VILLAGE VESSEL
RUITING XU (TETHYS)
THESIS STATEMENT 01
THESIS STATEMENT
“Improving the lives and experiences of countless citizens in a region of the world that is at times forgotten.” - Francis Kéré
Thesis
This thesis proposes a design aimed at enhancing the quality of life for villagers in a region often overlooked. Every living being on Earth needs water to survive. The goal of this project is to ensure villagers have access to daily water for safe use and to create a space that fosters social engagement.
Why Ambalorao?
Ambalorao, a village in western Madagascar, experiences seasonal flooding and drought. Situated at a lower altitude, it faces runoff from higher regions during the wet season, causing shallow depressions that flood homes. The dry season brings drought, stressing vegetation and forcing villagers and their neighbors to travel miles daily to fetch water. Additionally, Ambalorao serves as a junction for accessing the coastal city of Andavadoaka, making it a pass-through point for people from neighboring villages like Ankilitelo and Ankilimalinika.
What is Village Vessel?
• Village Vessel functions as a dam, a causeway, a water management system, and a cultural hub. During the rainy season, it acts as a barrier between runoff water and residential areas.
• It also serves as a causeway, allowing people to cross from the east side to the west over shallow depressions.
• As a water management system, it features a ground pattern that directs water to a designed collection area, where it passes through a basic sand and gravel filtration system. The filtered water is stored in an underground tank, with three hand pump locations available for villagers to access water during the dry season.
• Village Vessel also acts as a cultural hub, drawing people from nearby villages to gather water. As the rainy season approaches, the semi-covered spaces transform into contemplation area where people can enjoy the sound of drizzling rain. In the dry season, it serves as a venue for sharing agricultural knowledge, hosting farmer’s markets, or simply as a relaxing shade spot.
The Future
By designing a system that effectively manages both the abundance of water during the rainy season and the scarcity during the drought, this architecture ensures a reliable water supply throughout the year. As climate change intensifies, potentially leading to more extreme weather patterns, Village Vessel will continue to serve as a vital water management system for environmental sustainability. With the anticipated increase in population, additional water tanks may be added to accommodate growing needs. The daily gathering of villagers for water turns the space into a hub for social interaction and cultural exchange, thereby strengthening community bonds.
PROVOCATION
WHY A SMALL VILLAGE IN MADAGASCAR?
The choice of Ambalorao is motivated by a desire to enhance the living quality of people in regions often overlooked or forgotten. This small village in Madagascar exemplifies the challenges faced by many rural communities worldwide, particularly those affected by extreme environmental conditions. By implementing a project that significantly improves water management and creates communal spaces, the thesis aims to elevate the everyday lives of Ambalorao’s residents.
Ambalorao’s unique geographical and climatic challenges make it an exemplary case for demonstrating how thoughtful architectural and infrastructural interventions can transform living conditions. The village experiences severe seasonal variations, from flooding in the wet season to droughts in the dry season, which directly impact the residents’ quality of life. By addressing these issues through the Village Vessel project, the thesis not only provides practical solutions to water management but also fosters a stronger community network, turning a space of mere survival into one of social and cultural enrichment.
Moreover, Ambalorao’s position as a junction to the coastal city of Andavadoaka and its role as a through-route for neighboring villages accentuates its potential as a community hub. This geographical significance ensures that improvements in water management and communal infrastructure will benefit not only the local residents but also those in surrounding areas. The project thus extends its impact, serving as a blueprint for similar interventions in other rural settings facing environmental and infrastructural challenges. By focusing on Ambalorao, the thesis not only addresses the immediate needs of its inhabitants but also contributes to a broader discourse on sustainable rural development, highlighting how small-scale interventions can lead to significant regional benefits.
In June, people forage for water in the Amboasary distrcict in southern Madagascar. (Tsiory Andriantsoarana)
Near the Madrare River, people dig holes to get drinking water. (Tsiory Andriantsoarana)
POSITION
How architecture can integrate with and enhance environments of such regions?
Can a single architectural intervention serve only manages water effectively throughout of the community’s daily social and cultural
How might this approach transform the way environment and each other?
enhance the natural and social
serve as a multifunctional hub that not throughout the year but also becomes a vital part cultural activities?
way communities interact with their
WATER AND COMMUNITY
Water is not merely a resource essential for survival; it is a vital component that shapes the social and cultural fabric of communities, especially in rural settings. In regions like Ambalorao where water availability changes drastically with the seasons, its presence and absence influence daily life. This thesis explores how architectural design can transform water management from a logistical challenge into a catalyst for community development and social cohesion.
By integrating water infrastructure with communal spaces, the project redefines the role of water in the village. Instead of being a source of distress during floods and scarcity, it becomes a central element around which daily life and social interactions revolve. The design of the Village Vessel ensures that water collection points are not just functional but are also gathering places that promote community engagement. As such, water serves as a binding force, linking individuals and groups, facilitating cultural exchange, and fostering a sense of belonging and community identity.
In Tsihombe, people gather around pit to get water. (Alice Rahmoun)
Some people travel over four hours to the Mandrare river to collect water. (Patrick Meinhardt)
PROJECT 04
SITE ANALYSIS
Location of Ambalorao in Madagascar
Monthly Climatology of Average MInimum Surface Air Temperature, Average Mean Surface Air Temperature, Average Maximum Surface Air Temperature & Precipitation 1991-2020; Atsimo Andrefasna, Madagascar
Rainfall Classification: Intensity of Rainfall in 24 Hours
Weather and Climate Services DIvision, NCHM
No rain
Very Light Rain
Light Rain
Moderate Rain
Heavy Rain
Very Heavy Rain
Extremely Heavy Rain
Rainy Day
Definitions
Rainfall amount realized in a day is 0.0 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is between 0.1 mm to 0.9 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is between 1.0 mm to 10 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is between 11 mm to 30 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is between 31.0 mm to 70.0 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is between 70.0 mm to 150 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is equal or more than 151 mm
Rainfall amount realized in a day is 1.0 mm or more
Dry Season (Precipitation lower than 31.00 mm): May - Sep
Wet Season (Precipitation over 31.00 mm): Oct - Apr
DRY SEASON
May - Sep
Ponds near Ambalorao gradually dried up during dry season
Image from Google Earth
miles
miles
Distance of people living in Ambalorao to obtain drinkable water
WET SEASON
situated within the shallow basin area
The terrain’s slopes and the positioning of the village suggest water runoff from the higher altitudes.
Image from Arcgis.com
Ambalorao
Diagram of Wet Season Water Flow
WATER COLLECTION
PROGRAM
WATER FILTRATION
EXCESS TO PONDS USAGE
WATER STORAGE
WET SEASON DRY SEASON
EDUCATION
CULTURAL HUB
EDUCATION
FAMER’S MARKET PLAYGROUND
CAUSEWAY
BARRIER
• WATER MANAGEMENT
EXCESS TO PONDS
WATER SUPPLY
WATER INTAKE
FILTRATION
WATER SUPPLY
WATER STORAGE
• BARRIER
• CAUSEWAY
• CULTURAL HUB
THE FUTURE 05
THE FUTURE OF AMBALORAO
The Village Vessel project in Ambalorao is designed to adapt and evolve in response to both the immediate and long-term needs of the community, ensuring sustainability amid changing environmental conditions. As climate change continues to influence global weather patterns, the project’s adaptive design is crucial. “Indices for daily temperature and precipitation in Madagascar” indicate a warming climate with decreasing precipitation trends, suggesting that extreme weather events may become more frequent and severe. In this context, the Village Vessel’s role as a water management system becomes even more vital.
Over time, as the population of Ambalorao potentially grows due to its strategic location and improved living conditions, the demands for water will increase. The infrastructure laid out in the Village Vessel is scalable; additional water tanks and expanded communal areas can be integrated to meet the rising needs. This scalability ensures that new segments of the population can be accommodated without straining the existing resources.
WORKS CITED
Agence France Presse. “UN Seeks $76 Mn in Emergency Aid for Madagascar, Hit by ‘worst Drought in a Decade.’” Firstpost, January 20, 2021. https://www.firstpost. com/world/un-seeks-76-mn-in-emergency-aid-for-madagascar-hit-by-worstdrought-in-a-decade-9220821.html.
Christele Harrouk. “Francis Kéré Receives the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize” 15 Mar 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed 24 Aug 2024. <https://www.archdaily.com/978446/ francis-kere-receives-the-2022-pritzker-architecture-prize> ISSN 0719-8884.
Øhlenschlæger, Mia, Sarah C.B. Christensen, Henrik Bregnhøj, and Hans-Jørgen
Albrechtsen. 2016. “Submerged Pond Sand Filter—A Novel Approach to Rural Water Supply” Water 8, no. 6: 250. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8060250.
“Madagascar on Brink of ‘the 1st Famine Caused by Climate Change.’” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, www.yahoo.com/news/madagascar-onbrink-of-the-first-famine-caused-by-climate-change-165244392. html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_ referrer_sig=AQAAACG7NenoOTbxv8nPEQWXiIcWERtQwI_YecGxyRJhlEJH9xGuzDxeBedQ0hqSRf46CTC6u3UClkFBOodaS66t6QqfUaMXYTq4ycpZV05NcmbAhyAw7WSDES2GZrPs1VJfx46wKnCtcRIAJXMoLyH2pb_jlov3S9t-zbty3NoAKsCF.
Randriamarolaza, Luc Yannick Andréas, Enric Aguilar, Oleg Skrynyk, Sergio M. Vicente Serrano and Fernando Domínguez Castro. “Indices for daily temperature and precipitation in Madagascar, based on quality controlled and homogenized data, 1950–2018.” International Journal of Climatology 42 (2021): 265 - 288.
Rigden, Angela J., Christopher D. Golden, Duo Chan and Peter Huybers. “Climate change linked to drought in Southern Madagascar.” npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2024): n. pag.
Tamerra Griffin, “This is what it’s like when your country runs out of water,” BuzzFeed News, February 3, 2018, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tamerragriffin/thisis-what-its-like-when-your-country-runs-out-of-water.
