Since we started out on Mantanani a few years ago, we have been looking to build an iconic symbol cum learning centre cum adventure playground as a hub for our growing Marine Awareness Programme. Our ultimate aim is for the community of Mantanani to take over the stewardship of their own marine environment, the surrounding lagoon, reef and its once rich marine life. And these things dont happen over night! So, slowly, very gradually, we are starting to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment and the issues that it faces every day. We felt the children were a good place to start and we originally hit on a brain wave one warm evening sat on the veranda of the chief’s house – an iconic hub which would be a fun place to be, play, hang out and ultimately learn. And so the seed was sown and it has grown, evolved, been cut back, sprouted again until now we have something very special. 
Our good friends at Arkitrek, who have been behind a lot of our designs for our camps and associated projects, pulled together a small team of budding architects to design and build our Learning Centre. The trip was co-run between Camps International and Arkitrek, with us providing the infrastructure and logistical framework, and Arkitrek running the camp itself and all the technical aspects of the project.
You can read all about the exploits of the Arkitrek team that designed and built the Learning Centre on the following blog entries by Richard who is a local writer and who spent the 3 weeks of the camp working with the architects. Some of these pictures are from Richard and other members of the Arkitrek team.Part 1 – Coming together and briefing
Part 2 – Arrival on Mantanani
Part 3 – Plans & work starts
Part 4 – Taking shape
Part 5 – The finished article
The brief to the team was very open and we have been rewarded with an incredible structure – it is so much more than a mere structure – it has character, everywhere you look are different textures and styles, all beautifully linked to the local environment. You can sit and look at the incredible shapes and size of the driftwood beams, uprights and wall cladding, marvel at the texture of the driftwood footings and their maze of knots, holes and termite tunnels, consider the plastic bottle mosaic wall taken from the beach, let the sand run through your hands or simply stare out to sea across the blue lagoon, past the fishing boats and towards the mainland. It really is an inspirational place, at one with its surroundings and in my mind truly iconic.
I would like to say a massive thanks to the Arkitrek team for all their hard graft, sweat and contributions to such a fantastic project. We will continue to add to it, maximise its use and will let this be a spring board to pushing our Marine Awareness Programme to new levels.Anyone interested in joining future Arkitrek camps can either contact us or Arkitrek directly. The next one is scheduled for Jan 2012, again on Mantanani, and is designed for trainee/trained architects or civil engineers to get hands on experience of a project from conception through to a finished product.
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