Ashinaga Uganda Dormitory Nansana, Uganda
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2019 On Site Review Report by Bekim Ramku 5210.UGA Ashinaga Uganda Dormitory Nansana, Uganda Architect Terrain Architects / Ikko Kobayashi, Fumi Kashimura Client Ashinaga Uganda Design 2011-2014 Completed 2015 Ashinaga Uganda Dormitory Nansana, Uganda I. Introduction The Ashinaga Uganda Dormitory is located in a rapidly urbanising suburban town, 13 kilometres from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It stands on the equator but is high above sea level – giving it a comfortable climate, with winds blowing towards and from Lake Victoria, which lies in the south. This is a residential school for orphans – a home for 50 students from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where they learn how to live together with people of diverse cultures and where they prepare to enter universities abroad. The building materials were locally sourced – the bricks were made locally and were carefully selected. Through the long process of construction, masons and labourers developed pride in these hand-made bricks, which they had originally thought had no value. II. Contextual information A. Brief historical background Ikko Kobayashi, an architecture student from Japan, visited Uganda in 2003 for his gap year, and volunteered with the Ugandan-Japanese NGO Ashinaga Uganda, then as a visiting student at Makerere University and as the intern for a local architectural office. The NGO, founded in Japan to offer educational support to orphans, launched its international activities as a repayment of the world’s contribution after the 1995 Kobe Earthquake. At that time, Uganda had over two million orphaned children who had lost their parents because of HIV, thus Ashinaga decided to begin their activities here. Ikko, a recipient of a scholarship from the NGO, visited Uganda on an exchange programme and was deeply involved in the community. In 2003, Nansana village was a hilly verdant country area with a population of 6,000. The main occupations were farming, livestock rearing and a brick-making industry. The Ashinaga Uganda head office, including small classrooms, was built in 2003 by local builders in coordination with an architectural office that the project architect was working for, and it has offered much support to the local community. B. Local architectural character, including prevalent forms and materials There are generally two types of buildings in the peripheral area of Kampala. One type is a single-storey house that has brick walls and a timber truss covered with a corrugated metal roof. The other typology is a medium-rise structure made out of reinforced concrete that is usually poorly constructed because of lack of supervision. Both use fired bricks which are the major building material and are produced locally. Steel-frame window units with glass and burglar proofing are widely used in houses. The limited openings allow only a small amount of natural light and winds to come into the rooms, so most people spend their 1 daytime outside of the house and you frequently see people working at small desks outside their house in sunlight and breeze. Galvanised metal sheeting is also a popular material. It offers cool space soon after sunset when the heat escapes. It is cheap and lightweight. C. Climatic conditions The climate is gentle and rather cool despite being on the equator because of the high elevation of the plateau at 1 to 2 kilometres altitude. The annual temperature range spans from 17 to 27℃. There are two rainy seasons in the country, starting in March (average rainfall: 12 centimetres in 2012), and the other in October (average rainfall: 15 centimetres in 2012), each lasting around two to three months. Recently, predicting the rainy seasons has become more difficult because of climate change. D. Immediate surroundings of the site, including architectural character, access, landscaping, etc. The site is located one block away from the district’s main street, in the rapidly urbanising suburban town, Nansana, which is developing as a satellite city. The population explosion led by rapid development without proper city planning has left many problems around the site, such as unpaved narrow roads causing traffic jams, dense residential areas causing unsanitary living conditions, and rushed building constructions which fail because of the poor structural integrity of the building. Its unequal development of modern urbanised living has created a dichotomy of urban life and countryside life. The site stands between peripheral, rural and suburban areas. The most common construction material is hand-made fired brick – which is usually covered with mortar because of the rough texture of the bricks and their inconsistent size. The workers usually lay the bricks without much care because they are such a familiar material and are taken for granted. Timber is another over-familiar material – used for roof trusses concealed by ceilings. Reinforced concrete is usually used for multi-storey buildings, along main streets, but rushed construction and lack of knowledge and supervision results in poor-quality buildings. E Topography of the project site The site is located in the north-western side of Kampala. Although the region is mildly hilly, the site itself is flat. From the balcony, you can look down into a shallow valley and see another hill on the western side of the neighbourhood. The area was formerly covered with wooded greenery and savannah, but it is now covered with new houses. III. Programme A. History of the inception of the project; how the project was initiated After ten years of its activities in elementary-school-level education, and social support for orphans in Uganda, Ashinaga founder Yoshiomi Tamai noticed the necessity for improved higher education to prepare 2 African students to become leading figures of Africa’s future. He visualised Ashinaga Uganda Kokorojuku (dormitory) as a preparatory school and residential facility to learn the skills and knowledge needed to apply to universities abroad as well as develop the local community through different engagement projects. Funding comes from donors, mainly from Japan, to support orphans’ future education. B. How were the architects and specialists chosen? Ikko Kobayashi, having continuous contact with Uganda and other African countries, and his architect partner Fumi Kashimura were directly commissioned by the foundation as architects for the design of this new facility. They enlisted other specialists including locally based architect Enock Kibbamu who had known Ashinaga’s activities in Uganda from the very beginning. A local construction company was selected through a standard bidding process. C. General programme objectives The main objective of the programme, as presented by the client, was the creation of future leaders who have the motivation and ability to contribute to the future of sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the programme needed to provide ideas for enhancing the value and potential of the students’ countries rather than just bringing back knowledge from developed countries. The architecture team aspired to design a project that enhances indigenous values of the African continent. This belief led to the idea of sourcing all materials and skills from the local communities. The client also required that the facility accommodate students who were selected from each country of sub- Saharan Africa. They spend their time here under the mentorship of tutors from top universities around the world. “Study Camp” and “Preparation Camp” are geared to prepare students for standardised testing and university entrance applications. In addition to the common academic classes, scholars benefit from African and global affairs classes, computer skills, presentations and debate classes. The students, interns and staff also take on positions of responsibility in daily life within the facility. D. Functional requirements (i.e. architect’s brief) The building was designed as a residential school. The client committee had no preconceptions for the building’s design. However, because of their experiences of organising dormitories in other places, they believed that a sense of a courtyard or “quad” is ideal for community life. Also, the number of students was expected to fluctuate, so the spaces needed a lot of flexibility. The architecture team thought that spaces should be appropriately designed for individual and group study, with larger spaces for the whole community coexisting with quiet bedrooms and office spaces. Residents gather here from many different nations, and have different experiences of modern urbanised life. The building keeps a balance between high-tech and low-tech facilities in the kitchens and bathrooms – the low-tech equipment giving the building a degree of independence from the unstable infrastructure of this region. 3 IV. Description A. Building data: volumetry, massing, number of units, surface in square metres, etc. Area: Total site area: 2,140 square metres Ground-floor area: 809 square metres First-floor area: 507 square metres Total combined floor area: 1,316 square metres Height: Maximum height: 7.83 metres Floor-to-floor height: 2.89 metres Wall height variation: 1.1 metres, 2.1 metres and 2.7 metres from floor level B. Evolution of design concepts, including 1. Response to physical constraints – siting, climate, plot ratios, etc. The dormitory stands at approximately 1.2 kilometres above sea level – giving it a comfortable climate, with winds blowing towards and from Lake Victoria, which lies in the south. When they started designing the project, the architects noticed that the locals spent hot days outside – in shade and the breeze. Thus the design team opted to position long walls along south-east to north-west sides to create shadows during the hottest period of the day, and have large openings on north and south façades to draw wind and light deep into the rooms. There are two rainy seasons, but the architects observed the rain does not fall all day. Therefore, they designed the building as predominantly open spaces within which enclosed rooms can be used when the rain is extreme.