The second is a dropped ceiling of mineralised fibres. On the one hand, we had to deal with the extreme climate of the Sahel area, with temperatures during the day reaching between 35ºC and 45ºC during the whole year.
IDOM Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Senegal. Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit This year the prestigious award was presented, among other winning projects, to the Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit in Bambey, Senegal. Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit
Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Exterior corridor shaded by the double roof. In Senegal, the Spanish firm IDOM has designed an extension for Alioune Diop University, drawing inspiration from the natural surroundings and using conventional low-energy construction techniques and bioclimatic strategies. It was the architects’ choice to combine all of these into a single mass with an identity and presence worthy of its university status – unlike the campus’s pre-existing small, scattered blocks. In Senegal, the Spanish firm IDOM has designed an extension for Alioune Diop University, drawing inspiration from the natural surroundings and using conventional low-energy construction techniques and bioclimatic strategies. This loggia is supported by thin metal columns of a varying three-branched form, recalling the solitary trees in whose shade locals commonly gather. In other words, layers of tree branches, with air flowing in between them.For the south façade, the strategy was different: we created a large latticework, permeable to air, which eliminates any solar incidence towards the interior and acts as a great filter of solar radiation, extreme in this environment, but still allowing enough light through for the interior functional needs. Other ecologically minded measures include a series of stone-lined basins filled with gravel and vegetation, where both rainwater from the roof and filtered wastewater are directed.By employing locally familiar construction techniques and following sustainability principles, the project succeeded in keeping costs and maintenance demands to a minimum, while still making a bold architectural statement.View of access ramps and façade, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Colonnade supporting the upper gallery, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Upper gallery, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Classroom, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Lecture room, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Arris detail, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Chérif Tall (photographer)Ground floor plan, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Ground floor plan, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal.Front façade of the Alioune Diop University’s Teaching and Research Unit building, comprising a 500-seat amphitheatre, classrooms for 50 and 100 people, laboratories and technology rooms, as well as offices for lecturers. Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit And so, the 20,000 concrete blocks were built manually on site by means of a stainless steel mould and then air-dried. Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Although single storey, its slanting roof soars to almost 10m on the north side. The shape of the flying roof columns emulates a tree trunk and its branches. Lastly, the existing buildings, in very poor conditions, were not in keeping with the expected functionality of a campus.Faced with these circumstances, we planned to respond with a building both simple and repetitive in its construction, of a scale commensurate to the campus, very practical and integrated into the environment whilst generating optimal conditions for protection against the extreme weather. Aug 30, 2019 - Colonnade supporting the upper gallery, Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit, Bambey, Senegal. The lattice wall – echoing similar, smaller features on local buildings – is one of the strategies for passive cooling in a location where temperatures can exceed 40°C. IDOM Alioune Diop University Teaching and Research Unit Senegal.