ft x 15inch (x two pieces)
Soil for rammed‐earth construction will be collected on site, considered no cost:
For rammed earth walls (3 pieces)
Formwork ‐ framing lumber per linear foot at 1 USD
36 pieces *20 ft/piece * 2 sides *1 USD/ft (times two): 2,880 USD
Wood trellis (internal reinforcement)
14 pieces*16 ft/piece*1 USD/ft (times two): 448 USD
Cement (8% of volume): 100 USD
Screws/nails: 60 USD
Paint and paint brush: 100 USD
Cementitious waterproof coating: 60 USD
Foundation (15 in x 2 ft x 16.57 ft) Concrete mix: 80 USD
Subtotal 3,648 USD
(20% contingency 730 USD)
(Grand total 4,474 USD)
______
THANK YOU:
Thank you very much for being interested in my story, and in our project. Your support would truly be meaningful to all of us. We are aspiring to grow as designers, who care about people, believe in good design and want to make positive contribution to the world.
Your donation would certainly make this valuable learning experience possible, and help our educational practice more accessible across countries.
I would greatly appreciate your donation, or sharing my page with your social network. Thank you very much!
Our initial competition proposal:
[ A S H A N T I D O M I N O ]
A rectangular void is dug on the ground. With the removed earth, we propose a wall, roughly the size of a domestic partition, using the construction technique of rammed earth. Often times, land art introduces a foreign entity or removes something from the site creating an aggressive displacement. Here the earth taken is simply put back next to the void vertically as a singular element of architectural delineation, bearing openings of door and windows. One side of the wall is the negative space on the ground, the other side is an array of the cutouts from the wall, creating the Ashanti Domino.
The wall and the cutouts are painted in patterns similar to the facade of a gurunsi house. The wall together with the displaced pieces simply provide shade during the day, a ledge to sit on, an appealing graphic to look at, a shelf to place a plant - pleasant but unsignifying. The negative space in the earth from which the rammed-earth wall is formed is a place of gathering under shade of the wall.
Then, a glimpse of the wall from a certain angle. The wall and the cutouts at a distance align, and the graphic is made whole. The completed graphic ambiguously recalls that icon of modernism - the maison domino - abstracted, barely evoked. Modernism painted onto Africa, and Africa which inspired that very Modernism and that very author, Le Corbusier, to begin with.
In 1956 Ghana declared independence. But what, exactly, is independence? How does one reconcile African and Modern? The questions are rippled in the Ashanti Domino
_________________________________
[ Construction ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Cenxue Wang, BAC Student
Quiren Zhao, BAC Student
[ Design Development & Construction Details ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Daniel Delgado, Cenxue Wang
Gloria Asaba Kwaiza, Cenxue Wang
[ Research & Design Development ]
Junko Yamamoto, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Sara Afaian, Project Leaders, BAC Faculty
Matt Vocatura, Assistant Project Leader
Ashlee Ortstadt, BAC Student
Carlota Muzzo, BAC Student
Cenxue Wang, BAC Student
Daniel Delgado, BAC Student
Danny Mpoto, BAC Student
Gloria Asaba Kwaiza, BAC Student
Ivana Muzzo, BAC Student
Quiren Zhao, BAC Student
Lulwah Al-Harb, BAC Student
Tan Trani, BAC Student
[ Competition Participants ]
Sara Afaian, Junko Yamamoto, Jenny Zhan
[ Competition Organizer ]
Barthosa Nkurumeh, PhD, Nka Fondation, USA
[ Community Coordinator / Project Collaborator ]
Frank Appiah-Kubi, RADeF (Rural African Development Foundation), Ghana
[ Advisors ]
Dr. Yaw Mantey Jectey-Nyarko, Kwame, Nkrumah University of Science and Technology / RADeF
Len Charney, Dean of Practice, Boston Architectural College
Emily Anne Williamson, Anthropology PhD student at Boston University/Cultural heritage, consultant
[ BAC Coordination ]
Benjamin Peterson, Director of Practice Instruction, Boston Architectural College
[ Consultation ]
Robert J. Dermody, AIA, NCARB, Professor of Architecture, Roger Williams University
Nathan Roy, P.E., Associate, LeMessurier
Organizer
Junko Yamamoto
Organizer
Cambridge, MA
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