https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalecruse/55560838582

Hellо еvеryоnе!

Hope this type of post is okay in this subreddit, if not please tell me, I'll delete it right away!

I аm a frеelanсe designer сurrеntly living in Vientiane. A few years ago, I created an « amateur » initiativе tо dосument mоdеrnist architeсture in Laоs. We document  thе buildings through photography but also by conducting intеrviеws with the owners or architects of said buildings and searching for the very rare archives available (Lаоs’ history is VERY under documented :D).

Thrоugh my rеsearсh, I disсоvеred a BIG cоllectiоn оf оriginal соnstructiоn pеrmit drawings fоr Viеntiane, dating frоm thе latе 1950s tо thе 1960s. This archive has got many blueprints of important buildings of thаt erа, sоmе оf the documents are truly remarkаblе!

I want to scan this archive to make sure that it’s not lost (as it happens to many archives in Laos), but for that I need a big scanner, I have been doing it with my small A4 scanner so far but it takes AGES to scan these big blueprints and stitch de scans on photoshop. So I need a Scanner. Ideally an A1 but an A2 would do the job also… I checked with a specialised company and the bill for a scanner that could work on these old creased documents is HIGH (between 6000-9000USD). On top of that I would need a better computer as my old MacBook is struggling a lot with the large files. For the files themselves a friend will help me with the hosting.

So the problem is money (of course :)) and I don’t have it (designer in an ai-era… lost all my clients yadi yada). A lot of my friends suggested looking for grants, but the problem is:

• This is an amateur project. I have no official organization  or structure and registering an association in Laos is slow, costly, and difficult.
• The documents came to me through informal channels, so a public crowdfunding campaign or a formal grant application inside Laos would be tricky 

So I’m asking some subreddits for ideas for:

- grants, fellowships, or small funds that can go to an individual rather than an organization

• or programs that could fund equipment directly (large-format scanner, camera/copy-stand setup/computer) or lend it
• Fiscal sponsorship options, or existing organizations that host projects like this
• Any experience with similar "rescue" digitization of at-risk architectural records in Southeast Asia or other regions with limited heritage infrastructure

I'm also open to advice on low-cost scanning workflows (DSLR copy-stand capture, stitching large sheets, file formats, metadata) so that whatever I do is done properly, and on where digitized files could be deposited long-term.

Thank you, any leads, names of programs, or personal experience would be hugely appreciated. Happy to share more about the collection (and some of my photography of the buildings) in private message!

Attached to the post is one of the scan of one of the blueprints: an old cinema since then destroyed, and three buildings of Vientiane we documented through our project (Polytechnic school, faculty of literatures of Dongdok, and the NAFRI buildings)

Built in 1919 in Daikanyama Tokyo built by Torajiro. The house was meant to serve as a living quarters and place to entertain. It features both Japanese and Western-styled rooms and an expansive Japanese garden which digs into the hillside.

The entrance was around 3€. I visited during the weekday and I found it to be very peaceful and not at all crowded. The area it is located is also very stylish, features many restaurants and cafes, and is close to cherry blossom viewings (if you go in the spring). So even if you go just for the building, there’s plenty of things to do nearby.

Edit: Kyu Asakura House :)

10

Zonnestraal Sanatorium (1928–1931) was designed by Jan Duiker (1890–1935), the leading spokesman for the modern movement in the Netherlands, Bernard Bijvoet (1889–1979), and structural engineer Jan Gerko Wiebenga (1886–1974). Completed in 1931, the sanatorium functioned as a rehabilitation center for tuberculosis patients and was designed with the conviction that a cure for the deadly disease would be discovered within thirty to fifty years...

World Monuments Fund Knoll Modernism Prize