Village Health Works Kigutu, Burundi Building Images, Health Design Africa

Village Health Works, Kigutu, Burundi

Staff Residence Building in Africa design by Louise Braverman Architect

5 Dec 2011

Staff Residence for Village Health Works, Kigutu, Burundi

Design: Louise Braverman Architect, New York City, USA

images from architects practice

Village Health Works Kigutu

VILLAGE HEALTH WORKS STAFF RESIDENCE

Kigutu, Burundi, Africa

Merging architecture and landscape, the design of the 20 bed Staff Residence for Village Health Works in Kigutu, Burundi is a romance between east African elemental aesthetics and inventive off-the grid sustainability. Cutting a skewed line in the terrain running parallel with the contours of the earth, the 6000 square foot residence scheduled for completion in 2012, is sited to capture the breathtaking mountain views.

images from architect

The first in a series of new buildings to be built as a product of the new Village Health Works master site plan created by Louise Braverman, Architect, the Staff Residence uses the power of design to create a model for the sustainable future of both the community and the country.

images from architect

To encourage the Kigutu indigenous outdoor communal culture, the oversized porch doors will seamlessly connect the inside and out, welcoming all who enter into a series of public living spaces. Similarly the ten double private sleeping rooms, each with its own personal vividly colored entry porch, echo this semi-permeable sensibility. The porosity of the porches will encourage sociability, enhance air flow into the adjacent sleeping rooms, and simultaneously frame magnificent unobstructed transverse views of the landscape beyond.

images from architect

The same elemental design moves that establish its aesthetics will also advance its sustainability. Since the Kigutu community is 100% off the municipal grid, the residence will be exclusively powered by a solar farm, capturing all of its required energy from the sun. The building will literally grow out of the landscape.

Sited partially below grade and in alignment with the contours of the earth, the location of the building will both reduce excavation costs and take advantage of the earth’s natural insulation for temperature control. In order to further embrace the notion of low environmental impact, the personal porches will create three sided natural ventilation within the sleeping rooms, eliminating the need for energy intensive air conditioning.

The extended roof overhangs will provide solar protection to optimize the use of natural daylight, while cisterns will capture rainwater for irrigation. Yet the greatest efficiency will be the human efficiency, for the members of the community, using local bricks and stone, will manually build the residence, negating the need for fuel consuming machines and creating transferrable job training skills for members of the entire Kigutu community.

images from architect

Village Health Works Kigutu images / information from Louise Braverman, Architect

Location: Kigutu, Republic of Burundi, Africa

African Architectural Designs

Contemporary Africa Architectural Designs – recent selection from e-architect:

Another Building in African by American architects on e-architect:

Butaro Hospital, Burera District, Rwanda
Design: MASS Design Group, USA
Rwanda Building

Recent African building designs on e-architect:

Contemporary Africa Architectural Designs – recent selection from e-architect:

Pure Power/Daily Combat Strategy for Water Collection, Rujewa, Tanzania, eastern Africa
Design: Hong-En,Lin

render : Hong-En,Lin
Pure Power, Tanzania, Eastern Africa

Bidi Bidi Refugee Music & Arts Centre, Uganda
Design: Hassell with LocalWorks

image courtesy of architects office
Bidi Bidi Pavilion at London Design Biennale