Lay out , it’s getting there !

The Swazi design team has been busy for quite a bit :  brainstorming slash idea swapping slash doodle digging. Finally the trade school is coming together !

So today, let me introduce to you the two layout options we came up with for the school .

Lay out Option 1

The derivation of these two options has been a humbling experience. As builders/designers/architects ; first and foremost we wanted to make sure we didn’t super-impose our notion of learning environment or school in an African rural context.

Lay out Option 2

Rather the core of our idea was focused on recognizing the limitation of resources (such as funding, material etc) and the challenges of social , cultural and climatic conditions. So the result is a simple, easy to build modular lay-out around courtyards and fruit orchards – that could be easily reproduced by the locals as and when they need in future. And by themselves.

Let us know what you think – we’re up for all !

cheers,

Sharmin

 

Site plan development

Our team came up with a concept that incorporates many of the ideas discussed up until now. It is a continuous S shaped roof creating two courtyards, with gaps between the buildings for circulation and activity spaces.

Here’s a sketch from our meeting last week. It shows a section on top, elevation (perpendicular to the section) at the bottom, and the plan detail of the exterior wall relevant to that elevation.
The main concept is to separate structure from building envelope (columns that hold the roof from weather proofed surfaces). Previous construction in El Shaddai employed concrete masonry unit walls that acted both as structure and as an envelope. By separating the two functions we can reduce the amount of material used, employ local construction techniques (here we show a local woven material, for example the way Swazis build huts, on both sides of a light wooden frame for the envelope), and allow for easy repair or removal of wall sections. Our 3X3 meter grid of concrete columns will give the locals a durable structure they can enclose in ways they see fit. We keep joking it’s like Lego – you can take parts from one place and move them to a different locations. We want to give the Swazis a basic Lego kit.

Conceptual design – Michelle

The team is now meeting every week to push the design forward. Check out some concepts Michelle Senayah brought to the table. Click on the images for a larger view.

Meeting the masons

Last week we had our first meeting with the masons who will be travelling to Swaziland to build the school: Dave and Mike from Red Robin Masonry.

We had a great conversation, mainly coordinating our expectations and understanding how the constructions could be done simply and in a cost effective manner.

Some of our topics of discussion:

– construction techniques: masonry retaining walls vs. masonry foundations with post and beam construction (with woven material infill for walls).

– design details: things like gaps between concrete blocks or other forms of play could make a nicer building but would cost more time – they would only be on site for two weeks, so we have to figure out what is most important for the design and focus on that.

– finance: we discussed various ways to raise more funds for the project, including crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo or Kickstarter. We could collaborate between Lifecorps, Red Robin Masonry, and Architecture for Humanity: Toronto Chapter to create an effective fund raising campaign.

 

Our team is now meeting every week to get the initial design going as soon as possible. More updates to come soon!

School Questions and Answers

The beauty about designing a trade school in Swaziland from Canada in 2012 is that we can communicate with the existing school online. Our team would like to ask the local children for input on their current conditions and how they would like their new school to be.

For that purpose, Sharmin made a special QnA page to be printed over there, filled, and mailed back to us.

Traditional Swazi Construction Techniques

We’ve got a few images showing how the Swazis build

Traditional homestead organization

Detail of the traditional Beehive style method

Contemporary composite: Sotho Style

Contemporary composite: Swazi Style

Check out more images in our gallery page

Image Courtesy
Cover – https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B6TtJftUHK4Nbf4dS00ieQ
Page 3 -http://www.visitswazi.com/tour/homestead.html
Page 4- Ariadne Van Zandbergen
Page 5 – https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cQ4cc0d5JDo6j3g7Tyv5pw
Page 7 & 8 – http://mrfaucher.blogspot.ca/

First Design Charrette

Ashley, Charles, Sharmin, Tamsin, and I met earlier today and went over some of the initial moves towards a design.

Here are some site layouts we’ve been playing with:

six classrooms, admin (green), storage(blue), and washrooms

Passive Design Techniques

We have been looking at the basics of passive design to help us understand some of the things we could incorporate in creating a building that would cost less to heat and cool.

First, let’s take another look at the climate in the region our site is.

We gathered some principles in design in warm and humid climates:

1. Resist heat gain
– Decrease exposed surface area – orientation and shape of building
– Increased thermal resistance – roof insulation and wall insulation, reflective surface of roof
– Increase buffer space – balconies and verandahs
– Increase shading – walls, glass surfaces protected by overhangs, fins and
trees
– Increase surface reflectivity – pale colour, glazed china mosaic tiles

2. Promote heat loss
– Ventilation of appliances – provide windows/exhausts
– Increase air exchange rate – ventilated roof construction. Courtyards, wind, towers (Ventilation throughout day) and arrangement of openings
– Decrease humidity levels – dehumidifies/desiccant cooling

How different openings can affect the design

The next image is about water collection and conservation

Different strategies for the roof

Thing to think about regarding ventilation

So we have a lot to think about before we actually start the design. James told us the existing classrooms (concrete masonry) do get cold at night, so we would like to incorporate some thermal mass elements to catch the heat during the day and disperse it after sunset. We know it can rain real hard during the wet season so we are considering our shading elements doubling as outdoor overhangs for cover outside. Since we are designing 6 classrooms, the layout will be extremely important – one point made in group discussions was about creating a micro climate using trees, water storage, and thermal mass, as well as cleverly arranging the buildings to maximize energy savings.

We would love to hear from anyone who might have something to add regarding passive design!

A little about the Swazis

In our preliminary research we have found some basic facts about the people of Swaziland.

97% of the population is ethnic-Swazi, the majority of which is Christian or dual Christian-traditional. 38.6% is 14 years old and under, 57.9% between 15 and 64, and only 3.5% older than 65. The fertility rate is 3.19 (data is a 2010 estimate).

The Swazi economy is composed of large scale production and small scale subsistence. It is largely informal and there is a migrant sector (mostly men). The formal economy is unable to absorb the growth of working age population. Food production for subsistence is at the village level and large scale commercial farms are mostly foreign-owned. The livestock population is overly large and this is leading to environmental degradation. The largest industry sector in Swaziland is mining. Others include clothing, furniture, light industries, and tourism. This is relevant to our project as we are designing a trade school where children will learn trades such as sewing and cooking. Swaziland has an all-weather road system linking main population centres with Mozambique and South Africa, the latter is also connected via railway.

Geographically, the country is divided to the Highveld (forest) and the Lowveld (grassland). Our site is in the Highveld region, with a temperate climate and 1000-2000mm of rain a year.

Only 21.4% of Swazis live in urban centres, but this is changing rapidly these days. The traditional rural form of family homesteads is compounds of buildings grouped around a central open space with a hut for the headman, his mother, each wife and her children, a kitchen, and storage. There are also cattle enclosures facing east. The land is distributed by a rural communal tenure system which is administered by traditional chiefs.

The traditional Swazi living pattern was seasonal, according to agricultural cycles and traditional division of labour tasks. This organization is currently disputed by pressure on land from population increase and the mechanization of farming. The family unit is fragmented as men migrate while women and children stay at the homestead.

The literacy rate in Swaziland for over 15 year olds is 84.7% for male and 83.4% for females. 80% of the population is covered for full time classes and there are also vocational and industrial training centres, teachers’ schools, and universities.

The life expectancy is 48.1 years for males and 47.8 for females. 26.1% of the population is HIV positive.

Our site is in a rural area, although the traditional hut construction is only used for kitchens (they put the dome on top of low masonry walls) and most buildings are built with modern masonry techniques (concrete blocks). It is powered and has access to water. In fact, there is a hydraulic power station on a lake fairly close to the site, so power is already provided in a sustainable fashion. There are over forty families in the area as well as more than a hundred children in an orphanage. The school we are designing will provide education to these people, who are unable to afford high-school.

(Source – Wikipedia)