Architecture
Competition
Eleonora Popovska (elelog)
Baghere, Africa
2022
Located in the town of Baghere, the site in its natural habitat is surrounded by a dense forest on the north and a vast open landscape on the east side. The road giving access to it is on the south side and a few houses that are located on the outskirts of the town define its west edge. The necessity to further define this context, containing only these few elements as a departure point, began with the search for an element that could connect building and context, artifice and nature.
Rotunda, from Latin rotundus, is a building designed in a circular plan that can sometimes be covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building.
By inserting a circular typology into our site, we aimed to provide a contextual continuity but also a formal autonomy. This architectural form, a clearly known and recognizable by everyone, became our reference to design the new Children’s House. Standing as a clearly distinct element in dialogue with the existing context, the building strives to formulate a strong answer to reach a clear organization of the program, layed out in four different wings, as well as a recognizable and open identity. With few precise gestures, the ground floor hosts the Administration and Storage areas on the south-west side, the Hospitality area - with 4 dormitories for 8 beds - on the north-east and south-west sides and finally the Recreation area on the south-east.
The Recreation area, for monitoring and caring of the children, gained an important focus during the design process, as we propose not only to shelter it but also to extend it under the open sky, towards the centre of the building. An open playground area is therefore created in the core of the building, sitting on an artificially shaped landscape and providing an exterior, yet also safe and enclosed space for the children.
The diagonally positioned openings of the building allow access to it from all sides, giving every wing an equal importance. In this way, we seek to create spaces placed not according to different hierarchies but rather of different weights. All these spaces, which are geometrically linked, are crowned with a corrugated metal roof structure which provides shelter and emphasizes a clearly defined volume. Put together, the entire architectural layout is extremely clear: a clean-cut circular perimeter in close relation with its open core.
The diagonally positioned openings of the building allow access to it from all sides, giving every wing an equal importance. In this way, we seek to create spaces placed not according to different hierarchies but rather of different weights. All these spaces, which are geometrically linked, are crowned with a corrugated metal roof structure which provides shelter and emphasizes a clearly defined volume. Put together, the entire architectural layout is extremely clear: a clean-cut circular perimeter in close relation with its open core.
Passive sustainable standards defined the approach in the design process. Considered were the effects of: sunlight, wind, vegetation, and other natural resources found on the site when designing the building’s shape, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
The choice of materials is based on the need to respond to the local climate, the immediate surroundings of the building, and the local availability and transport of goods. Special attention was devoted to building sustainably and thinking on passive processes that save energy, like for example: lowering the exposure to direct sunlight by providing a roof structure that enables a deep shadow or working with a massive constructive brick wall system.
The choice of materials is based on the need to respond to the local climate, the immediate surroundings of the building, and the local availability and transport of goods. Special attention was devoted to building sustainably and thinking on passive processes that save energy, like for example: lowering the exposure to direct sunlight by providing a roof structure that enables a deep shadow or working with a massive constructive brick wall system.