KANTORA ARTS VILLAGE 1
organizer
supported by
Portuguese Partners
This booklet presents detailed information about the earth architecture workshop that will take place in Kantora Arts Village, Gambia. The main objective of this workshop is to help design a unit of the artisan village, having as an example the pilot project of Abetenim Arts Village. Kantora Arts Village consists in creating an informal school for unemployed rural youths focused on vocational arts, earth architecture and passive solar design . It brings together international workshop participants, local artisans and less privileged youths to learn how to build. It is an unique opportunity for those who are interested in building with earth materials and willing to work in a real context of Gambia with the local people. This workshop will be an experience for the participants to develop skills in building construction and providing an enriching knowledge.
THIS IS A CALL OUT FOR VOLUNTEERS
CONTENTS CONTEXT 5 TEAM 7 PROJECT 9 PRACTICAL INFORMATION
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KANTORA ARTS VILLAGE
SENEGAL
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CONTEXT LOCATION Located on the west coast, Gambia is consideraded the smallest country in Africa, lead by the Gambia River - as the main source of water and transport medium - and surrounded by Senegal except at the western costline which borders the Atlantic Ocean. Basse is the largest town and the commercial center of eastern Gambia, a transit point for goods to Senegal, Guinea and Mali. The site project is located in the small village of Karsi Kunda [13°23’15.4”N, 13°51’13.2”W] in the Kantora district, one of the 7 districs of the administrative region of Upper River Region. The region has a total population of about 240.000 inhabitants, 48% males and 52% females with a poverty gap ration of about 25,9%, based on the 2013 National Census.
CLIMATE Gambia’s weather is divided into two seasons: a 7 month dry season (November to May) and a 5 month wet season (June to October) with an average temperature of 28ºC. One of the mains problems is the drought that affects the crops and therefore, the food quantity in the region. The Upper River Region, being a tropical zone, is characterised by a lowland landscape with regular flooding.
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How to Re-Invent the African Mud Hut
Bamako Symposium On the Arts Arts Village
ANYONE INTERESTED
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TEAM NKA FOUNDATION is a non-profit organization started in 2005. Their mission focus on the development of communities in Africa through arts and design. Since 2008, Nka Foundation has been running arts and mud house design projects in Ghana, Mali NKA FOUNDATION
and Tanzania working with local resources.
Locals will take part in the construction work. Having both young and elders on the team is crucial since they will help us understand the local conditions, the culture and the traditional architecture and building system. LOCALS Miguel Pires Amado is a portuguese architect and urban planner. Currently he holds the position of coordinator of the Architecture course at Instituto Superior Tecnico at Universidade de Lisboa, where he also holds the teaching Design Studio in Master Course of Architecture as associated professor. WORKSHOP LEADER Opened to international volunteers, you can learn more about earth construction while contributing to community development in Gambia. Everyone is welcome to join. Students of architecture, design and engineering can use the opportunity for internship, thesis work or personal research. VOLUNTEERS KANTORA ARTS VILLAGE 9
TYPOLOGY A
TYPOLOGY B 10 DORMITORY FOR LOCAL STUDENTS
PROJECT
GENERAL The project consists of a dormitory for local students in Kantora Arts Village. The local conditions such as the bioclimatic features and the available materials are the main premises for this project. The proposal includes 10 dormitory modules for 20 students each with a bathroom, a living room and a dormitory. There was a special concern on the urban composition. Therefore, the module has two variations (Type A and Type B). The typology A is composed by two longitudinal buildings whereas the typology B is a “L� shape, with a rotation of type A. This will allow a more dynamic urban unit, with a composition of small courtyards when aggregating the dormitory modules for the 200 students. The design has also a concern about future adaption to other functions. In the future, this module can be adapt to small dwellings for expatriates by changing the window spans to doors and creating autonomous entrances in each bedroom. The modularity of the building also allows an easy expansion of the living room and bathroom, according to the needs.
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BUILDING CHARACTERIZATION The dormitory is marked by a living room at the entrance and the bathroom at the end. The living room creates both an entrance and a small space as a more private meeting point for the resident students, considering that they spend the day mostly outside or at school. This space will also establish a separation between the entrance and the private area of the bedrooms. The bedrooms are small alcoves with two bunk beds (4 people) separated by thin wooden walls and organized within a circulation corridor that finishes with the bathroom unit. The latter has toilets and showers for the resident students as well as a secondary access for maintenance and cleaning.
BIOCLIMATIC DESIGN All the building is characterized by a single body, although the bathroom has no roof to provide fully ventilation. The building system of the walls will be adobe blocks made with wood molds. The window and door spans will result from the absence of blocks and application of supporting wooden lintels. The window spans will not be closed by a window to assure cross ventilation. Moreover, to help on crossed ventilation, the roof wooden structure is separated from the walls through wall plates. The straw as roof covering will help both on thermal comfort and facilitate water drainage during the rainy season. To reduce direct solar radiation and contribute to thermal comfort (considering an average daily temperature of 28ยบC) the roof will have a long eave. KANTORA ARTS VILLAGE 13
PHASING OF THE ACTIVITIES During the building process, several parallel activities are proposed. Building workshops will be provided as well as a Manual for Self-Building (in English, the official language of Gambia) based on clear pictures of each procedure. During the whole process, public participation sessions are scheduled. During the project phase, these sessions will help to adequate the solution regarding the people needs and ambitions. Within the building process, several workshops will take place which will help on the community training for future operations. In the end, people will be consulted to assess what could be improved in future projects (considering our continuous learning process). Inter-generational dynamic is also promoted. Elders and professionals will give an important contribution to the younger people regarding the traditional architecture and building system.
1 | Site preparation 2 | Block productions (with a wood mold) 3 | Carpentry 4 | Latrine and Septic tank construction 5 | Construction of basement and damp proof 6 | Construction of wall and roof 7 | Pavement finishes 8 | Users Manual (Workshop) 9 | Maintenance Manual (Workshop) 10 | Dissemination Results (Book project, website & publications)
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PRACTICAL
01 OUTOBER 2018 - 30 JULY 2019 Minimum two weeks
PARTICIPATION FEE 400€ FOOD & ACCOMODATION 80€/Week
WHEN
COSTS
Flights, visa, insurance and vaccinations are paid by the participant.
Financial help possible. Contact us!
designbuildchallengegambia@gmail.com
designbuildchallengegambia@gmail.com Facebook: Design Build Challenge Gambia
APPLICATION
MORE INFO
info@nkafoundation.org www.nkafoundation.org The country has only one international airport, Banjul Airport. In the high season, from November until March, there are more flight options but the prices are higher. The cheapest available tickets are in the rainy season, between June and October. Additional option is to fly to the capital of Senegal, Dakar, which has more international connections. The public transportation from Dakar to Barra, in Gambia, is always available for not more than 10€ per person. The most common way to get around is by road or by river.
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TRANSPORT
INFORMATION To visit Gambia you will need a passport, valid for at least six
VISAS
months after entering the country. European Union Citizens EU nationals do not require a visa to gain entry into Gambia. Nationals from the US require an entry visa with at least 1 blank page on their passport for the stamp. You can apply for a visa at the Embassy of Gambia in Washington DC. www.gambiaembassy.us / Vinfo@gambiaembassy.us
The official currency in Gambia is Gambian Dalasi. Credit cards
MONEY
are accepted only in major banks, supermarkets and hotels, but you are usually charged a high commission when using them and the value must not exceed 100â‚Ź and on cash points it must not exceed 200â‚Ź per day. We recommend using cash, and you can have you VISA with you in case of emergency. Money can be exchanged in banks and exchange bureaus throughout the country. Do not exchange your money on the street, even though you may be offered a better exchange rate.
HEALTH
Since January 2008, mandatory vaccination against yellow fever is required for entering all West African countries, including Gambia. Vaccination against yellow fever is the only required for entering Gambia. We recommended that, before you travel, you consult your doctor who will advice you on any other preventative health-care measures such as anti-malarial medicines (which are also available in Gambia). No medical insurance will be provided by the organization. We strongly recommend that all participants invest in personal health insurance that will cover them internationally.
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