Lamu Residence
Lamu Residence
Lamu, Kenya
Client: Suno Kay Osterweis
Architect and Interiors: Claudio Modola
Suno Kay Osterweis first visited Lamu, off the northern coast of Kenya, in 1996 after a brief safari. She was immediately seduced by the island’s heady mix of stylish, easy living and the eclectic crowd of regular visitors. She returned often eventually becoming acquainted with Claudio Modola, an architectural designer who practices in Lamu and lives on the neighboring island of Manda. In 1998, she acquired a narrow, steep plot of land facing the Indian Ocean, and quickly enlisted him to help her fulfill her dream of building a house of her own there.
Modola worked for weeks on sketches and eventually presented his client with a scheme that would fit the site’s topography and unusual dimensions. A fountain, to mark the transition from the outside to the inside, was to be at the entrance; the living spaces and master bedroom were to be placed on the upper levels to take advantage of the views and the ocean breezes. The ceilings were to be 23 feet high, and a swimming pool would be perched nearly 20 feet above the ground. The style would be inspired by the island’s Islamic architecture
Osterweis’ and Modola’s vision proved a difficult proposition. Building on Lamu is never easy. This centuries old island, with an old town that is a UNESCO protected Cultural Heritage Site, is accessible only by boat or air, and cars are not allowed. Thousands of blocks (composed in part of coral topsoil and cement) had to be fabricated on Manda and transported in small boats across the channel’s often rough seas. The site presented its own challenge: Hundreds of tons of sand had to be removed before the foundations could be dug.
Photographs by Tim Beddow
Despite the obstacles, the house was finished almost two years after construction began, and Osterweis focused her attention on the finishes and interiors. For the former, she replicated the traditional plasterwork of the local Swahili culture found on many of the island’s buildings – a process which, using local artisans took two and a half years, producing surfaces of superb sensuality and subtle color.
Most of the furnishings were sourced locally on the island, using salvaged driftwood, and local craftsmen.
Gando Primary School
Gando Primary School
Gando, Burkina Faso
Architect: Diébédo Francis Kéré
A recipient of a 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the story behind Diébédo Francis Kéré‘s design for the Primary School in Gando, Burkina Faso is even more fascinating that the building itself. It is a story of philanthropy, the importance of education, local tradition and skills, and one man’s desire to make it all happen.
Architect Francis Kéré is the first person from Gando – a small town about 200 km (125 miles) from the country’s capital Ouagadougou – to study abroad, choosing to pursue an architectural degree in Berlin. Believing that his hometown needed a good school facility, Kéré set up a fund-raising association (Bricks for the Gando School) with friends and eventually received support from the Burkina Faso government organization LOCOMAT to train masons in the technique of compressed earth. In effect the building’s undertaking is a mix of local and international components, the latter helping to fund the project though thankfully not influencing its form; rather local climatic concerns are the greatest form-giver.
The simple plan arranges three classrooms linearly, broken by covered outdoor areas. The classrooms are separated by covered exterior teaching spaces, that link the building to the surrounding landscape. A corrugated metal roof hovers above the load-bearing walls of compressed earth, also used for the ceiling. The roof, wall and ceiling construction all allow for cooling of the interior, an important consideration in Gando. The heavy block work ceilings, walls and beaten earth floors make use of the materials thermal mass in moderating internal temperatures. A wind channel has been formed between the roof and ceiling to expell hot air, drawing in fresh air at low level.Commonly found industrial materials have been carefully used to create a simple yet poetic piece of architecture.
From the Aga Khan website: “All the people involved in the project management were native to the village, and the skills learned here will be applied to further initiatives in the village and elsewhere. The way the community organized itself has set an example for two neighbouring villages, which subsequently built their own schools as a cooperative effort. The local authorities have also recognized the project’s worth: not only have they provided and paid for the teaching staff, but they have also endeavoured to employ the young people trained there in the town’s public projects, using the same techniques.”
The community cohesion and project management has demonstrated to local villages the benefits in using local building techniques and inspired them to complete their own projects. A second phase has recently been completed and provides teachers accommodation. As with the first phase, it has been managed and built by local people
