Community Building Project: Bamfield Community Hall (British Columbia)
Background
This Guild Community Building Project is taking place on Vancouver Island in the village of Bamfield. Our host, The Bamfield Community Hall Society, is a registered not-for-profit society of British Columbia established to rebuilt the hall lost to the community more than a decade ago. The hall will be used by the Bamfield community (population 200), a number of part-time residents, and a large number of summer visitors to the beautiful coastal village.
The Bamfield Community Hall Society has secured a grant for the construction of this year's project with the Guild. As a remote village, they are used to working together to make things happen: in 2023, the community constructed a small timber framed pavilion in a local park with 30-40 volunteers and a handful of local timber framers.
Bamfield is accessible by float plane, boat, or road. It is a 4-hour drive from Victoria International Airport. Guild staff will help coordinate transportation to the site, but volunteers should be prepared for the remote location and plan their travels accordingly. Find Bamfield on the map HERE.
Bamfield is the trailhead for the world-famous West Coast Trail, and is also home to the Marine Sciences Center. The Huu-Ay-Aht Nation village of Anacla is at nearby Pachena Bay; the Huu-Ay-Aht Nation has inhabited this area for millennia, and you can learn about the old village site, Kiixin, HERE. It is the only known traditional First Nations village remaining on the west coast of southern British Columbia, with significant standing house remains, and is commemorated as a National Historic Site.
About the Project
The new Bamfield Community Hall will be approximately 5,000 square feet, and largely timber framed, with round log columns and steep-pitched scissor trusses forming multiple rooflines. There are three flat roof areas supported by timber framed beams and columns, and a large outdoor deck with timber support beams and posts on concrete columns.
All timbers are western red cedar with a few exceptions for Douglas fir in high-stress areas. The red cedar logs will be harvested from the community forest nearby, and milling will be done locally with a Woodmizer or similar, or trucked to a larger mill.
The design of the frame provides many learning opportunities, including round log to square timber framing, chainsaw work, compound roof framing, scribing, crane rigging, and working with red cedar.
Our hosts will provide camping at the nearby campground. Meals will be provided to the crew by Bamfield Community Hall Society volunteers - three square meals a day plus snacks and endless coffee. There will be evening educational presentations on a range of timber framing topics. We think we will have use of the firehall facilities for meals and washrooms as well.
Call for Participants
This Community Building Project runs for 12-13 days from Sunday, June 2, through Friday, June 14, and includes one to two rest days midway through to allow participants to explore the area and relax. You should plan to arrive on Saturday, June 1, and leave on or around Friday, June 14.
We have three options for participation in this two-week project:
- Week one (Sunday, June 2 - Friday, June 7)
- Week two (Saturday, June 8 - Friday, June 14)
- Both weeks (Sunday, June 2 - Friday, June 14)
Travel to Bamfield can be challenging, and we will coordinate a ride-share. The nearest international airport is in Victoria, and there are regional airports at Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, and Port Alberni.
Instructors
The Guild seeks nine (9) instructors and a project manager to lead the project. One instructor position will be the lead instructor. All positions are compensated reasonably.
Applications for instructor positions will be accepted via email; please submit all inquiries and applications to TFG's Community Building Projects Program Director Steve Lawrence and Communications Director Allison Aurand. You can find all requirements and job descriptions here:
The deadline for instructor applications is March 31, 2024.
Please note: instructors must have commercial general liability insurance.
Volunteers
We have positions for 45 volunteers to be on-site throughout this two-week period. These positions are not compensated, but you can expect the traditional TFG XC (exuberant camaraderie) and a very rich and rewarding experience.
Participants will perform hands-on timber frame layout, cutting, and raising under the direction of the instructor team. Because of the large team and hands-on nature of this project, it will be suitable for those with reasonable levels of fitness and basic hand and power tool skills. There will be very limited novice positions available, and we need to ensure a balance of skills on the team.
You must be a Guild member to participate! You can join the Guild HERE. If this presents a barrier to your participation, please contact us at info@tfguild.org. We will work with you to make sure you can be involved in this unique opportunity.
Please note that volunteer applications do not guarantee acceptance. We may have more applications than positions, so please do not make travel arrangements until you've received notification of acceptance.
It may be possible to bring family with you, and with appropriate safety management for non-participants we expect to accommodate family groups for camping. If you're planning to bring family members, please plan for meals since we are not certain that food service will be available for families. Please indicate on your application how many family members would be joining you.
The deadline for volunteer applications is May 1, 2024.
We will endeavor to confirm your acceptance as soon as possible, and hopefully well before the deadline for applications. If you have any questions, please contact Community Building Projects Program Director Steve Lawrence and Communications Director Allison Aurand.
Community Hall Drawings courtesy Wayne Wenstob.
This event has reached total occupancy.
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