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Post by Nka on Oct 31, 2015 13:44:43 GMT -6
ENTRY # 465588259
Weft Wall by design team of Eddie Winn and Samantha McPadden in Los Angeles, USA
DESIGN STATEMENT Weaving is an art form that is important to a broad range of cultures. In Ghana, Kente Cloth is important culturally. The patterns in these weavings are symbolic to their beliefs. Around the world, weaving can be traced through various histories, including Native American and Japanese for both decorative and functional purposes. Weaving still remains current to contemporary artists. There are two main components of a finished weaving. The warp is the foundation for the weaving. The weft brings life to the work. It is the visible part and also the character of the piece. Our art center is structured around the idea of a weaving. The site for The Weft Wall is on the edge of the Ashanti Arts District, reaching North-West, towards the nearby weaving villages, creating an implied connection and openness between the two.
The main spine of the project is a weft wall. It weaves in and out of the structure of the roof and defines the programmatic elements of the art center. The roof is lightly structured, resting above the weft wall, creating the structural rhythm for the expressive wall. This structural element can be compared to the warp component of the weaving.
On the South-West side of the wall are the art components of the program. We are defining the space to be used by weavers, though it would work for other types of artists as well. The entirety of this space is lowered, in order to distinguish it and also to make it more expansive for various community events. This programmatic component is also facing windward, in order to keep these more frequently used spaces more comfortable.
The most western space is to be used for the preparing and spinning of roving because of the enclosed nature of the space. The next space over is for dying of fibers. This space has a water basin with access to the stored water, and is closer in vicinity to the open sun and an area for growing plants used in the dying process. The center space is for access to the private areas and also an exhibition space. There are different hooks within the rammed earth wall for the hanging of weavings. The last and largest area is for weaving. Looms of different sizes can fit comfortably while artist sit together and weave.
On the North-East side of the wall are the private areas. The bedrooms have storage niches within the rammed earth and also screened openings into the lowered art spaces. The restrooms and shower area are closed off, with an entry through a small common area. On the more Southern end of the Weft wall is a linear outdoor kitchen with enough room for cooking for many. Adjacent to the kitchen is a large storage area for various supplies, including a water tank.
The Weft Wall is meant to be a space for community involvement. All of the art spaces are mostly opened, but covered to protect from rain. The step down provides ample seating for large community events and gatherings. Along the columns is the weaving wall, which can be woven with different palms, leaves, and other various items to close off the interior spaces, or to be used as extra space for exhibitions. Because of the linear nature of the wall and the space in general, additional components of program can be added on, as need be.
Local conditions have been taken into consideration wherever possible and recycled materials can be woven into the palette, for example, the formwork for the weft wall being used for bedroom walls. The project can be built within budget (as noted in attached document), and locally sourced.
Attachments:
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Post by Nka on Oct 31, 2015 12:30:11 GMT -6
The Sculptors Domain for Abetenim Art Village by design team of Shahid Sayeed Khan, Dania Faruq and Mohammed Ansir in Karachi, Pakistan
DESIGN STATEMENT “Learning Centre for creative people from the region and other countries to live, work, learn and create”.
The architecture is based on the traditional house of the region, “the compound” house. The ‘compound’ is the hub, where creation takes place, and the sculptor makes his magic. The ‘compound’ covered to keep the weather out but sufficient ventilation is allowed on all four sides, indeed on the two elongated sides the all-important sky is visible. “The artist needs to feel the connection with the earth and sky never surrounding him with walls that enclose completely” The main vertical walls, where the two entrances have sufficient openness to allow visitors to see in, are made of 24 inch adobe blocks with a mixture of lime, especially in the external and internal plaster work. The ‘compound’ is surrounded by eight sleeping quarters feeding into a bamboo forest of trusses that has a corrugated zinc roof covering. The roof collects rain water from a central gutter that feeds rain water into two 500 gallon drums at either end of the building, situated directly above the toilets and the kitchen. This rain water harvesting system allows for the ‘wet’ trades to utilize, each being placed at the extremities to allow ease of wet services being discharged without interfering with the main earth walls (greatest area of failure with earth construction where damaged water pipes seep into the walls).
The roof is made entirely with inverted roof trusses made from Bamboo; a material that has enormous properties but is under-utilized in building. Each joint is connected with timber dowels and bound together with locally made rope. Bamboo is more economical element than timber allowing the budget to be adhered too. The making of these trusses is a skill that can be easily imparted to the local carpenters. (We have implemented such skill training with those who had never used bamboo before).
The bedrooms are extended outside the ‘covered compound’ using 10 inch adobe sun dried blocks, in a vaulted structural format. Proportions are: 60% sand, 30% clay, 10% lime. The water proofing chemicals will be combined with the 3 inch external lime mix plastering making the structure completely water tight (we have extensive experience in this).
The external vertical adobe wall is painted according to traditional Ghanaian patterns and colors, whereas the ‘compound’ wall is faced with wall sculptors that the artists working here will execute themselves.
The floor is 4 inches of leveled concrete laid on a sand and gravel/stone bed.
Windows and doors are being kept to a minimum and used where security is paramount. The bedrooms are separated from the ‘compound’ by heavy duty curtain material, providing sufficient privacy but also allowing psychological and social interaction to take place when curtains are drawn open. Climatically the entire building has openings at roof and ground level for ventilation to take place all times of the year.
BUDGET Foundation and Floors. $1665 Walls $1770 Roof $2870 Plumbing and Cooking $487 Miscellaneous Expense $90 Total Expenses $6882
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Post by Nka on Oct 31, 2015 9:25:04 GMT -6
ENTRY # 463680792
ABODE + ADOBE by design team of Chowdhury Mohammad Junayed, Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder and Erum Ahmed of Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder & Associates, Bangladesh
DESIGN STATEMENT 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 in the context of rural Abetenim. The tropical warm humid climate of Ghana and the local building materials are the guiding sources of what are the possible architectural solutions that can be realized in the presented situation.
Design Considerations This idea proposes a modular design to generate a prototype. A basic module has been designed which can be added up to form the different type of required spaces. The dimensional parameters of the module is derived from the construction techniques and building materials, their potentials and limitations while the functional parameters have been derived from the type of activities it will cater while the spatial parameters develop from contextual and environmental considerations.
The design idea focuses upon two basic criteria: Flexibility, to house the participants coming from different parts of the world, who work in multifarious genre of art. The design calls for a generic system which provides flexibility to accommodate different user preferences. As the set of function changes, the space can be adjusted according to the changing necessities.
Available Resources, which are of a limited range apparently, but the potentials of other materials which can be locally harvested have also been explored here. As this design is part of a collective process, it can have an impact on the local community on a greater effect, addressing the issue of overcoming the local stigma that mud architecture is architecture for the poor.
SITE SPECIFICS Setting the building within the site The building is placed at the southern side of the site, after crossing a field, the central outdoor area for the residents. This green court is under shade continuously, ensuring a comfortable environment all day long. The south-west wind is refreshed by the bamboo tree layer on the western edge of the site.
The reverse pitched roof: The roof is pitched reversely, to allow a central channel to collect rainwater. This direction o f the roof opens up the indoor towards the outdoor, allowing more air and sunlight inside besides a stronger indoor and outdoor connection.
Climatic Considerations & Zoning: The service blocks are located on the east and west end, strengthening the north-south orientation of the building. The north and south sides are completely open, allowing maximum air circulation, a must for thermal comfort in warm-humid climates.
Spatial Layering: The activity and living spaces are aligned along the courtyard. The activity areas are adjacent to the courtyard, as they might be used for multifarious reasons along with higher number of people. The private, living areas are at the southern end, which also makes the living quarters more comfortable.
MATERIAL DESCRIPTION BUILDING COMPONENT MATERIAL USES FOUNDATION & PLINTH Tamped Earth Loose earth is tamped and compacted to form a strong base. Wire Mesh Spread on top of the earth base Cement Concrete A 25 mm layer to be casted on top of the wire mesh with a neat finish layer on top.
FLOOR Bamboo Covers the span of the adjacent mud walls, thus simulataneously acting as a horizontal tie and the upper floor. Straw Placed on top of the layer of bamboo, providing an additional thermal barrier alongside the use as a matress Bamboo Mat Placed on top of the straw layer.
WALL Earth Cob walls that form the basic structure of the house. The dimensions of the walls and spacing between adjacent walls is derived from the structural capacities of cob floors. Coconut Fiber To be used as a binder with earth. Wire mesh Cement Concrete To make the lintels on top of doors.
STRUCTURE Bamboo Form the beams which connect the cob floors, working as a horizontal tie instead of the typical use of bond beam, reducing the cost of material and construction. Rope For bamboo joints.
ROOF Corrugated Zinc Sheet Primary Roofing Material Bamboo Purlins Bamboo mat A secondary layer beneath the Zinc sheet, which acts as a thermal buffer.
WINDOW Bamboo Vertically folding windows, each panel consisting of bamboos aligned side by side. Screw Rod For connecting the aligned bamboo Steel Plate Fabric Curtaining the windows to add a secondary layer of screening
DOOR & INNER PARTITIONS Wood Framing Bamboo Mat Screens
Budget Analysis: Plinth & Foundation: $ 250 Wall: $ 500 Bamboo Structure, Upper Floor, Screening and Partitions: 3000 Roof: $ 1200 Labor Cost: 2000
TOTAL COST: $ 6,950
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Post by Nka on Oct 31, 2015 9:03:25 GMT -6
ENTRY # 464841883
HOUSE FOR THE ARTS by design team of Magdalena Zalewska and Grzegorz Baliński, Poland
DESIGN STATEMENT House for the Arts built from earth should not scream, should be a background for the activities for the artists, where they can relax, exchange ideas with others, or even create with the inflow of inspiration.
Our object was shaped in its basic by nature, primarily by winds blowing in the direction of the north-eastern and south-western, which knocked the typical mass of the house of the Ashanti region. In this way, a semi-private courtyard was born, which allows artists to inspire from the environment, being still inside, and on the other side, inhabitant gives a chance for watch artist's work.
We decided to add character to our shape and use 'Kente' patterns, which has been interpreted by us, as an openwork details that simultaneously allowed better ventilation for the bedroom. To perform such openings best choice was a mud brick , which could be done by volunteers at the construction site, what would definitely lowered the costs of the building. Adobe bricks should be made of the local earth, using a variety of shades of natural raw material. Through proper positioning creates a mosaic effect to evolving patterns of Kente.
In order not to overheat the room by warming-up metal sheet, we also decided to separate the space under the corrugated zinc of the room using plywood, so we would get two layers of ventilation - double ventilated roof . Roof is constructed by the classic wooden structure, giving it the right angle. To prevent the negative effects of the rains, tracts have been extended so that you could easily reach any place of the building.
At the end we added a narrow window with extruded wooden frames that creates a modern look to the entire design. Moreover it gives a lot of light for the interior but not a direct sunbeams.
To conclude, our design has a simplicity of form combined with the subtle wall detail that stimulate artists especially during each sunrise and sunset.
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Post by Nka on Oct 31, 2015 1:29:05 GMT -6
ENTRY # 465100700 The Bamboo Hutby design team of Coco Alessio in Brescia, Italy
DESIGN STATEMENT The idea of the bamboo hut has been developed since I first approached the sustainable architectures during my studies.
I have always found really expressive all these lightweight architectures, typical of the Southern Countries and made by the most common elements we can find within these lands. During the last decades the design profession has afforded lots of difficulties, due to the globalized market which has brought new ways of construction developments.
The most common effect which has spread out all over the Countries, no matter they are situated in the Western or the Eastern regions, has been the gradual lost of many cultural identities, intended as cultural, ideological and also technical aspects. During my research upon the African culture I afforded many texts about new urban settlements, developed by Real Estate companies which are part of this global market. Therefore with this project I am trying not only to develop a sustainable construction, but also continuing my personal research and thoughts “out of the box”, exploring new possible ways of learning and continuing with many difficulties this magnificent profession.
I tried to understand first of all the vernacular tradition of the Western African Countries, as the British writer James Morris says in his book “Butabu-Traditional Architectures of West African Countries”:
I am still wondering why the traditional West African earth architectures are so far undervalued. If the architecture is properly a cultural expression, maybe is properly the culture which those buildings come from to be so far from the European mentality, which relegate them out of the Academies. difficult to be read by a writer or a simple traveller.
All the pictures proposed in this research record the extraordinary creativity which the local builders have while they work upon their “huts”, bringing all the possible efforts to make them durable and resistant. They use many geometrical motives, textures, shadows due to different profiles and sometimes they leave exposed the structural signs.
All these elements gave me the inspiration for this project, in which I tried to develop a sustainable, affordable and flexible hut, around the hestimative cost of 4.400 $ (as you can resume from the schedule in the third board).
I wanted to design a proposal which I really could afford within the next months, so I thought a simple, light structure made by bamboo frames, which can develop from a central room and a service space and gradually grows with the addition of different bedrooms (one or two at the ground level, and two at the upper one).
The main walls have been thought by cob (earth, straw and water mixture) for economical reasons, while the main corners are proposed as earth+cement blocks.
Naturally, If we manage to reach a good fundraise campaign, we can also think to realize poured earth+concrete walls, which are more resistant to the humid climate of the central Africa, increasing the durability.
To use the words of the philosopher Paul Virilio, “it’s difficult to predict the future for these architectures, as the fragility of the earth as a material and the undoubtedly passion of the Africans for the concrete constructions. If they could have the means, many of them would tear down their houses to rebuild them with concrete blocks and metal sheets”. Our goal is therefore to help these people to improve their way of living, learning everyone from the others, because as Bernard Rudofsky says “above all there is the humanity of this architecture”.
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Post by Nka on Oct 25, 2015 15:29:09 GMT -6
SANG HOUSE WORKSHOP
By Ioanna Volaki and Tobias Beale Summer 2016 WHERE: Sang Arts Village, near Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana
Carrying on the work of the Nka Foundation and with the help of a number of like-minded organisations, the ‘Sang House workshop’ aims to interrogate the future of the African Mud Hut by means of a community-based design and build project for a prototypical house in Northern Ghana.
The ‘Sang House’ specifically focuses on the provision of a generous shaded and sheltered outdoor space for activity, something which broadly speaking is not addressed in Ghanaian architectural discourse and construction culture.
WHAT: Join us and a team of local craftspeople to help construct a prototypical house in the Sang Arts Village Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana. On top of providing a community in need with a new housing solution, volunteers will learn traditional construction practices and techniques as well as experiencing the rich Ghanaian culture.
WHO: Anybody interested in building with earth is welcome to join.
WHEN: April 4 - June 30 2016 ( 2 weeks minimum )
COST: Accommodation - €60 per week; Food - €60 per week; Project contribution - €200 - €400 (flights not included)
APPLY: Ioanna - ion_vo@yahoo.gr; Tobias - tobiasjbeale@gmail.com
WORKSHOP LEADERS: (1) Ioanna Volaki, an Athens based architect. She has studied urbanism and worked in several architectural offices in Europe; and (2) Tobias Beale, a recent architectural graduate from Perth, Western Australia. He has worked in Athens, London and Perth and has a keen interest in bricks.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Post by Nka on Oct 25, 2015 15:12:41 GMT -6
GHANA RAMMED EARTH WORKSHOP Crosswinds House
June 9 to August 25, 2016
WHERE: Abetenim Arts Village, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
WHAT: Join our international team in central Ghana to build a design entry in Nka Foundation’s Mud House Design 2014 competition by Elisa Aguilar.
WHY: Come and help us get the Crosswinds house built. You will learn new skills and discover the beauty of Ghana. We will immerse ourselves in the local culture to explore what resources the community already has and mobilize those resources to manifest a vision for passive solar house building based on local materials, global knowledge and site-specific conditions such as wind currents, topography and building in context of an arts village. Students can use the opportunity for your personal research, internship or thesis.
WHO: Enthusiastic architecture students, recent graduates, professionals in landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, African studies and anyone interested in building with earth are welcome to do their part in the building project.
HOW: Don’t worry, it is not all work… you will have short breaks from the construction project to visit local attractions and participate in field trips. Food and accommodation $90/week; project contribution $450 (flight costs are not included). Accommodation is in a guest house in Abetenim Arts Village. Food is by cooperative kitchen by which the workshop participants share in the planning and preparing their food. You can participate from 4 to 12 weeks to help build the Crosswinds House.
To apply contact Elisa Aguilar via lichi.aguilar@gmail.com or info@nkafoundation.org. Elisa Aguilar is an architect based in California in the USA. See elisa-aguilar.com for more.
PROJECT ORGANIZER: Nka Foundation / www.nkafoundation.org
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Post by Nka on Oct 24, 2015 14:41:35 GMT -6
ENTRY # 443491462
The Bamang Earth House by design team of Sanne Eekel in Utrecht, The Netherlands
DESIGN STATEMENT This Bamang Earth House is a house which will give (a temporarily) home to a ‘collection’ of international artists in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The house will create an atmosphere in which the artists can have a place for their own, but will be stimulated to interact with each other through arts and sharing their home. As this house will be built in the Ashanti region, the cultural values of a rich ancient architecture are woven into the new design.
The Adinkra symbols are an important part of the traditional architecture. The design of the Bamang Earth House is found upon three of them. Boa me na me mmoa wo is the symbol of cooperation and interdependence. The design will create a place where artists come together and will be stimulated to learn from each other, work together and discover new possibilities. Bi nka bi stands for peace and harmony. The house will offer a place where people can live in harmony with themselves and each other. This will start with the comfort of healthy living. Followed by a balance of private and public spaces. Ese ne tekrema is the symbol for friendship. It will embody the result of a stay in the Bamang Earth House, where people with various backgrounds will come together to improve life.
The house is a composition of six units. On their own, they are an example for a small house for two people, but together they can be the home for a group of related people. Each unit exists of a bedroom for two and an open veranda. The verandas of the units reflect on the courtyards of the Ashanti houses. Together they form an inner courtyard, where arts can be practised. The open character of the semi-private verandas will easily stimulate the communication between the artists. Just as in the ancient Ashanti villages, the house can be easily extended with new units to meet future plans. Two of the units are designed differently and will be used as a living room, kitchen and a sanitary unit.
The rooms are all made of hand pressed earth stones. The thick earth walls of the bedroom will contribute to a comfortable interior through the effects of thermal mass. The verandas will be partly enclosed with open brick walls of different heights. The open brick structure will influence the natural airflow through the house positively, but will also refine the brick structure with various patterns. These brick patterns will decorate the house just as the Adinkra symbols has always done in the Ashanti region.
Above the rooms and verandas will be a large multiple pitched roof made of corrugated steel. It will enable the artists to work in the shadow and creates a possibility for a system to re-use the rainwater. The shifting of the pitched roofs contributes to the natural ventilation of the house. Hot air can ascend and escape between the different slopes of the roof. Windows and openings in the highest eaves will stimulate the airflow within the bedrooms to create a comfortable atmosphere. The openings will be closed off securely with wire mesh to protect the sleeping artists from mosquitoes.
The house can be made as six units with one shared floor and foundation. The estimation of the costs results in less than $1000 for one component. The six components together with the floor and foundation results in an estimation of $6885. ($5655 in materials and $1230 in labor.)
The Bamang Earth House will be a place where people can develop themselves and live in a healthy home.
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Post by Nka on Oct 23, 2015 8:01:36 GMT -6
3rd Earth Architecture Competition (DESIGNING FOR THE ARTS) Nka Foundation Announces the winners of the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition, Designing for the Arts in Ghana.
The 1st prize winning design is Abode+Adobe by the design team of Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder, Chowdhury Mohammad Junayed and Erum Ahmed of the Sheikh Ahsan Ullah Mojumder & Associates in Bangladesh; the 2nd prize winner is eARThouse by Lorenzo Conti in Italy; and the 3rd prize is awarded to Weft Wall by the design team of Eddie Winn and Samantha McPadden in the USA. Four honorable mentions are awarded, each will receive a certificate of recognition. The honorable mentions go to the Sculptors Domain by the design team of Shahid Sayeed Khan, Dania Faruq and Mohammed Ansir in Pakistan; Bamang Earth House by Sanne Eekel in The Netherlands; Art house by the design team of Santiago Merello, Antonella Sinacore and Claudia Varin in Uruguay; and Asase House by the ASA Studio in Rwanda. You can download large files on the winning designs here: yadi.sk/d/5yVCbZAUhdKbu and see all submitted competition entries: nkaprojects.boards.net/thread/41/submitted-design-entries . 1st Prize Winner 2nd Prize Winner 3rd Prize Winner Through the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition, Nka Foundation issued a challenge to recent graduates and students of architecture, design, engineering and others from around the world to use their creativity to come up with innovative designs for modest, affordable housing for the arts that can be built with earth and other local materials in Ghana. The challenge was to design a mud 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. The construction site is Abetenim Arts Village, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The building was to be designed for use by either musicians, theatre artists, potters, sculptors, painters, textile artists, designers, writers, or media arts practitioners. Total costs of constructing the design entry was not to exceed $7,000 (USD) for materials and labor; land value was excluded from this price point. Because the construction of best design entires is a priority, each design team gets an opportunity to build their design entry at the arts village in Ghana.
The selection Jury consists of architecture professors, administrators with relevant experience and architects who have led building workshops at the Abetenim Arts Village. The jurors are Christina ANTONELLI, Construction Project Manager at Construction for Change in India; Gilberto Duarte CARLOS, Professor and a Researcher at ESG|Escola Superior at Gallaecia in Portugal; Paolo CASCONE, Associate Professor of Building Technology at the Milan Polytechnic in Italy; Jean GU, M.Arch Candidate at Columbia University in New York in the USA; Bruno MARQUES, professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at Oporto Lusíada University in Portugal; Louis MAYES, architecture student at the London Metropolitan University in the UK; Tai SCHOMAKER, DoYouSpace Architecture at Berlin in Germany; Christopher TOMASETTI, student at Masters degree in Architecture and Masters in Real Estate Development at Columbia University in New York in the USA; and Anna WEBSTER, Part 2 Professional Diploma in Architecture at London Metropolitan University in the UK. The jurors used judging criteria involving functionality, aesthetics and technical matter to select three prize-winning designs. Prizes for first, second and third place consist of a commemorative certificate and a choice of cash reward or construction of winning design in Ghana.
What is next?
THE BUILDING CHALLENGE! As the construction of the best design entries is our priority, between May 2016 to December 2017, we are collaborating with some of the design teams in the competition to run construction workshops to build their design entries based on site in Ghana. Through an open call for participation, each 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 to join the workshop and play a part in line with their expertise. By immersing the design team in the full circle of designing and building their design, the team members 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.
Do you have a passion for sustainable architecture? Prove it! Join one of the building workshops to building a design entry in the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition! The building workshop to construct the 1st prize winning design entry, Abode+Adobe will be from August 1 - October 28, 2016. The building workshop to realize the 2nd prize winning entry, eARThouse will be held from July 13 – October 14, 2016; and workshop to realize the 3rd prize winning entry, Weft Wall will be from June 3 - August 31, 2017. Whereas, workshop to realize the design entry, Asase House will run from June 3 - August 31, 2016. The workshop for the Sculptors Domain will be February 2 - April 30, 2017; and that for Art House will be from February 24 to May 25, 2017. Call for participation in these building workshops will be posted at nkaprojects.boards.net .
And so, we are inviting schools of architecture and design, architecture associations, volunteer-sending organizations, Without Borders organizations, and community-spirited individuals to join us as project partners and supporters in building the best design entries in rural Ghana. Each building workshop will run for about 12 weeks. Volunteers can join at any time and participate for a minimum of two weeks. Students can use the workshop opportunity to fulfill their college requirements for internship, thesis, or to volunteer just for learning-by-doing on the prototyping project.
ALL SUBMITTED DESIGN ENTRIES Below is a list of all designs submitted for the 3rd Earth Architecture Competition, Designing for the Arts.
And the building workshops to realize design entries in this competition are listed at the bottom of this page.
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Post by Nka on Sept 24, 2015 14:20:31 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on Sept 24, 2015 14:02:04 GMT -6
ROOF DESIGN
In the region, the traditional roof designs are of the gable and the hip roof types; these are well established. Shed roof design is not a common practice for building dwelling units in the area. 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.
VENTILATION SYSTEMS... to allow the rising hot air to escape into the atmosphere
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Post by Nka on Sept 15, 2015 9:49:45 GMT -6
KASIRWA EARTH HOUSE WORKSHOP
_ July 18 to October 9, 2016
VENUE: Tanzania, Rombo District, Kasirwa at Mount Kilimanjaro. COSTS: Food and accommodation 80€/w plus project contribution of 400€ (flight costs are not included). EVERYBODY CAN PARTICIPATE? Architecture students, architects, sustainable practitioners and volunteers from around the world. Students can use the opportunity for internship, personal research or thesis. JOIN US! -Visiting the surrounding areas to experience and understand vernacular construction tradition the local community, their ideas and needs, the traditional (Chagga) and the new agroforestry gardens around the Kilimanjaro. -Encountering Kasirwa’s local materials, construction and community life. -Gather information on material availability, local resources and skilled builders. Perform material tests and prototype for rammed earth. -Review the existing Kasirwa Earth House design and build a sustainable earth house with its equipment together with the project team, the local workers and craftsmen.
or email to the Workshop Leaders, Gwok-Wei Cheung and Marco Grimm: marco290885@googlemail.com / g.cheung@afg.hs-anhalt.de .
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Post by Nka on Aug 26, 2015 23:31:05 GMT -6
TANZANIA RAMMED EARTH BUILDING WORKSHOP April 9 – July 30, 2016
By Shift Design (Seb Maher, Lydia Hamer, Tyler Harlen and Stephen Yiavasis) from New Zealand
Shift Design in collaboration with Nka Foundation is organizing Tanzania Rammed Earth Building Workshop that will be held from April 9 to July 30, 2016 at Kasirwa Arts Village in Tanzania. Workshop is designed to bring together local builders, regional craftspeople and international volunteers whose expertise will strengthen the overall project. By this, enthusiastic volunteers from around the world including students and recent graduates of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, art and anyone interested in construction are all welcome to join the workshop and play their part. The challenge is to bring together the knowledge and expertise of everyone involved to create a built environment that will serve as an exemplary house type.
Through the construction of an attractive, affordable and structurally resilient home, we hope to shift public perception of earth construction as a socially inferior form of housing. The employment of local materials and techniques will embed the home in Tanzania’s long tradition of sustainable housing. For volunteers, the workshop will be a platform for continued education in the pragmatics of designing and building. International volunteers will have the opportunity to experience Tanzania’s diverse range of wildlife.
To apply, email to shiftdesign.tanzania@gmail.com
For more information, keep checking in and follow our journey here:
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Post by Nka on Aug 20, 2015 12:00:24 GMT -6
TANZANIA GOES MUD! Earth Architecture Workshop
DATE: July 8 - September 30, 2016
VENUE: Kasirwa Arts Village in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania
COSTS: Food and accommodation 80€/w plus project contribution of 250-400€ (depending on fund raising. Flight costs are not included).
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: Everybody can participate! Architecture students, architects, sustainable practitioners and volunteers from around the world. Students can use the opportunity for internship, thesis or personal research.
APPLY / INFO: tanzaniagoesmud@gmail.com
WORKSHOP LEADERS: Lara Briz Bejerano (lara_briz@hotmail.com) and Patricia Báscones Gutiérrez (patriciabascones@gmail com) architects at Madrid in Spain.
CONSTRUCTION METHOD: Rammed Earth
Join us in the design development and construction of a prototypical earth home in Kasirwa, Tanzania. TANZANIA GOES MUD! provides you with the opportunity to immerse in the local culture and explore local sustainable traditions and learn through hands-on site analysis, field trips and construction of the project with the local community. Work with an international team of participants, stay in a local home and explore the beauty of this incredible country.
MEDIA COVERAGE
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Post by Nka on Aug 4, 2015 12:37:10 GMT -6
ARENA HOUSE: MUD BUILDING WORKSHOP IN TANZANIA March 5 to May 5, 2016
WORKSHOP SITE: Kasirwa Arts Village, Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania COSTS: Food and accommodation 80€/w plus project contribution of 400€ (flight costs are not included). APPLICATION: Request the application form and return it to neumestnaya@gmail.com / abelinskaya@gmail.com
We are going to Tanzania to immerse ourselves in the daily life of the people of Kasirwa at the Eastern slope of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. Join us for 2 to 8 weeks to help build the house through use of earthbag building method.
Be a part of this! Let’s create change where it is most needed. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the local issues and practical experience, as we immerse, explore and learn abroad. Enthusiastic volunteers, students and recent graduates of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design and anyone interested in construction are all welcome to join the workshop and play their part.
The earth architecture workshop is divided into parts, you can participate in one or all parts as follows:
PART ONE, WEEK 1-2: Introduction to designing and building with local earth involving site analysis, hands-on experience from site preparation to the foundation level.
PART TWO, WEEK 3-5: Earthbag wall construction
PART THREE, WEEK 6-8: Roofing, fittings and landscaping of the completed unit to blend with the local landscape.
WORKSHOP LEADERS: Anastasia Belinskaya (neumestnaya@gmail.com) and Anna Fesenko (abelinskaya@gmail.com) architects from Moscow, Russia.
See event page for more: www.facebook.com/arenahous Interested? Then, apply today to serve your spot. 30 places available.
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Post by Nka on Aug 2, 2015 23:17:19 GMT -6
MUD HOUSE BUILDING WORKSHOP (GHANA) _ by Sara Parrinello, Ginevra Rapisardi and Francesca De Ponte
June 8 to August 31, 2016
VENUE: Abetenim near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region Ghana COSTS: Food and accommodation 80€/w plus project contribution of 400€ (flight costs are not included). EVERYBODY CAN PARTICIPATE: Architecture students, architects, sustainable practitioners and volunteers from around the world. Students can use the opportunity for internship, personal research or thesis. From June 8 to August 31, 2016, we are going to Ghana to build our designs in Nka Foundation’s Mud House Design 2014 competition. We will immerse ourselves in the local culture to explore their building traditions to discover what resources the community already has and mobilize those resources to build a modern mud house. The earth architecture workshop is divided into three parts, you can participate in one or all three parts as follows:
PART ONE, WEEK 1-4: Introduction to designing and building with local earth involving site analysis, hands-on experience from site preparation to the foundation level. Includes formwork design and construction.
PART TWO, WEEK 5-8: Poured wall construction, window and door setting
PART THREE, WEEK 9-12: Roofing, fittings and landscaping of the completed unit to blend with the local landscape.
TO APPLY: Contact workshop.abetenim@gmail.com / info@nkafoundation.org for application form.
WORKSHOP LEADERS: Francesca De Ponte (fra.deponte@gmail.com) Sara Parrinello (sar.parrinello@gmail.com) and Ginevra Rapisardi who graduated in architecture at Roma Tre University and now masters degree students at Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Post by Nka on May 27, 2015 13:47:43 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on May 27, 2015 13:46:22 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on May 19, 2015 0:05:14 GMT -6
BUILD WITH EARTH IN TANZANIA (Reinventing the African Mud Hut Together) August 1 – November 30, 2015
VENUE: Kasirwa Village, Rombo District, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania
Join us from 1 month to 3 months at the Eastern slope of Mount Kilimanjaro to help build the third prize winning design in Nka Foundation's Mud House Design 2014 competition by Jason Orbe-Smith. The workshop promises a life-changing experience. We will:
-IMMERSE ourselves in the local culture and beauty of Mount Kilimanjaro
-EXPLORE building traditions in rural Tanzania, work among the local people of Kasirwa, and gain new skills.
-LEARN by discovering what resources the community already has and by mobilizing those resources to build a modern mud house.
Food and accommodation is $90 per week plus project contribution of $450. Accommodation is by homestay with a local family. Students can use the opportunity for internship, personal research or thesis. The workshop is a collaboration between Nka Foundation and Orbe Design Studio. To apply, contact jasonorbesmith@gmail.com / www.orbedesignstudio.com or info@nkafoundation.org / www.nkafoundation.org
SOCIAL MEDIA
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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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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 11:30:18 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 11:08:16 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 11:06:20 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 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 Mar 2, 2015 21:42:06 GMT -6
Three + Two
GHANA EARTH BUILDING WORKSHOP
May 15 to July 05 2015 What: Join us as a workshop participant in realizing a modern single family home, using both traditional and contemporary building techniques and local methods of construction.
Where: Our project is sited 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.
When: May 15 to July 05 2015 (dates subject to change slightly depending on construction)
Who: Enthusiastic architecture students, recent graduates, professional or anyone in interested in design and construction.
Cost: $350 as project contribution per person and $160 a week for room and board. Personal expenses, visa, airfare and vaccinations are must be handled on the participant's behalf.
Workshop Leaders: Manuel Cordero, Christopher Tomasetti and Angela Heiwei Yang. They are three graduate students in the M.Arch program at GSAPP, Columbia University in New York.
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Post by Nka on Dec 29, 2014 2:11:23 GMT -6
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Post by Nka on Dec 13, 2014 14:55:37 GMT -6
Compressed Earth Block Making
CEB Press
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TEAM 2
Dec 13, 2014 1:38:53 GMT -6
Post by Nka on Dec 13, 2014 1:38:53 GMT -6
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TEAM 2
Dec 7, 2014 16:08:22 GMT -6
Post by Nka on Dec 7, 2014 16:08:22 GMT -6
SOME SUGGESTIONS OF GIFTS/REWARDS FOR YOUR DONORS You can use these for your fundraising letter or crowdfunding campaign. They have been tested and they work well.
You put it this way: "If we raise the fund to go, we will return with lots of thank you gifts for our donors. Our group will have the chance to visit some of the craft villages that surrounds Kumasi. We will have free time to go to see wood carving in Ahwiaa, adinkra cloth making in Ntonso, and kente weaving in Adanwomase and Bonwire. We will made a selection of gifts we will bring home in exchange for the amount of money you gave to our Ghana Project...."
Kente Weaving village of Adanwomase Tell your backers: "We will be visiting the Kente Weaving village of Adanwomase, the village most famous for weaving the kente cloth of the Ashanti royal family. We got to try on the different kente clothes and dress up like Chiefs and Queen Mothers, and then buy you your gift of kente Stole."
Wood Carving Workshop in Ahwiaa Akan Carved Wood Stool (Sese) is carved from one piece of wood
Akua'Ba Fertility Doll, Ghana An example of Akua ba dolls from Ghana, which is a symbol of fertility. These dolls are used by the Ashanti tribe to promote fertility and to protect pregnant women.
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