Building the Centre
The final design
After more than 3 years of preparations and fundraising, and 8 months of design consultation, we are delighted to present the final design for the Sophia Point Centre.
Our plans have evolved from a small 6 person hammock pod to a building able to support up to 24 persons, provide a wet and dry lab and house all the cooking, washing and teaching facilities needed for week-long field courses. Architect Marcel Gaskin has worked with us throughout this process and we couldn't be happier with the results. We also want to thank all those who gave their time generously to review, advise and inform us during the design phases.
Updates from Sophia Point
August 2023: ‘Turning the sod’
To celebrate the start of construction we invited a small group of partners, trustees, supporters and neighbours to Sophia Point. Co-founder of Sophia Point Nicola Green, British High Commissioner Jane Miller, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana Paloma Mohamed Martin and Toshao (village leader) of River's View Melena Pollard broke ground on site. The team were also able to share progress of construction, hear from lead contractor Indar Rammlall on the delivery of the work, and introduce our wonderful team of local builders to the wider Sophia Point community.
July 2023: Marking the site
The first phase of construction on site has commenced. Contractor Indar Ramlall and his team have marked out the site as well as initiated logistics for housing 20 workers at Sophia Point over the next six months. Materials for construction will arrive over the coming weeks via the river. This is a complicated process given our remote location!
March 2023: Sand to Sophia Point
Following the final design confirmation for Sophia Point the team have begun the process of collecting materials. We have been busy working with local contractor Dave Younge to pump sand on site. His excellent team — Belle, Franky, Jonatan, Jorge, Lesley, William and Wiltord — repurposed a dredge usually used in gold mining to bring the sand from the river up to Sophia Point.
The sand is a key material in the construction of our new research centre. We'll use it to infill the foundations, raise the height of the structure and as a mix for any concrete we need.
Our sand wall held firm, allowing the sand to pile up and reducing the spread into the surrounding forest. Sourcing the sand from the river instead of importing it has saved time, cost and transport emissions.
February 2023: Preparing the ground for construction
As the construction start date gets closer we've been preparing the site. One of the main materials we will need to have for the build is sand, lots of sand! We will pump this sand from the nearby river to avoid long and costly transportation, and hold it on site.
To enable us to store the sand and other building materials on site, Desmond, locals Derek and Boyle and volunteers Josh and Kirsty have constructed a strong wall made of local wood. Once the sand has been used, the wall will be dismantled and the wood reused or returned to nature. Next up, the sand!
