ENKO BAMAKO
11/2021
Architecture
Architecture
The design of 'Microclimat de la terre' is inspired by Malian vernacular design.
The project takes its cues from buildings such as the Loam Mosque and traditional Malian house in creating a thermal mass cloak to regulate the Temperature in the school. The building makes use of regulated cross ventilation through thin slits in the north and south facades. A microclimate is created through the use of a green roof and courtyard.
In 2021 ENKO a multi-national educational organization with 13 schools in 9 African countries, engaged professionals in a competition to design a new urban campus for 550 primary and secondary students campus in Bamako.
Bamako is the capital city of Mali and the 7th largest city in west Africa. It has been an important trading post since before the area was controlled by the Songhai empire in the 15th century.1 Secondary to Timbuktu for most of its existence, Bamako was made the colonial capital by the French in 1908.2
There has been significant deforestation in Mali, resulting in the loss of indigenous foliage.3 As a result of rural-urban migration, the impacts of deforestation can also be seen in Bamako.
This loss of vegetation has flooding implications, flash flooding has become more common in this geographical area as a result of urbanization and subsequent deforestation.4
This proposal explored the implementation of Vernacular strategies to create microclimatic conditions- through this engaging with the issues of deforestation and climate.
Proposal diagrams
Taking cues from vernacular buildings such as the Loam Mosque and the traditional Malian house, the proposal is shielded by a thermal mass cloak regulating temperature in the school. The building makes use of regulated cross ventilation through thin slits in the north and south facades. A microclimate is created within the urban climate in the school through the introduction of a green roof and a green courtyard.
Floor plans and Axonometric details
The ‘togu na’ - grand stairs provide a formal and informal space, in the spirit of the Dogon meeting place for teaching, working, rest and conversation.
Within the school, modularity allows for the flexibility of classroom size and location; as the school grows and society changes, educational delivery methods will vary. Buildings that are responsively adaptable to demographics and culture are a crucial part of their sustainability, optimizing the built environment as a tool to better society.
Proposal building short section through the ‘togu na’ - grand stairs.
Team: Kholisile Dhliwayo
Gwinyai Dzinotyiwei
Gwinyai Dzinotyiwei
Honourable mention - African Urban School design competition
References:
1 Ewa, Ibiang Oden. “PRE-COLONIAL WEST AFRICA: THE FALL OF SONGHAI EMPIRE REVISITED.” Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 26 (2017): 1–24
2 Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Bamako.” Encyclopedia Britannica, May 28, 2013. https://www.britannica.com/place/Bamako.
3Denis Ruelland, Florent Levavasseur, Antoine Tribotté, “Patterns and dynamics of land-cover changes since the 1960s over three experimental areas in Mali,” International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, Volume 12, Supplement 1, (2010) Pages S11-S17,
4 Zheng, Xinyu, and Elfatih A. B. Eltahir. “The Role of Vegetation in the Dynamics of West African Monsoons.” Journal of Climate 11, no. 8 (1998): 2078–96.