Razan_2nd_submission

CONCEPT

The main cultural challenge for the project was
creating a space able to be accepted as
familiar from the local children.
The Campus architectural language uses the
same vocabulary elements of the local
spontaneous way of building but reassembled
in order to avoid the chaos and dispersion
typical of the Ethiopian suburbs.
The attention to local visual habits, materials
and colors has been from the beginning the
main tool to assure the children a sense of
belonging to the place.

The challenge coming from the site climate was the
necessity to provide protection from heat and rains,
Therefore, all the facades of the buildings were
provided with a continuous “filter-device”, a sort of
covered porch shielded from the outside by
eucalyptus wood panels, structured to form
sunscreen grids.

The overhang depth of the roofs and balconies
helps create constant shading to the facades,
generating, together with the sunscreen panels,
a real passive cooling system for the buildings.
The same “filter-space” acts as a porch,
protecting from bad weather and allowing
children to continue their outdoor activities, even
in the rainy season.
For the main buildings, the Mediterranean
courtyard type was chosen, in order to
enhance community gatherings in a protected
space – not only from the elements but also
from the street.

The internal courtyards are important spaces for
community gatherings, where children can meet,
learn and play in a safe and secure environment.

The campus is based on a principle of
maximum self-sufficiency, containing spaces
dedicated to vegetable gardens and animal
husbandry. Children are involved in the
management of these activities for educational
purposes.



MATERIALS

The project makes extensive use of local
materials: eucalyptus wood, a national Ethiopian
tree, used from the construction phase for the
scaffolding, and a local stone used for the
courtyard's flooring. The eucalyptus was then
used for all the truss structures supporting the
roofs, for all the solar screens protecting the
facades, for the railings of the galleries.
The natural red earth present in the area was
used for the coloring of the concrete floors.



SITE PLAN



ARCHITECTURAL PLANS