ABLE NOT LESS DISABLED Mexico Landscape: Habitat as an existential basis Tutor: Prof. Dipl.-Arch. ETH/SIA Dietrich Schwarz Asistant: Rodrigo Alba Krasovsky, MSc Arch Tana Hronovska SS17-18
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
„ What matters here is the mindset. Under a possitive approach the architect‘s primary role is to make individuals able not less disabled.“ - Christopher N. Henry -
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Task 01 / Emotional Scenario
What I have on my mind, the words are really hard to find. But I will start with this... If you would ask what means the dwelling for me, now you can see. It’s not only place, it’s not only land, it’s not only me. But I can definitely say... WE. We as a people, we as a human beings, we as a dwellers, we as a builders. Because together, we can dwell forever. At the passion with our hearts, we built these parts. Culture, language, traditions and heritage. That’s what makes you and me, creates our identity. If you ask me again about what I think is „to dwell” I will say... It ’s something what shapes your soul and preserve in one word... HOME.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Mexico / Finding Inspiration
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
User / The matter
Loosing the knowledge. Loosing the passion. On one side, young people which can study somewhere else, work somewhere else. Leaving their hometown. Hometown with a big potention and and big treasure. On the other hand, people which can‘t attend the school. Hidden at home, doing nothing. They want to work, express themselves. Be in interaction with others. Mexican children have a marvellous gift to be flooded with colors, textures and environment filled with traditions, myths and legends. Work found fertile ground. But in some way, it is easy to forget. Have a place where they can combine these two things. Creativity and knowledge. Place where the mentally handicapped people can interact with kids from school, they can collaborate, make a new character of space where they can share the knowledge face to face.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Site Analysis
Gami Santiago Antionio Household/workshop
Esc. Prim. Margarita Maza de Juárez Primary school
PANTEÓN MUNICIPALITY School of Pottery Art
Caption
Library/Audio Don Pedro Ángel Mendoza
MUNICIPALITY ASÚNCION IXTALTEPEC
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
I decicded to choose a site near to the main street. Close to this site is library. Old, historical building which has a big meaning for the locals. On the other side - primary school. The next generation. As like these children with disabilities. Why not to build something what connects these three buildins together? Three budilings . one in common. EDUCATION.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Research / Pottery
The pottery has a strong roots in Mexico. It strated with Zapotecs when they create a first protowheel, but the beginning of pottery itself as we know today started after Spanish conquest. Mexican potters generally use local clays and in Asúncion Ixtaltepec is mainly Vertisol. The black clay which gets brown after the drying or burning. During the research I found an interesting thing. Around Mitla Fortress ,which we also visited in Mexico, existed a small villages where craftmans sold their products. The typical floorplan of potter‘s house had a central patio where the whole life took place. Every room was orientated to this central point - heart.
POTTER’S HOUSE
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Research / Health System
10 million people with mental, visual, hearing or motor disabilities living in Mexico denial of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights And discrimination in access to health, insurance, employment and housing lack of integration AsĂşncion Ixtaltepec - 398 people with disabilities Mobility impairment: 282 Visual impairment: 79 Communicating: 31 Hearing disability: 28 Physical disability: 11 Learning and thinking: 11 Mental health: 16
There already exist an organization in Mexico which is helping people with Down Syndrome. The kids have a chance to create, paint, work and be part of the community. It‘is said that the creavitiy improve overall health, reduce sick days and attrition rates. The Mexican School Down Art Escamilla, S. (2005) The Mexican School of Down Art. Down Syndrome News and Update
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Programme
THE AIM But when the term - Mental Health - was used for the first time? It already started with Plato who defined the mental health as an harmony between the body and soul. And if the body is broken, the sould is broken also. I was also thinking about my project as a body and soul. I decided not to work only with my plot, but to involve in the process more institutions which can work together and create a strong structure, strong community. Through Primary school I tried to create a collaboration between kids from school and mentally handicaped kids in School of Pottery Art. Library is acting as a communicator kids from School of Pottery Art can use the spaces of Library, but also of MSC Digital Services which are in the same building. And the School of Pottery Art has something which I‘m trying to conserve. The pottery itself, Tradition which is passing to next generations.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
POTTERY PROCESS
The processes / creating space
INTEGRATION PROCESS
Creation of spaces of School of Pottery Art is based on two main processes. The pottery process and integration process. The pottery process is quite clear, because I tried to set up the spaces only for steps in process of making pottery. The diagrams works through sketches which each step of process has one and this process is represented in one specific space which I implemented dirrectly in my design.
In this case it was super hard to start somehow and really understand the needs of these people. So from that reason I visited one centre for poeple with disabilities in Oberurnen in Switzerland and learnt there a lot of things and points which are necessary for better orientation of people in spaces and structure of the building. For example they need to have space only for themselves - where they can hide and feel safe. For better orientation they need a lot of orientation points (not only icons, but also signs). Sometimes it happens that these kids have a sick days. So they need a shelter where to recover. It is necessary to have a balance between the work and the relaxation. Also they need some space where they can gosip and observe the space.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
The implementation / creating space
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Floorplan / School of Pottery Art People with mental disabilities have different preferences. One person with disability can prefer something which another person with disability can feel in different way. From that reason I designed wooden boxes which are also a playful element for kids themselves.
Storage
Observation point
Relax
It can work as a storage for paints, as an observation point what is going on on the other side, or as an relax point where the children can relax.
1.11
1.08
1.10
1.07
1.09 1.05
1.12
1.04 1.13
1.01 storage of clay 1.02 mixing the clay 1.03a workshop 1.03b workshop 1.04 pation for work 1.05 kitchen 1.06 observation point 1.07 hidden space 1.08 patio for relax 1.09 bathrooms 1.10 bathrooms 1.11 administration 1.12 pottery shop 1.13 changing room 1.14 changing room 1.15 entrance/ meeting point
1.14 1.03b
1.15
1.01
1.02 1.03a
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
1.06
Changing room
Changing room Workshop
Entrance / Meeting point
Storage of clay Mixing the clay
Patio for work
Workshop
MSC Digital Services
Administation
Hidden space
Library
Bathrooms
Bathrooms
Kitchen
Pottery shop
Patio for work Changing room Workshop
Entrance / Meeting point
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Observation space
Patio for relax
Sections
Section A-A
Section B-B
Section C-C
The idea was to keep the library as a dominant, because it has a huge historical value for the community and the city, so the overall height of the buildings do not exceed 4 meters. Also another reason is earthquake-resistance. It is better to have buildings only about max. 2 floors.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Elevations
North elevation
East elevation
South elevation
West elevation
I also tried to respect the orientation to the world sites. The east facade is open as much as possible, so the sun has the chance to come in and there is connection with the nature. The south facade is closed, because of the strong sun during the day. The mentally handicapped children need really good conditions for working and the space is not overheated. The roofs are extended from 600mm to 1000mm to provide shade at sunny days and protection during the rain season.
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Construction
Massive structure - rammed-earth walls
Transparent structure - wooden formworks
Light structure - bamboo roof
Bamboo branches - first layer
Bamboo branches - second layer + two-ply modified memraben Bitumen
Bamboo - secondary structure
Bamboo construction - first structure
Rammed-earth walls
Bamboo columns - binded
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Construction detail
From construction point of view I used rammed-earth walls which are reinforced with bamboo canes inside. The roof is very light and also created from bamboo. The bamboo is light material, so it need to be well-anchored to the foundations and also the roof must be very well-connected with walls. Construction detail 1:20
I used a bamboo anchor which is fixed to the stone foundations and the bamboo inside of the wall. This bamboo inside of the wall is extended above the ring beam and the roof is binded to them. The wooden boxes, which are for the storage or playfull points for children, work as a formwork for the rammed-earth walls. Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Axonometry / workshop
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Axonometry / pottery shop
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
View from workshop to the patio
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Entrance to the School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art
Able not less disabled School of Pottery Art