The final project combined the metaphoric embrace with functional artisan workspace. The end result became a returned embrace, with one head being the community and the other being the children’s area. The community embracing the youth and in return, the youth embracing the community. The courtyard is expected to be filled with crafts people finishing and displaying their creations. A portion of the original fenced in area was kept to be used as a garden to produce food both for sale in the cafe and at market. The compound is sheltered from the warm northern breezes by double height buildings, the second story being residences for the caretaker, visiting artisans, and apprentices. The southern wall is perforated to allow views of the activity within as well as breezes from the south. The courtyard canopies provide deep shade and protection from the rain and serve as surfaces for rain water collection. Large cisterns mark the entrance as well as other collection points within the site. Widows and orphans quarters are located adjacent to the composting toilets, the children’s center and the garden, creating a interdependent web of activity. On the left of the board are a series of technologies that may be useful to the community: a millet processor created by Amy Smith at MIT, a method for creating charcoal from agricultural waste from Amy Smith’s lab, a common solar oven, and composting toilets.
Final class presentation of triangular site design
Site model overview from south
Site model from west
Site model approach from south
Site model view from gardens towards playing field and market
Site model view of courtyard with water-pumping playground equipment
Workshop model overview including merry-go-round water pump
Workshop model from community
Gwynne Mhuireach
Design Statement for Koutiala Center for Artisans
My mission in creating this project was to present not only an architectural solution to the problem, but also to propose new technologies that could benefit both the artisans and the larger community. Some of the considerations that influenced my scheme were: 1) periods of drought and flooding, 2) uncertainty of access to clean drinking water, 3) severe heat and humidity, 4) economic restrictions, 5) children on site, and 6) global climate change leading to scarcity of food. In order to address some of these issues, I incorporated a number of innovations into my design.
The walls of each of the buildings are constructed of wire mesh gabion boxes filled with locally sourced stones, such as have been used in a number of high-profile structures, including the Dominus Winery built in California by Herzog and de Meuron (see Concept page). Some benefits of this type of wall are: low environmental impact, locally available materials and labor, thermal mass which helps keep the building cool (similar to constructions using mud brick), and ease of ventilation. The tensile fabric roof forms were designed with two goals in mind – to allow daylighting of the interior spaces, and to capture rainwater that could be stored in underground cisterns for use throughout the dry season. The cisterns can also be built on site with local labor, using iron rods and concrete, and could be sized to hold up to 200,000 gallons of rainwater altogether (6 cisterns). Depending on the amount of water used on site, this should suffice to supply the artisans’ center with clean water throughout the year, which could also be a valuable tool to draw in more customers. I provided a large area on the eastern half of the site to be used as an open garden space and greenhouses (to protect tender seedlings from the wind and excessive sun) for growing food crops and other useful plants. My intent was to use some of the harvested rainwater for irrigation of the garden and greenhouse plants, as well as native trees and vines planted throughout the site, creating an oasis during the dry season of Koutiala. To make irrigation more effective, I also researched the possibility of using children’s playground equipment, like merry-go-rounds and see-saws, to pump water from the underground cisterns to an elevated water tower. This would provide pressure for irrigation pipes or hoses, and would also allow the children to contribute to the well-being of their families and community. There is also a generous area on the southeast portion of the site that I intended to keep as an open grassy area for children to play football or other games. This playing field is bordered by a tree-shaded open air market area where adults will be able to sell goods while still being able to keep a watchful eye on the childrens’ activities.
As you may notice, my designs have changed considerably since the phone conference that we had in July. It was very important to me to address the desires of the artisans as much as possible, so I relocated a number of functions such as the administrative offices, meeting hall and gallery to the downtown site, and dedicated the triangular site to food and cloth crafts, and the outdoor market. I hope that I have been able to offer some ideas that could be useful in the future planning for this site; although I was not able to post large images of my design, I will be sending the originals of all my drawings to the Peace Corp volunteer who was our main contact for this project. I will also be including some ideas about building designs and uses for the downtown site that I did not have finished in time for our class presentations. I am happy to answer any questions about my designs, materials, or proposed systems – my direct email address is gwynhwyf@uoregon.edu.
Th e Koutiala Artisan center is designed with two major areas. The first is the section immediately adjacent to the street. This side features a café where the food crafts can sell their work and a market where the other artisans can also
showcase and sell their goods. This addition ensures that the building is capable of having a diverse range of activities occurring within it. The second area consists of the workshops, offices and residences. These are closed to the public and centered around an inner courtyard. This was for security and to respond to cultural values of the area. Historically, artisans were a mystic group holding much power in society and loathed the idea of the public being able to watch them as they worked. Therefore the workshops were secluded from the street but still open to each other so that a healthy sharing of ideas would occur between the different trades. The residences also are organized around this inner courtyard. The porch is screened to allow privacy while also retaining the connection to the courtyard.
Th e building’s form is a response to the unique shape of the site. The large roofs try to flow with this geometry. The large pieces break out towards the center of the city and converge on the meeting room and exterior market place. Th is move puts focus on these two areas depending on which part of the building one is in. The project has minimal environment impact through the use of its materials and energy consumption. Th e roofs themselves are equipped with a solar array and shade the inner buildings from direct solar gain and also allow stack ventilation to occur in these spaces. Th is ensures that the workshops and surrounding buildings will remain cool and the intense energy consumption of air conditioning will not be needed. Th e use of rammed earth and mud brick have an energy savings as well due to their low energy input during construction. Beyond having minimal energy input, the site actually gives back to the surrounding ecosystems by providing habitat for the endangered Felout Gundi and other species through the habitat creation and planting of native species on the east and west ends of the site.
Erika Beyer
My idea centered around having very simple rectangular buildings placed at angles to create varying sizes and types of courtyards. The entire site is tied together by a woven canopy that winds its way through the buildings and their roofs.
Big Ideas:
The two big ideas I worked with over the summer was how to give the Artisan Center a constructable Architectural expression and a functional base. One of the ideas was to create a community heart that included the surrounding neighborhoods. To create this I combined the meeting hall and the gallery functions. As you can see in the section for the meeting hall the gallery spaces surround the meeting space at the center or heart of the building. The building is circular in form to allow individuals the ability to circulate around the gallery space and then connect to a meeting or performance in the central stage if they chose. The meeting hall also helps to define the connections to the other functions on site: the administrative offices, work-spaces, etc. The functional portions relate to the workspaces with their generous overhangs to provide shade for the artists. However, not to totally exclude the sun there are thin ribbons of light that add an architectural effect while helping to define the work-spaces.
In summary, I created a site plan that was inward looking where the buildings face a central courtyard, but one that was also outward reaching to the greater surrounding community in an attempt to stimulate interaction between the two. The act of reaching out entire community will help to increase awareness of the Artisans’ Guild, provide a positive connection to neighbors, and to draw in visitors.
Last I would like to thank you for a wonderful working experience.
Will Krzymowski
My process involved three major themes. First I did a series of conceptual sketching that responded to the Koutiala site context, thinking of how the building would fit into the landscape. I then worked with specific ideas about structure, and the practical needs of the artisans in response to climate. Thirdly, i focused on spacial organization, working around a series of courtyards that had a fluid but distinct hierarchy.
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