I was first exposed to this project at the UNAVSA (Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations) conference where I represented the Vietnamese Student Association at the University of Oregon as the newly-elected co-director. Though presented tenously, this particular project caught my attention for the potentials it possesses. I approached Caroline Parker, the executive director of the Catalyst Foundation, and expressed my interest in pushing this project forward. Initially, the organization estimated the cost for each prototype close to $5000, which in my opinion was a bit too expensive to build a simple brick and mortar home. I proposed to Caroline my design which is composed of mainly a recycled wood structure with bamboo shading. She then brought the my idea back to Kien Giang and presented to the ethnically Khmer Vietnamese community as well as some local construction businesses. The design was well-received and later estimated to be built with $2500 at most. The work I am presenting in this portfolio is a snippet of the preliminary design that Caroline took with her back to Vietnam. Read Less