The town of Mae Sot, right by the Thai-Burma border, is constantly loaded by burmese refugees and migrants: since 1988 Mae Tao Clinic provides free health care to the people who escaped from the conflict in the neighbouring Karen state. Beyond the emergency related activities, Mae Tao Clinic's long term goal has been thriving the displaced population through education, i.e. fostering primary schooling, building orphanages and boarding houses.
In April 2012 the urgent need of an accomodation for 150 karen kids was brought up by CDC (Children Development Center): the first temporary dormitory for Mae Tao Clinic have been built within four weeks, with the challenging budget of 1700 € for a 72 sqm structure.
Each dorm can host up to 25 pupils: the spatial layout strongly encourages a communal attitude between the migrant kids through open spaces and loose internal partitions. Bamboo has been widely used due to severe cost restrictions, as well as due to its positive response to the local climate: cross ventilation is enhanced by this lightweight material and by the transpirant thatch roof.
The huts will be dismantled with the upcoming construction of permanent training facilities and the materials will be therefore reused for other purposes.
