Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
As requested by Sidarec, the architectural design is based on the integration of the young community both in the outdoor and in the indoor activities. The project comprises two main bodies, two row elements embracing a big courtyard where the the outdoor activities take place (football pit, basketball pit, openair amphitheatre and daycare center).

The first building (called Building A, the closest one to the entrance of the complex) is dedicated to the activities offered to everyone willing to attend the public activities, the second one (Building B), destinated to students attending courses, trainings or conferences, is more private and isolated, however the planning choice of the courtyard invites the students to walk across all the facilities, to use the indoor and outdoor spaces, to feel themselves part of the complex. The parametrical shaded paths allow the movements from a place to the other, without create any interference to the indoor activities.

The project has simple but effective elements of bioclimatic design: the windows haven’t any glass to avoid the greenhouse effect. The shutters protect the interior from the solar radiation and allow natural ventilation. Moreover, they can be easily open to regulate the natural light with a manual mechanism. The wide roof has been designed to protect the whole structure from the solar radiation and to allow natural ventilation thanks to the chimney effect. The heated air goes up and out through the ceiling and the roof.

The choice of materials and appropriate building technology is based on the resources available in Kenya, avoiding the use of any imported material or technique to respect the expertise of the local builders and the necessary feeling of ownership of the community.

We have considered as well the importance of the future maintenance: local materials mean easy and effective results.

Roof
Membrane of corrugated metal sheets, girders of welded reinforcing steel.

Ceiling
Shutters. Wooden frames with wooden sticks.

Ring Beam
Reiforced concrete.

Supporting Brick Walls
Cement-clay stabilized bricks.

Windows
Shutters. Steel frames with steel tubular lamella elements.

Foundation
Continous foundation cement and natural stones masonry.