This project is the first library of Muyinga, Burundi, part of a future inclusive
school for deaf children, using locally sourced compressed earth blocks, built
with a participatory approach.
B
C Architect’s work in Africa
started within the framework
of OpenStructures.net.
BC was asked to scale the
“Open structures” model
to an architectural level.
A construction process
involving end-users and
second-hand economies was
conceived. Product life cycles,
water resource cycles and energy cycles were
connected to this construction process. This
OpenStructures architectural model was
called Case Study (CS) 1: Katanga, Congo. It
was theoretical, and fully research-based. 5
years later, the library of Muyinga in Burundi
nears completion.
square with breath-taking views over
Burundi’s “milles collines” (1000 hills).
On the longitudinal end, the hallway porch
flows onto the street, where blinders control
access. These blinders are an important
architectural element of the street facade,
showing clearly when the library is open or
closed. On the other end, the hallway porch
will continue as the main circulation and
access space for the future school.
A very important element in Burundian (and,
generally, African) architecture is the very
present demarcation of property lines. It is
a tradition that goes back to tribal practices
of compounding family settlements. For
the library of Muyinga, the compound wall
was considered in a co-design process with
the community and the local NGO. The wall
facilitates the terracing of the slope as a
retaining wall in dry stone technique, low
on the squares and playground of the school
side, high on the street side. Thus, the view
towards the valley is uncompromised, while
safety from the street side is guaranteed.
Vernacular inspirations
A thorough study of vernacular
architectural practices in Burundi was the
basis of the design of the building. Two
months of fieldwork in the region and
surrounding provinces gave us insight in
the local materials, techniques and building
typologies. These findings were applied,
updated, reinterpreted and framed within the
local know-how and traditions of Muyinga.
The general form of the library is the result
of a structural logic, derived on one hand
The library is organized along a longitudinal from the material choice (Compressed
covered circulation space. This “hallway
Earth Blocks masonry and baked clay
porch” is a space often encountered within
roof tiles). The locally produced roof tiles
the Burundian traditional housing as it
were considerably heavier than imported
provides a shelter from heavy rains and harsh corrugated iron sheets. This inspired the
sun. Life happens mostly in this hallway
structural system of closely spaced columns
porch; encounters, resting, conversation,
at 1m 30cm intervals, which also act as
waiting – it is a truly social space, constitutive buttresses for the high walls of the library.
for community relations.
This rhythmic repetition of columns is a
recognizable feature of the building, on the
This hallway porch is deliberately oversized
outside as well as on the inside.
to become the extent of the library.
The roof has a slope of 35% with an overhang
Transparent doors between the columns
to protect the unbaked CEB blocks, and
create the interaction between inside space
contributes to the architecture of the library.
and porch. Fully opened, these doors make
the library open up towards the adjacent
Climatic considerations inspired the volume
32
africandesignmagazine.com