the power of design for social good: Indesign Feature

Having just returned from building a school in the aftermath of Nepal’s earthquake, nine building professionals from Davenport Campbell share their experience and the impact it has had on the community.

It’s a clear and frosty morning high in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal where nine Australians begin their final day’s trek to the remote community of Garma on 17 February 2019. There are no flat whites or avocado toast for these construction industry professionals – only day packs and muscle fatigue from five days of hiking. Over the following days, these nine volunteers will work with local community members on the final stages of construction of a new, earthquake-resistant school hall that will provide a space for children in Garma to learn, to play and to perform.  

With backgrounds in engineering, project management, architecture and construction specialities, each of the volunteers has been instrumental in raising funds to build the new hall and are excited to use their time and expertise to see the project through to completion on site.

As they enter the streets of this remote farming community, rain and snow begin to fall for the first time on the trip after a difficult and unfamiliar journey. Leading the group is architect and principal at Davenport Campbell, Neill Johanson, who has a special commitment to the people of Garma.

“The work we do in Nepal underlies everything we represent as an organisation and provides enormous personal satisfaction to our employees.” – Neill Johanson

On a similar day in 2015, Johanson was returning to nearby village Somare after a trek to Mount Everest when the first of a series of earthquakes struck. “It was ANZAC Day and we were just below base camp when the earth began to violently shake the mountains, causing the buildings around us to collapse. In an instant, we became part of a humanitarian crisis. It was only the selfless actions of the Sherpa people during the earthquake’s aftermath that enabled us to make it safely back to the Australian High Commission in Kathmandu,” Johanson shares.

Upon returning home, Johanson and his business partner Peter Wager formed a partnership with the Australian Himalayan Foundation [AHF] along with other architects and engineers. Their aim was to help the community in Garma to plan and rebuild their badly damaged school. Davenport Campbell has dedicated itself to this project ever since.