An architect in a foreign culture project // Integration of the architect in the project and site //Integration of the proj-ect in its culture and ecosystem // Integration of experience with all the senses to perceive space

Naeem Searle & Birgitte Juliussen Haug

I N T E G R A L

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The course “Architect in a foreign culture” this semester was focusing on Mozambique. In the beginning of the course the 19 students and three teachers travelled for five weeks to South Africa, the Mozambiquan capital, Maupto and finally the Mozambiquan countryside - the village of Chimundo to be exact. The goal of the journey was to investigate whats related to environment, globalization and cultural exchange.

Through analysis and discussions with the aid organization AID Global, politicians, local architects and the local community we saw a clear need for a architectonic addition. During 12 intense days, with limited funds, in cooperation with locals, we built a small school. We made use of local tecniques for lieing bricks and tieing straw walls, and used local materials in a new way. Rize bags filled with sand on the Northern wall, bottles built into the wall on the South side to let in light - these were some of the things we did to meet the climatic challenges. The small building consists of one open and one closed room. The open room has flexible light walls of straw, the closed room has massive walls of sand and concrete. A cistern gathers the water from off the corregated steel roof.

Back in Norway we presented the project at various firm for a fee, had a charity party and we went to the Copenhagen climate meeting to exibit it. The money we gathered will go to the further development of Irmã Catarinas project in Chimundo. Building the school in Chimundo

C h i m u n d o a p r o x . 4 0 0 0 i n h a b .

Traditional neighbourhood

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Chibuto 6 km

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In between spaces

Site reflection

Heavy/lightActivity in play of light shadow and rhythm of space

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The home - a home for whom?

Nursery Sibling group

Sibling group

+ The whole back Young entrepreneurs Foreign volunteers Local kids

Chimundo community center

Childrens home Water and food Learning

Nursery Sibling groups TheoryWorkshops

Wood Shoes English Computers Small school

Scale and identityWhen you are and orphan you do not have the security, love and comfort of your own family. In Sierra Leone, where after the civil war that ended in 2002 50% of the population was younger than 15 years old, the children orga-nized to take care of eachother.

At a childrens home the orphans can be orga-nized in “sibling groups”, where children of different ages learn to take care and responsi-bility of eachother. Mixed or gender divided groups. Actual siblings are kept together in the same group.

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1:1000

Masterplan

Active land Add-on possibilities

Old movement New potential movement

Vertical surfacesdefining active space Shadow is valuable

In the flat landscape with excessive sunlight of Chimundo vertical elements that offer shadow and the spaces between them define different social and active are-nas. To exploit the terrain we work with densification and zoning.

1 Irmãs house + kids library 2 Living quarters (q.) 3 Living q. babies 4 Kindergarden + kitchen5 Bath for childrens home 6 Living q. 7 Living q. + small kitchen 8 Erics house + kids living q. 9 Extended new kitchen 10 Pavillion for 150 eaters 11 Animals ground 12 Dirt toilets13-20 School and worshops 21 Administration/volunteers 22 Fields for food

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Longsection 1:1000 62

I n ves t i ga t i ng l oca l ma te r i a l s

Bottlebricks

Ventiladores

Straw and bamboo

Solids: Combinations of bricks, sandbags and rammed earth

Light/temporary:Ricebangs,strawmats, mosquito net

Translucent, but not enterely transparent. Makes small shelves in the walls. Play of light.//Translúcido, mas não to-talmente transparente. Faz pequenas prateleiras as paredes. Jogo de luz.

Lets light and air through. Play of light. Needs textile on inside to prevent sand to enter with the wind.//Deixa a luz e o ar entrar. Jogo de luz. Necessidades de têxteis no interior para evitar que a areia entra com o vento.

Lets air and light through. Play of light. Natural qualities - softness, sensuality, trans-formation over time.//Deixa a luz e o ar entrar. Jogo de luz. Qualidades naturais, como maciez, a sensu-alidade, a transformação ao longo do tempo.

Storing of temperature. Adds weight and rhythm in space. Massive. Contrast to light-ness/translucent.//Armazenamento de tem-peratura. Aumenta o peso eo ritmo no espaço. Denso. Contraste com a leveza / translúcido.

Lightness. Temporality is flex-ibility. The story of time and wear. Potentials in what we have.//Leveza. Temporalidade é a flexibilidade. A história do tempo e do desgaste. Poten-ciais em que nós temos.

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Mate r i a l s and cos t s o f t yp i ca l wa l l t y pes

Caniso 14,6 mtk/sqr meter(straw)

Bricks x 10 cm - 120 mtk/sqr meter x 15 cm - 140 mtk/sqr meter x 20 cm - 180 mtk/sqr meter

Ventiladores 280 mtk/sqr meter

Considering that you have to change the caniso every 2-3 years gives the following costs:

10 years - 58 mtk/sqr meter20 years - 116 mth/sqr meter 30 years - 174 mth/sqr meter40 years - 232 mth/sqr meter50 years - 290 mth/sqr meter

Bricks and ventiladores still need concrete, which is not in the calculation. Also these kinds of walls will need repair now and then.

Caniso is still a cheaper material for atleast 20 years, not considering the work to rise either walls.

Replacement of caniso can be a good trade for the older kids at the childrens home to learn.

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Adobe b r i cks mate r i a l i n sp i r a t i onSimple mud test on site

Dry Correct Wet

Taipa (rammed earth)

Adobe (mud brick building)

Tabique (wattle + daub) (taipa defasqui)

Hand made bricks with simple tools can yeild up to 200 bricks per day, Machine made produce 3000 per day.

Lime stone mortar protects and give the house a clear identity

Adobe bricks Marocco

Moving levels Ilha de Moçambique

Stone + light

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Printing textures/dark matter/light on fine paper

Subtle/contrast/reflection

I n t u i t i v e i n ves t i ga t i on

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...to be safe from predators in the night. Too big and too small cannot enter.

The i ndependen t

Every night the chicken jump in the mangotrees...Can the elder children find safety and independence equally?

One unit for four kids in two bunkbeds.

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Scu l p t i ng spac i a l compos i t i ons

N igh t i s a t ime o f day

Nightscapes from Chimundo

Nightscapes//Project model collages.

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Wind, sun and shadow exposure

5am 12pm 6pm

Southern wind

Eastern wind

5am7pm

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Adobe blocks // blocos de adobeSandbags // sacos de arroz com areiaBricks // blocosWood // madeiraWindows // janelasConcrete // concretoVegetation // vegetação Bottlebricks // blocos de frascos

Mate r i a l s scu l p t i ng i den t i t y t o space75

Private//public

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New shadow & fruit trees,e.g. a mango.

Bamboo groves,for shadow, cleansing of soiland wood.

Banana groves,for fruit and cleansing of soil

Sugar cane, mostly for privacy and sound

P l a n 1 : 2 5 0 5m

Inner crosssection

Social zonesground

Social zonesroof

External flow77

S e c t i o n s 1 : 5 0 0 78