African project National Teachers College – Uganda
building designs that addressed space , function , energy needs of the college , and above all , ensuring comfort to the students as to facilitate the learning process ,” says Tilling . The masterplan needed to optimise site constraints and opportunities whilst delivering the colleges vision and responding positively to the requirements of the community .
NTC Kaliro identified the following goals in their action plan :
• Upgrade master plan to account for infrastructure improvements and appropriate building orientation .
• Ensure decisions take into account needs of the college , in the immediate , mid , and long term scenarios .
• Quality management and sustainability requirements including costeffectiveness , minimization of maintenance needs through the use of durable materials and simple shapes .
• User friendly design that includes users ’ comfort , respect of gender and environmental issues .
• Flexible furniture layouts to accommodate variable teaching methods as well as present and future growth needs of the college .
• Aesthetics of the facilities providing a studious and stimulating environment ; the construction should be functional , simple but at the same time aesthetically attractive .
• Protection of the environment through reduction or omission of the use of materials that contribute to the depletion of scarce resources , providing sound solid waste and waste water disposal / treatment provisions , and prevention of valuable vegetation .
• Security of facilities from public intrusion .
Site analysis The climate in Kaliro is relatively moderate with prevailing winds which appear to be on a north / south axis and a high amount of solar irradiation . Approximately 40 % of the used space on site ( inclusive of compounds ) was vacant land which was relatively flat with natural drainage patterns . Buildings on the site were constructed in the 1970s while some structures were incomplete and had become dilapidated over time ( only the main administrative building appeared to have been maintained over the years ).
Tilling notes that there was presence of laterite soil on site which took the contractor time to break through during construction of foundations . “ The land the college occupied had no security perimeter fencing exposing it to encroachers ,” he notes , while explaining that all drainage and drain systems within the college were gravitational . “ This was not adequate as areas with no gradient easily got soggy and clogged .”
Sustainable considerations “ The integration of green principles from the start ensures that sustainable considerations become an integral part of finalising a Master Plan and building designs . Through the design development , numerous strategies for sustainable design were considered and the resultant effect was successful ,” explains Tilling .
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