The Soe Ker Tie team.

The Soe Ker Tie team.

The «Butterfly houses».

Some of the children at the orphanage in Noh Bo.

Local craftsmen had the skill to make external bamboo screen walls.

Inside one of the sleeping houses.

The «Butterfly houses».

Bamboo used in different ways.

Swing hanging from the roof structure.



In the autumn of 2008, Tyin tegnestue travelled to Noh Bo, a small village on the border between Thailand and Burma, to work for a home for refugee children.

The idea was to give the children an opportunity for privacy similar to the experience of a normal family home. The result was six sleeping houses, which were nicknamed the “butterfly houses” because of their roof shape. The roofs aid natural ventilation and collect rainwater. The structure is lifted off the ground to avoid damp penetration, which is an improvement on local building traditions.