Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
[recharge]
SIDAREC Mukuru Kwa Njenga Resource Centre

The concept for this proposal is a simple one – it is an urban response that aims to ‘activate’ negative space - the space between buildings. In African life, both traditional and modern-day, most social activity happens outdoors. The design responds to this by creating a cluster of buildings semi-enclosing a public space. The new site layout has the two play areas to the west and four simple buildings centred around a gathering area to the east which opens onto the road. The functions existing on site - hall with early learning facilities, book storage, clinic and SIDAREC offices – are to be incorporated into new development. Materials in good condition should be reused in the new buildings where possible.

The main building houses the internet café, library, training/ conference centre and admin offices. Along the southeast boundary, a smaller building houses the clinic - close to the road for a drop-in service, with waiting room under shade screens or trees - and the early learning centre and crèche, also with shaded areas and a good connection to the public square and performance space. The radio station is housed in a low horizontal building along the edge of the playing fields, the back of which steps down to form an amphitheatre. The radio ‘tower’ is the beacon structure and is positioned to relate to the square, the amphitheatre and the sports areas to enable broadcasting, sound and lighting control for outdoor performances and sports commentary. It will be visible from a way away, and should be illuminated from inside to glow at night. The open space is carefully shaped, with long concrete benches built into the sides of the buildings and a planter that also serves as a seating area. People should visit the complex just to ‘hang out’, and this encourages interaction with the learning, technology and health functions being provided, as well as with other members of the community.

The architectural language is simple, and the design aims to achieve optimum environmental responsivity. Concrete block walls are combined with gumpole structural frames, and roofs are mono-pitched S-rib corrugated steel sheeting with a bull-nosed treatment at the lower ends. The climate permits that building envelopes do not need to be completely insulated. Openings are either fixed louvres or tilt-up timber slatted screens. Entrance doors are timber-framed, with stable doors being used for the clinic, crèche, offices and toilets. Cooling is the prime concern and this is encouraged by air intake through the louvers and screens and fixed wire mesh panels just below the roofs to allow air exhaust. Functions are distributed to make optimum use of shared amenities, both physical and digital. The volume of the main building allows for a mezzanine floor to be inserted above the internet café in the future to respond to expansion needs.

Security was an important design consideration and the site is laid out to create a ‘defensible’ space. Most areas are visible from the road, and as the individual building envelopes can be separately secured when they are not in operation, the public space remains just that – public 24/7. A vibrant and active place is a safer one.

The complex should be connected to mains electrical and water supplies, presuming they are available, however reliance on external resources is minimised. A bank of photovoltaic cells is fitted to the roof of the main building and as much energy as possible is channelled into the running of the extensive computer network and other power requirements, Large storage batteries above the server room act as a backup power supply, and power the lighting of the public space at night. Roofs are designed to facilitate rainwater harvesting which is collected to be used for handwashing and, if a purification system is added, for drinking water. Possibly the biggest challenge was creating an amphitheatre that did not go below ground level: on a site prone to flooding, the danger of unwittingly creating a swimming pool is quite real. The ground slopes gently downwards towards the long sides of the site, and groundwater flows into open concrete channels and into the road. Building slabs are slightly raised with benched concrete aprons all round.

Materials are robust, low-maintenance and locally sourced. Construction is simple enough that a large percentage of local labour can be employed, in conjunction with a professional design & supervision team and small local contractor. Block-making should be done on site, with attention paid to skills transfer. All timber should be from a renewable source and innovation should be used in recycling materials wherever possible – eg. old shutter boards can be fashioned into fixed louvres. Large companies should be approached to donate computers. Above all, the community, especially the youth, should be involved at every step of the process, from fine-tuning the design according to their needs, to assisting with the construction, running and maintenance of the complex. This project, infused with the right amount of love and attention, has the capacity to truly ‘recharge’ the settlement of Mukuru Kwa Njenga.