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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 10:56:10 GMT -6
This is an open forum to allow participants in the
DESIGNING FOR THE ARTS: 3rd Earth Architecture Competition
and the public to have a conversation on the competition, share files, and centralize feedbacks. You can post files of formats such as JPGs, PDF, and videos. However, the size of each file must be of 1 MB or less. Share!DOWNLOAD THE DESIGN BRIEF MUD_brochureA3_20150724_pages.pdf (627.06 KB)_
Thank you for your interest and support. -Barthosa Nkurumeh, Nka Project Director
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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 11:06:20 GMT -6
THE DESIGN PROBLEMNka Foundation is issuing a challenge to designers, architects and builders to use their creativity to come up with innovative designs for modest, affordable houses that can be built locally to replace the rural mud house type. The challenge is to design a house type of about 2400 sq feet that sleeps 8 to 10 persons to be built on a plot size of 80 x 100 feet. Total costs of constructing the design entry must not exceed $7,000 (USD) for materials and labor; land value is excluded from this price point. You should design the unit for construction by maximum use of earth and local labor in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The built environment is to provide a place of stay for 8 to 10 international participants who come to immerse in the local culture to create works or collaborate on a community project. The multi-user dwelling is to be used by persons in any area of the creative arts. That is, the unit should be designed for either musicians, theatre artists, potters, sculptors, painters, textile artists, designers, writers, or media arts practitioners. Because the construction of best design entires is a priority, projects that have regards for self-construction and scalable design are sort. Each design team gets an opportunity to build their design entry at the arts village in Ghana or another site of their choice. Be a part of this! Let’s create change where it is most needed.
What is the preferred construction method for the winning entries? The method to be used to build your design can be cob construction, rammed earth, mud brick, cast earth (poured earth) by formwork, or any other earth construction techniques that can be easily learned by local labor. Roofing design should be corrugated zinc sheets, which is the conventional roofing materials in the region. This is because zinc roofing stands the heavy rainfall better. Others roofing methods such as vault roof, fired mud roof and canvas roof are all possibilities but not yet tested to stand the region’s heavy rain fall.
Jurors will award prizes for first, second and third place consisting of a commemorative certificate and cash prizes to the winning designs as follows: 1st prize- $1,500 or construction of design in Ghana plus a trip to Ghana for a workshop to build the winning design (in case the winner does not reside in Ghana and to a maximum of 1 person); 2nd prize- Construction or $1,000 and 3rd prize- Construction or $500. Honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the jury but will receive no cash prize.
Is your design buildable? Join us! All design teams will have equal opportunity to build their own design. At the end you will learn to design what is buildable. Registration and submission of entries runs from August 1 to October 30, 2015. The registration fee per entry is $60 for individual and $80 for a team. Here is where to register: eventbrite.com/event/16829232688/ and submit your design entry via mudhousedesign@mail.com
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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 11:08:16 GMT -6
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
(1) An individual or a design team can submit an entry to the Designing for the Arts competition. The individual participant can be a student or a graduate since 31st January 2010 and the design team can be two or more persons. A team can submit more than one entry. Each team shall identify one team member as its Point of Contact (“Point of Contact”) during the submission process.
(2) In order to enter the design contest, you must register here: eventbrite.com/event/16829232688/ The registration fee per entry is $60 for individual and $80 for a team. On your Eventbrite ticket, you will see a 9-digit order #. This is your registration number for one design entry. If you are submitting more than one entry, each design entry requires a separate ticket. With your entry ticket number submit your design entry via mudhousedesign@mail.com. If you want to pay by check, send us an e-mail: info@nkafoundation.org / www.nkafoundation.org and the following information: Team Name, Team Leader, Name, Phone Number and Email for Each Team Member. To submit your design, place your ticket number and the title of the project (no name) on all pages of your design submission to allow the jury to select blindly. (3) SUBMISSION FORMAT: (1) Text file (Word format) containing the design statement (600 words max) for publication purposes. The design statement should include material description, budget in USD, and the entrants’ personal information including name, profession, address, and email address. (2) Three A1 presentation boards submited as JPG files of high-quality resolution to be printed in landscape format. For uploading to the competition board, the file size of each presentation board to be submitted must not exceed 300 kb. We will request a large file on the presentation board for the purpose of jury or publications. The upper right corner of each board must contain the entry ticket number. There should not be any marks or any other form of identification, less the entry is disqualified. The files must be named after the ticket number followed by the board number. For example, 112334567-1.jpg, 112334567_2.jpg, and 112334567_3.jpg (for your presentation boards). Required submittals include the site plan, floor plan, elevations, sections, perspective views, roof plan, construction details and sequences (as appropriate) and project statement explaining the design. Submissions must be in English language.
(4) Of the nominated projects (20), there will be three winning projects, according to the highest scores. Jurors will award prizes for first, second and third place consisting of a commemorative certificate and cash prizes to the winning designs as follows: 1st prize- $1,500 or Construction of design in Ghana plus a trip to Ghana for a workshop to build the winning design (in case the winner does not reside in Ghana and to a maximum of 1 person); 2nd prize- Construction or $1,000 and 3rd prize- Construction or $500. Honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the jury but will receive no cash prize.
(6) Judging criteria involve: (1) Functionality: space patterns and usage as a house type for the arts, climatic performance, and sustainability over time; (2) Aesthetics: visual/aesthetic appeal; and (3) Technical: adaptive/ creative use of abundant local materials and labor to the degree they enhance the design, resource efficient construction process, and attention to scalability and construction budget. Decisions of the jury will be final and binding.
(7) Q&A: Registered participants may post questions or share materials at nkaprojects.boards.net or by email only, to the address: mudhousedesign@mail.com. The deadline for questions is October 20, 2015. The promoter will continually post replies to all questions received on the competition discussion board: nkaprojects.boards.net (8) Any person entering this contest shall certify and guarantee the organisers that he/she is the sole author of the project and by participating, each contestant grants their free and exclusive consent that all designs and ideas will be published and shared to inspire others. By entering the competition, all participants agree to all the conditions of participation in the competition.
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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 11:30:18 GMT -6
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Q. Do you have a website with detail about the competition? Nka Foundation’s website is www.nkafoundation.org. Registered participants will get invitation to an Online forum, which is: nkaprojects.boards.net, where the participants can interact and exchange ideas with other users and team up with fellow designers to complement their skills to achieve best results.
Q. What do I need to do to participate in the design competition? Pay the entry fee Online here: eventbrite.com/event/16829232688/ to get your entry ticket, create a design proposal, and submit your design via mudhousedesign@mail.com.
Q Should every member of the design team be a student or a graduate since 31st January 2010? The design competition is open to all emerging architects and designers. The design team can consist of students or recent graduates, or a mixed of a group of students and emerging practitioner in architecture or design. Non architecture or design practitioners can also take part in this competion regardless of years of practice. We think that it seems an unfair competition to allow established practitioners with extensive years of professional practice and awards to compete with advance undergraduate students.
Q. What is next after I have registered? Join us at: nkaprojects.boards.net. It is an Open Forum to stimulate exchange of useful ideas through discussions, responding to participants’ questions and offering feedbacks on their design concepts. We have uploaded many useful documents there to help you generate a more informed design response.
Q. Where is the construction site, is it on the map? Yes, it is on Google map, search for for the name “Abetenim” in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Electric power is by public grid, and there is public water. Most townships in the area do not have public sewage system; thus, the septic tank system is a common practice.
Q. What are the amenities that are most needed for a unit we are to design? Bedrooms for 8-10 people, a kitchen, 2 toilet/baths and a common space such as a yard or a terrace are basic needs.
Q. Where do I find information about the costs of local building materials? Here is a best best site: www.bmghana.com and you may google "building materials in Ghana" to see other sources. In general, to roof 2400 sq feet unit you will need about 20 packets of corrugated zinc sheets at $130 per packet. 1 bag of cement is $11. Expect to pay the local skilled laborer about $10 per day and unskilled laborer $7 per day. And keep in mind that prizes are subject to change because of inflation.
Q. Can you tell us more about the climate of the region where the project will be constructed? Ashanti Region of Ghana falls within the warm-humid climatic zone. Air temperatures remain moderately high, between 21 and 32 degrees C, with little variation between day and night. Wild direction is southwesterly; the predominant wind direction in the region is from west/southwest to east/northeast sectors. From November to March, there is northeasterly trade wind that comes from the North East, bringing hot and dusty air from the Sahara desert. It is called Harmattan. The Harmattan is a cold-dry and dusty trade wind, blowing over the entire country. Traditionally, earth-walled courtyard houses are typical with broad overhanging eaves to shade the exterior walls. Pitched roofs covered with corrugated metallic sheets are common in the warm-humid climates of Ghana. Windows are large and fully openable. Fixed windows are not climatically preferable in the warm-humid climates. For additional information, see: www.arcghana.org/architecture_southernghana.htm.
Q. I need more information on architecture of the project area? Here is a list to get you started: (1) www.scribd.com/doc/77284395/The-transformation-of-the-urban-structure-of-Kumasi-Studio-Ghana-2010-2011 (2) collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jsk02ce/3.4.html (3) lib.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/001/887/157/RUG01-001887157_2012_0001_AC.pdf
Q. Can we submit more than one project? Yes, but each project must have a unique registration number. If you are submitting more than one entry, each design entry requires a separate ticket.
Q. Do we need to submit hard copies of the boards? No, this is a digital competition. You have to send your boards by e-mail to mudhousedesign@mail.com between September 1 - October 30, 2015 and upload low resolution jpgs (3 boards of 300 kb each) of your design entry to the competition board at nkaprojects.boards.net/board/2/designing-arts-earth-architecture-competition between October 30 and 31, 2015. That is, upload the three low jpg files of your project not later than 11.59 pm of US Central Time zone on October 31, 2015.
Q. Can we submit our boards in Spanish or French? No, English is the only accepted language.
Q. Can you supply some photos of mud architecture from the region? You will find plenty of great images of architecture from the region if you google African architecture (Ashanti) or Ashanti architecture. Also on here on nkaprojects.boards.net, we have downloaded site photos and publications about the area.
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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 11:32:21 GMT -6
JURY
The body of the jurors for the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition is as follows:
Gilberto Duarte CARLOS, Professor and a Researcher at ESG|Escola Superior at Gallaecia (Portugal)
Gilberto D. Carlos has a PhD in Architecture from the University of La Coruna, Spain by thesis on ‘The Morphologic Legacy of the Vernacular Architecture’. Dr. Carlos graduated in Architecture from the University of Lisbon in Portugal with a scientific fellowship at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Carlos was a research fellow at the Portuguese national scientific agency under the University of Lisbon by integrating several field missions in African and the Asiatic contexts. He was a senior architect at GERTiL, an international cooperation office for the urban study and development of Timor-Leste, under the Portuguese Government authority. Currently, he is a professor and a researcher at ESG|Escola Superior at Gallaecia in Portugal, where he continues to develop several R&D activities, usually supported by the European Union funding or by the Portuguese national scientific agency. He is editor, author and co-author of several papers and book chapters, regarding the study of vernacular and traditional architecture such as ‘VERSUS: Heritage for Tomorrow. Vernacular Knowledge for Sustainable Architecture’. He was also an invited speaker at several conferences and seminars regarding earthen architecture including Architerre2014 festival in Algeria.
Paolo CASCONE, Associate Professor of Building Technology at the Milan Polytechnic (Italy)
Paolo Cascone was born in Italy (1976) and grew up between West Indies and East Africa. He graduated in architecture in Naples and started his research between advanced design, digital fabrication and self-construction during his master at the architectural association (London-Uk) in sustainable design and continued it while accomplishing a PhD in environmental engineering at the University of Rome. In the past few years Dr. Cascone has developed interdisciplinary projects with international firms and applied researches in the field of environmental parametric design and smart construction. He has been teaching as an associate professor at the ENSA Paris / Malaquais and at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture of Paris, where he founded Codesign Lab. More recently the office has developed the Urban FabLab project for applied researches on digital fabrication for architectural shells with the aim of involving local communities in most of the projects. African Fabbers is an Urban FabLab’s social innovation project based on the idea of bridging the African and the European makers communities through workshops, collaborative projects and meetings. In the year 2013, Dr. Cascone founded the research laboratory of urban ecologies and digital fabrication at the Ecole spéciale d'architecture (ESA) in Paris. At the presents, Dr. Cascone teaches Building Technology at the Milan Polytechnic.
Bruno MARQUES, professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts in Oporto Lusíada University (Portugal) Bruno Gomes Marques completed his PhD in Architecture at Valladolid University in Spain in 2010, and earned another PhD in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Oporto in Portugal in 2011. His Masters degree was in Urban Planning from the Faculty of Architecture at University of Oporto. At the present, he is Professor and supervisor of Master dissertations on the Masters Degree program in Architecture and Urbanism at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at Oporto Lusíada University. Dr. Marques was also the President of Centro de Estudos Africanos da Universidade do Porto - CEAUP from 2013 to 2014 and President of Núcleo de Arquitectos de Aveiro da Ordem dos Arquitectos - NAAV-OA from 2011 to 2014. He is researcher of CEAUP in the area of Sustained Economic Development in Africa on the topic of “Issues and projects of applied research: Applied research in Africa eco-development (architecture and urbanism)”. Since 2013, Dr. Marques conducted post-doctoral research on rammed earth and bamboo construction with bioclimatic approach in Africa. He has also developed research in the field of Civil Engineering, within a multidisciplinary research team, under the title: Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings – From Theory to Practice.
Tai SCHOMAKER, DoYouSpace Architecture in Berlin (Germany) Tai Manu Nova Schomaker is an architect and city planner living and working in Berlin. He founded DoYouSpace.net, which deals with sustainable and environmental topics, mixing high-tech solutions with traditional common sense. In partnerships with landscape architects, he explore the acclaimed hybrid design approach to stimulate dialogues between the traditional and the contemporaneity with a focus on strategies for better social and environmental integration. Schomaker also shares this approach with offices, such as HSH Architektur, TRU Architekten and Zvi HECKER (who is renowned for his inspirations from Arabic traditional architecture in designs for the Jewish community). Schomaker develops a particular interest for environmental design at la Villette Architecture School in Paris, alongside with inspiration from the science-fiction cinema. There, he gets to understand the ecological qualities of the mountain villages he grew up in the Alps and Himalaya. Schomaker shares his conceptual skills at the TU-Berlin Summer Schools around the topic of Berlin 2030 with students from Chinese universities. He took part in the IASTE 2012 conference on global issues, which was about the contemporary design practice as inspired by traditions in developing countries. In south-east Asia in 2014, he met with some leading architects involved in actualizing empirical techniques. Since 2013, Schomaker has been contributing to the Nka Foundation projects in the area of optimization of the earth building process in Ghana and was a part of the preselection jury for the Mud House 2014 Competition.PRESELECTION JURY Christina ANTONELLI, Construction Project Manager at Construction for Change (India) Christina Antonelli is a young architect who is actively involved in practice and construction. She holds a Diploma in Architecture Engineering (Patras school of Architecture - Universita degli Studi di Firenze) and she has additionally obtained a MSc in Sustainable Architectural Studies (Sheffield School of Architecture) focusing on the modern rammed earth applications in the UK. She has previously worked in practices in Greece and Spain. Christina Antonelli has an extensive hands-on experience by working on construction sites in Malaysia and Ethiopia, where she also held workshops on various earth construction techniques. Antonelli is fascinated by vernacular architecture in different cultures and the environmental design lessons that can be extracted from that. Her interests lie in the responsive sustainable design for sensitive environments and the use of architecture as a tool for social change. Jean GU, M.Arch Candidate at Columbia University, New York (USA) Jean Gu is a co-founder of the Three+Two Design, which designed and built their design entry in the Mud House Design 2014 competition at the Arts Village in Abetenim, Ghana. Prior to Three+Two Design project, Gu worked at Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris, France; Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in New York, USA; Gensler in Shanghai, China; Stantec in Toronto, Canada; and Formwerkz Architects in Singapore, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo in Canada before attending Columbia University's Master of Architecture program. Jean Gu's work is devoted to the value of craft and architecture to give a sense of grace to life. Louis MAYES, Architecture student at the CASS, London Metropolitan University (UK) Louis Mayes is works at Cottrell Vermeulen Architecture, which previous projects include an earth house in Kenya. Louis Mayes led the Handmade House workshop to build a poured earth house at Abetenim Arts Village over the summer of 2015. The Handmade House was Mayes’ design entry in the Mud House Design 2014 competition organized by Nka Foudation. Mayes is studying architecture at Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University in the UK, where he is looking at educational buildings with a focus on how material and social aspects affect learning. He has a previous degree in the History of Architecture from the University of Reading, which helped shape the the Handmade House, which was built at Abetenim. Mayes will soon pubish a book documenting the design-build process and findings of the Handmade House workshop. He has been involved in presentations to practices in London areas at such venues as MBA and KCA, as spaces of elaboration on the results of the Handmade House workshop. Christopher TOMASETTI, Rounding up work for Masters in Architecture and Masters in Real Estate Development, Columbia University, New York Christopher Tomasetti is at the present concluding his last year at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Presevervation in Columbia University, where he is pursuing his Masters degree in Architecture and Masters in Real Estate Development. Prior to attending Columbia, he received a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked both as a carpenter and rigger, gaining valuable construction experience on a range of project scales. Two notable projects that Tomasetti was heavily involved with were the Temple of Juno at Burning Man in 2012 and more recently the Hy-Fi installation at MoMA PS1 in 2014. In 2014, Christopher worked as a design intern Brandon Haw Architecture D.P.C in New York. In 2015, Tomasetti together with the ThreeTwo Design team ran the Three Two Workshop to build the team’s design entry in the Mud House Design 2014 competition at the Abetenim Arts Village in Ghana. Anna WEBSTER, Part 2 Professional Diploma in Architecture at London Metropolitan University (UK). Anna Webster is currently working in partnership with The Forestry Commission on a live project to improve the longevity of timber structures through innovative material usage. In 2014, Webster was shortlisted for Nka Foundation's Mud House Design Competition and went on to host a building workshop in Ghana to build a rammed earth house. The project which formed part of her thesis received one of the highest design grades in the year of 140 students. Anna was the winner of the university's Faculty prize for "Social Entrepreneurship" and her work has been published in Dezeen, Inhabitat and elsewhere. In 2013, Webster was a part of a team who constructed an "Earthship" in Puttaparthi, India. Anna Webster Studied her Bachelors degree at Manchester School of Architecture from 2009 - 2012 and prior to this, she studied 3D and Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Art, London. Anna Webster has worked in a number of internationally recognised architecture practices in London, Barcelona and Mumbai.
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Post by Nka on May 2, 2015 11:44:14 GMT -6
ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
Here is the link to a publication about the site: yadi.sk/i/7LUceDtogPdRb
How to make a difference: Toward a socially conscious design in the village of Abetenim, Ghana - A 2014 Post Graduate Thesis by Achinoam Weinstein and Giovanna Gaioni at Politecnico di Milano, Italy
SUMMARY Nka Foundation is building an arts village at Abetenim in Ghana, with help from volunteers from around the world. The arts village is designed as a learning center to provide stable places for creative people from the region and other countries to live, work, learn and create. The Abetenim Arts Village is situated on a flat land off a laterite road from Juaben Township. The top soil is of red earth mixed with gravel, which is an ideal proportion for rammed earth or cob construction. The primary means of transportation in Abetenim and the nearby villages are by tro tro and taxis.
Abetenim is in the Ejisu-Juaben District (http://ejisujuaben.ghanadistricts.gov.gh) in the Ashanti Region. Abetenim (meaning village of palm trees) is about 40 kilometres from Kumasi, which is the second largest city in Ghana. The village is named Abetenim because of the many palm trees in the land. Abetenim occupies a geographical area of about 4 km by 5 km with most of the land covered by green vegetation. The village is dotted by mud house types, built in ways that tell of abject economic poverty. The people of the village are essentially farmers with few of them producing cooking oil from the palm fruits, which they sell to traders from far and near. The local language is Twi. About 98% of the adults in the village are unable to read and write proficiently, because they did not gain elementary school education. Today, the population is about a thousand people, with 60% of them between the ages of 1 to 25 years.
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