$6,000 EARTH ARCHITECTURE MULTI-USE STRUCTURE

feb 21, buy 2015

atelier koe revisits earth architecture to build eban aya
all images courtesy of atelier koe

as an entry to a mud house building competition, shop senegalese practice atelier koe has developed the eban aya more as a design/construction strategy rather than a static structure. by developing quickly renewable building materials- such as cultivating a bamboo garden that rapidly regenerates strong resilient stalks- the design process becomes a continuous mechanism that empowers citizens to build their homes and communities in phases based on the owner’s capabilities. the primary shell is composed of a compressed earth construction that provides natural thermal and acoustic insulation, and leaves almost no carbon footprint in its production. bamboo forms permeable clerestory walls that can be left open or infilled with tapestries for shade and ventilation control; thicker stalks are embedded into the outer earthen walls to form floor joists at any footprint desired by the inhabitant. a light-weight thatched roof supported with bamboo beams extends well beyond the outer walls of the building for effective shading to the interior.

interior self-build process

design process

floor plan / level 0

elevation/ section

section

section

project info:

location: kumasi township of bomso
materials used: laterite, bamboo, pozzalana, lime
total budget: $6000.00   (material cost: $2775.75    estimated labor: $2772.00     remaining budget for fittings, used water treatment and interior partitions: $452.25)
atelier koe team members: richard rowland, hippolyte gilabert, clement dagneaux, ellen ford rowland