Sedhiou

The proposed project for the cultural center in Sedhiou has been conceived with the idea to create a place for gathering, in which its people culture and identity can be renewed and celebrated. We have taken into account the sustainability criteria, context, tires process and high architectural quality. In response to some of the area’s issues, such as the lack of potable water and fragile waste disposal, we came up with possible solutions.

The storytellers’ tradition to perpetuate their culture across generations through music, playing the native instrument Kora, which creates a bond among its people, has inspired us in designing this project.

Kora’s organic shape served us well for the building’s implantation on the ground. We improved the lines of an ellipse, designing curvilinear walls and roofs, airy and flexible rooms, a large open atrium in the middle that offers integration while maintaining every room’s best qualities. The educational area, for instance, is placed one level above the ground, thus providing privacy.

The sustainable quality of the project relies on its use of local methods and material, what also diminishes the costs. The lines are thin, but tires understood, the ellipse is divided into four quadrants, being each one divided into four parts, and the calculation for the roof and shapes will be repeated and mirrored four times. In response to the ‘lack of water’ issue, we have created a water collection system, as well as rainwater filtration and storage for both the internal and external part of the roof.

On the furnishing, we used tires with handmade covers and car covers to protect the external cisterns. We firmly believe that all these measures would help generating jobs in the area and developing waste reuse, therefore improving quality of life while maintaining the happy Senegalese people’s tradition.

Local: Sedhiou, Africa

Concurso: Kaira Looro

Data do projeto: 2018

Equipe:
Studio Meyer arquitetura