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Post by Nka on Apr 11, 2016 12:44:46 GMT -6
QUESTION FROM MENA
Good morning, I am experiencing difficulties at estimating the price of girders of welded rebars to hold the metal sheet roof. Can you help me, please?
ANSWER: I searched girder in this web site: www.bmghana.com for "building materials in Ghana" it is not in there. I also did google search for girders as construction material in Ghana; there are materials about building with wood and concrete girders. I think a best way to approach this is to do a fair estimate. For example, cement and girders are industrially manufactured products. In Ghana at the current price for cement is about $10. Find out the price of cement and girders in your country. Compare price of cement in Ghana ($10) to the price of same in your country. Use that index to estimate the fair price of girders in Ghana. In Ghanaian market the actual cost may be 10 to 20% less than in some Western countries. I have done more searches for girders on a good return. In place of the above suggestion, you may wish you email the following companies in Ghana to request the price for girders: evelconsult@yahoo.com (Evel Consult Gh). Ltd, amafowaakesse@gmail.com (ALUSTEEL LIMITED), sales@atlantisstructures.com (Atlantis Structures Limited), and agraham@ghana.com (ABM Structures Ltd). Please, include an image of the girder type, you want the price on.
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Post by Nka on Apr 5, 2016 13:35:30 GMT -6
QUESTION FROM thedo
Hey! I'm planning only toilets (on the urban plan n° 13) which are standing free on the campus. For how many persons should the block be?
ANSWER: On the proposed school site plan, the toilet/bath building is n° 13 and is in three different locations. On the plan the design is not finalize or specific to the capacity of the building(s) that it serves. With this mind, you will need to some research best practices about "school latrine design" for developing countries to create an innovate toilet building design to make your design stand out. In response therefore to the question of how many persons should the toilet block be for the dorm area, 40 users will be in order. It is usual that male and female toilet/bath are in separate wings.
At Abetenim, a design-build workshop about sustainable latrine (toilet building) has just been concluded. The workshop was conducted by Solterre Design: www.facebook.com/SolterreBuildForGhana Here are some construction photos of the toilets they did for the community library and school.
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Post by Nka on Mar 29, 2016 6:31:56 GMT -6
SUBMITTED DESIGN ENTRIES
This is a list of the Top Design Entries in the competition in order of scores by 9 jurors: 512752230, 493272659, 505267588, 497939248, 510266043, 503675310, 512882618, 507991056, 512772626, 496759853, 511142533, 510977131, 516738177, 493272659, 511927315, 512252729, 493582254, 511626212, 510701210, 512885991 and 484908566 . The 1st prize winning design is Framed Escape by the design team of Maude Cannat and Rachel Méau in France; the 2nd prize winner is Inside Out by Francesca Vittorini and Andrea Tabocchini in Italy; and the 3rd prize is awarded to Classroom by the design team of Archisan involving Mehnaz Chowdhury and Sumaiya Mehjabeen in Bangladesh. Five honorable mentions were awarded, which are Abetenim Sanitary Facility by Falyou Mama Team involving Mathieu PERRIER, Arnaud JOUANCHICOT and Preetvy RAMASAMY from France and Mauritius; Shaping the Light by Lida LIOUPI and Penny STERGIOPOULOU in Greece; Classroom Type by Davide SCROFANI, Ferdinando MAZZA and Giuseppe FRANCONE in Italy; Infinitely Reproducible Classrooms by Luca BUONORA in Italy and Classroom by Alberto FIGUEROA in Spain. You can download large files on the winning designs here: yadi.sk/d/95UfshXhtExAs and see all submitted below. 1st prize winning design, Framed Escape by the design team of Maude Cannat and Rachel Méau in France
2nd prize winner, Inside Out by Francesca Vittorini and Andrea Tabocchini in Italy
3rd prize winner, Classroom by Archisan (Mehnaz Chowdhury and Sumaiya Mehjabeen) in Bangladesh.
WHAT IS NEXT? As the construction of the best design entries is our priority, from February 2017 to July 2019, we are collaborating with some of the design teams in the competition and new partners to organize construction workshops to build the design entries based on site at Abetenim in Ghana.
The building workshop to construct the 1st prize winning entry will be held from March 1 to May 24, 2017; the workshop to build the 2nd prize winning entry will be from June 2 to August 25, 2017; and the building workshop for the 3rd prize winning design will run from July 8 to September 30, 2017. Whereas, workshop to realize the design entry that were awarded Honorable Mention will run as follows: Infinitely Reproducible Class from February 6 to May 6, 2017; Classroom from March 1 to May 24, 2017; and Classroom Type from 8 July to 30 September, 2017. Through an open call for participation, each workshop will bring together students and recent graduates of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, and anyone interested in construction to join the workshop and play a part in line with their expertise.
THE BUILDING CHALLENGE! How do you learn to design what is buildable? It is by designing and building your own design!
Nka Foundation has come to know that by immersing the young designers in the full circle of designing and building their design, the designers will not only garner project management skills, we anticipate that at the completion of the design-build process, the emerging architects will learn to design what is buildable to make a well-rounded graduate. For the professional, you will find the hands-on earth building experience a pause from your office work to rediscover the rudiments of architecture and nuances that can refresh your practice.
Thus, we are inviting schools of architecture and design, architecture associations, volunteer-sending organizations, Without Borders organizations, service learning / Co-op university programs, and community-spirited individuals to join us as project partners and supporters in building the top design entries in rural Ghana.
To participate, contact us at info@nkafoundation.org / www.nkafoundation.org .
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 10:36:22 GMT -6
Question from ayesha munavar
how many people are allowed in a team entry ? and approximately how large will the size of site be on which the school has to be constructed?
ANSWER: There is no limit of how many designers should be in your team to participate.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:44:22 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:39:01 GMT -6
Questions from scullye
(1) I just want to confirm if the size of the presentation we have to submit really is only one A1. It looks like in the previous competitions there were three A1 allowed, so I just wanted to be sure since it's a little bit hard to fit everything in one board. Thank you very much!
ANSWER: Yes, it is as in the design brief: submit only one A1 presentation board on your design.
(2) I'm doing the dormitory type. When you say 'you may re-design the dorm courtyard to create a type to be built in phases (stages / incremental) by breaking up the dorm courtyard into units' , is it EACH of those units of which cost must not exceed more than 8000 US$, or is it the whole type that they form when they are all put together (aka one of the four dormitory blocks we can see in the master plan)? Thank you!
ANSWER: The budget of 8000 US$ is for EACH unit of the dorm courtyard.
(3) Also, it has been said in the main forum post that there is no need for bathrooms for someone who chooses to design classrooms. We can see on the master plan that there are a few toilet blocks nearby the dorms. But in the PDF ' Areas. Design a school for rural 1.22.2016', it is said in the notes 'Bedroom with bunk beds, common bathrooms ...'. So does that mean that we also need to design the common bathrooms? If so, are they part of the type? Thanks again!
ANSWER: You asked: "...does that mean that we also need to design the common bathrooms?" This will depend on the dorm type you design. Below are two dorm designs with different sanitation needs, Dorm Toilet Type A and Dorm Toilet Type B. Dorm Toilet Type A has toilet and bath shared by a cluster of 4 rooms; and Type B has a toilet end that consists of several toilets and bathrooms shared by all students.
For the reason of sanitation, the school dorms in the region usually have shared toilets that are outside the dorm rooms / sleeping areas. The shared toilets can be a small unit outside the building (see Toilet Building Type below) or can be situated at one end of the dorm building (see Dorm Toilets Type B) below. Whichever type is your choice, the toilets / baths should be in proximity to the dorm considering the number of students to using the building.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:37:06 GMT -6
Question from robertsoares
Hi. I apologize if my question sounds stupid, but now I'm confused. In the document on which are the areas for each building of the school, there is a dimension of 4.5 x 9.0 marked as "REQUIRED" for the classrooms. So, even if I don't agree with this dimensions, because it represents little space for 45 students, I followed this as a guideline for my project.
As others spaces have the dimensions marked as "SUGGESTED" and not "REQUIRED", I think you'll should clarify if we can or cannot make a classroom a little bigger to fit all the 45 students with minimum comfort, or if we need to keep the dimension "REQUIRED", as stated in that document.
ANSWER: Yes, you can make a classroom a little bigger to fit all the 45 students.
If I don't agree with the suggested dimension, because it represents little space for 45 students, then design your classroom of the dimension you believe would be ideal.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:34:31 GMT -6
Question from metwaly
Hello, I'd like to ask about the classroom areas, in the areas sheet there is to ideas, the first is the recommended area is 40m2 and the second is the practical action is 60m2 with 1.3m2 per student. which one should we stick with ?.
Thank you
ANSWER: The task is to design a classroom for 45 students per room. Whether the dimension is 40m2 or 60m2 would be relative to the design concept. The figures are estimates, just to guide your design thinking.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:32:12 GMT -6
Question from dingjay
Hello organizers, Question for the classroom type: it says on the estimating sheet that we need 27 classrooms. However, it is planned to start building with 1 and then co-join another. Do we have to take in detail consideration of the number 27? or that is just an estimation?
Thank you.
ANSWER: 27 classrooms is our estimate for the school population of 500 students. Yes, it is an estimate. You will have to take into consideration one courtyard/cluster of classrooms that your design will be a part.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 9:17:58 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 8:06:27 GMT -6
MORE QUESTIONS
1. Question from Gavito: (a) We also want to know if there is like a form - figure of the terrain? we talk about perimeter... and how much space are we talking about? in square meters... please so we can have an idea of how big can be the project (b) About the terrain where the school is going to locate... we understand that the only reference that we have is Google earth.. we can see that there are some constructions, so one question is if we have to respect that? ? or pretend that all is land. ANSWER: The site for the school is about 14 acres. In terms of terrain, it is best to use Google map to type in "Abetenim" and you will get the idea of the topography of the site. It is generally a flat land with tree on most part of the land. There is no construction on the site yet; it is all vacant land waiting for your design response.
2. Question from Mena: About network and grid: provided that electricity is necessary, are there other needs we should be aware of (water, gas boiler, wifi...) and for which typologies? ANSWER: Yes, there is electricity in Abetenim by public grid. Gas boiler and wifi are not necessary as the vilage is rural. There is water by a community bore hole but not yet piped out into the houses in the community. It is of the hand-pump type that the people go to fetch water to meet daily need.
3. Questions from Mena: I am developing one of the blocks of classrooms, so the project will have two classrooms and a small bathroom. Can I therefore imply that now the cost is double, since I have two classrooms ad not one? Also: is the bathroom required for the classroom type? ANSWER: No, bathroom is not required for the classroom type. The bathroom type will be a separate unit with many bathrooms for common use. A block of two classrooms @ 40 sq meter per classroom? $8000 will do it as the construction will be by community labor, but that will depend on your design. If your design is elaborate, then focus your budget on one classroom and treat the second classroom as an incremental unit to be built next as a second phase of the construction.
4. Question from Mena: Construction cost for the materials of the project should not exceed USD 8000, The classroom type is 40 sq mt, the cafeteria around 500 sq mt. Can you please clarify this? The cost of a 40 sq mt building cannot be the same of a 500 sq mt one, right? ANSWER: This question is already answered this page above. It suggests that you may design the cafeteria type around 500 sq meters to be built in phases by breaking up the cafeteria courtyard into units and then focus your budget on one unit. And keep in mind that the 8000 USD is mainly for materials, labor will be supplied by the community.
5. Question from Vittoria: Doing research about the climate of the site, we have not come up with an enough accurate wind analysis. Can you provide for it? Must we get through it by ourselves? ANSWER: Here are links to meteorological information about this area of Ghana at various times of the year: www.windfinder.com/weather-maps/forecast#7/6.850/-1.368 and www.timeanddate.com/weather/ghana/kumasi
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.
6. Questions from Jaap and Anna: Can you elaborate on the spatial plan of the cafeteria ( for example: what should be the size of the kitchen approximately, do we need a storage room? etc.) ANSWER: There are two group of students, the day students and the boarders. Boarders are the students who live on campus in the dorms. The cafeteria serves the boarders only.
How is the lunch organised at the school? Is there a central lunch at one specific time, or do students eat at different times? How is lunch served? Also breakfast and dinner? How will the food be prepared? Open fire, furnace, gas? ANSWER: There a central breakfast, lunch and dinner at specific times of the day. Lunch is served in the afternoon soon after the school hours.
How will the food be prepared? Open fire, furnace, gas? ANSWER: Open fire, furnace, and gas are all options for various types of cuisine.
Is it necessary that the cafeteria can be locked over night or is it more like an open structure? ANSWER: Yes, it is necessary that the cafeteria can be locked over night.
With regard to potential building materials we would like to know if bambus is available in the area as a possible construction material? Costs? ANSWER: By bambus I assume you mean bamboo. You are free to design you building with bamboo. During the construction, local hard (iron) wood would be in place of the bamboo. There is a local stereotype associated with building with bamboo because the common local species of bamboo are not for durable construction, they are only suitable for temporary housing.
Can you provide us with some more details with regard to climatologic conditions in the area? How often does it rain (any data on amounts?, is there a prevailing winddirection?, average temperature, day-night? ANSWER: Here are links to meteorological information about this area of Ghana: www.windfinder.com/weather-maps/forecast#7/6.850/-1.368 and www.timeanddate.com/weather/ghana/kumasi
7. Question from Clara: I have an important question about the price "RAMMED EARTH".material. Our team founded the Prices for the adobe ( bricks) ...but it's really difficult try to estimate the price for the Pisè CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE. Could you help me? Thanks a lot ANSWER: In this case, do a fair estimate, an approximation.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 8:01:51 GMT -6
Questions from architectschiizu
We have a couple of questions that we would like to ask: 1.) We understand that the current situation of the site is that there are no water pipping system, and the source of water is from a water-well using a hand pump. Can we design within our structure a water reservoir which could gather up rain water and make use of them. Or do our proposals & design have to take into account that water are sourced from the water-well and no plumbing systems are available. ANSWER: Yes, you can design within your structure, a water reservoir which could gather up rain water and make use of them.
2.) How many stories can the building be? ANSWER: We encourage a single story-building because the cost of a two-story building may be over the budget. But if you are able to design a two story building within budget, that is fine.
3.) From the site plan, we see that there are 4 dormitory buildings to be built. Are we able to make a proposal for all 4 buildings and connect them into one centralized community, or are we only able to make a proposal for a dormitory as a individual structure. ANSWER: You only make a proposal for a dormitory as a individual structure.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:56:18 GMT -6
Questions from newlife
(1) Hello, I have a question: Do we have to respect the landskape plan scheme you gave us?
Thank you
ANSWER: No. The landscape scheme is only an example.
(2) Hello, I read on the areas sheet that we can make for example a class room of 45 mq and that each of them is for 40 students. But it is not a too little space for so many kids?
ANSWER: If stated 45 sq meter for 40 students is not the best size for the classroom of your design, propose an alternative size by increasing the dimension of the classroom.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:53:12 GMT -6
Questions from jbcg
(1) Could you give us overall view of a "common student" during a day for a student in Ghana? Thank you
ANSWER: It is not much different from the West. A typical day starts with the morning assembly when the whole school gather. Songs are sang, Nation anthem or national pledge would be recited. A school administrator addresses the students. The student get to their classes for academic work. There is a short break and a long break from academic works. The school is over in the afternoon. Here are photos and statements from some students from the project site to enable you gain an expanded understand of the local context.
I am 14 years old Manese Kennedy. I am in JHS 1, I like mathematics and science. I want to be a doctor in the future but I am afraid my wish may not come to reality because my parents are labourers in somebody’s farm and they receive small pay which is not enough to take me to the senior high school so I will end up just like my older brothers abandon school and join my father in the farm. The only hope is get sponsorship from NKA foundation or have a senior high school in the village this way I can do small, small jobs to pay for the school fees which is not so expensive.
My name is Agartha Owusu, I am 14 years old and I am in JHS 1. I come from Abetenim near Juaben in the Ashanti region – Ghana. I am happy to have a senior high school in Abetenim because my parents a farmers and they cannot pay boarding fee or rent a room for me when I go to the senior high school and this is making me going to senior high impossible so if one is to be built in my village, I can just walk to school every morning and even come back to help my parents in the farm after school. I want to become a midwife in the future.
I am 14 years old Hannah Yeboah, I am in JHS 1,I like mathematics and science. I want to be a nurse in the future. But my father said he cannot send me in addition to my older sister to school because my older sister is already spending all what the family is able to save for renting room,buying food etc in order to have secondary education in the town. So senior high in Abetenim means my father need not worry about renting a room for me or sending me chop money every week.
I am Esther Sarfo, 14 years old in JHS 1. I like social studies and English language. I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. Building a senior high school in Abetenim will make my wish to be a lawyer possible this is because my parents are farmers and they do not have money to take me to a senior high school,pay my school fees,give me money for transportation everyday or rent a room for me. So I was praying that when I finish JHS, I will get an excellent results so that I will get sponsorship from NKA foundation that was the only way I saw myself going to senior high school but now if there is a senior high school in Abetenim then what my parents need to do is only the school fees which I know they can get.
My name is Henry Yeboah, I am 16 years old and I am in JHS 3. I like science and I want to be a pharmacist in the future. The only way for me to achieve this goal is to be able to have secondary education but currently the nearest secondary school is Juaben senior high school which is 3-4 miles from Abetenim. So students from the village either rent a room in Juaben or stay in the boarding house which are both expensive. I for example do not know whether this year I can go to senior high school after the exams or not but if there was to be senior high school in Abetenim I know my parents could afford my school fees.
I am called Sarfo Bismark, I am 15 years old and I am in JHS 2. I want to be a teacher when I grow up, I like mathematics. I will be very happy to have senior high school in my village ( Abetenim) because it will encourage us to learn harder knowing that you can have access to secondary education even if your parents are poor since there is a senior high school close by no need to worry about expensive boarding fees,transportation fees or renting a room etc. I can also help my parents in the farm on weekends or even after school so that my father do not worry about paying for additional labour because I cannot help while in school.
(2) 1- When you say Each "dorm courtyard" type mustn't cost more than 8000 USD, is a dorm courtyard one of the four blocks we see on the masterplan? ANSWER: Yes, a dorm courtyard is one of the four blocks you see on the preliminary masterplan. It is # 7 as the legend suggests.
2 -Besides, how close to the masterplan do we have to stick? Can we redesign it a bit keeping the same implementation ideas? ANSWER: Yes, you may redesign it a bit, keeping the same implementation ideas.
3- What prototypes will be built? One of each type or just one chosen between all projects? ANSWER: We will build as many of the classroom designs as possible in line with the preliminary masterplan. Some modifications to a design entry may be necessary at the construction site.
(3) 1. For the dormitory units, is the bed and other furniture included in the 8000 USD building budget? ANSWER: No 2. Is the common bathroom included in the 500m² and in the 8000 USD budget? ANSWER: On the preliminary site plan, it is designed as a separate building. The final design is up to your design team. The common bathrooms can be a part of the dormitory or can remain as a separate unit.
Attachments:
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:47:55 GMT -6
Questions from Gabriele
(1) Are rammed earth and cob construction the only ways to use the soil?
Can we use the soil for compressed earth blocks as well?
ANSWER: Yes, you can use "the soil for compressed earth blocks" or any other earth architecture method.
(2) Hi everyone! We are estimating all costs of our project, but we need to know how much is the cost roughly for the workforce/h, someone specialised in pressed earth bricks. Thanks
ANSWER: Expect to pay the local skilled laborer (such as someone specialised in pressed earth bricks) about $10 per day and unskilled laborer $7 per day.
We have to consider this cost because we can't include the cost of brick s manufacturing in the main workforce. Then, does anyone know how people build foundations overt here?
ANSWER:
Stone Foundation Trench filled Foundation Slab Foundation
Among the middle class in the region, wooden floor is not the convention. Stone or concrete floor is the thing, and there are numerous examples of homes with earthen floor. If you are on budget, you may use concrete foundation footing instead of poured concrete slab that is reinforced with metal rods and wire mesh over the entire floor of the house. How do I do this? Dig the foundation for the walls of about 24 inches wide and 1 ½ feet deep. This is for one story building; for two story building excavate the soil for the foundation to 4 feet in depth. Pour a thick layer of concrete into the trench, this is called "blinding". You can now lay cement blocks or pour concrete by formwork to raise the plinth. On top of the plinth, you can do poured earth, rammed earth, or cob. That is to say, through use of formwork, pour concrete (a mixture sand, gravel, cement and water) into the dug foundation until the foundation wall rises to the desired height of the plinth (about 2 feet) above the ground level. Upon the concrete plinth, build the rest of the wall (18 to 24 inches thick) by earthcrete using formwork. Then, render the floor by the “earthen floor” method, which is by plastering the floor with a mixture of earth, water and cement. To water-proof the earthen floor, the local mason would sprinkle cement over the wet earthen floor and the trowel is used to work it to smoothness.
TYPES OF FOUNDATION: (1) Dig the foundation trench. Insert formwork into trench and begin to build the wall by first pouring in concrete for up to 3 feet high. Then proceed to poured in the earthcrete (mixture of earth and cement) until the required wall height is reached. (2) Concrete Trench Filled Foundation: Concrete trench fill consists of a mass of concrete strip cast into the open trench making use of the trench sides as a shutter. Mix the concrete to the ratio 1 cement: 5 sand, adding water to produce a consistency that should pour easily without being too wet. Stones or gravel may be added to the mixture for strength. Shovel the concrete into the trench. Leave the concrete to harden for 3 days before you start to build the wall. Then, insert formwork and begin to build the wall by poured earth.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:41:33 GMT -6
Hello, is it possible to know the function of this building? And maybe the ones next to it? Thank you!
ANSWER: The house you are referring to is a private house owned by Daniel. The house is next to the arts village. The building site for the school is on the other side across the road.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:36:40 GMT -6
Questions from mjdrago Avatar
Mar 14, 2016 8:46:06 GMT -5 mjdrago said:
Good afternoon. Here there are a few questions about the competition: We already registered as a team and paid the $60 fee, but we had to insert data for one member. How to transmit the personal details of each group member? ANSWER: You will have to list all name on the "Design Statement" as a part of the submission by email to mudhousedesign@mail.com
What's the height of the trees near the Laboratories? (see attachment) ANSWER: The image is not the actual image, specific to the site. It is rendering just a visual presentation by another design team to guide your design thinking.
We'd work on the Labs, but what are their needs? (singular or big tables/special equipment for experiment/projector/refrigerator/pc area/storage room... and so on.) ANSWER: These are science labs that consist of Chemistry lab, biology lab and physics lab. The contents include that that you mentioned should be in a science lab. Other basic things include burners, microscopes, etc.
Is it wrong to consider an outside learning area for open air experiments? ANSWER: No, it is not wrong, but keep in mind of the seasonal variations in weather. There is heavy rain fall during the Rainy Season and sunshine dry the Dry Season.
Thank you, Maria Giovanna and Francesco
There are some more questions: What is the suggested high for walls? Is there any limit? ANSWER: There is not specific limit. Our project prefers 10 to 12 feet as height of a wall for the school building.
Is there any direction which is more affected by sun radiation [south more than north]? Any info about sunlight exposition would be appreciated. ANSWER: In the tropical climate, it is best to position houses with the longer side orienting East-West direction. The image below is an answer to your question.
Building Orientation, Abetenim Project Do we have to design the water and electrical system? ANSWER: It will help, if you can design the water and electrical components of your building design. If you can not, the local building will help with that during the construction of your design.
How many students in each lab? ANSWER: A class load of 45 to 60 students on the average.
Are the labs going to be built all together or one by one in different times? ANSWER: The labs are going to be built one by one at different times.
Do we have to put glass in each window or can we consider just holes? (Does any lab have to be aseptic?) ANSWER: These sort of design considerations are up to you.
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Post by Nka on Mar 28, 2016 7:26:54 GMT -6
QUESTION FROM ADEL:
Hi, I need a more detailed map for the site please..showing the coordinates and the north direction..thank you
ANSWER: Here is a Google Map of the area showing the north direction.
With this information, you can search the name "Abetenim" on Google map to get other details you may need.
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Post by Nka on Mar 26, 2016 20:18:28 GMT -6
A short film about Nka Foundation Projects:
by Helena Zarchan
Q & A: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE
NOTES: We are using this page, as our questions and answers page.
The last day to submit your entry to the jurors is May 30, 2016. No excuses.
IMPORTANT FINAL DATES
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS The deadline for questions and answers session is April 14, 2016.
SUBMISSION OF DESIGN STEP 1: Between April 15 – May 30, 2016, submit an A1 Presentation Board of your design and design statement to mudhousedesign@mail.com. This is for the jurors. The image should be in high resolution of about 15 MB. See the competition’s design brief for instruction about this.
STEP 2: And between by May 27 - May 31, 2016 post a low jpg version of your design and design statement to this page: nkaprojects.boards.net/thread/59/submitted-design-entries . This is for the Online exhibition of your design.
Please, see the design brief for the instruction.
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Post by Nka on Feb 1, 2016 9:20:10 GMT -6
REGION-SPECIFIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS: THE ROOF
In the region, the traditional roof designs are of the gable and the hip roof types; these are well established. The roof of a classroom or a community center requires an ample ventilation such as the shed roof provides because it is used during the day. The roof of a dwelling unit does not need to be overly ventilation. What is necessary is a small vent in key position to allow the rising hot air to escape into the atmosphere. However, the vent ought to be covered with a material such as a mosquito net to avoid bugs from invading the house at night. However, we think that the roof design for a mud house should project beyond the wall to suggest a tall hat. That is to say, the eaves of the house should form an overhang from 3 to 5 feet, wrapped around the external walls to protect the wall from rain damage and to create veranda for sit out. The hip roof provides this coverage.
The hip roof is one of the simplest roof styles and is good for draining water and avoiding leaf build-up. It is one that is excellent for homes in areas with high winds, tornadoes and hurricanes, as it tends to withstand damage from these conditions better than a gabled or similar style roof. A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof that is designed with four rafters that meet in the middle of the roof. The “hip” is the area where one section of the roof meets another. Because the roof is slanted on all four sides, eaves and gutters are necessary on all sides. Hip roofs that have eaves all around are suitable for warm climates because they provide shade on all sides of the house, which will aid in keeping the home cool during the hot season.
Types of Roof Ventilation Types of Vent Split Gable with Clerestory Windows Gable with Ridge Vent by Loc Nguyen.
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Post by Nka on Jan 30, 2016 23:17:42 GMT -6
LATRINE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
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Post by Nka on Jan 21, 2016 23:25:59 GMT -6
JURY
The body of the jurors for the 4th Earth Architecture Competition is as follows:
David COLE, Director of Building Trust International (UK)
David is a founding partner and director of Building Trust international a non-profit organization supporting thousands of people by engaging designers in providing better housing solutions, schools and medical facilities. Building Trust also supports global conservation NGO’s with guidance on community engagement and promotes play for all by providing inner city play spaces. Building Trust currently operate in 24 countries and have more than 25,000 members. As the director of the organization David provides design support alongside management and advancement of the stations and their reach. In 2015, he won the Architects Sans Frontiers Challenging Practice award, most recently David has been appointed to advise Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and UNICEF on design for a number of international aid projects.
Ericka Alfaro CORTEZ, an architect in Nicaragua (Central America)
Ericka Alfaro Cortez is an architect in Nicaragua, Central America. Cortez studied architecture at the Universidad Centro Americana (UCA) in the 2000s. She has worked on social building projects for a rural community in Nicaragua, as the project manager, involving adobe construction. Recently, she was a part the design who helped create the preliminary site plan and types for the Abetenim Senior Secondary school for Ghana. From May 2014 to October 2015, Cortez worked as a consulting architect in a sustainable urban project called "Promoción de un transporte Ambientalmente sostenible para Managua Metropolitana" with PNUD/GEF from the United Nations Development Program and the local government to promote the use of bicycles as public transport. In 2011, Cordez participated in Holcim Awards for sustainable construction in Nicaragua with the Fundesonic NGO.
Markus KALTENBACH, Architect and Urban planner (Germany)
Markus Kaltenbach studied architecture and urban planning at the KIT, earning his diploma in 2013. During his studies he won the Prize of the Faculty three times and received scholarships from DAAD, KIT and the University of Art and Design Linz. Before working for Albert Speer & Partner, he worked for UN-Habitat and UM-net. He has participated in projects in such countries as India, Madagascar, Ghana, Kenia, South Africa, North and South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as in Europe. He taught international urbanism at the Darmstadt University / MA Urban Studies from 2014-2015 and was guest lecturer at various universities. He is founding member of Raumgeschichten e.V.
Jason ORBE-SMITH, Founder and Lead Designer at Orbe Design Studio (USA)
Jason Orbe-Smith is the founder and lead designer of Orbe Design Studio, a hands-on collaborative design practice. We specialize in creating meaningful, beautiful and joyful projects with an emphasis on social humanitarian architecture, community-led design and contemporary natural building. Jason recently led a group of international volunteers for Nka Foundation's Kasirwa Earth House design-build workshop on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He is currently partnered with the non-profit organization Leading Through Reading, Chief Wumbe Dawuni, and the local community members of Bunbong, Ghana on the design and construction of the Bunbong Community Library in northern Ghana. Jason holds a Master of Architecture degree from SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, California
Cristiane H. SIMÓ, Professor of Architecture at SENAC in Sorocaba, São Paulo (Brazil)
Cristiane Simó has worked as architect for 15 years, with residential and commercial projects. Simó obtained Masters Degree in the visual arts at Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Bachelors Degree in teacher education at Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paulo and Bachelors Degree in architecture and urbanism at Universidade Paulista (UNIP). Simó worked as an art teacher for 10 years in private and public schools. She have developed projects of commercial and residencial architecture as a self employed architect since 2000. In 2013 she joined the teaching staff at Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial (SENAC), where she teaches marketing and aesthetics in architecture field. In 2015, she participated as a volunteer architect in the United Nation’s volunteering program to collaborate with other designers to design the Abetenim Community Secondary School in Ghana for Nka Foundation. Also, in 2015 Simó accepted a teaching position in the Interior Design department at UNIP, where she teaches design, materials and Ethics.
Inna STROKOUS, Architect/Interior designer (Ukraine)
Inna Strokous obtained Master's degree in Architecture in Poltava National Technical Yuriy Kondratyuk University, Ukraine, in 2013. The theme of her diploma was research of the ecological design in architecture and building in commercial and private building. After graduation, she continued her research in sustainable design and has created a range of the personal ecological projects. In 2014 she started work as an independent architect. One of her recent projects involved the development of the architectural design, interior design and 3-D visualization for Honolua Homes (USA) and she was involved in the architectural projects of the Child Care Center in Australia. Inna Strokous created a number of the interiors with eco-direction and sustainability, also developed eco conception in interior design. Her interiors and architectural projects were implemented in Ukraine and USA. In 2015, as a member of team of architects for Nka Foundation, who collaborated on the design of the Abetenim Senior Secondary school in Ghana.
LENNY SCHUTZ, Senior Creative Director at Housing.com
Lenny Schutz has enjoyed his passion for Architectural Design during his projects which included Child of the universe - Black Lion Foundation (biggest philanthropy project in Africa over $30 billion) , Otto Infinito, Spykar Jeans, TPI India - Aston Martin furniture showroom and Bulthaup kitchens, Arsenal football club private bar, Bhorukas Pvt.ltd, Soul Konnect, JSK, One earth Financial - Earth Mountain Lodge, Gumarny Zubri a.s., along with many more schools allover Czech Republic.
Angeles Hevia VARGAS, Sustainable Architect and Environmental Consultant (Chile)
Angeles Hevia Vargas, is a Sustainable Architect and Environmental Consultant, with several years experience in architectural design. She holds an MSc in Environmental Design and Engineering from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL, UK, a Diploma in Sustainable Architecture from PUC, Chile and an Architecture degree from UVM, Chile. Her experience as an architect includes working in London in a methodology framework proposal for the British Library, contributing as a sustainability reporter at The Architects’ Journal and participating in competitions such as the Passive House International Design Competition, where her team’s proposal for a house in Sofia, Bulgaria, became one of the finalists. Some of her designs include Kente House, a 120m2 rammed earth house/workshop for Kente weavers in Ashanti, after being shortlisted in the 2015 Mud House Design Competition. Her current projects include the design of a single-family, energy-efficient house in Valparaiso, Chile, which incorporates the metallic wattle and daub construction technique. Angeles also works as an Environmental Consultant with the target of reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions due to space heating along with improving thermal comfort in buildings. She believes sustainability is a way of combining traditional, vernacular, passive design and construction techniques with contemporary technology to provide modern, energy-efficient architecture.
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Post by Nka on Jan 20, 2016 0:43:32 GMT -6
PRELIMINARY SITE PLAN FOR THE ABETENIM SCHOOL Site for the School Landscape Site Plan of the School This above design is the proposed Landscape Site Plan for the school by an Online team of architects and a landscape architect. It provides us with a tentative layout for the various units that make up the community secondary school. Note that this is rather the preliminary site plan to provide a guide for a final Master Plan to be done based on site.
Your role, as a participant in the 4th Earth Architecture Competition is to design one of the units of the school with reference to the above landscape site plan. By this, your design submission can be either a classroom, a science laboratory, a dormitory type or another unit of the school.
Someone asked: “What do you mean by this: ‘to design one of the following types for the school: a classroom type, laboratory type, office building type, dormitory type, group toilet type, cafeteria type and a dwelling type for the teachers.’ That the design has to include all of those functions?” No, one design entry does not have to include all of the functions on the school site. You will design your entry to serve only one function. So, your design entry can be either a classroom type, or a dormitory type.
You also asked: “How many square meters more or less?” The classroom type, laboratory type, office building type and dormitory type all have different dimensions. For example:
classroom type = around 4.5 x 9 m (around 40 m2), laboratory type = around 80 m2, dormitory type = around 500 m2, cafeteria type = around 500 m2, dwelling type for the teachers = around 150 m2
Yes, the construction budget for your design entry should be $8000 (USD) or less. And keeping in mind that the above site plan is a preliminary plan, it is not the final master plan. By this, you may re-design the classroom module to create a variation / type to be built in phases. Likewise, you may re-design the dorm courtyard to create a type to be built in phases (stages / incremental) by breaking up the dorm courtyard into units, and then focus your budget on one unit.
Here is a photo of the site for the school, where your design entry will be built.
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Post by Nka on Jan 18, 2016 23:10:17 GMT -6
SITE MAP: ABETENIM(Abetenim on world map: Type the name, "Abetenim" on Google map and you can see the topography. Here are a few maps to get started.
Abetenim on the Map
Abetenim Soil Sample, Anna Webster 2015
ABOUT THE PROJECT SITE
Abetenim Village is in the Ejisu-Juaben District (http://ejisujuaben.ghanadistricts.gov.gh) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Abetenim is about 40 kilometres from Kumasi, which is the second largest city in Ghana. Abetenim occupies a geographical area of about 4km by 5km with most of the land covered by green vegetation. The village is named Abetenim (village of palm trees) because of the many palm trees in the land.
Today, the population is about a thousand people, with 60% of them between the ages of 1 to 25 years. The current Paramount Chief of Abetenim is Nana Owusu II. The standard of living is rather low. 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 or write proficiently because they did not gain elementary school education. Abetenim used to have only a primary school, which is grade 1 to grade 6. Children on graduating from the primary school had to stop schooling. The main excuse was because the closest junior high school they could attend was in Juaben. Those children eager to continue schooling had to walk to Juaben to attend school. With Nka foundation coming to the village, the village can now has its own Junior high school which was built through the contributions made by visitors of the foundation. The junior high school now has a total of 52 pupils and 8 teachers.
The Abetenim is situated on a flat land off a laterite road from Juaben Township. The top soil is 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. Fortunately, a taxi driver lives in Abetenim; we hire his services as needed.
In general, the Ejisu-Juaben District has four semi-urban settlements that are Ejisu, Juaben, Besease and Bonwire. In Ejisu-Juaben District and environs, there are cultural sites such as Bomwire Kente Village, Ntonso Cloth Printing Village, Ahwia Carving Centre, Bobiri Forest Reserve/Butterfly Sanctuary, and the cultural centres of the historic city of Kumasi. There are Internet Cafes in nearby township of Effiduase and Kumasi. In Abetenim, you can access the Internet with pen drive wireless connection, which is a service provided by most regional phone companies. Power is by public electricity. There is water well in Abetenim, of the hand-pump type.
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Post by Nka on Jan 15, 2016 16:15:40 GMT -6
4th EARTH ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION Designing a School for Ghana
Nka Foundation announces a call for entries for its 4th Earth Architecture Competition: Designing a School for Ghana, an international architecture competition open to graduates and advanced students of architecture, design and others from around the world who think earth architecture can be beautiful.
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE? The challenge is to design a unit of a school for students of ages 12 to 18 years that can be built with earth and other local materials in rural Ghana. Total costs of constructing the design entry must not exceed $8,000 (USD) for materials; local labor excluded from this price point. The jurors will use judging criteria involving functionality, aesthetics and technical matter to select three prize-winning designs. Jurors will award prizes for 1st: $1,500; 2nd: $1,000; and 3rd: $500. Honorable mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the jury but will receive no cash prize.
WHERE IS THE CONSTRUCTION SITE? The construction site will be Abetenim Village, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
HOW TO REGISTER AND SUBMIT AN ENTRY Registration deadline is April 25, 2016 and submission of entries is until May 30, 2016. Here is the design brief: yadi.sk/i/RCoDin2WrLmEo it is posted on Download the design brief and use it as guide for creating your design entry.
To participate, register at www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-earth-architecture-competition-tickets-20450604308 and submit your design entry via mudhousedesign@mail.com . For additional information, see the competition discussion board: nkaprojects.boards.net or contact info@nkafoundation.org / www.nkafoundation.org
If you have a question and need the answer to enable you create your design entry, post it here: nkaprojects.boards.net/thread/58/answers-page and you will get a response from the competition organizer.
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Post by Nka on Dec 16, 2015 18:32:11 GMT -6
WEFT EARTH CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP
June 3 - August 31, 2017
Join us as a workshop participant to realize the 3rd prize winning entry in 3rd Earth Architecture Competition in Ghana by the design team of Eddie Winn and Samantha McPadden in Los Angeles, USA. Our workshop is based on site in the Village of Abetenim, Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is located approximately 50 km east of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana.
Everybody is welcome: Graduates and students of architecture, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture and sustainable practitioners from around the world. Students can use the opportunity for internship or thesis.
Get in touch with the workshop leaders: eddiewinn@gmail.com / Smta.mpdn@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Post by Nka on Dec 16, 2015 17:26:44 GMT -6
EARTH ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOP
July 13 – October 14, 2016
Abetenim Arts Village near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region in Ghana
Be part of this hands-on experience to built eARTh house, the 2nd prize winning design in Nka Foundation's 3rd Earth Architecture Competition by Lorenzo Conti, who is an architect in Italy.
The main goal of this workshop is to bring together local builders, regional craftspeople and enthusiastic volunteers. The challenge is to share the knowledge and expertise of everyone involved to create a built environment in order to embed the earth construction in Ghana's long tradition of sustainable housing. The building is to be designed for use by either musicians, theatre artists, potters, sculptors, painters, textile artists, designers, writers, or media arts practitioners.
The workshop will be held in Abetenim Arts Village, located 40km Southeast of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. On top of providing a community in need with new housing solutions, volunteers will learn how to build a earth house using a site-specific approach, traditional practices and encountering local materials, construction and community.
For volunteers, the workshop will be a platform for continued education in the pragmatics of designing and building. You will immerse in the rich Ashanti’s culture to explore and learn by collaborating on the building project. You will have short breaks from the construction project to visit local attractions and participate in field trips. You can join us at any time from 4 to 12 weeks to help build our unit.
Anybody interested in building with earth is welcome to join. Architecture students, architects, sustainable practitioners and volunteers from around the worlds. We need students of landscape architecture to landscape the completed unit to blend with the rural landscape, interior design to organize the interior spaces, product design to create the furniture and fittings, photography/video arts for a documentary and a sculptor/a painter to create works of art to adorn the interior/exterior spaces. African studies are also welcome to do their part in the building project. You will get the credit for the the role you will play in the project. Students can use the opportunity for internship, personal research or thesis.
Designing Leaders: Lorenzo Conti (Project Leader), Arch. Mattia Lucchetti, Arch. Sara Bettoli. Team based in Italy.
COST: Food 70€/w and accommodation 70€/w; project contribution 300€ (flight costs are not included)
TO APPLY / INFO: Contact earthouse.ghana2016@gmail.com
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Post by Nka on Dec 16, 2015 16:04:59 GMT -6
ABODE + ADOBE BUILDING WORKSHOP
August 1 - October 28, 2016
WHAT: Join us for a workshop to build the 1st prize winning design in Nka Foundation's 3rd Earth Architecture Competition by the design team of Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder, Chowdhury Mohammad Junayed and Erum Ahmed of Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder & Associates in Bangladesh.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: This an open call for participation. The workshop will bring together enthusiastic volunteers from around the world including students and recent graduates of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, the arts and anyone interested in construction can join the workshop and play a part in line with their expertise.
WHERE: The workshop will be held at Abetenim Arts Village located approximately 50 km Southeast of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana.
COST: Food and accommodation 80€/w; project contribution 400€ (flight costs are not included)
WORKSHOP LEADER: Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder, Associate Professor at Department of Architecture at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. E: buildinginbasics@gmail.com
The workshop is a collaboration between Nka Foundation and Building In Basics. BUILDING IN BASICS is a research and design initiative based in Dhaka, Bangladesh that focuses on socio-cultural and environmental responses to traditional building and material techniques and their contemporary adaptation.
MEDIA COVERAGE
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Post by Nka on Dec 4, 2015 23:42:29 GMT -6
UPCOMING
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Post by Nka on Dec 3, 2015 23:56:44 GMT -6
3rd Earth Architecture Competition
(DESIGNING FOR THE ARTS)
All Workshops to realize design entries in the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition are listed on this page. Please, browse through to find the one of interest to you. To participate, contacts the workshop leaders for application.
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