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ETWA

Nov 2009

Design Brief for

Sustainable Weaving Center’s

Phase 1. Sketch Design

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Background: Weaving Sustainable Communities

ETWA is a Melbourne based not-for-profit organization run by volunteers. We work to support

women in three remote communities on the eastern tip of the island of Timor-Leste. Through the

medium of cultural handcrafts, we aim to help women ease the burdens of poverty and maintain

their cultural integrity. The highly skilled and motivated women we work with have achieved much

and hope for much more. With support from ETWA, they recently came together to form the

Cooperative for Tais and Cultural Development (CTCD). This relationship is a major strength.

CTCD draws its membership from three weaving collectives; one group in central Los Palos and

two groups in the mountainous sub-district of Iliomar. CTCD has 86 members who come from the

poorest and most disadvantaged families in the region; approximately 25% of female members

were widowed during the Indonesian occupation and many members have limited access to

farmlands.

Identified Needs:

• Central working/ community spaces for each of the three weaving groups

• Assistance with product design, development, manufacture, marketing and distribution

• In-country support to enable sustainability of weaving groups and CTCD as an organisation

• Projects to improve women’s health and well-being

• Organisational capacity building; literacy and numeracy training

• Support for local farmers to improve farming methods, increase yields and improve food

security

Response to Identified Needs

VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT

• Two-year Community Economic Development Advisor position supported by Australian

Volunteers International and ETWA

• Position critical to supporting community projects and developing long-term economic

viability

• Candidate selected and due to start in July 2010

BUILDING SUSTAINABLE WEAVING CENTRES

• Critical project to build sustainable centre’s for each of the three weaving groups ETWA

supports (and later, one larger centre for research and development in Los Palos)

• Partnership established with Alternative Technology Association to supply solar panels and

solar lighting and with Architects for Peace to design buildings

• Partnerships established with East Timorese NGOs PERMATIL and Rural Cooperative Devel-

opment to support organic cotton farming and the application of permaculture processes to

increase food security and propagate medicinal and dyeing plants

• Completion of the research phase of ETWA’s Health Study. This phase generated compre-

hensive data, which ETWA will use to design programs to improve women’s health

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Design Brief The buildings will be life changing spaces

for the women involved in CTCD. They will help

women work towards self-sufficient manage-

ment of a diverse range of enterprises and

also provide accommodation for visiting train-

ers, volunteers and tourists.

The challenge is to create designs that will

inspire the women to think beyond hand-

weaving and imagine the possibilities that

these buildings present to their communities.

From product development to health and

agriculture, the buildings will be places where

local talents are discovered; where new ideas

flourish and where practical skills develop-

ment and training can occur. Handcrafts

production, farming of rare dyeing plants and

organic cotton, essential oils and wood carving

are a few of the proposed programs but the

possibilities are endless.

The design challenge is to develop three

designs that inspire and instigate

thinking about sustainable community enter-

prise. The designs will be presented to the

communities who will select the most appropri-

ate design for their landscapes, their hopes

and their vision. The villagers will then work

together to make their vision a reality.

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CONTEXT

Timor-Leste is considered the poorest nation

in Asia with riches that lie in its culture and

community. Tradition and custom have survived

centuries of colonization and war. One such

tradition is the practice of hand-weaving cloth

known as Tais. This important practice brings

generations of women together, demonstrating

the strong sense of community still alive in Timor-

Leste despite decades of violence and extreme

poverty.

Tais are integral to other sacred practices

which aim to sustain the lives of the villagers

and maintain ecological balance for future

generations. In traditional Timorese society, the

shape and structure of a building represents

things like strength and balance. It pays homage

to nature, the environment, to animals and to

the ancestors, all of which are essential to life

itself.

Tais weaving achieves two major things for the

women involved in CTCD– poverty reduction

and cultural maintenance. Within this context

economic development projects engage in the

perseverance of culture. By applying the same

principles to the design and construction of the

weaving centres, traditional and modern

architecture will merge for sustainable

development in communities where CTCD

members live and work.

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The designer should engage with local architec-

ture, integrating traditional and modern design

and materials. In the rural areas of Iliomar,

houses are generally made with locally available

materials such as bamboo, wood and thatch

and people usually repair their houses every few

years as the need arises. When affordable,

corrugated iron, concrete and cement blocks

are also used.

The design should conform to the hands-on

construction methods used by the local

communities (simple hand tools will be used

throughout construction. No forklifts and only

some power tools). The communities have had

little to no experience working with the

pre-fabricated steel materials being supplied

by Rotary so another challenge is to use design

elements to make the construction as simple

and as strong as possible. We hope this process

will be one of learning for the designer as well.

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Iliomar

Lospalos

LOCATIONS

One centre will be built in each of the three

separate sites in remote villages in Timor-Leste

where CTCD members live and work. Two

centers will be located in the mountainous

sub-district of Iliomar; one in the village of Fuat;

another in Cainliu village. At a later stage, one

centre will be built in the flatlands of central Los

Palos. The aim is that through this project, the

designs developed for Iliomar will be adapted

for use in Los Palos at a later date.

Los Palos is the capital of the Lautem district,

ten hours by bus from the national capital of

Dili. The uncultivated flatlands surrounding Los

Palos are known as ‘dead earth’ due to exten-

sive deforestation during the occupation.

Most residents don’t have running water and

electricity is limited to five hours in the evening.

The road to Los Palos

Los Palos Kota (city)

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Iliomar is an isolated sub-district, situated high

in the mountains (elevation approx 1200ft) on

the south-east coast, three hours by bus south

west of Los Palos. There is no electricity and

very few houses have running water. Although

separated only by a short distance and a narrow

valley, the villages of Fuat and Cainliu are very

different geographically. Fuat sits atop a grassy,

wind-swept mountain plateau overlooking the

ocean, while Cainliu is located on a hillside, with

houses sequentially scattered on cobbled

streets surrounded by tall trees. During the wet

season, Fuat is cool and Cainliu is warm and

humid.

The wet season is from December to July with

estimated rainfall of 160-270cm, and a mean

temperature of 24oC. Access is limited as roads

are impassable during the wet season.

There is no significant rainfall during the other

months. The months between August and

November are hot and dry.

South coast view from Iliomar mountains

Above and below: terraces of Cainliu village

Below: storm clouds, Iliomar

Below: Children and traditional House, Iliomar

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TIMELINES

PHASE ONE: SKETCH DESIGN (Current—April 2010)

In April 2010 an ETWA team will visit the two communities in Iliomar to:

1. Run a series of community meetings/ consultation processes with all stakeholders (the weav-

ers, key community leaders etc)

2. Take selected community members on a field trip to visit Rotary’s Roofing project and a

spectacular community house constructed from bamboo in nearby Buccoli. This trip aims to

stimulate thinking about design and construction and gather useful information to inform the

final design selection

3. Confirm the sites in Fuat and Cainliu

4. Present and discuss the preliminary designs (prepared by the Architect) and select the most

appropriate design

6. Confirm costs and source suppliers

7. Formalise local building teams and mobilise the villagers to prepare the sites.

This is a great opportunity for the Architect to visit the sites, meet the communities, familiarize

themselves with local building techniques and gather information required to draft the final plans.

PHASE TWO: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT (April– August 2010)

Armed with all the necessary information, final plans will be developed by the Architect during

this phase. Meetings will occur with the Alternative Technology Association and members of the

Australian building supervision team during this time.

PHASE THREE: CONSTRUCTION (August 2010)

Building will commence in August 2010 and hopefully be completed within six weeks. A team of

experienced builders from Australia will supervise construction as the communities have not

worked with steel frames, guttering or concrete.

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DESIGN PROCEDURE The designer must have three preliminary design sketches to present to the

communities in April 2010. The aim of these drawings is to inspire the communities’

imagination to think beyond the intended use of the space and see the potential

that the space brings in terms of other sustainable development opportunities.

Although the sites will not be selected until April 2010, the designer could include

sketches of things like:

• Women weaving

• Community meetings and discussions

• Permaculture gardens and composting toilets

• Dyeing gardens

• Sections for cotton dyeing, spinning and weaving

• Internal fireplace or clay ovens

• Composting toilets

• External shaded workshop space

• Trees, animals etc

• Landscape / seating benches / planting

• Accommodation for tourists and trainers

Potential Use of Space

• Weaving (inside and outside)

• Storage (inside)

• Cotton dyeing (outside)

• Teaching / training (inside and outside)

• Community gatherings (inside and outside)

• Literacy and numeracy classes (inside and outside)

• Product design and development (inside and outside)

• Accommodation for trainers and volunteers

• Weaving workshops for tourists (inside and outside)

• Accommodation for tourists (inside)

• Sales (inside and outside)

• Community gardens and permaculture

• Adolescents study space in the evening

• Delivering health education programs

• Community bank

• And MUCH more….

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LOCAL MATERIALS

Roofing: There are two main types of local organic

roofing materials available. ‘Tali metan’ (black

thatch), which is for used for sacred houses due

to its water-resistance. However it is difficult to

find at specific times of the year and is labour

intensive. Palm thatch uses a variety of leaves

such as palm and coconut, depending on the

location and environment.

NECESSARY DESIGN ELEMENTS

The designs must include the following:

• Simple construction integrating traditional

and contemporary building techniques

and materials

• Multifunctional spaces

• Utilises environmental elements to main-

tain a cool and light environment

• Lockable and secure office space

• Large clear space for weaving and

meetings

• Water tank and guttering

• Solar powered directional track lighting

for weaving/ working at night

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

Above: Black thatch roof and below a combi-

nation of black and palm thatch, with the black

thatch adding extra water proofing.

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SPECIFICATIONS: Approx floor space: 48sq mt Most materials will be produced within the communities or available

locally. The corrugated roofing iron, steel trusses, water-tank and

guttering manufactured by East Timor Roofing and funded by Rotary

will be delivered to nearby Los Palos. Sand, timber and stones are

sourced locally and brought in by trucks.

Specs from Rotary: C section for trusses, purlins, lateral braces etc. 100mm and 150mm x 40mm x 1.2mm Galvaspan G500

Z350. Wind bracing is 30mmx1.2mm high tensile strip. Trusses using 100mm max span around 7.0m and 150mm section -

12.0m. For ease of transport trusses can be made in 2 sections to be screwed together on site.

LOCAL MATERIALS

Cladding: Palm rib or spine, known locally as ‘Piku’ or

‘Bebak’ is made by stripping away the smaller

fronds of large palm leaves to expose the strong

triangular shaped spine in the centre. It is then

fitted by aligning and alternating the flat and

pointed sides. Piku is preferred due to it’s wind

resistant and long-lasting properties. However,

the manufacture process is time consuming.

Bamboo external cladding (Hadak) is made by

slicing lengths of bamboo into thin sections,

which open out into flat board-like segments.

THE BUILDINGS WILL HAVE:

• Raised mud floors (not concrete)

• Stone and concrete foundations

• Palm rib/ spine (piku/ bebak) or bamboo

strip (hadak) external cladding

• Bamboo and/ or timber battens/ rafters

• Steel purlin studs

• Timer framed, glassless widows

PIKU or

BEBAK

CLADDING

HADAK

CLADDING

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POSSIBLE DESIGN ELEMENTS

The following two floor plans are suggestions made

by community members. The Architect may like to use

these design elements when developing preliminary

designs for the centres:

DESIGN SUGGESTION 1:

• L-shaped building used for accommodation,

storage and meetings; clad with corrugated iron

for water collection

• Large clear work space with traditional roof used for meetings and community gatherings

• Bamboo interior roof beams to cut costs

office

workroom

tank

Shutter Shutter

entry

Accommodation

and/or work space

Storage

and

office

Fire Place &

external kitchen

Large, clear work space

with traditional

thatched roof

8 mt x 8mt

Work space/

Acm

tank

Corrugated iron roof

3mt

DESIGN SUGGESTION 2:

• Sections of the front wall may open up and out

like a shutter to let in extra light and create

shade and extra space during the day

• Stone exterior side wall with external fire place

for preparing dye mixtures and cooking

• External enclosed office with entry off workroom

directly opposite entry with corrugated iron

roof for collecting water

• Detachable/ movable internal woven bamboo

walls

• Mezzanine floors for storage

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THE WEAVING PROCESS

Cotton: The first step to making Tais starts with

raw cotton on the vine known as ‘kabas’. Before

cotton can be spun into yarn, the raw fibres are

separated from the seeds in a process known as

ginning. The cotton is then hand spun and

wound into balls prior to dying or weaving.

Dying: All weavers have their secret recipes to

create desired tones and a good dyer is seen to

be similar to a medieval alchemist. Colours are

specific to local areas and the plant life. Bark,

roots, soil, mango skin and leaf of potato, cactus

flowers and turmeric are but a few of the

organic materials used to create the vibrant

colours of traditional Tais.

The Warp: Two sets of threads, the warp or

vertical threads and the weft or horizontal

threads are interlaced during the weaving

process to create the cloth. The weaver needs

help to wind the first lot of threads known as

the warp (vertical threads). Balls of cotton are

placed inside coconut shell dishes, passed back

and forth and wound in precision around a

simple warping frame. The warp threads are

then transferred to the loom and the weaving

process begins.

Back-strap Loom: The warp is attached to a strap

which hugs the weavers’ lower back, hence the

name ‘back-strap loom’. With the warp

stretched out in front of her, the weaver main-

tains the tension on the cloth by leaning back

and keeping her legs straight and extended

during the weaving process. The pressure on

her legs and lower back creates intense pain if

the weaver sits at the loom for too long. As the

women we work with are poor in a monetary

sense, the looms can be assembled using local

timbers, often at no cost.

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TWO POTENTIAL SITES IN FUAT VILLAGE

Site A (above)– Back of village on

private land

Characteristics: Protected by surrounding

hills and trees, large area will accommo-

date extensive projects; water drains to

low lying area creating swamp in rainy

season (potential to plant out), fertile soil,

large rocks, good drainage, community

concerned about isolation of site.

Building location

Fuat Village sits atop a grassy, wind-swept

mountain plateau overlooking the south

coast. Houses are situated around a large

circular area with a soccer field and two

community centres in the middle.

The winds come off the ocean.

Site A

Site B

oval

Fuat Village

Ocean/ South

To site A

To site B

To Ocean

Site A

Above: looking on to the swamp lands from the front

of potential building location.

swamp

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Site B– Highest point in village on communal land (previous Church site)

Characteristics: Very panoramic, overlooks ocean and mountains, unprotected, very windy site

(Church blew down in storm), existing foundations, rocky soil, some shade, large area will

accommodate extensive projects; shallow top soil, potential collaboration with the Church.

Building location

Building

location

1

2 3

4

5

6

1 2

3

4 5 6

Ocean

SOUTH

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Further Reading

and Useful Resources

• A Permaculture Guide Book from East

Timor, produced by PERMATIL

(Permaculture Timor Lorosa’e), a fantastic

resource illustrated by local artists,

containing heaps of information about

sustainable agriculture and culture. Copy

on shelf at the ETWA office.

• Heru Ini Lafu: Weaving Life, 26 minute

documentary film about weaving and

tradition in Timor-Leste, produced by

ETWA in conjunction with Djemilla Films.

• Arquitectura Timorense, excellent resource

developed by Portuguese Siviculturalist

Rui Cinnati in the 1960’s. Written in Portu-

guese but includes an extensive range of

photographs depicting the diversity of

traditional architecture in Timor-Leste. An

ETWA member has a copy of this book.

• Reluctant Saviour: Australia, Indonesia and

the Independence of East Timor. Detailed

account of Australia’s role in the inde-

pendence struggle by Dr Clinton Fernan-

des. Copy on shelf at the ETWA office.

Websites ETWA: http://www.etwa.org.au

Architects for Peace: http://

www.architectsforpeace.org/index.php

Alternative technology Association

http://www.ata.org.au/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

East_Timor

East Timor Profile: https://www.cia.gov/library/

publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tt.html

Government portal: http://

www.easttimorgovernment.com/

East Timor and Indonesia Action Network

(ETAN) http://www.etan.org/

Acknowledgments:

The majority of the photographs in this docu-

ment are courtesy of Sally Gray and other

ETWA members. We acknowledge and appreci-

ate their continued contributions.