The rains bring the bugs, and the bugs are AWESOME. I could do without the flying ants, though I’m told they’re quite delicious.

(LNS = Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary)

I’m looking for waste, extra material, and factory byproducts, to use simply and beautifully as architectural materials. 

(It would be so easy: I’d get published, everyone would celebrate me, and I’d be well on my way to becoming a famous architect. “Have you heard about that kid who made beautiful bricks out of those extra plastic tubs from the dairy plants in Malawi?”)

Only… there doesn’t seem to be any such waste in any of the factories that I’ve visited so far. I can’t even seem to locate a junkyard. This place is maddeningly efficient; with not much new material coming in, many here keep reusing whatever they can get.

There are just those flimsy blue plastic bags that people toss on the side of the road. I wonder if we can do something with them.

The search continues…

So this is my first blog post.

Radecology is a professional blog, a research firm, an architecture firm, and a travel journal.

My name is Avik Maitra, and I recently completed a Master of Architecture degree at Columbia University. I’ll be in Lilongwe, Malawi from October 2008 through May 2009 as part of a post-graduate traveling research fellowship. This is the first year of the Percival and Naomi Goodman Fellowship at Columbia, which was generously endowed by Professor Ray Lifchez from UC Berkeley. I am truly grateful for his support.

There are three parts to my work in Malawi.

1.) Researching the architecture and design of orphanages in Malawi, and how the architecture is or isn’t addressing the needs of the occupants. I’ll also be developing small-scale architectural interventions to alleviate the orphanages’ burdens.

2.) Experimenting with natural methods and design ideas for preventing malaria.

3.) Working on the design and construction of a girls’ academy.

I’ll present my research here on the site, both work in Malawi, as well as other radical/ecological architecture projects around the world. I’ll also write about the particular challenges of doing architecture work with under-served populations in developing countries.

I’ll be inviting others doing exciting work in developing countries to write guest columns for the site. If you’d like to contribute, please let me know.

Activist architecture is nothing new, but architects’ involvement in international development is an increasingly emerging field. Such work requires innovative and ecological solutions, both for affordability and for long-term sustainability; starting from scratch allows architects to leapfrog over traditional building practices and systems.