2019 - Pas cu Pas, Cluj, Romania

Dear friends, thank you for taking time to opening up this blog. Welcome to any new viewers and welcome back for those who have been following my blog for a while. Below, I will share a bit about some of the work with a local orphanage in Cluj, Romania:

Figure 1: Photo of sky over project site by McNeal, Bill (Sr. Civil Engineer, EMI volunteer), June 2019

What: The design of an orphanage ministry camp as part of my work with Engineering Ministry International (EMI)
Where: near Cluj, Romania
When: June 2019
Who: for our Client (Pas cu Pas)

Pas cu Pas is committed to teach Jesus as the foundation of life and restoration, create a supportive community, and train orphans in family relationships and life skills. For many, this community is the closest semblance of family – a place where we hope they will find belonging, build stability, experience healing and realize some restoration from their reality of abandonment, fear, and hopelessness.

The project scope is to plan the campus, design a vocational trade school, ministry guest house (the “Big House”), greenhouses, Chapel, play spaces and other support facilities.

As with all our project trips, we start by visiting the site to walk the boundaries and get a sense of the site constraints.

Figure 2: Photo of site by Fiedler, Jordan (Structural Engineer, EMI volunteer), June 2019

Then we sit down with the host ministry (Pas cu Pas) to understand the vision for their ministry and camp. Pas cu Pas means "step by step." A very appropriate name for a ministry that requires the patience to love orphans in a difficult environment.

As said by Children’s rights activist Marian W. Edelman, “If you don't like the way the world is, you have an obligation to change it. Just do it one step at a time." Translated in Romanian: “Daca nu iti place cum e lumea, este de datoria ta sa o schimbi. Doar fa-o cate un paspe rand

Figure 3: Vision casting session. Photo by Fiedler, Jordan (Structural Engineer, EMI volunteer), June 2019

Once we have a better understanding of the scope, each of the EMI team members spend time working at the tasks that are assigned to them

Figure 4: Refining program scope and adjacency relationships, Photo by Abby Jackson (EMI Intern), June 2019 

Figure 5: EMI surveyor Roy Farley in action. Photo by Fiedler, Jordan (Structural Engineer, EMI volunteer), June 2019 

Figure 6: Rendering of proposed masterplan (by EMI design team), June 2019

Figure 7: Example of what an exterior amphitheater can look like (Photo of Swarthmore College, PA)

On most occasions, projects need to be phased to make it feasible for the host ministry:

Figure 8: Phase 1 of proposed masterplan (by EMI design team), June 2019

Figure 9: Phase 2 of proposed masterplan (by EMI design team), June 2019

Figure 10: Phase 3 of proposed masterplan (by EMI design team), June 2019

The highest priority for Pas cu Pas is to get the "Big House" built so that programs and housing is available for the proposed camp.

Figure 11: Design of the Big House by Mark Hicks (EMI Sr. Architect), Rendering by Abby Jackson (EMI Intern) June 2019 

Figure 12: Ground floor plan of the Big House, Rendering by Karen Tse (Architect, EMI volunteer) June 2019

 

Figure 13: Upper floor plan of the Big House, Rendering by Karen Tse (Architect, EMI volunteer) June 2019

The large interior gathering space will open up to the outside with 3 sets of folding doors.

Figure 14: Interior rendering of Interior gathering space of Big House by Abby Jackson (EMI Intern), June 2019 

Figure 15: Example of folding door in downtown Cluj with EMI Engineer Bill McNeal pondering the mechanics, Photo by Dan Chong (EMI Project Leader), June 2019 

Figure 16: Evaluation of incoming electrical service by Rodger Barklund (Electrical Engineer, EMI volunteer) June 2019 

Figure 17: Inspecting the local well, testing of water and percolation test

Figure 18: Studies of confined masonry by Jordan Fiedler (Structural Engineer, EMI volunteer) June 2019

If there are existing buildings on the site that the host ministry wants to keep, our EMI team will make an effort to evaluate these buildings.

Figure 19: Atelierul familiei means "family farm". Photo by Chong, Dan (Architect, EMI Project Leader) June 2019

Figure 20: One of the existing barns on site. Photo by Chong, Dan (Architect, EMI Project Leader) June 2019 

Figure 21: EMI structural engineer Jordan Fieldler evaluating existing barn, June 2019

In other instances, we will propose to repurpose existing buildings for other uses.

Figure 22: Exterior rendering of existing barn converted to proposed Chapel by Abby Jackson (EMI Intern), June 2019

Figure 23: Interior rendering of proposed Chapel by Abby Jackson (EMI Intern), June 2019

Even though we spend most of our time with Campus layouts, evaluating infrastructure and designing buildings - the notion of who we are design for is not lost on us and on this trip it was a constant reminder.

From Harvest Ministries Pastor Greg Laurie's devotional last week, "The gospel doesn’t change. Whether it’s for the ancient culture, the modern culture, or the premodern, postmodern, or post-postmodern culture, the gospel never will change”.

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27). 

Is it as simple as that? We certainly see this in the hearts of Pas cu Pas the local ministry that we are serving in Romania. It is all about serving the children there.

Figure 24: EMI team visit to a local orphanage, June 2019

Figure 25: EMI team visit to a local orphanage, June 2019

Figure 26: EMI volunteer Karen Tse working side by side with a young designer on the project site, June 2019 

Thank you for reading all the way to the end of this blog. It was a gift to be able to work on this project and a real privilege to serve alongside with Pas cu Pas.

Figure 27: EMI project team from left to right:

Back row: Jordan Fiedler (Structural engineer), Steve Ulrich (EMI co-leader), Dan Chong, (EMI project leader), Roy Farley (Surveyor), Rodger Barklund (Electrical Engineer)

Front Row: Karen Tse (Architect), Analiese Majetich (EMI Intern), Mark Hicks (Sr. Architect), Dina Todesa, (Pas cu Pas Director), Abby Jackson (EMI Intern), Bill McNeal (Sr. Civil Engineer)

Mulţumesc!