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This report wants to present the project of a Centre for teaching and Production of Kora, a typical musical instrument of Western Africa. The instrument is built with n emptied half pumpkin, covered whit skin of animal (cow or antelope),that acts as a sounding board of the instrument. The instrument is made up of 21 ropes, divided into two parallel lines, connected to a handle. The ropes were traditionally made with leather, for example from antelope’s skin; is used nylon. The ropes are connected to the handle by skin rings; moving the rings it’s possible to vary the tuning of the instrument. The guide lines of the design process are the needs and the enjoyment of the teaching area and of the spaces where the people can make the kora. The requirements are the design of a functional building that replies to the requests of a quite exact community. The village in which the centre is developed is Baniere, in front of Tanaf, on the other hand of the river Casamance. The project analyze the material of the site and human resources that could contribute to the creation of a reproducible building which can be easy to realize. The realization of this kora centre is an occasion of growth and evolution for Baniere and also for the neighborough villages. Also the local economy will be improved. The handmade represtents the culture of a place, and the art of being able to do today is often disappearing. The globalization allowed us to realize more and more sophisticated buildings, using new and innovative materials, giving up the traditional techniques and materials. The main idea grow up from the structure of Kora: two rods put in tension the skin previously fixed to the sounding board, interrupted in half by an horizontal element. This structural method has been transferred to our structure. Actually, there are coupled columns fixed together by an horizontal element that runs long the whole perimeter of our structure. A permeable wooden grill, composed by the succession of two orders, supports the roof and protects three volumes positioned to create a courtyard, which is the centre of life in Senegal culture. The repeatability concept has been adopted either from the point of view of the structural materials, which are easily traceable over short distance, or the conformation of the structure; a stitch of reference that can be extended or modified, new forms can be added, the volumes moved to create new relations with the village, the context and the landscape. The volumes are realized in adobe bricks without plaster, the dimensions are 20x40x15 cm; the function are: storage, space for making out and selling the kora teaching area, recording studio, WC and room of tea. An exact study of the meaning of the colours in Senegal tradition, have joined the conclusion that the preponderant colours in their culture are the green, the yellow and the red. The green represents the birth, the yellow respresents the growth and the red represents maturity and completeness. The green represented the birth of Balouo Salo and the relationship between the non profit organization and Senegal. Our work is located in the moment of growth of this connections, and this is the reason why we choose the yellow as the main colour of the project. Actually there are yellow fabrics installed n the top of the wooden structure; the colour red will be the representative colour of the moment of realization of all the project. The project remains opened to future editing, always ready to receive proposals and suggestion coming from the community, being flexible, adaptable, feasible at low price and availing itself to the local manpower.
Project by:
Juri Troy Architects_Angelo Ferrara
Beyond Architecture Group_Paolo Robazza
Laura Catra, Simona Cirami, Roger Estruch Circuns, Giulia Gardelli, Martina Maria Grazioso, Claudia La Verde, Jiteng Liang, Laura Lombardo, Andrea Occhipinti, Helene Hazbie Panaro
