BLUElab Thailand

Project Leader(s):
Shreya Jain (jshreya@umich.edu)
Kevin Kaya (kkaya@umich.edu)

Project Location(s): Chiang Mai and Mae Chan, Thailand

Current Focus: Flood Mitigation -- For the 2020-21 year, we are working on several projects, including the optimization of existing prototypes from previous Prototyping Trips, solving new issues identified by stakeholders, and an interactive webapp for infrastructure maintenance and emergency response.

Mission: The goal of BLUElab Thailand is to develop sustainable flood mitigation solutions in Northern Thailand through co-design. We collaborate with the Department of Disaster Mitigation in our partner municipality of Mae Chan and PURPLElab, our sister organization at Chiang Mai University, to conceptualize, test, and iterate upon our prototypes. As we continue to grow these relationships, we aim to learn through the exchange of ideas, feedback, and culture.

Vision: BLUElab Thailand will apply collaborative design, cultural awareness, and sustainable principles to meet the needs of the Mae Chan municipality, build upon our relationship with PURPLElab, and provide hands-on learning experiences for our members. 

Team History: BLUElab Thailand began in 2016 with a Partnership Assessment Trip. The following year, we completed a needs assessment in Mae Chan, where we used ethnographic methods to identify and filter down needs statements. Our project direction has since focused on the issue of flooding, which affects the safety of Mae Chan’s residents and causes economic damage. The root of the problem is multifaceted, including factors such as geography, irregular infrastructure, and deforestation, so our team works together with Mae Chan’s Department of Disaster Mitigation to develop solutions catered to the municipality. We are focusing on two needs statements identified from our Needs Assessment Trip:

1. A way to control water flow direction through key drainage points to reduce damages to the most heavily affected areas, such as the school and market
2. A way to clear debris and sediment inside the pipes to maximize system capacity

In May 2018 and 2019, our team completed two Prototyping Trips to test, manufacture, and get feedback on our designs. At the same time, we have worked together with PURPLElab, our growing sister organization at Chiang Mai University, on each other’s projects. The unique nature of our partnerships allows us to collaborate both with our direct users in Mae Chan and university students like us.

Achievements: Several of our achievements include, but are not limited to:
- A hydraulic water jet nozzle used to clear sediment and debris in the pipe system
- A rotating steel gate currently installed in the Mae Chan pipe system used to block the flow of water
- An inflatable pipe blockage used to clog up pipe ends and openings to block the flow of water
- A web app of the Mae Chan city map that models the drainage junctions within the infrastructure

Partner Organization: Chiang Mai University (PURPLElab), Mae Chan Department of Disaster Mitigation

​For updates on BLUElab Thailand, check out their Facebook, Instagram, and Purpose Video!