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“In our general perception the African continent stands for suffering and misery. It also remains a mystery as its histories, cultures, traditions, languages, politics and economies remain outside of our framework of reference. The continent is usually seen as a single entity without differentiation and without consideration of its fifty-four countries and the vast differences among its gigantic territory and diverse cultures. … Thus even more than one hundred years after the Big Explorers and fifty years after the end of the colonial era, Africa is still being orientalized and exoticized.” Herz, M. (2015), ‘The new Domain: Architecture at the Time of Liberation’ African Modernism: The Architecture of Independence. Ghana, Senegal, Cote d’ivoire, Kenya, Zambia, p.13 What could an African approach towards architecture be when European theories and history, do not apply? That matter was one of the first didactic themes that the African universities were confronted with when they started to teach architecture in the 1960s. The Kumasi School (KNUST), founded by members of the Architectural Association, therefore launched a course, based on a visual journey through the continent that should lead to a visual architectural theory. Without the attempt to orientalize and exoticize, the project bridges between traditional and contemporary building techniques. A study of social ties and local building methods - with a focus on local port structures and boatbuilding techniques - became the driving parameters for the project. The outcome is a flexible system that can expand over time and easily accommodate different functions. A structure, that the users, who are mainly working with wood, can build by themselves on various sites. The site is located along the banks of the Casamance River, not far from the village of Boroya. It is situated close to the Balouo Salo project, a future dam that will be built to protect the area from high salinity water, which affects the composition of the soil. The project site is placed in an area away from flooding risk during rainy seasons. Additionally, the land and river breeze influence positively the conditions on site, allowing natural ventilation inside the space. The proposal is a self-constructed space that offers a catalogue of opportunities: a light shading system covering the space, and supported by a wooden structure, that can easily be extended or reassembled by local boat builders according to their needs. “Service boxes” made of rammed earth(condensed clay) or/and woven panels can freely be added and host additional functions like closed storage spaces. The current configuration contains a building lab for the construction of pirogues (dugout canoe), a fish market and a gathering space for the fishermen and the local community. Shading panels are made of weaving techniques to offer a variety of densities according to the privacy and the shade required by the user. A landing from the same structural system makes the transport on the river more efficient. Due to its systematic design the project is easily reproducible and adaptable to different site conditions. And the featured project is just one possible configuration out of many.
Project by:
Archinauten | Dworschak + Mulbacher Architekten_Valerie Kerz
LFSN_Livio Ficarra, Silvia Nardi
Giuseppe Avenia, Paola Costantino, Elena Federica Del Prete, Emanuel Falappa, Michela Gessani, Carmelo Alessio Iemolo, Leila Meroue, Anna Perino, Francesco Scuderi, Giada Nikita Toscano
