Planning the Construction of the Library
So much is happening in our village right now! We are building a medicine factory, a library and a printing press, and some villagers are preparing to travel to a cave that was revealed when some trees were felled during the hail storm. This brings a fortuitous turn of events after the devastation of the hail storm! The blessings of the lama have encouraged us all, and the implications for these ventures will improve the quality of life for everyone. The cave that was revealed after the storm is rumoured to contain sacred texts that have been hidden for hundreds of years. Finding them could reveal new knowledge or religious practices. It could draw the attention of renowned scholars and prominent lamas. We could make copies of the found texts with our new printing press and give them to neighbouring villages, or visiting scholars. We could also make copies of other sacred texts, and the traders of our village could disperse the knowledge. With a library to store books we make and trade with the help of the printing press we can increase the sacred knowledge and literacy of our village. So much potential!
I have volunteered my labour and resources toward the building of the library. I think books are sacred (all books — not only religious texts), so being involved in constructing a library to house these treasures is very exciting! I am not primarily a house builder, I prefer infrastructure and pathways, but I am eager to be a part of this project. So far there is only one other builder planning the library’s construction, but Sidd is an accomplished house builder, so I look forward to sharing her expertise.
Sidd and I met last week to discuss the resources and supplies we will need for this venture. We have decided to construct the library mostly out of rammed earth because it utilizes locally available materials that don’t depend on cutting down any of our sacred trees, and we will only have to import minimal supplies to work with. Another option we considered was making bricks from compressed earth, but I think we will have a hard time importing a brick press into the mountains. The building process for rammed earth is simple: we will construct forms from wood in to which we will pour a moist mixture of soil. We will mix a small bit of concrete into the dirt to increase the strength. Due to the fragile nature of the books we are concerned with protecting them against rain storms and floods, so we will be sealing the exterior of the rammed earth walls, building the foundation either out of stones or on concrete stilts, and adding a waterproof layer to the roof construction.
So far Sidd and I are mostly concerned with the preliminary planning of materials and resources. We are looking to the few artists who have expressed an interest in architecture to guide us on the design of the building. Once the library is built it will then be up to the artists to adorn/paint it as they choose. Though I have a great appreciation for aesthetics, I have no art or design skills — best leave it to the experts!
Sidd and I do have some concerns about the labour intensive nature of building with rammed earth, as it requires tamping down of the layers of dirt every 10 inches of height or so. During the village meeting about building the library it was only us two who have volunteered to build the library, but I am sure others will volunteer to help us build it once the planning stages are over. There is much merit in volunteering for a project that will enrich our whole community.
Since I was protected from the hailstorm by the amulets I bought, my tools and building supplies were not damaged and can be used to reduce the amount of materials we will have to import. Thus far our plans for the library are as follows:
Stilts / Foundation
Foundation material to be determined, stones? Concrete posts/stilts?
Wood Plank Floors
Material — wood planks (imported)
- nails (imported)
Rammed Earth Walls
Formwork — wood planks (imported)
- brackets, bolts, nuts to tighten forms (imported)
Material — dirt (sourced locally)
- concrete to reinforce (imported)
Sealant — clear waterproof sealant to protect against rain/erosion (imported)
Roof
Material — wood plank ceiling (imported)
- roof material to be determined, thatch? shingles? (locally sourced / imported)
Waterproofing — tarp to be used between ceiling layer and roof layer (imported)
Book Shelves (size depends on the size of books)
Material — Wood planks (imported / reused from form work)
- nails (imported)
Tools
Saw, Hammer, Square, Level, Ratchet, Tape Measure
