This document outlines a project to improve housing conditions in Bangalore, India through analysis, diagnosis, and design proposals. The project will be carried out by local organizations in collaboration with universities. It involves two phases: conducting site analyses and diagnosing issues; and developing solutions through workshops involving students. The goal is to create an illustrated handbook of affordable, local housing improvements to distribute widely and apply in other areas. Beneficiaries will include communities through improved living conditions, participating students through hands-on learning, and universities through international collaboration.

1. MULTIHABITAT INDIA
This document is intended as an explanation of the work to be done in Bangalore by
Javier Gonzalez Gimeno, Bharathi Krishna and Shashikala Mariswamy through the
associations / institutions áSILO Project, ArquitecturaSeMueve and with universities
(especially schools of architecture and civil engineering) and NGOs working in India
who want to become involved in the project, in order to diagnose local problems and
to provide solutions in terms of habitability, energy efficiency and optimization of
dwellings.
The activity consists of two phases:
Documentation analysis and diagnosis of problems:
Counting on the collaboration of students and staff of NGOs and the local people, a
site analysis is going to be done regarding the quality of the materials used,
construction features employed, climate behavior of households, local technology used
and anything else that could be analyzed in order to possible improvements through
the field of work and observation in places to document.
Made the analysis, a diagnosis of the current behavior of the buildings will be done
from the point of view of Basic Habitability, including energy efficiency (climate study),
and making calculations of the transmittance (lose of heat of materials) through
programs such as Climate Consultant and Archisun, supported by 3D Studio Max.
This phase will last approximately three months.

2. Proposal of possible solutions:
Once made the diagnosis, and counting again on the students, the second phase will
go on. Workshops in the classes of the University that is supporting us, will be held. We
will have 15 to 20 students to design the proposals for improving housing conditions of
households in different communities analyzed. The goal is the design of building
systems for the improvement of the houses by recycling materials (and optimizing the
chances of) solving the problems identified in the previous phase of analysis and
looking for the activation of the local economy.
All proposals will be reflected in a printed document following the methodology used
by Johan Van Lengen in "barefoot architect Handbook", where his basic
recommendations are collected with designs developed by using local technology. That
will allow to establish a processes to improve housing in terms of space and comfort,
and so allowing any person, according to their means, to make housing improvements
at its own home. Always recommending advice from a technician of the region.
We are managing the participation of other universities in Mexico, Bolivia, Panama and
Taiwan. So that students can take part in the workshops, making stays of one month
duration in place, providing their knowledge and their ideas. Solving skills with
ingenuity through collaboration of the needs expressed.
This second phase will last for approximately 2 months.
The possibility of performances in situ will be open if Proyecto áSILO get funding and
support that would allow it. For this the cooperation of universities and local NGOs with
local people, who would help us logistically, will be an important pillar.

3. The final goal:
Start the path to obtain the maximum possible habitability conditions.
Fourth goal of the seventh objective of the Millennium
http://www.un.org/es/millenniumgoals/environ.shtml
Get to sensitize the population in processes of the re-use of materials and use of
technologies applied to the design of architecture that respects human health, the
quality of the ecosystem and resources.
Improving the use of materials available in the zone until the planning of the new
settlements. Through development of local technologies, achieve the self-sufficiency of
resources. Without leaving aside any analized thing with a detected deficiency or
similar and where improvements would be possible, which will be conditioned by the
knowledge of the place.
All the knowledge and processes will be collected in an illustrated handbook, in digital
format and printed format, in a way that it´s a guide within the reach of everyone and
extrapolated to other places as methodology of participatory action, which will give us
constructive solutions specific for each place
What benefits will get?
Due to the collaborative process that is going to be followed between the people
named before, involving NGOs, communities living in the areas to study, and students
of the University that adheres to the project, we all are going to gain in common
working. By creating a way of doing, that can be followed in the future, and by
improving technologies and local crafts.
- Communities we will be working with: The final objective of the study is to improve
their living conditions by working to ensure an optimum habitability despite the
existing constraints. This is where the role of NGOs involved in the project is essential,
since work with the communities will be held through them. Always trying them to form
part of the workshops so that they could learn from the solution proposed and to apply
them in the future at their homes.

4. - Students from the local University: Working in collaboration with the involved NGOs
and people before mentioned, they will learn to analyze problems in terms of
habitability and to be able to propose solutions through the architecture and
collaborative work. They will take part in the work of analysis and diagnosis of the
place, and in workshops held alongside the process to learn how to apply the solutions
proposed. Collaboration in the drafting of the manual.
- Beneficiaries of the exchanges with universities. It will allow students to live and learn
from all this experience in a context that cannot be more interesting. Learning from the
vital contribution that gives you to work collaboratively with other people who need
solutions. Solving those problems or challenges with the wit that provides university
education, mixed with the collaboration and local participation, supported by the
resources and local technologies. They will contribute their skills and in return they will
receive training and information to work in collaborative processes. Collaboration in the
drafting of the manual.
- All people who have access to the documentation.
Interesting links:
Description of Proyecto áSILO at 20 points:
http://www.slideshare.net/mariajavaloyes/textopechakucha1
Link where you can see “the way of doing” of Proyecto áSILO .
http://architectureindevelopment.org/project.php?id=354
Blog where are the Proyecto áSILO’s works and we will write the work process in India.
http://sileros.wordpress.com/
Website ArquitecturaSeMueve asociation:
http://www.arquitecturasemueve.org