INITIATIVES WORKBOOK

JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS CONTENTS

“OUR INITIATIVES PROGRAM CREATES ARCHITECTURE 4 A Blueprint for Recovery from Conflict WHICH TRANSFORMS PEOPLE’S LIVES. THIS IS ACHIEVED 6 Improving Lives through Direct Action

THROUGH COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN A WIDE RANGE Projects OF PROJECTS, TACKLING CHALLENGES THAT REFLECT KEY 10 N17 Design Studio GLOBAL IMPERATIVES.” 16 Burgh Hall 20 Kigali Memorial Centre 24 Oasis Uganda JOHN McASLAN, JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS 26 Wangari Maathai Institute 28 Yangon Workshop 30 Dominica Reconstruction Centre 32 Malawi Schools 36 Madame Gauthier Villa 38 Iron Market 48 Building Back Better Communities 50 Indian Institute of Advanced Nursing 52 Volubilis 56 Hat Factory 58 Bursaries

70 Timeline 72 End Matter 4 Initiatives 5 A Blueprint for Recovery from Conflict A BLUEPRINT FOR RECOVERY FROM CONFLICT

From Berlin to Phnom Penh, from New the individual attempting to recover from Station. He had already understood the sent to Port-au-Prince to report the How do architects develop a memorial Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, York to the Rwandan capital of Kigali, the deeply individual atrocity to which likely impact of the built environment earthquake in which a staggering quarter response that addresses loss of life, yet Cambodia - a school that served as one remembrance has become central to he or she has been subjected. For forty upon their lives. He believed our Centre of a million people are estimated to have also encourage a revival of hope and of 150 execution centres set up by the the process of recovery from major years I have been involved in the care would ensure that society’s ‘disconnected’ died. At the very heart of Port-au-Prince reconciliation? And isn’t it much harder to Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s. atrocities. Contemplation has always of vulnerable, often homeless, 16- to people would be considered as a the flamboyant Iron Market had been achieve this when substantial loss of life The Kigali remembrance architecture been at the heart of these potent sites 21-year-olds adrift in central . continuing element in any mass transit reduced to mangled wreckage. Here in major conflicts is relatively recent? forms a dramatically organic setting, of man’s inhumanity to man. The needs Before becoming a journalist I was, for interchange project. again I encountered McAslan at work, Our perception of widespread loss, rather than being an impressive memorial of survivors have been uppermost in the three years, the Director of the New We wanted to stay where we were, painstakingly rebuilding this extraordinary and the way we go about marking it, has object. The arrival sequence is green minds of those who seek to enshrine Horizon Youth Centre. Our work with partly because of the disruption of structure. Frankly, I wondered at the time evolved. We live in an age of rolling news, and leafy. The journey within embraces remembrance in an enduringly physical, these young people was undertaken in attempting therapeutic work in what was how this endeavour could be justified amid a complex tangle of information, memory, learning, remembrance and built statement. The drive is for all time a grubby sanctuary beneath St Anne’s still a daunting building site. So McAslan amid such injury, sickness and food texts, tweets and Prime Ministerial debate. Yes, the mass graves are there, to ensure that in remembering, humanity Church in Soho. Later, we moved to set about educating us to appreciate the shortage. But in truth the usual agencies ‘selfies’. It is extraordinary to think that, but so too is the Stream of Tears and the seeks to inform future generations an even grubbier basement in Covent impact the immediate built environment were tending to these needs and the only 20 years ago, commuters sat silently Lake of Reflection. The centrepiece is the of what happened, and to provoke a Garden, before moving to larger but can have on the effectiveness of our work. decision to rebuild this vital civic hub has on their journeys. Now, on trains, in the Amphitheatre, close to both the Africa determination to commit to the theme of hardly more beautiful Council premises In a micro sense, we were to develop the been vindicated: today, the Iron market street, in cafés, at home, life is lived much Centre for Peace, and the Education ‘never again’. close to the British Library. For the vast physical arena in which lasting individual stands once more as the city’s thriving more verbally and digitally, and with more Centre, designed by Hannah Lawson, As a reporter and as a citizen, I have majority of my years with New Horizon I recovery could occur. Five years on, hub and life once again swirls through obvious emotion. Director of Culture and Education in stood at both ends of this equation in never gave the built environment in which the effect of his input – an architectural and around it. It happens that somehow my life McAslan’s office. The environment has micro and macro circumstances. In we worked a thought. competition, a Lottery grant, and the So what happens when ordinary daily has cast me from time to time amongst been devised so that it stimulates both October 2001, three weeks after the Then, one day, the architect leading delivery of a state-of-the-art building life becomes horrifyingly extraordinary, architects. I have highlighted McAslan memory and that journey of commitment horrific 9/11 attacks in New York, I stood the rebuilding of King’s Cross Station designed by Adam Khan – has been and in the most overwhelming way + Partners because the practice’s toward ‘never again’. within Ground Zero, the surface still hot knocked on our door. John McAslan beyond our dreams. The work has been possible? How do architects, in the activities continue to coincide with both What has been achieved in this beneath my insulated boots; the smoke was brutal in his evaluation of the transformed. The uplift that the individual service of governments who want to my reporting and NGO life. Strangely, I verdant space surely offers those who and steam still rising; tangled wreckage all physical circumstances in which we client experiences upon entering the create places of cultural redemption, have worked in both King’s Cross and in seek more humanised resolutions of about, protruding against the less ruined were working with our young clients. In building is palpable. express the democratic and the humane . Two places in which McAslan + conflict a way forward. We must hope that structures beyond. In that moment, I short he described our premises as ‘unfit Good architecture and intelligent in memorial projects? Partners has been active in very different for Baghdad, for Damascus, for Kabul, could not begin to imagine the impact for purpose’. Many of our clients would treatments of public space improve Anyone who has visited Lutyens’ arenas. In the long years during which the there is, tucked away in Central Africa, this horror would have on the course of come in from a night on the streets to be peoples’ lives. Think of Trafalgar Square, a Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the practice worked on the rebirth of King’s a different kind of blueprint for the part history, not least the immediate wars in greeted in an environment that was hardly memorial island trapped in a whirlpool of Somme battlefields, where 72,194 British Cross Station, it has also been developing that architecture can play in humanity’s Afghanistan and Iraq, and the vast scar better than where they had slept. Though traffic until part-pedestrianised. Think of and South African officers and men died, the design of the Kigali Genocide recovery from conflict. The Kigali it would etch upon the American psyche. the staff was skilled and committed, the Turner Contemporary’s burgeoning effect has felt the sombre weight of mass death. Memorial in Rwanda. This stands in Memorial Centre is not an architecturally To this day, the survivors still wrestle with building was dark and uninviting. on Margate, a town that until recently had The memorial, completed in 1932, is marked contrast not only to relatively bombastic statement of loss, but a those engaged in the memorial about The young people themselves had little allure to the general public, and no monumental, a grand statement about the historic memorials like the structure at landscape and place of gathering where where their loved ones should be laid suffered persistent abuse, neglect, sense of having been Britain’s grandest fatal results of an apparently clear-cut war. Thiepval, but also to the geometrical, memory, emotion, and very gradual within the structure that is being built to poverty, and acute mental difficulties. seaside resort in the late 19th century. But how do we memorialise the loss of life tomb-like Memorial to the Murdered Jews redemption can reside. st remember them. For some this remains, McAslan had already become aware I have witnessed another place in sustained in deadly conflicts in the 21 of Europe in Berlin, honouring the six unhappily, a contested memorial. of their presence in some of the nooks which the built environment has played century, when their origins and outcomes million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Jon Snow As a citizen, I have observed the and crannies of the area where he was a huge part in resurrecting a place of are often extremely complex, and tangled In contrast too, to the shelves of skulls Broadcaster impact of the built environment upon working, 500 yards away at King’s Cross devastation. In January 2010 I was in competing international influences? and the ‘waterboard’ furniture at the Tuol 6 Initiatives 7 Improving Lives Through Direct Actions IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DIRECT ACTION

Shade Central, India Tea Dance, Newham, London

Every architect searches for innovation, offer local young people apprenticeships of these schemes are often conceptually wing and central tower. Led the practice, contextual meaning, functional success. and work placements, providing an insight radical. Sophie Handler’s Tea-Dance the project team worked with a multi- They question briefs, examine locales and into the way a design studio operates and, and Fluid Pavement project used the disciplinary international team, including history and consult civil and technical hopefully, encouraging them to explore memories of older people to activate the Clinton Global Initiative, to deliver the specialists. But what if there isn’t a brief, career opportunities in the sector. unused public space in the East End fully repaired and functional Iron Market as such? What if innovation, contextual The conviction that good design can of London; in Senegal, Claudia Amico exactly one year after the earthquake. meaning, and functional success cannot make a real difference underpins all helped a collective called Les Femmes President Bill Clinton, who officiated at be developed using normal design the Initiative projects. The practice has Dynamiques to build a new market space the opening ceremony, highlighted the processes? What if the experienced developed a design template for robust in their village; and in a searingly hot project’s civic importance: “The restored practice, and its experienced architects, but versatile community schools in rural Indian village, Craig Bamford used simple Iron Market is a valuable mark of ’s find their skills and knowledge tested in Malawi, where building materials are very materials to create Shade Central. progress on the road to recovery.” the bluntest ways? limited. Similarly, the practice sponsored At a bigger scale, one of the Initiatives The practice has also been instrumental These questions are a given for John the illustrious Indian photo-journalist, team’s projects concerned the proposal in another important Haitian project McAslan + Partners’ Initiatives team, Raghu Rai, to capture a series of images and delivery of what has since become - the preservation of the celebrated which identifies, develops and supports of the Kabari waste-pickers who work and one of the most written about community Gingerbread Houses in the vicinity of Port- research and community-based projects live on the squalid Ghazipur landfill site in support projects in London. The award- au-Prince. The practice is collaborating that can improve lives. Many of these Delhi. The photographs were auctioned to winning New Horizon Youth Centre, with the Fondation Connaissance et initiatives are at small, experimental raise funds for the Chintan environmental near King’s Cross Station, was designed Liberté (FOKAL) to develop a craft-based scales; one or two have attracted research and action group to support their by Adam Khan, a young architect local apprenticeship programme to repair considerable public attention, nationally educational programs on the site. commissioned through the Initiative’s and preserve one of these extraordinary Malawi schools and internationally; but most have The roots of the practice’s Initiatives process. It was his first significant project, houses, Maison Gauthier. In a comprable proceeded below the radar, so to speak. lie in a 1996 research project which and he has since become one of the most project in Dominica, JMP is leading the The architects and students involved are, the practice carried out with London’s highly regarded of Britain’s new wave renovation of the 1902 Victoria Memorial typically, ushered into situations of raw Architectural Association. This project of designers. Building at Rouseau, converting it from a enquiry. Facing design challenges in often assessed the adaptive reuse of Erich At the largest scale, in terms of physical library into a new Reconstruction Centre wholly unfamiliar contexts, they have to Mendelsohn’s seminal 1922 Hat Factory size and international significance, the for the island. go back to basics. Even more significantly, near Berlin. Another early collaboration, Initiatives team resurrected the unique Fundamental to the diversity of these JMP they have to learn about communities, this time with University College London, 19th-century Iron Market in Port-au- these Initiatives projects is the opportunity places, and needs that are not always the University of Meknès and the Prince, the most important public they have given to think afresh about familiar. Moroccan Ministry of Culture, explored gathering place in Haiti’s capital. This was people, places, communities, and Typically, the majority of the Initiative and recorded the Islamic Quarter of a compelling exercise in rapid reaction find ways – directly and simply – for projects are overseas, but a notable Volubilis in Morocco, a World Heritage site and total commitment to design and architecture to improve the lives of people exception is the practice’s new studio and at one time the southernmost African project management – John McAslan struggling to make the best of what they in Tottenham. This project is a clear outpost of the Roman Empire. + Partners was the first British practice have. demonstration of the practice’s Since 2004, there has been a stream of active in Haiti after the devastating 2010 fundamental belief that architecture can small-scale research projects, initially earthquake. Jay Merrick help change people’s lives. Responding to supported by bursaries funded by the One of the two wings of the 1891 French- Architectural critic the urban regeneration challenges facing practice and in partnership with the built Iron Market had collapsed, and Haringey Council following the 2011 riots, Royal Institute of British Architects and there was significant damage to the other N17 Design Studio, Tottenham, London Madame Gauthier’s Villa, Haiti the studio, opening in Spring 2014, will the Institution of Civil Engineers. Many PROJECTS 10 Initiatives 11 Projects N17 DESIGN STUDIO TOTTENHAM, LONDON

John McAslan + Partners’ new studio in Tottenham is a major commitment, demonstrating the practice’s belief that architecture can help change people’s lives. Having visited Tottenham following the 2011 riots, JMP set up a studio on the High Road, almost opposite the spot where the riots began. The studio will offer local young people apprenticeships and work placements, providing an insight into the way a design studio operates. This may also encourage local youngsters to explore career opportunities in the design sector. The practice too is learning a great deal more about local regeneration issues in a very direct way.

Opposite: street view of the N17 Design Studio; top right: map of the local area earmarked for regeneration; below right: Councillor Claire Kober (far left) and Natasha Manzaroli (far right) welcome John McAslan + Partners apprentices (left to right) Sam Ray, Rhasan Brunner, Akbar Hossain, Zehra Harrison and Daisy Ignatiou in front of the N17 Design Studio. 12 Initiatives 13 Projects

N17 DESIGN STUDIO N17 DESIGN STUDIO APPRENTICES OUTREACH PROGRAMMES We’re committed to working with local schools “It’s fantastic to be welcoming John McAslan + There are five apprentices from the local and colleges and encouraging students to explore Partners to Tottenham. Their enthusiasm for the area area working in a number of different architecture and design, as well as providing three is testament to its potential to be one of London’s roles at John McAslan + Partners work experience placements. So far, we’ve taken centres for creativity, training and opportunity. including IT, 3D Visualisation, Business a trip with the talented pupils at Northumberland Equipping our young people with the skills they Administration, and Marketing. They Park Community School around Tottenham to find need to fulfil their potential is at the centre of our are studying for a range of qualifications out how they would improve their local area. The regeneration plans for Tottenham, and this studio will including Apprenticeships in Business studio is also hosting workshops with students help raise aspirations as much as transform an empty Administration (Level 2 and 3), Advanced where they can use our technology to expand building. Creating new business spaces will help us Apprenticeship in Creative and Digital their ideas and work with our model makers to secure a revitalised High Road that supports our long- Media, Design Support Apprenticeship, produce professional models. We’ve already term ambition that everyone in Tottenham has the and ICT Apprenticeship (Level 3). displayed some of these in our Euston gallery, opportunity to succeed and thrive.” and the winning entries are on display in the N17 Cllr Kober, Leader of Haringey Council Design Studio. We’re also working with the College “After I finished college I wanted to get more life experience. I’m really enjoying of Haringey, Enfield and North East London and the opportunity of working with the community in N17” the Forest Recycling project to provide work Zehra Harrison, Apprentice, John McAslan + Partners experience for construction students.

Above: Apprentices (from left Samantha Ray, Daisy Ignatiou, Akbar Hossain, Zehra Harrison and Rhasan Brunner) at the N17 Design Studio opening night. Top: Field trip with Northumberland Park Community School; above: Workshop with students from Northumberland Park Community School, co-ordinated by John McAslan + Partners staff. Exhibits judged by Haringey Council Leader, Claire Kober 14 Initiatives 15 Projects

N17 DESIGN STUDIO EVENTS AND LECTURES AT N17 DESIGN STUDIO

The N17 Initiative is founded on a programme of planned workshops, lectures and exhibitions with a selection of local schools and chidren, college’s and community groups.

These events are aimed at promoting opportunities for young adults to aquire more information about careers in the creative business industries and also to encourage greater community engagement in key urban regeneration Children presenting their work during the Build Your Own Pavilion workshop. programmes in Tottenham.

The studio lectures have been open to all members of the public and have often been a springboard to allow a wide variety of opinions to be expressed about key social issues in Haringey.

Right: Alicja Borkowska and Iris Papadatou from ‘You and Me Architecture’ gave a talk about their work revitalising shop fronts on Totthenham High Road; Below: Cllr Kober, Aidan Potter and Nick Walkley gave a speech on the Left: an open day for local residents; right: apprentices Daisy Ignatiou and Rhasan Brunner giving a talk on their experience of being apprentices. opening night of the N17 Design Studio.

Left: a drinks reception for one of New London Architecture events held at the Design Studio; right: Paddy Pugh Director at JMP gave a lecture on Conservation in Tottenham. 16 Initiatives 17 Projects BURGH HALL DUNOON,

The Burgh Hall in Dunoon, funded and built in 1874 by the local people of the town, was rescued from demolition in 2009 in a phased, JMP-led scheme that is returning the Hall to local community use as a multi-functional arts facility. The main hall on the first floor of the building now hosts a range of activities and performances, including concerts, theatrical productions and dance classes, with accommodation on the ground floor offering space for exhibitions, club meetings, a bookshop and café. Recent successes include an Art Fund-supported exhibition of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, from Anthony d’Offay’s ARTIST ROOMS collection

Opposite: visualisation of the restored building – the Burgh Hall is Dunoon’s most important civic building, funded and built in 1874 by the local townspeople; right: Robert Mapplethorpe photography exhibition, as part of the ARTIST ROOMS on tour with the Art Fund programme, 2012; top right:1920s view of the town’s main street, with the Burgh Hall on far left; bottom right and left: the interior of the Hall had suffered from decades of neglect 18 Initiatives 19 Projects 20 Initiatives 21 Projects KIGALI MEMORIAL CENTRE KIGALI, RWANDA

The Kigali Memorial Centre was established by the Aegis Trust on the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, in April 2004. Built on a site where many thousands of victims of the genocide are buried, the Centre serves as a permanent memorial to those who fell victim to the genocide. A phased masterplan by the practice is providing expanded facilities for the site, including new entrance and education elements, and extensive re-landscaping that creates a place of shared memory that counters genocidal ideology. The first phase of the masterplan completed in Spring 2014, marking the 20th anniversary of the genocide.

Right: design for new elements for the Centre; below: masterplan for the site, including new elements, notably the Amphitheatre as well as the Genocide Prevention School, Documentation Centre, Interpretation Centre, and sculpture garden, all by MASS Design; opposite right: outdoor teaching area 22 Initiatives 23 Projects

KIGALI GENOCIDE MEMORIAL

Top: Phase 1 plan and section; above, right and opposite above: the amphiteatre during construction; opposite below: the inauguration of the amphitheatre, April 2014 24 Initiatives 25 Projects OASIS ACADEMY MUSOTO, UGANDA

As architects of the Oasis Academy Hadley in Enfield, the practice, with its experience of building schools in Malawi, is supporting Oasis’ educational programme in Uganda. The Oasis Academy Musoto will work in partnership with the three UK Oasis Academies, facilitating exchange visits, and developing curriculum materials and good practice. The Ugandan Government aims to provide universal secondary education but, currently, only 10% of children who complete primary education get a place at a secondary school. The new Academy will provide education for 600 students, and accommodation for 200 boys and 200 girls, covering secondary school from grades S1 to S6.

Right: the Academy’s design offers shading and natural ventilation, aided by a simple system of wooden shutters which can be adjusted according to the prevailing wind; below left: building section showing the deep roof overhang 26 Initiatives 27 Projects WANGARI MAATHAI INSTITUTE NAIROBI,

The Wangari Maathai Institute, to be located on a 50-acre hillside site within the University of Nairobi campus in Kenya, is dedicated to the achievements of the late Prof Wangari Maathai, one of the world’s foremost environmentalists. Having founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, Prof Maathai tackled global issues of climate change for over 30 years and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. The Institute will promote sustainability principles through practical research learning on site, with demonstration plots, academic facilities, guest housing, a 2,000 seat amphitheatre, conference centre, and energy and water conservation features.

Right: proposed conference centre at WMI; top: section through WMI; above: the late Professor Wangari Maathai 28 Initiatives 29 Projects YANGON WORKSHOP BURMA

Yangon Workshop is an event that occurred over three days a group of around 50 people, comprising Yangon architectural graduates and overseas architects, planners and urban designers gathered to look at three elements within the Downtown area of the City: the Kyauktada Township and adjacent waterfront, and the former Ministry of Tourism building on Sule Pagoda Road. Together these enabled the group to examine questions of building conservation and adaptive re-use, townscape improvements and traffic management, and enhancement of the waterfront, for the benefit of all. Yangon is one of the world’s great historic cities and has spectacular heritage from all periods from the sublime Shwe Dagon and Sule Pagodas to the old colonial trading city. The attendees identified methods of keeping this tradition whilst regenerating the area.

Above: historical map of the Yangon area; left: historical image of town; opposite: images of the workshop. 30 Initiatives 31 Projects DOMINICA RECONSTRUCTION CENTRE ROSEAU, DOMINICA

The Victoria Memorial Building was opened in 1902 in the first Botanic Gardens established in Dominica. This building was commissioned to provide the first public library in Dominica and also to commemorate the memory of the late Queen Victoria. The building is no longer used as a library and is in need of refurbishment for it to serve as the new Reconstruction Centre for the island. John McAslan + Partners are currently working on a restoration strategy for the building.

Right: historical image of the Old Library; below: visualisation showing the exterior of the building; Opposite above: views of the disused building; opposite below: visualisation of the new interior 32 Initiatives 33 Projects MALAWI SCHOOLS MALAWI, AFRICA

This project was set up in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative and the Malawi Ministry of Education, seeking to provide free primary education for all children in low cost, environmentally responsive classroom buildings. A measure of the project’s success is that the classroom design has been adopted as the design model for rural schools in Malawi - one of the world’s least developed countries. The design, for a relatively modest cost of only $20,000 per classroom, has created a school format for 170 children that can also be used in a variety of ways by local communities.

Above: location plan, showing the sites of the three schools developed using JMP’s classroom design; opposite above and below: the schools use locally sourced building materials and offer significantly improved internal light and ventilation. The first building type has two classrooms, divided by a teaching courtyard, under a lifted and inclined clerestory roof with a large overhang on the sunnier side. The central linking terraces, with double doors to classrooms on either side, are flanked by shaded spaces at either end. This creates five teaching spaces, and community-use terraces 34 Initiatives 35 Projects

Above: the roof’s generous overhang provides welcome Top and above: the modular design offers a range shade; right: axonometric drawing highlighting the simple of flexible teaching spaces modular design 36 Initiatives 37 Projects MADAME GAUTHIER VILLA PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

The distinctive rooflines, decorative joinery and vibrant colours of Haiti’s historic Gingerbread Houses embody the spirit of post-colonial Haitian architecture.The practice was instrumental in registering these houses with the Watch List and is collaborating with the Fondation Connaissance et Liberté (FOKAL) in Haiti to develop a local apprenticeship programme to repair one of these houses, Maison Gauthier. Home of the celebrated Haitian dancer late Viviane Gauthier, the house is currently used as a dance school, but is being transformed into a cultural foundation, by John McAslan + Partners in partnership with The World Monuments Fund.

Opposite and below: with their intricate ornamentation, the Gingerbread Houses are symbols of Haiti’s rich and vibrant past. Their revitalisation is also an important symbol of the country’s recovery; right: Madame Gauthier at home 38 Initiatives 39 Projects IRON MARKET PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

Built in 1891, the Iron Market was one of Haiti’s most important civic landmarks. Severely damaged by a 2008 fire and the 2010 earthquake, the Market structure was rebuilt and restored by the practice and re-opened by President Bill Clinton in 2011, exactly one year after the earthquake. The project required a multi-disciplinary team including many local artisans and was an extreme test of design, research, materials sourcing and logistics. Key historic details were restored, where possible, and new elements were engineered to meet current seismic requirements. The restored Iron Market is now a symbol of Haiti’s endurance and the long process of the country’s physical recovery.

Above left and right: early 20th-century photographs of the Market, erected in 1891; opposite: detail of the Market after restoration in 2011; top right: general view of the restored Market; overleaf: the Market following the devastating earthquake and subsequent fire of 2010 40 Initiatives 41 Projects

Opposite: the 2010 earthquake devastated the Market building; above and right: all materials that could be salvaged were carefully retained and incorporated into the restoration works 42 Initiatives 43 Projects

Above: the remaining historic structure was repaired, with newbuild elements echoing the spirit of the original; right below: local skills were used during the restoration process; overleaf: the restored Market 44 Initiatives 45 Projects 46 Initiatives 47 Projects

This page and opposite: the restored building is once again at the heart of social and economic activity in Port-au-Prince and is acting as a catalyst for future regeneration; above: the official inauguration of the restored Market in January 2011 48 Initiatives 49 Projects BUILDING BACK BETTER COMMUNITIES PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

The January 2010 earthquake in Haiti destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and businesses in and around Port-au-Prince, leaving the city’s fragile infrastructure in ruins. The international community and Haiti’s government called for a Building Back Better Communities reconstruction strategy providing safe, affordable and sustainable buildings. The practice proposed and delivered a Housing Expo and masterplan as part of this strategy, in partnership with the Haitian Government. This offered plans for houses, schools, clinics, and markets in new community templates that could be built quickly, cheaply, and more securely than previous housing.

Below: proposed masterplan; top right: the official document developed by JMP and published by the Haitian Government; right: John McAslan presenting to President Bill Clinton and members of the Haitian Government at the launch of the ‘Building Back Better Communities’ initiative in Haiti; opposite above: model of the housing scheme within the masterplan; opposite below: one of the houses built for the Housing Expo. 50 Initiatives 51 Projects INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED NURSING CHENNAI, INDIA

As part of an ongoing involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative and Yale University School of Nursing, the practice has designed the new Indian Institute of Advanced Nursing in Chennai, India. This is a pioneering educational facility dedicated to the training of nurses caring for HIV/AIDS patients. The landscaped campus, set in a five acre site to the south-west of Chennai, is designed to provide world-class teaching and residential accommodation in a campus setting.

Opposite top and right: façades are shaded to mitigate solar ingress; below: drawing demonstrating layered façade treatment with colonnade, utilising simple construction systems and passive design features 52 Initiatives 53 Projects VOLUBILIS MOROCCO

The World Heritage Site of Volubilis in northern Morocco is near Fes. Founded in pre-Roman times, it was the southernmost African outpost of the Roman Empire, becoming a thriving city during the 2nd century AD, before being destroyed by an earthquake. Volubilis, whose Roman ruins include a well- preserved Basilica, a complete triumphal arch, the columns of a Capitoline temple, and mosaics, expanded during the 9th century AD as an Islamic centre. This project, developed with academics in London, France and Morocco, proposed to open up and record the Islamic Quarter, protect the entire site and enhance the visitor experience.

Left: site plan, showing the Roman settlement in Volubilis; above: founded in the 3rd century BC at the foot of the Jebel Zerhoun, the city covers an area of 42 hectares. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Volubilis is an important example of urban development and Romanisation at the frontiers of the Roman Empire; opposite right: sketch of proposed visitor centre 54 Initiatives 55 Projects

Opposite: Capitoline temple; above: remains of the 2nd century Basilica; above right and right: the site investigations carried out during this project produced a substantial amount of historically important material, including mosaics, marble and bronze statuary, and hundreds of inscriptions 56 Initiatives 57 Projects HAT FACTORY LUCKENWALDE, GERMANY

In 1996 the practice, with students from the Architectural Association in London, prepared adaptive re-use studies for Erich Mendelsohn’s seminal 1922 Hat Factory in Luckenwalde, located some 50km south of Berlin. Though structurally sound, the building had been unoccupied for many years and had suffered extensive external modifications. Working with local representatives, the practice secured private funding to develop a strategic masterplan, including the restoration and reinstatement of the building’s external fabric and analysis of potential development opportunities.

Top: dyeworks and factory hall, 1921–23; above: model of proposal by Pitsou Kedem; right: interior of factory hall, 1996; opposite bottom: section showing proposal by Pitsou Kedem for the factory’s conversion into a series of ramps, stairs, theatres and rehearsal rooms 58 Initiatives 59 Projects

“THE BENEFIT OF THE BURSARY BURSARIES WAS FAR MORE THAN JUST THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO FACILITATE THE PROJECT – IT GAVE US ACCESS TO A WHOLE GROUP OF The practice has a long-standing connect one situation or perception with PROFESSIONALS AND INDIVIDUALS commitment to the development of another. The work of these Bursary- educational initiatives, and so in 2004, supported teams adds something of value WHO GREATLY INFLUENCED THE as an extension of this, a research to the canon of architectural research based programme was established and experiment. And beyond this, they PROJECT FOR THE BETTER.” in the form of a Bursary, funded by surely have the potential to enhance the Practice and administered by the the quality of life in places where living Royal Institute of British Architects conditions and human aspirations are and the Institution of Civil Engineers. so often compromised. Its purpose was to promote social and The projects touch on a range of community improvements in the UK and pressing issues facing society. Improving overseas, with projects developed by the quality of urban life and public teams of architectural and engineering space, for example; shelter and refugee students, and recent graduates, working housing; energy conservation initiatives; collaboratively. architecture as an educational tool. Since then, the Bursary has attracted Some projects are architectural, others some 150 project proposals, and in conceptual or social. In every case, the each submission the practice has been aims are ambitious yet practical. And they struck by the diversity, commitment and reinforce a crucial trend in architecture implicit humanity of their intent. The as a whole – the increasing value of both projects featured in these pages are a inter-disciplinary partnerships between selection of those funded through the design professionals, and engagement Bursary, and they reveal a profound with communities. spirit of collaboration; a desire to make a ‘If you ask a brick what it wants to be’ difference to the lives of others, to usefully Louis Kahn once mused, ‘it would say, an arch!’ The projects shown in these pages are rather like individual bricks; humble bricks, in search of a greater purpose. 60 Initiatives 61 Projects ZERO POINT HOUSE NEW HORIZON YOUTH CENTRE KING’S CROSS, LONDON

Two major crises have begun Adam Khan’s New Horizon to dominate our lives: climate- Youth Centre in King’s Cross, change and the housing London, supports the homeless shortage. There are 1.3 billion and vulnerable youngsters cubic kilometres of water in in this gritty part of central the Earth’s rivers, seas and oceans which London. The key driver of the could be utilised for housing a rapidly design was the emotional security to be growing population. 2.8m homes in Britain found in a welcoming space. Khan’s subtle are already at risk of flooding, “Zero Point proposal has created a dramatic, barn- House” is a proposal focusing on creating a like space, allowing elements to be used solution to both housing shortages and rising socially in different ways. “The Bursary was sea-levels. This scheme is looking at floating crucial in unlocking this project - limiting the Architecture and how in which we can competition to recently established practices incorporate this in to the way we live. The was a brave and generous move and intention of the project is to design a detailed certainly gave us our crucial first break.’’ open-source design for the world’s first self-sustaining, sustainably built, affordable, floating home; the ‘Zero-Point House’. 62 Initiatives 63 Projects TEA DANCE NEWHAM, LONDON

The past, as Sophie Handler demographics, community structures and suggests in her reportage aspirations are changing rapidly. of life in an East London ‘The Bursary’ says Sophie, ‘has been an borough, need not be a invaluable source of support, allowing distant memory. Her book, me to develop projects addressing older The Fluid Pavement, is a journey through people’s marginalised experience of Newham investigating the spatiality of urban space, and providing me with the ageing, from Plaistow to Canning Town. necessary time and moral support to test Sophie Handler explores the physical out different ideas and modes of design and emotional experiences of ageing, practice. This funding has been vital in in relation to public space. Based on shaping my subsequent research/design interviews, the book documents details of work, developing ‘Age-Friendly’ urban daily life in a part of East London where policy in cities across the UK.’ 64 Initiatives 65 Projects SHELTER MODULE LES FEMMES DYNAMIQUES DAKAR, SENEGAL

The supply of emergency Encouraged by Claudia shelters to areas hit by Amico, the village women wars or natural disasters of Joal, Senegal, have built has not always provided a market space using old fully functional equipment. tyres for foundations, and Tom Corsellis, along with the trans- mud walls. Les Femmes Dynamiques are governmental and UN-supported Shelter now planning to construct a tourist and Standards Consortium, helped to develop community facility in the capital city robust new international standards of Dakar. through the development of two modular designs for emergency family shelters. The tents are designed to provide a tough, basic shelter. 66 Initiatives 67 Projects SHADE CENTRAL ONE YEAR HOUSE SHIMAKELDI, INDIA THAILAND

In the village of Shimakeldi, Julia King and Asif on the arid Thuwavi plain Khan’s One Year of Maharashtra in India, House project temperatures can reach was based on the 45°C in the dry season. MaeLa Camp, How can the local community protect housing 50,000 Burmese, half of them itself from this searing heat, given the children. Julia and Asif collaborated with lack of shade trees? Craig Bamford’s the local people to develop sustainable beautifully practical parasol structure, family shelters. A study of potential made from local materials and erected building systems produced a prototype by the villagers, is the start of a longer- refugee hut, with material tests and term eco-projects programme. The shade the development of new tools carried structures not only offers protection from out by local carpenters. The project, the sun but will also shade the initial whose benefits may eventually spread to growth of new trees within the village. other Thai border refugee camps, was subsequently awarded follow-up funding by the British Council. 68 Initiatives 69 Projects PEOPLE IN SPACE VERNACULAR VALUES ROOF GARDEN UK TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA MUMBAI, INDIA

The People in Space Is degraded vernacular Nicola Antaki developed a roof initiative set up by architecture in the Saxon garden at Lovegrove School in Pascale Scheurer has villages of rural Transylvania Mumbai, which aims to look triggered design debates, worth preserving? Nikki at how architecture can affect a new magazine and the Linsell thought it was, the education and benefits development of a 600-strong membership and her project, on behalf of the Mihai of primary school children of young architects and designers. The Eminescu Trust, was designed to including improved literacy, child health, debates provided a forum for young maximise local perceptions of the school attendance, teaching resources and architects, engineers, a poet, filmmakers cultural and economic worth of notable achievement. Nicola has been working on a and a bicycle courier – themes included local buildings. research project in Mumbai since February Design Like You Give a Damn, engaging 2011, looking at how architecture can with humanitarian architecture, Seductive affect learning outcomes in primary school Sustainability, in collaboration with children. The focus of this project is on Sponge Sustainability Network and healthy environments for children who live Shooting Space, and architecture in film. in informal settlements. 70 Initiatives 71 Projects PRE-2005 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2014 2015 2016 -

Hat Factory (1996) People in Space Les Femmes Dynamiques Malawi Schools Wangari Maathai Institute Indian Institute of Advanced Building Back Better Oasis Academy Madame Gauthier Villa Burgh Hall Luckenwalde, Germany UK Dakar, Senegal Malawi Nairobi, Kenya Nursing, Chennai, India Communities, Haiti Musoto, Uganda Haiti Dunoon, Scotland

Shade Central (2004) Shelter Module Kigali Memorial Centre Tea Dance One Year House Iron Market Roof Garden N17 Design Studio Shimakeldi, India Rwanda Newham, London Thailand Port-au-Prince, Haiti Mumbai, India Tottenham, London

Vernacular Values New Horizon Youth Centre Volubilis Transylvania, Romania King’s Cross, London Morocco 72 Initiatives END MATTER

Hat Factory Kigali Memorial Centre Roof Garden Client Luckenwalde Town Council Client Aegis Trust, Government of Rwanda Client Lovegrove School, Mumbai Date 1996 Dates 2007 – ongoing Dates 2011-2012 Area 11,000 sqm Area 18 ha Team Nicola Antaki Team John McAslan + Partners Team John McAslan + Partners Architectural Association AKT II Madame Gauthier Villa Arup MASS Design Group Ltd Client John McAslan + Partners Burgh Hall Dates 2011–2017 Volubilis Client Burgh Hall Trust Team John McAslan + Partners Client Royaume du Maroc, Dates 2008 – 2015 Fondation Connaissance et Liberté Ministère des Affaires Culturelles Area 835 sqm (FOKAL) Dates 1998 – 2008 Team Page\Park World Monuments Fund Team John McAslan + Partners David Narro Associates Deutsche Bank University College London Harley Haddow Oasis Uganda l’Institut National des Sciences de Jura Client Oasis, Balfour Beatty l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine Morocco CDM Scotland Dates 2012 – 2015 Arup Doig & Smith Area 3 ha SBPT Team John McAslan + Partners Shade Central Arup Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Malawi Schools Aecom Date 2004 Client Clinton Global Initiative / Malawi Balfour Beatty Team Craig Bamford Ministry of Education Dates 2008 – ongoing N17 Design Studio Vernacular Values Area 200 sqm (each classroom) Client Haringey Council Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Team John McAslan + Partners Dates 2013 – ongoing Date 2005 Arup, DSA Area 150 sqm Team Nikki Linsell Team John McAslan + Partners Wangari Maathai Institute Shelter Module Client Green Belt Movement / University of Nairobi Dominica Reconstruction Centre Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Dates 2009 – ongoing Client Date 2005 Area 20 ha Dates 2016 – ongoing Team Tom Corsellis Team John McAslan + Partners Area Triad Team John McAslan + Partners People in Space Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Indian Institute of Advanced Nursing Date 2005 Client Clinton Foundation Team Pascale Scheurer Dates 2010 – onwards Area 2 ha Les Femmes Dynamiques Team John McAslan + Partners Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Yale University School of Nursing Date 2006 Davis Langdon Team Claudia Amico Arup Biome Tea Dance Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Iron Market Date 2007 & 2008 Client Digicel Team Sophie Handler Dates 2010 – 2011 Area 4,645 sqm One Year House Team John McAslan + Partners Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Alan Baxter & Associates Date 2009 Axis Design Group Team Asif Khan and Julia King O’BRIEN Steel Consulting Arts and Ambiance New Horizon Youth Centre GDG Breton et Construction Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Dates 2006 – 2010 Building Back Better Communities Credits Team Adam Khan Architects Client Republic of Haiti Essay Jay Merrick, architecture critic Dates 2011 Jon Snow, broadcaster Zero Point House Team John McAslan + Partners Design Lisa Sjukur, April Client RIBA/ICE/McAslan Bursary Clinton Global Initiative Date 2015 Team Umi Baden-Powell `We create architecture which improves people’s lives. We We believe that the city is one of humanity’s most aim for an architecture which is rational and poetic, robust impressive and precious cultural achievements. We also and delightful; we tread carefully and build with conviction; believe that cities are more than a collection of buildings; we tackle problems head on and think laterally; we cities are about connections, transport, communications, deconstruct the brief and let a design emerge from a close public spaces and joy. We believe in locating our buildings examination of the pieces; we don’t necessarily take ‘no’ firmly into their contexts - not as slavish repetition but for an answer; we believe the power of architecture extends as a considered response to site, materiality, amenity, much further than the dimensions of individual buildings; scale and culture. we believe architecture is about making life better. We don’t believe in the value of a house style; if we have We believe that buildings should be underpinned by a a house style it is one of process, not of form. We are powerful idea; that the idea should be an intelligent and functionalists. We believe a good building is an expression logical response to functionality and a sense of place; and of a clear and rational diagram. We believe in the value the power of that idea should be embedded in the built of research. We believe in contemporary design for a form. That way, clients get the buildings they need and changing world.’ society gets the architecture it deserves.

JOHN McASLAN + PARTNERS www.mcaslan.co.uk www.mcaslan.com.au

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