Future rural school
RECONNECT WITH CONTEXT A m g o u n s i
Mary SAFAEI Julien LAFON Rasmus GULBRANDSEN
1
i d i l i
INTRODUCTION ‘FUTURE RURAL SCHOOLS – MOROCCO’ Studio by Laurens Bekemans and Catherine Mengé
The studio assignment ‘Future rural schools’ started with an extensive research of the context in the region of Agadir in Morocco, summarized in an already published ‘research booklet’. The designs for new pre-schools in Tidili and Tamgounsi, made in this studio, are explained in this ‘project booklet’.
STUDIO ASSIGNMENT CONTENT In a global perspective, around 90% of the world’s population cannot afford an architect, who is trained to design from behind his computer and prescribe mass-produced materials. The preindustrialized concept of a master-builder might just come back. It reflects the idea of an integral approach to architecture, embedded in local context, local materials and local craftsmanship. The contemporary master builder understands the art of building and is a decent craftsman. Besides he also works with the possibilities of contemporary technologies and digital media. Exchanges between cultures and working with local building materials and techniques are starting points for the master-builder in order to achieve site-specific architectural projects. TWO BIO CLIMATIC SCHOOLS IN TIDILI AND TAMGOUNSI The project sites are located in the neighbourhood of Agadir, Morocco. The projects are part of a long-term program of the Goodplanet Foundation called “Bio-climatic Schools”. Within this program the foundation builds schools in rural environments based upon bio-climatic principles using local resources, knowledge and techniques. The Commune of Drarga (Morocco) ordered the construction of 5 of such schools in their region due to the success of the program in Morocco. The design of 2 schools in tidili and Tamgounsi will therefore be designed as prototypes and will function as examples for the development of the other schools. DESIGN APPROACH The studio works with 2 key principles that are connected to sustainable research and design: ‘sense of place’ and ‘materiality’. On one hand the studio focusses on ‘sense of a place’. Students try to understand and work with the specificity of the context. With this knowledge they develop a site-anchored (spatial + socio-cultural) architectural project for the chosen site.Both in terms of functionality and materialization the project is celebrating the place. On the other hand, this studio looks at the materiality and craftsmanship of architecture. Everything is embedded. As the student is challenged to understand in a holistic way the construction site, he/she develops affinities with local resources, construction techniques, bioclimatic principles and architectural typologies. These explorations will bring students closer to materials and their constructive features. This will bridge the existing gap between architectural education and craftsmanship of architecture. AIM The aim of the design studio is to develop a vision on schools in the rural context of Morocco and to design high-quality architectural projects until executional level. The students will develop their designs as architectural strategies, giving the possibility to adapt their proposals easily to different topographies, different rural morphologies and technical necessities.
INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDIO PROJECTS The request for new pre-schools in Tidili and Tamgounsi came from the management of the schools and the higher administration and is supported by the Goodplanet Foundation. Also, the villages expressed the wish to expand their primary school with a kindergarten class. The projects in this booklet for future pre-schools offer one-by-one qualitative spaces, where children will be happy and learn a lot!
2
Table of contents
T a m g o u n s i
T i d i l i
Design philosophy
4-5
Fares school- Hassan Fathy
6-9
Research
10-25
Design
26-35
Detail
36-41
Research
42-57
Design
58-63
Detail
64-71
Conclusion
72-73
3
When you arrive at an idea or system by which to serve a human aim then implicitly you have a responsibility to society and yourself. To society it’s clear, but to yourself, because your achievement is not the result of your unique effort, rather it is the result of what others have taught you to enable you to be in a position to have something to say. - Hassan Fathy -
4
Design philosophy Creating the physical environment for people in a completely different culture, environment, and place, we are in a position we must be very humble, and conscious in our design-methodology. To be able to put ourselves in the position to ÂŤhave something to sayÂť, and translate what we learn into the language of architecture, we must understand what was, what is, how and why it became like it is today. To shape the learning environment for children, we have to think like an architect, music composer, and philosopher. But also as a villager, farmer, builder, and a child. As technical as rhythm-patterns in 17/8ths and quarter-tone scales, combined with feeling, harmony, touching all the senses, putting all the elements together is not a simple or quick task. We will try to be playful and explorative, with the eyes of a child when we do research. To be able to create the best possible learning environments, we aim for a holistic, open, and humble process towards our design. And to be able to design, we need to do like the children. We need to explore. 5
Fares School Hassan Fathy Fares Egypt 1957
As a director of the School Building Department, Hassan Fathy made a study for an economic community-based prototype school for rural villages in Egypt. This project arrives from the idea to make an economic school prototype, that could be built in the rural villages around Egypt. The school was intended to be naturally ventilated and extensionally use natural illumination to avoid usage of mechanical ventilation.
6
Administrative and communal activities are divided. Such as the mosque, library, and assembly hall.
The domed area was intended to be the seating for the classroom, while the rectilinear space next to it was meant to contain a salsabil, or water pool, to further cool the air coming in through the slots in the vault above.
7
The windows are also oriented after sun curves, to maximize natural light into the classroom.
The repetitive classrooms are organized in separate wings Creating a protected courtyard between. Each classroom is divided into a square domed area and a rectilinear vaulted space next to it. With a shaded entrance towards the courtyard. Further ventilation was also expected to be supplied by operable casement windows that were paired with lunettes.
8
In elevation, the rows of classrooms with their alternating slotted vaults and rounded domes clearly tell the story of their intended function, even though they are now partially screened by a boundary wall which has been built to separate them from the main street running alongside. The salsabils, however, were never installed, and the entire space is now used for teaching.
What we learned This project inspired us through its clever spatial organization, and how it uses natural ventilation, daylight to create different spaces, in and around the classrooms. The shaded transitional zone, towards the schoolyard, and how the classroom connects to the rest of the school, have been an important inspiration in our design process, and how we deal with the different zones, in and around the preschool.
9
Tamgounsi 2004
This analysis begins with the evolution of this site: The appearance of the school’s surrounding wall. In 2012, the pink part (areas trampled by the children) seems to mix playground, entrance, and private area for the teachers in one and the same space.
2012
2014
In 2014, a new house for a teacher is added and allows for a little more distinction between the “private” parts and the areas where children can play. In 2015 the current football area starts to be clearly distinguishable and the “trampled part” part becomes narrower and narrower between the playground and the entrance.
2015
10
2016
In 2016, a slab providing easy access to all the classrooms below is built with a stone retaining wall, probably using local techniques ( like agricultural terraces in the area). Moreover, in the same year, it seems that the area where the children play football has been a little more delimited by stones all around, showing this willingness to define different spaces.
2 years later this differentiation is accentuated once again with the new classroom built along the surrounding wall. Finally, in 2019, we can clearly see two wellseparated spaces between the playground and the entrance. Furthermore we can see that the stone wall has been destroyed and a concrete wall has taken its place.
2018
2019
11
Concept This last observation shows that local knowhow is disappearing in favor of “modern� construction techniques that are now gaining ground in villages such as Tamgounsi and are therefore having a devastating effect on traditional architecture. We aim to honor traditional techniques from the area. And from this we develop our design strategy, to use the stones on site, to create terraces to deal with the sloped landscape.
12
Loss of local materials
Spatial differentiation
Playground
Preschool made with local materials
Entrance + teacher space
13
Shaddow The shadow analysis of Tamgounsi shows us that it is not much space in school, that is always in shade. And there are few places to hide from the sun. Based on this, we aim to create more shaded zones, define the landscape and buildings after the light and shadow during the school day, through the whole year. Adding a pergola to one of the most sunexposed areas in the school to give shade to the children could be a possibility. Terraces landscape could also protect them from the hot sun.
14
Never shade
Always Shade
15
Wind The school in Tamgounsi is exposed to wind from the west, and east northeast.
Wind sketches
When the wind meets the solid wall, it creates a circular upstream wind, on both sides of the wall, this gives Tamgounsi a strong and uneven wind and needs to be carefully studied to be able to create sheltered and comfortable zones in the school ground.
16
This diagram shows how long the wind reaches, related to height (X x height). With the height of 2.4 meters of the wall in Tamgounsi, the length of this heavy wind, can be up to 24 meters from the wall, before it “lands�, and regains its speed. This creates unstable and challenging wind conditions in the school.
17
18
Wind breakers The diagrams show the percentage of porosity/ perforated, and how far the sheltered zone is related to the size of the openings. By adding perforated walls, or add small windbreakers in Tamgounsi, we can gain more control over the strong wind. And spread it more even within the school-yard as a quality.
Openings on bottom to let air through.
Perforated wall
Vertical openings to let wind through, following the mountain curve (also creating visual connections to the mountain).
19
Wind
Thick walls
Terraces
Orientation
20
Bioclimatic strategies We aim to increase shade and reduce heat in buildings and the site. So, students can play or sit outdoor while being protected from the harsh sun. In the newly designed preschool, the windows are placed due to predominant wind which is east-northeast.
High thermal inertia of thick walls we suggest, helps cool down the inside of the preschool.
Terraces in the site provide more shadows on the playground where kids play.
Also, the orientation of the preschool helps to get more light for students while studying inside.
21
Tazotas
Existing tazotas in Morocco
In many Moroccan countrysides, we find very rocky landscapes. These stones are used for the construction of walls (stara), enclosures (zriba), shelters, dry stone huts with corbelled vaults (tazota), and buried silos (toufri).
The tazotas have one or two stairs on the side to climb up to the edge of the lower trunk-cone, and only one to climb to the top of the upper trunkcone. Sometimes the staircase is between two twin tazotas.
Above the first truncated cone, there is a second smaller truncated cone with a square opening of about 50cm on each side, in the axis of the entrance. The entrance and the window are surmounted by a lintel reinforced by a line of wedges (cornerstone), which are held together by their ingenious arrangement, one supporting the other, but sometimes a wooden lintel can be found.
The stairs made it easier to climb and work during construction, and then to access the terrace to dry grain. Tazotas are generally 2.5 to 3 meters high. About 1.5 meters thick for the first degree, the wall arches slightly as it rises to form.
22
Entrance always at the east side to get sun in the morning
Roof = Gravel + Earth
Stone assembled without mortar
Staircase allowing the construction and access to the terrace
23
different stone entrances
In the corbelled vault, the stones of each foundation have an external slope that allows run-off water to drain away and prevents infiltration. These stones are flat, there is no trace of cutting.
24
The entrance is narrow (about 70 x 160 cm) and trapezoidal in shape. A corridor measuring a maximum of 2 m protects the interior from wind and rain.
Summer
Winter
Water 25
Design
26
27
Design
Master Plan 0m 3m 6m 9m
28
In Morocco, we found the ancient techniques of Tazotas, and we were inspired to create a new interpretation, and rediscover this old and underestimated technique. The corbelled dome is not a self supporting structure, even though the lintels are quite efficient, it demands strong, thick walls, and pillars to distribute the load. The corbelled arch, is often referred to as a “false arch”. To deal with the seismic challenges of the area, we have added a series of safety measures , with steel anchors, mesh, and mortar between the stones.
Section BB’
Section AA’ 29
Entrance section
30
Entrance path A short stone wall separates the private zone for teachers (accommodations) from the entrance path. With some openings in it, it does not work as a solid separation. Some bushes and the existing olive tree resting in the shadow of the western wall, make this place not a place to run through. 31
There is a shaded wooden bench, which works as the waiting area and parents can stay in the shade while waiting for their kids. pieces of the surrounding landscape, connecting it to the outer world.
32
Windows
Framing views
Some call them openings, some call them windows. And some call them “the eyes of the house�
But in the dome, the windows have a different task. In the otherwise cool, and heavy atmosphere, we aim to connect this space with its surroundings, without breaking the feeling of this space.
To the east, there are windows to let in the fresh morning sun, in the south the door is perforated to let in the southern sun, without being too hard into the room. The south/west facade has big windows, to make sure the classroom and dome are properly equipped with natural light.
Here the windows frame pieces of the surrounding landscape, connecting it to the outer world, by letting in beams of light, but also framing its surroundings.
33
34
“Natural elements, such as light, heat, water, and wind, deal with the microphenomena of physics, which arise outside of and eventually infiltrate buildings. Openings, quasi-exterior spaces, and thresholds between inside and outside are logical gathering places for such behaviors. They can be quite mischievous at times: condensation builds along a windowsill, or wind flits through a crack. Nevertheless, the rules of nature cannot be changed; what we do, however, is put their inherent properties to the best possible use through architecture. Attuned to nature’s stirring, we can obtain a sharper, more enhanced perception of the world”. - Atelier Bow-Wow -
35
Detail
Location of the section
36
37
Typical door Steel frame with perforated reeds
Doors detail
38
Wooden ringbeam Stone lintel Window frame Glass window
Dome window see from inside
Dome window see from outside
Window detail
39
Playground rocky area Regarding the age of the kids in the preschool, a semi separated playground sounds practical. The designated playground on the east, brings safety for these kids. The transition from outside (public space) to this private space happens through a shaded stone corridor which also defines the entrance to the preschool.
40
Conclusion Tamgounsi The most challenging part for Tamgounsi was the huge scale, long slope, and weather exposed situation. To deal with this, we introduced terraces to even out the slope, landscaping to deal with the scale and a cooled space to respond to the hot climate. Responding to the natural conditions of the place. The terraced landscape is similar to the surrounding agricultural landscape, and can be changed after needs of future users.
“To my mind, architecture is like the shell of the snail, the soft part secreting calcium carbonates, and by natural forces making the form by movement and surface tension� - Hassand Fathy -
41
Tidili
2003
2009
Due to the site evolution of the school in Tidili, which presents the progress of the school from 2003 to 2018, the school is a courtyard. According to the study of the typologies of the buildings in the village, it was predictable since houses are mainly one-story courtyards in a cluster. The circulation plays an important role here which happens using patios in front of the building. A row of flowers planted simply in tires separates this patio from the central playground. The program which is needed from us has three phases: 1. preschool and sanitary, 2. one housing for the staff and 3. refectory. In phases one, two, and three we propose a preschool, housing, and refectory respectively. The southeast corner of the school is going to be extended to the forest. There is a secondary door here which will work as a private entrance for the preschool.
2012
42
2016
There are two tall pine trees in the extended part which will work as a private playground for small children and toddlers. The current white wall will be kept in some parts and will work as a space divider for the playground. The playground is 80cm lower than the level of all other buildings. Hence, there are some steps that children can sit on. These steps might even work as an outdoor mini auditorium.
The housing will replace the current asbestos kitchen which has been divided by a green corridor covered with a light roof from the classroom in the south. The green area will bring the students in the classroom a nice view, also when the school is closed and students are gone, would work as a small private garden for the staff.
2018
2018
43
Courtyard Based on observations in Tidili, we decided to keep the existing courtyard structure, with all its climatic and spatial qualities. By keeping the space on the outer side of the classrooms free for circulation, the whole schoolyard is activated for the children to use. The entrances are always placed with an angle, towards the inner courtyard, avoiding direct view into the playground. We decided to follow the same logic in our design, by pulling the preschool building out from the wall, and not having a direct view into the preschool playground.
Keep the courtyard structure
Free circulation outside of the building
Two different entrances
44
Shaddow The shadow analysis showed us that there are a lot of shadows in Tidili, also in the two “alleys” between the classrooms.
Never shade
So we chose to add a circulation around the new teachers’ accommodation to give the children more circulation through the shaded alley.
Always Shade
45
Wind
Wind sketches
Tidili has a very different wind situation than Tamgounsi. The wind from the west cools down by the surrounding vegetation. And creates a more comfortable environment. The northeast wind is currently not exploited, and we aim to take advantage of this breeze to cool the new preschool.
46
Opening alley next to the new accommodation, to let in the cold breeze.
The angle of the two buildings on the west corner lets the cool breeze into the schoolyard.
47
Dig soil
Wind ciruclation
Light roof
Greenery
48
Bioclimatic strategies Bioclimatic strategies Due to the Moroccan arid climate in general and Tidili in particular, we aim to make a pleasant atmosphere for both children and staff in the school. In doing so, we suggest in the preschool to dig the soil, lower the level of the playground (-0.60m), and paint the exterior walls with bright colors.
Regarding the housing, a corridor that works as a wind tunnel covered with a light roof above, helps cool down the teacher’s accommodation.
Adding more greenery (plants and trees) in the school is also bio-climatically beneficial.
49
Colors
50
Building colors
Slab
Wall and vegetation
From the color analysis, we see that light, almost pastel colors are frequently used around the school. And the sharp-edged shadows give a rich and nuanced experience of the colors.
We aim to add a new space in the same nuances as the rest, but we introduce a more earthy palette in addition to the existing palette. Not too radical, but in a dialogue with the existing colors.
New earthy tones
51
Co-designing with the children Tadelakt
Tadelakt process
Dating thousands of years, Tadelakt is a magical water-resistant chemistry of lime & vegetable oil resulting in a glimmering monolithic plaster that twinkles in the light as it seamlessly extends across surfaces of our structures, showcasing its extreme craftsmanship.
52
A living surface that is as hard as stone and as soft as leather, as breathing and waterproof as our skin; has its origins in the ancient city of Marrakech in Morocco.
Tadelakt is a particularly high lime-to-aggregate ratio which is applied in multiple thin coats to a substrate, such as an earthen wall surface, polished and then caressed with smooth stones. Finally, it is rubbed down with organic soap and patience to make the surface seamless. It takes time for the surface to evolve.
To obtain the finish for this technique is all about the time spent making it. Being waterproof and customizable in different colored finishes, having the ability to follow all forms of the building; still holding the ability to breathe, with a property to gain beauty and strength over time, this is definitely a very interesting traditional technique.
It takes time to create timeless masterpieces; and if we have enough, Tadelakt surfaces are carefully sculpted artwork with a soul.
53
Final product
Water and trees
To keep nature, and help to cool the playground, we want to keep the trees on the corner of the school. To keep the soil and roots in a place we suggest building stone walls. Using the same technique as the terraces in the hillsides. We use the same technique, with mortar, and use this as a fundament for the surrounding wall.
54
By bringing water into the playground, we help to cool the space. And the ambiance running water brings to space, can have a very calming effect on the children, and completes the harmony of the space.
Interplay of the intimate enclosed
When discussing space it is important to make a difference between interstellar and enclosed space.
The outside, and interstellar space, there is no feeling, but with architectural elements the spaces are enclosed, and this creates the space. The entrance to the preschool is through this “arcade�, with the shelves for children, this functions as a transitional zone into the preschool classroom.
55
Intimate space in the open space When we create the bigger space outside the preschool, we also create smaller intimate spaces around it.
Openings in the wall
56
To give the children the possibility for intimacy, but at the same time be a part of the open space. The wall is a multipurpose three dimensional architectural element, as a dividing between the playground and outside, but also creating smaller arches, to get a view towards the beautiful forest.
“Often it is the very fact of concentration in the most restricted intimate spaces that the dialectics of inside and outside draw their strength� - Gaston Bachelard (Poetics of space)
57
Design
58
59
Design
Housing
Refectory
Preschool
Master Plan
60
Elevation entrance
Section AA’
Section BB’
61
62
63
Layer by layer
64
Shelf detail
Structure detail
65
Detail
Location of the section
66
Detail section 67
Two-layer doors Outside ayer: perforated layer (reeds) Inside layer: Transparent layer (glass)
Doors detail
68
Water evacuation
69
Different phases After phases 1,2 and 3 the school even can have more classrooms. In phase 4, we suggest changing the housing which was built in phase 2 to a classroom and build one more buildi ng on the north as a housing. So, the main entrance will be the one on the south and the entrance to the north, including a car park and green area, will be used only for staff to reach their housing.
70
Conclusion Tidili A continuous circulation around the building and a small courtyard for the preschool, follow the pattern of the school in Tidili. By means of lowering the playground through 3 steps, it works as an open-air auditorium. This semi-private lower playground has been separated with a short stone wall with more privacy for the kids. Small openings in arches frames make it possible for kids to look outside their intimate private place. Like Tamgounsi, the transition from outside to inside happens through a covered hallway. The combination of the existing pine trees and the water channel we brought to the preschool, make the playground more green and fresh while meeting bioclimatic strategies.
71
72
Conclusion After 5 months of research and design, we are happy to see the accomplishment of a group work that despite the exceptional situation was carried out in respect, listening, sharing and above all good mood ! With several hundred kilometers separating us from each other and weekly skype appointments, we are proud to see the results of our combined efforts and to have presented them to you. These efforts, encouraged and supported by Catherine and Laurens, have allowed us to come up with a reflection that we hope will bring ideas and projects to the minds of adults and children alike !
73