AFRICAN EARTH WORKS VOL.1 2015
In the Summer of 2008, my wife and I made a decision that would forever change our lives: to put our belongings in storage, say goodbye to family and friends and move to Senegal, West Africa with our two children, then three and four. We would build an earth house using only local materials and labor, plant an organic garden, dig a well, and initially live without electricity. We would make our own mud bricks and participate in the rammed earth construction of our house. The decision, the why and the where, was not sudden. It started with a desire to experiment with earth as an alternative building material. I was inspired by the work of the late Egyptian architect, Hassan Fathy, who revived the use of mud-brick building techniques and local materials throughout Africa. Even today, in most developing countries, «mud homes» are still associated with the stigma of poverty. Ironically, we couldn’t afford to realize an earth house in the U.S. due to strict building and lending codes. Our goal was to answer both of these dilemmas by building an affordable earth house that was both functional and beautiful, a house that would hopefully inspire others--locals and ex-pats-- to build with earth. Land was purchased; books about earth architecture accumulated; long discussions about the efficacy and merits of building in Senegal ensued; plans were drawn up. There was a deeper truth about our decision that was harder to explain. Very few people understood why we would leave behind everything we’d worked so hard to achieve in order to live in the bush of Africa. After all, we had finally realized the American Dream. We had a beautiful house, two cars and a home business in design. According to a widely held definition of success, we had it all. And yet we were deeply dissatisfied with our lives. During that fateful conversation back in 2008, we realized that most of what we had accumulated didn’t really belong to us. The house was mortgaged, the cars were leased and the conveniences we took for granted--water, electricity, clothing and food--were things we payed for without ever thinking about their origins, availability, longevity or social impact. It took a global financial crisis and some courage for us to look at our situation and realize that we were on a treadmill powered by an economic system that favored the accumulation of wealth, when
what we really wanted was to move forward on our own path, at our own pace, and with a sense of purpose. One of the biggest problems plaguing the people of Senegal centers around housing. Land is passed from generation to generation, sometimes as part of a marriage dowry, more often as legacy. But because cement and iron are costly materials, they can’t afford to build homes on their land. As a consequence, many Senegalese find themselves selling the land for monetary gain, forfeiting their inheritance as well as their independence. At one point, as is still true in more rural areas, building with earth was the norm. Those people who moved closer to a large metropolis found themselves caught up in the web of status, wanting to be accepted and revered by their neighbors. French influences brought more sophisticated, but not necessarily better, building materials which were comparatively expensive and the «old ways» of building gradually became a chapter in history. They didn’t forget. They chose as an urban society to move forward, as we all have, following an integrated path that they were told was superior to the simple one they were on. We are all beginning to understand that what worked so well before, what we abandoned in favor of «progress» wasn’t so disposable after all. Although our experience is specific to the terrain, climate, and people of Senegal, earth buildings both residential and comercial exist in various forms on six continents in environments ranging from temperate and wet regions, to mountain and desert areas, as well as the tropics.. Earth is the oldest known building material, with the earliest examples dating back over eleven thousand years. It is estimated that approximately thirty percent of the world’s population live in homes made of earth. While that percentage increases in third world countries due to the scarcity and high cost of industrialized materials, there are modern earth building standards in place in China, Peru, Turkey, New Zealand and Australia. Earth is currently being revived as a building material in Europe and North America due to the increasing awareness of its environmental, health, and often financial benefits. Old and new examples exist in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, the southwest United States and Canada. The thermal mass of earth walls provide natural insulation, adjusting to heat, humidity, wind and rain, and provide improved air quality. The use of
local earth as a building material means reduced transport costs, limited use of machinery and a significant reduction in CO2 emmissions. Most importantly, too many structures today go up without thought to final recycling or the impact the building has on the local (or global) environment. Buildings made from earth can either be recycled into something else or absorbed back into the earth naturally. That’s a pretty powerful concept when you think about it. The examples of earth construction within these pages are the result of an extraordinary collaboration with local masons who embraced building with earth, local artisans who contributed their time and talent and creative minds who dared to think outside the box. -Richard Rowland
The word KOE was born from the imagination of 9 year old Jamie Rowland. For him, Koé is a philosophy, a peaceful state of mind where balance exists between man and nature. According to the ancient proto-sinaitic alphabet, the letter K was depicted by the palm and five fingers of the hand, symbolizing openness and human exchange. The letter O, represented by the eye and its capacity to take in and reflect back light, symbolized the sun, inner and outer vision and the cycles of nature. The pictogram of the letter E showed man at prayer, arms raised, linking the earth and sky through the give and take of breath. The ‘HEH’ expelled during the renewal of breath represents existance, the soul and the wind. We thought KOE was the perfect name for our design studio, which specializes in the conception and realization of resilient and respectful projects--ranging but not limited to-- private residences, social housing and communal buildings. Atelier KOE is a collaboration of complementary disciplines including architecture, urbanism, design, engineering, earth construction, landscape, permaculture, water recycling, wind and sun energy. Our team holds the common goal of designing and building projects with the same respect and vision embodied in both the word KOE and Jamie’s humanistic worldview. While we are based in Senegal, our concepts can be applied universally.
PEOPLE
EARTH
We’ve been studying earth building techniques since 2007. These last 7 years have allowed us to literally dig our hands in and experiment with rammed earth, adobe and compressed earth bricks. Each project has presented us with unique challenges and the opportunity to experiment, learn and implement new ideas. We firmly believe in the beauty and merits of earth construction, which has an eleven thousand year heritage. Cement as a building material is comparatively new, too new to imagine that it could replace the time-tested evolution of earth construction. Poured earth, stabilized, mixed with water and additives, has shown encouraging results for use in future projects. Poured earth provides a financially and environmentally viable alternative for constructing public utility buildings and public housing programs. The stigma of poverty associated with earth building is receding thanks to modern examples of earth architecture adapted to the present. In addition, the wellbeing and environmental benefits of building with earth make it an esthetically and ethically balanced choice. We hope to contribute to the evolution of this balance—one project at a time.
KEUR LEAH - 2008/10 N’GAPAROU SENEGAL «Keur», in local Wolof, means ‘home’. Its homophone, «coeur» in French means ‘heart.’ As there are no street addresses in the rural areas of Senegal, homes are identified by the family name or the name of a significant individual. So «Keur Diop» for instance, would mean the heart and home of the Diop family. We began construction of our earth house in early December of 2008. It was a time of new beginnings and the joy and uncertainty that accompany realizing a dream. But it was also a time of loss and sadness, as we learned that my dear friend Leah McCollough had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 43. Our decision to build our house with earth and live off the grid in the bush of Senegal appealed greatly to Leah who was one of our biggest supporters. She made her living as a life coach and served as a catalyst for great change in many people’s lives. Helping me put aside my fears about this adventure in Africa and believing in it’s success was her last great gift to me. Our house is named in her honor. Its walls are textured and sturdy, thick as trees, cool to the touch, smelling of the ground. And one day, many years from now, it will be broken down to it’s basic components, back to the earth. I think Leah would have liked that idea. -Ellen Rowland
AL HAMRA - 2012/14 SENEGAL
La brousse, les baobabs, des troupeaux épars, le soleil, le vent. Le décor est planté. Archétype africain. Construire. Sans détruire. Le paysage. L’environnement. Un éco logis. Une écologie. Retour aux sources. La terre crue, l’eau, le soleil, le vent. Du haut des baobabs, les esprits veillent. Sous les arches, À la fois modernes et ancestrales, La fraîcheur, La sérénité. Et sûrement le bonheur. Teodoro GILABERT « Breath, » the man said, « I want my home to breathe. » And so the wind was invited to roam through the rooms at will. Down through a tower it breezed, it’s cool vapors whispering within it’s walls.. « Light , » said the man. « There must be lots of light. » And so the sun was summoned through windows and wells, guided by arches and shadowed by vaulted ceilings. He also said, « Respect. » My house must respect the land, it’s creatures and the people around it. And so the soil was turned by many hands and transformed into thick walls and sun-dried floors. Lastly, the man said, «Inspire. » I’d like my house to inspire others to build with respect and light and breath. But the wind and the sun and the earth had already done their job. Ellen ROWLAND
KHAMSA - 2014/15 SENEGAL
« Khamsa » (the eye in the hand), recognized as a sign of protection, is the symbol we played with in the design process. The project concept revolves around the notion of connection and transition, from inner to outer, from light to shadow, from public to private, from reflection to absorbtion, from dry to wet ,from social to intimate. Earth construction - Off-the-grid--hybrid solar and wind power - Vaulted earth brick cellar - Natural (plant filtered) pool, jacuzzi and pond. The construction uses compressed earth bricks stabilized with 8% portland cement for the main house and poured earth for outbuildings. The purposely blind facade incorporates opaque glass for privacy and allows visitors once inside to discover the interior and back exterior panorama. The back of the house takes advantage of a north facing window wall, maximizing views of the pond, pool and jaccuzi as well as the existing landscape of tropical trees and vegetation on the property. This living area provides a connection to nature and offers the owner a private oasis. We created a seamless interior-exterior transition to maximize light and natural views. Each room features glass walls which open to a unique secluded landscape. While the public gathering spaces rely on open volume, the two bedroom suites have been scaled down to bring a more intimate ambiance. The open floor plan relies on volume and simplistic spaces with an unobstructed flow. The intentional16» high dropped ceilings allow for natural air ventilation and insulation in addition to a dramatic perspective. Both the swimming pool and jacuzzi are naturally filtered by an adjacent aquatic plant zone, eliminating the need for chemical additives. The large surface area offers a cooling micro-climate. Our objective was to create an ecological living experience according to the client’s needs that reflects the input, creativity and talents of each participant while also respecting local resources and customs.
OCEANIUM - 2014/2018 DAKAR SENEGAL
The Oceanium has been dedicated to protecting the Senegalese environment for the past 30 years. It is also the world’s leading association in mangrove reforestation with more than 180 million propagules planted, involving more than 150 000 Senegalese since 2006. In 2014, The Oceanium contracted Atelier Koe to rethink and rebuild its offices with Earth in keeping with its environmental principles. This is a three year ongoing project.
EBAN AYA - 2014/16 GHANA
The art of building with earth is ancient and has survived the test of endurance. Unfortunately, over time, misconceptions and the occidental introduction of cement have linked earth construction to the stigma of poverty. Reaching back and taking inspiration from the source, Eban Aya fuses earth as a building material with functionality and aesthetics as a means to valorize the modern mud structure. With future generations in mind, the building process respects the needs of individual Ashantis, their community and their land. Eban: Love, Safety and Security. The home to the Akan is a special place. One with a fence is considered to be ideal. Aya: Endurance and resourcefulness; a hardy plant that can grow in difficult places; someone who has endured many adversities and outlasted much difficulty. Eban Aya begins with bamboo, which is inexpensive and grows abundantly in Ghana, yet is another undervalued resource. In cultivating an alliance with a government organization such as BARADEP (Bamboo and Rattan Development Program), non-invasive bamboo clumps are initially donated and planted along the periphery of the land, delineating property boundaries, providing security, safety and privacy. The bamboo fence will further serve as a crop to be harvested within a two year period, a portion of which is meant to be a donation to the construction of a neighboring home or community building. Bamboo poles will be used in construction as well, making individual production a valuable commodity. Boa Nena Me Mmoa Wo: Cooperation and interdependence; ÂŤHelp me and let me help you.Âť The Eban Aya process embraces the idea of the nuclear
family radiating out to include the larger community system-- which in turn supports the family. It invites individual ownership, community participation, collective learning, sharing and management in the creation and realization of each building. Local masons are trained in a viable earth building technique using only vernacular, readily available materials; bamboo is grown, shared, sold, utilized in construction and «payed forward» in order to help in the realization of the next home or community building. By incorporating the abundant laterite within the walls, the earth provides natural insulation, humidity regulation, acoustical properties and natural cooling. Building with earth reduces CO2 emissions, offers improved air quality and comfort, and is both enduring and durable. Extending the concept of permaculture (where «culture» refers to a global value system as opposed to simply «agriculture»), not just to a way of building but how it impacts individuals and community is not only logical, but essential to the future. Eban Aya facilitates the creation of this network. Osidan: The builder and Creativity Eban Aya is only a shell, a foundation for individual, familial and community creativity. Like earth itself, this shell can be transformed and adapted to meet the needs of its inhabitants and its primary function: a home for a family of two, four, six; a weaving studio, a women’s cooperative, a community building; a school; a place of worship. This shell structure allows home owners to be involved in the space design process in order to create a unique dwelling based on their specific needs. The Eban Aya shell may initially utilize only the ground floor for a small family or as a starting point to build upon if finances are limited.
CONCEPTS IN THE WORKS 2014 - 2016
HOTEL CONCEPT - 2014 DAKAR SENEGAL
CHAPEL CONCEPT - 2014 SENEGAL
Rendering
Y HOUSE - 2014
GUEREO SENEGAL
H - HOUSE - 2015
TOUBAB DIALOW SENEGAL
EKO HOUSE - 2014
POPENGUINE SENEGAL
NIKITA’S VILLAGE - 2015
LIPSI, DODECANESE GREECE In July of 2014 Hippolyte Gilabert and I joined three friends for a sailing trip around the Dodacanese islands of Greece. When we docked and stepped ashore on the small island of Lipsi, the smell of grilled calamari and briny fishing nets greeted us on the docks. We felt we’d been whisked back in time to a simpler era of seaside taverns spilling out into the narrow winding streets. Rich in time-worn culture, the island had maintained a sense of integrity and authenticity. While it welcomed its visitors with open arms, it did not cater to them. No tourist shops lined the port, no one beckoned us into overpriced restaurants or tried to sell us their wares. And the seasoned travellers from all over the world who were there to visit the island all seemed to share a secret. We had stumbled upon a treasure. The next day, we sailed out of the harbor regretting that we didn’t have more time to spend exploring this jewel in the Aegean sea. But it seemed that this Hellenic heaven wasn’t ready to let us go either. Headed for Patmos, we encountered strong gale winds and were forced to return to Lipsi until the winds died down. As willing captives, we soon learned about a man who ran a sustainable farm not far from the village and welcomed hundreds of students and volunteers each year to plant and harvest, eat and cook with the farms’ organic bounty. We wanted to meet him. After having spent most of his life in the United States, Kostas Dimitris Makris returned to the island of Lipsi to run Dimitri’s Farm, the organic gardens and vineyards his parents had spent their lives cultivating. In the course of our conversation, I told the story of our earth building practice in Senegal and Kostas revealed his long-held dream to create an ecological village using local materials as a natural extension of the farm. We had a lot in common. After months of exchanging emails across cultures and continents, we decided to collaborate on the project. Nikitas Village, named in honor of Kostas’ late brother, is in the early design phase. Twelve houses, a culinary school (“Stamatia’s Kitchen” named after his mother) and a farm will be built using a combination of local stones and earth and will feature workshops and classes in sustainable agriculture and local cuisine. Combining the ancestral agricultural knowledge of Kostas’ heritage and the sustainable design practices of Atelier Koe, these two improbable yet similar paths have joined together. And a new adventure awaits.
Richard Rowland has been designing, building and practicing self-taught architecture since 1986. After completing residential and commercial projects in France, Portugal and the Caribbean, he moved to the United States in 1997. There, he received the equivalent of a Master of Fine Arts based on his achievements from The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He went on to practice in Los Angeles and New York City before moving to Savannah, Georgia in 2005. He designed and consulted on several sustainable projects while studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2008 he moved to Senegal, West Africa to build an off-the-grid earth house, « Keur Leah». This experimental project implements sustainable solutions for construction, energy production, water recycling, landscaping and waste composting. Today his practice is the cumulative result of both his past experience and his ongoing commitment to learning.
Hippolyte Gilabert grew up in France and studied at Nantes National Superior School of Architecture. After obtaining his license, he travelled to Senegal to work with Richard in order to learn more about earth construction and architecture. Together they founded Atelier Koé. During his master years, Hippolyte is balancing his studies in Nantes and Athens with his ongoing practice in Sénégal.
An article on Keur Leah was featured in the 35th anniversary of Natural Life Magazine. « A turning of the soil» by Ellen Rowland In march 2014, Atelier Koe received an honorable mention for their project Al Hamra which was featured at the architectural biennale in Venice as a result of the « Young Architects in Africa » competition. In october 2014, koe won 2nd prize in the Mud house design competition in Ghana. In march 2015 the project Khamsa, completed in 2015, has been extensively published by international architectural magazines.
photographs: website: email: facebook:
Régis L’hostis atelierkoe.fr atelierkoe@gmail.com atelierkoe
© 2015