The Pearl in Baghere | Women’s house
Year | 2021
Located in the periphery the heartlands of the hydrological basin within Tanaf Valley, is the small village of Baghere. The village is a safe haven for the 2200 inhabitants that live in the region, with a majority never venturing past the Tanaf Valley basin.
As in folkloric African settlements, the ‘primitive mud hut’ is the most axiomatic of traditional construction methods, due to its simplicity in gathering of materials and structural efficiency. The concept hence pays homage to the radial plan of the typical African hut, which embodies a sense of togetherness and belonging.
The building is raised off the ground slightly following the contextual language of the surrounding buildings and to mitigate any damages caused by the annual monsoon rains and ground moisture. This also gives the structure a presence as it sits within the proverbial heart of the village.
The foundation system makes use of the existing waste tires that are locally available, which are then filled with concrete to give the base more structural integrity.
The buildings shape takes its form as a result of the radial plan arrangement that allows for a more encompassing communal and familiar atmosphere for the inhabitants. The radial layout creates a spiral effect where the inhabitants are led systematically through a series of spaces from the more public zones to the more private zones. The hierarchical spatial arrangement includes the Collective Spaces, Civic Space, Administrative Space and the Ancillary Space with respective order of importance.
The collective space is defined as the space that the women would gather frequently with the intention of learning new skills. The spaces provided include;
A carpentry workshop, which would be catalyzed by the construction of the structure itself, hence the need for it in the future.
A textile workshop, where the women can hone into their fabric making techniques, such as weaving and pass on the knowledge from generation to generation.
A study space where young girls can take advantage of learning reading and writing skills.
An exhibition space has also been included to showcase the local talents within the area, which will encourage creativity within the region.
A prayer room, which forms part of the ancillary spaces too is also incorporated into the programme since the majority of inhabitants are of the Muslim faith, which will allow for collective worship.
These spaces are located along the periphery of the building with the intention of having the most valuable space at the heart of the structure, while also allowing for unique vistas from each room to the outside.
The civic space is located in the centre of the structure and much like the pearl discovered within an oyster, this space acts like a discourse chamber, where ideas and knowledge is shared and discussed among women. The space will be top lit and also allow for the easy flow of air through cross ventilation, due to the buildings radial form. The decision was made to keep the space relatively light and open such that it is easily accessible and as it is the main point of focus can be viewed from all sides within the structure.
The administrative space is similar to the collective space, however is located out of the line of sight of the inhabitants, as it will be used for more private interactions.
Knitting all these spaces together is the liminal space of the fairly narrow corridor that leads the user around the structure, while also providing ideal acoustic advantages as the sounds will diffuse much faster due to the close proximity of surfaces, as a result of the radial form.
The ancillary spaces include the WC’s for the users.
A Reciprocal Truss Frame structural system has been implemented as part of the roof structure, directly above the discourse chamber, where each truss is borne by the one ahead of it, while supporting the one behind. Together they form a continuum of mutual dependency and much like the competition brief the aim is to bring the women together within this region of Baghere.
The main primary structure consists of locally prefabricated columns and beams from the existing timber pieces that are locally available. These pieces are first treated to mitigate the chances of pests and weather from compromising the structure.
As the area is quite remote, environmental control is also taken into account and together with the Balou Salou proposed solar well, the roof structure will allow for water to be collected during the rainy periods and is transported into an underground storage tank. The water will then be heated, as a result of the water sensor cables, activated by the solar controller above ground that will be attached from the solar-well system, hence providing naturally purified water for the inhabitants to use.
The project consequently intends to provide the local inhabitants with sufficient knowledge on how to construct low-cost structures and would act as a continued catalyst of the future growth and expansion of Baghere and the Tanaf valley as a whole.
Year | 2020
A repository of peace and tranquility sits deep in the cradling landscape of the densely forested Valle De Moses. The rising sun awakening the sharp shadows of the subtlety crafted structure of the house.
Visitors from all walks of life with a passion for yoga & meditation share the unique senses of ‘ikigai’ as transcribed from Japanese scripture, as the yoga space creates a clutter free & minimal appearance for the mind, body & soul to be as connected with the space. The architecture borrows from the rustic touches presently experienced at the Valle De Moses.
Memory is an important part of life and to any living thing, this is the one thing that allows us to grow and learn from the past as we live for the future. The repository acts as a vessel that conjures the history of the valley, by providing the users to experience the entirety of the context with the element of haptic remembrance.
‘I remember, I remember,
The house where I was born,
The little window where the sun
Came peeping in at morn;
He never came a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day,
But now, I often wish the night
Had borne my breath away …’
Thomas Hood (1950), ‘I remember, I remember.’
The simple earthy material palettes allude to a quality of generational longevity that the repository aims to achieve within the scenic contextual undulations. The tectonic relationship between the wood connections and the sinuous movement of the inhabiting bodies provides the space with a symbiotic rapport that supports the civic interactions.
The spaces located outside the repository are set aside for more leisure and communal interactions, from the outdoor benches to the zen garden spaces creating vistas towards the majestic views.
Year | 2018
The project is understood as a consolidation to the numerously transformed space of the Matadero in Madrid, as an urban intervention. The previous slaughter house turned cultural arts centre acts as a suitable site to incorporate past memories as an idea for nascent future urban architectures. The main idea stems from exploring the past architectural elements, in form of the Arab Hammam Bath spaces that were used for social interactions, despite social classes, age and sex for individuals.
By addressing the polemic issue of social and economic cohesion in Madrid by integrating the lost elements of the ‘Hammam Bath’ and re-introducing them back into an urban fabric that would essentially create a celebration of social interaction.
Loosely alluding to the Spectaculum [ a civic utopia] of 1765-1837, which is concerned with the embellishment of the city as a place of pleasure, and not just in the increase in the scale and range of its sites of social intercourse, but, in its newly ordered grace, as a spectacle and an architectural landscape of delight in its own right.
The site chosen is situated between the districts of Usera and La Chopera areas that seem to be areas detached from the main urban fabric, such as the Palace of Madrid that acted as the main archetype in shaping the city of Madrid.
The idea is to be explored through linking various processes within the design proposal that would improve the economic status of the area as well; such as air purification, algae-processing and aquaponic food production. With this in mind the idea has been explored by studying various ancient Roman bath arrangements that will create the basis of how the design proposal is formed, with the additional use of test models.
The continuation of this idea of preserving the identity of the cultural space as a place of both civic inclusion and production is integral to the scheme and proves the revitalising potential that architecture has for urban spaces.
An ease of porosity and flow through the building is enhanced by the buildings linear arrangement with relation to the existing context of the Matadero and neighbouring buildings in Usera. The new intervention is placed near the old slaughterhouse and current cultural centre but always respects its volume and the void that must be around it in order to understand the whole complex with little to no distractions.
Besides the Matadero comes the heritage of the Madrilenian people that needs to be maintained in a way that the city can teach its history to future generations and visitors.
As in a fairy tale that introduces you to a new world the proposal bridges the Rio Manzenares, which allows pedestrians to cross the river in a seemingly metaphorical yet fantastical frontier, with the bath spaces provided for leisure activities.
The program is also shaped with maximum respect to the pre-existence of the slaughterhouse and is designed based on studying various forms of factory architecture that usually have forms repeated to infinity and in this case would be the portal framing element.
Dimensions -
Length : 1790mm
Width : 830mm
Height : 700mm
Wood types -
Mvule hardwood (legs)
Eucalyptus hardwood (top)
‘Untitled 01’ is a personal project that evolved through the events of cutting down a tree at my home after heavy rains threatened to fell it prematurely.
The idea of using this reclaimed wood from my childhood home as a piece if remembrance is one of the main drivers that got me to design this furniture piece.
Architecture and furniture design also shares this synergy that only the designers would attest to as both need to adhere to basic principles yet provide a specific function, in this case ‘Untitled 01’ would serve as a coffee table.
The table top will feature a live edge Eucalyptus plank, with no joints, as this is the ‘wabi sabi’ inspired aesthetic that I was looking to achieve.
Finished product coming soon…
