Chapter Projects

Young Apostles International School & Community Center Charette: Project Type: 6) architecture 7) other Project Mission/Goal: 1) improve the human spirit 3) respond to our growing need for clean water, power, shelter, healthcare, education Project Description: We were approached by the Building Fund and asked to develop design solutions for The Young Apostles International School in Ghana. We held a charette to produce and document several design explorations in response to the programmatic needs of the school/community center. The end product was a printed booklet we sent to Ghana for implementation by a local architect and construction team. The reason for exploring multiple design solutions was the hope was that our colleagues in Ghana would be able to choose from several designs and have the opportunity to implement select portions from each scheme. The Young Apostles International School was established in 1995 by The Building Fund in Daban-Panin, Kumasi-Ghana, West Africa. The school currently enrolls 80 students from Pre-School to Primary 6. The school primarily services local children, but hopes to expand its reach. The Young Apostles International School is currently working to increase their capacity for enrollment as well as build and staff a library for its students. The community center will be used during the day for the students and teachers and in the evenings for adult classes. Text from http://www.afh-chicago.org/projects.html Links and Captions: http://www.afh-chicago.org/projects.html http://www.thebuildingfund.org/theyoungapostlesinternationalschool.php Project Details: Project Location: Daban-Panin, Kumasi-Ghana, West Africa Date(s): 2008 to Present Project Phase: Design Development Client: The Building Fund User Client: Community of Daban-Panin Description and Number of Beneficiaries/Users: 500 Major Funding: The Building Fund Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Laura Bowe, Ryan Kiner, Sarah Sutherlin, Jaclyn Whitaker Project Architect(s)/Designer(s): Emmanuel Opuku Structural Engineers: NA Electrical/Mechanical Engineers: NA Contractor/Manufacturer: NA Additional Consultants: NA Total Cost/Cost per Unit: Area (if applicable): 2500 sq meters Other: Photo/Image Credit(s) File Specifications: Nominated by Mallory Botsford

Mua Muri Negotiation Centre Carrying faith, out of the trench. Over my shoulder. Over and over. - Lyrics from 'After the War', I Am Giant. We believe that it is insufficient in the present state of global conflict to merely convert abandoned military buildings into civic space without acknowledging the international military aggression that is still rampant in the world today. The world is not demilitarising rather the context for military deployment is shifting from defending borders to defending supply lines, and the increasing role of monitoring citizens in public spaces. Our team has created a proposal for a negotiation centre that uses state of the art mediation methodologies and the protocols of traditional Maori grievance forums, within a unique heritage landscape of a colonial battleground, the Ruapekapeka Pa. This proposal arises from the lessons imbued in the site including the will to move beyond war and into non-violent conflict resolution. The name of the centre Mua Muri is Maori for ‘past’ and ‘future’, drawing on the Maori concept of time where ‘mua’ implies past, yet also means in front. ‘Muri’ implies the future but also means the underpin our proposal. Context In 1845-46 Ruapekapeka Pa was the site chosen by five Maori iwi (tribes) gathered to challenge British colonial forces. The famous war chief Te Ruki Kawiti, whose subterranean military architecture was emulated widely in World War I, ended the last land war in the district. He offered a strategic opportunity to the British colonial forces. Kawiti's words to Governor Grey, the Crown’s representative, were: "If you have had enough then I have had enough, but if you have not had enough, then I have not had enough either." Thus the battle was over and both sides famously put down their weapons. The incident changed from aggression and conflict to negotiation and understanding - demonstrative of New Zealand's traditions of mediation with particular protocols advocated within Maori culture. Learning from the Land The scheme works with the landscape of the Ruapekapeka Pa, as a former place of war and resolution in New Zealand colonial history. Our team is proposing an architectural addition adjacent to the pa site, a negotiation centre that refers to the toil of Maori trench warfare through its architectural language. The trench architecture of old has left a sculptural landscape of submerged contours and depressions. Reappropriating the materiality and subterranean qualities of the trench architecture, the building hugs the contours of the slope, subtly inset into the hillside. The materiality is exposed wood, raw post beam structures, and a living roof. The site offers north facing views towards the Bay of Islands since the pa sits on one of the highest points. Maori Influence The architectural space is able to accommodate for a traditional Maori powhiri (welcoming ceremony). This is where visitors are formally called forth by the hosts of the land, ending in the joining together of various peoples. The protocol of the negotiation centre will draw upon the values of the hui, a Maori gathering in which negotiations and conflicts are resolved according to a democratic process that allows all sides of an issue to be explored. Outcomes are decided by consensus. Maori protocols are especially sensitive and attuned to the process of expressing grievance. In the tradition of whaikorero, the art of Maori oratory, each opportunity for speech is given due respect. Programme The scheme is a home for negotiation, mediation and reconciliation. It is a programme that allows non-violent conflict resolution to be developed and evolved – the cutting edge of negotiation practices both for local and international benefit. It is where both local indigenous knowledge and the most progressive of international mediation practices can be realised. We are particularly interested in the set of contemporary protocols being developed by the International Mediation Institute in The Hague in the Netherlands, the Centre for Negotiation Analysis and the Community Mediation Centre in Singapore. The negotiation centre can be used at a range of scales, from family groups and regional gatherings to national and international uses. It is a space in which sensitive and significant negotiations can take place, accommodating for different sides to come together on neutral ground. As a centre for improving the state of reconciliation in the world, the building can also hold international workshops and conferences to further the discourse and educate on such issues. How the world moves past war is our agenda. Community Consultation As a culturally, historically and physically sensitive site, our group has consulted with the Department of Conservation, local Iwi and the local community to come up with a scheme that enhances the site without damaging it or breaching tapu (sacredness). According to a member of the Iwi, the tapu nature of the site is due to the blood of the ancestors being spilled on the land. However, most of this tapu has been lifted to allow people to visit the site. Design The architectural design is located alongside the pa site, rather than directly on the sacred pa site, caters for 50 people and is designed as a workshop space. The building includes an indoor-outdoor flow with the grassy atea (forecourt) facing the northern sun. The significance of the atea is that it is the space where human dignity is accentuated and heightened – a charged space. As well as casually used as an outdoor meeting space, it is is also where groups can be welcomed onto the site through a formal powhiri. Ecological Intervention The scheme also includes a subtle landscape intervention on the pa itself. The site is a protected heritage site, under the auspices of the Department of Conservation. The site is currently covered in grass which has to be mowed and the trench holes are exposed and falling into disrepair. The botanical component includes planting native ground covers across the site that preserves the depressions by binding the soil. It will also allow the contours of the archaeological structures to be made visible. The native planting scheme realises a new ecological niche that has occurred with the loss of tree canopies. The bio-diversity of the site would be improved and we would aim to gradually replace grazing grass with native ground covers. It would also re-establish the scattering of boulder outcrops that have been removed from the site, by asking local farmers to donate rocks to the landscape scheme. Sustainability The triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental sustainability is addressed by our community engagement programme and scheme. Socially, the Mua Muri Negotiation Centre offers opportunity for the Kawakawa community, making it a destination rather than a town to pass through. The local Maori community will also be involved through education and welcoming guests onto the land. The Negotiation Centre as an adjunct to the inspiring landscape of the Ruapekapeka Pa, can draw some of the major tourist traffic that moves through the Bay of Islands towards other town centres such as Paihia, Kerikeri and Russell, but often bypasses Kawakawa, the town with the lowest socio-economic demographic of the region. Recently Kawakawa has attempted to build a unique identity within the region through its adoption of a green roof architectural vernacular due to the artist Frederich Hundertvasser having lived there during the late twentieth century. More recently a striking investment by the local community in an entire earth-covered dwelling for a new Kohanga Reo, (Maori language nest for early childhood education) is a serious addition to this local architectural vernacular. Kawakawa aspires to be the Stuttgart of New Zealand. The Negotiation Centre project thus contributes to the momentum already demonstrated by the local community to build a unique identity for the town based upon sustainable architecture. The green roof vernacular of Kawakawa advocates for all of the many sustainability positives that green roofs offer: insulation and cooling, storm water reduction, aesthetic and social values, increasing biodiversity, etc. However the Negotiation Centre project adds another significant cultural dimension to this local vernacular by drawing upon indigenous Maori subterranean architecture used in the battle of Ruapekapeka as the starting point for the design. Thus the project design is a hybrid of a local historical and contemporary design language. Additionally this proposal for [un]restricted access includes a subtle ecological intervention to help stabilise the contours of the former subterranean architecture on Ruapekapeka Pa through planting recommended native species advocated by the Archaeological Institute of New Zealand increasing biodiversity and the aesthetic landscape values of the site. The scheme uses local materials as much as possible and contains several sustainable features. The compressed earth floor has a high thermal mass, helping to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the building by storing the northern sun’s heat and releasing it slowly throughout the night. The building uses solar design principles, the eave shading the building appropriately throughout the year. Double glazing with a low-emissivity coating on the interior is used for glazing insulation. The rest of the building sits within the ground – a natural insulation. Titiro, Whakarongo, Korero - Look, Listen, Speak Our team believes the idea for reclaiming military sites is highly cogent to evolving civic spaces that embody democratic processes. Our interpretation of the site and the indigenous cultural protocols of grievance, respect and active listening in New Zealand give a unique slant that offers much to the community, both locally and globally. List of construction materials Timber frame, walls - Local vernacular Macrocarpa timber - Recycled railway sleepers - Local volcanic boulders for rock, usually a hindrance in surrounding farmland Floor - Compressed earth floor using local clay/subvolcanic soil - Recycled glass bottles for insulation - Compressed hardfill - Sand blinding Green roof - Plywood - Water proof membrane - Drainage tray made from recycled plastic. - Pumice/aggregates - Scrap carpet - Old hay stuffed under twine - Local soil - Native planting Botanical key species list (all NZ natives) - Blechnum Penna Marina - Northern white flowering Rata - Muehlenbeckia Complexa - Helichrysum Lanceolatum - Typha Angustifolia or Raupo - Libertia NZ Native Iris - Kawakawa Micropiper Excelsum - Pachystegia Insignis

Edge of 7 and Architecture for Humanity are collaborating on the Solukhumbu Education project in Nepal. This is a collaborative effort with Austin, Seattle, Boston, & Denver chapters. The design and development of the Basa Higher Secondary School will be by the Denver chapter. A four room school with six toilets will provide great opportunities for 150 students each year to continue their education when they might not previously have had the option. Denver will be researching the potential benefits of rammed earth and bamboo construction, as well as study alternative roof building methods.

THE PROBLEM The American city is rooted in its neighborhoods, public spaces, and infrastructure. Transforming the interstitial open spaces that characterize our cities can be a fundamental catalyst for community connectivity and socialization. When neglected or inaccessible, these vacant spaces become detrimental to neighborhood health and vitality. To address the needs of a diverse and changing urban population, space must adapt to the needs of a broader range of ages, physical abilities, and cultural backgrounds. Through small acts we can repurpose public space to be more universally accessible, inclusive, age friendly, and a builder of community. THE CHALLENGE Design one or more objects that can activate a vacant site, is universally accessible, and fosters multi-generational community interaction. Objects should not be limited to furniture or seating elements such as benches. We consider other structures that make a small space seem inviting, usable, and safe to be street furniture. Including but not limited to: harvest tables, raised planters, play equipment, interactive sculptures. The goal of this installation is to continue the dialogue about open space and how design can be the catalyst for the creation of meaningful and joyful places that facilitate community engagement and are age appropriate for students in grades K-8. Winning designers will have at least one piece of their proposed activation built in the spring of 2012 as a year-long community installation. After the year, the piece will be considered for permanent installation or relocated to a new vacant site in Chicago. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Durability (one year in Chicago) Programmatic Flexibility Ease of construction & deconstruction Use of readily available or reused materials Budget: $1,000.00 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Team Information & Release Form Two 11x17 Boards, submitted as a PDF including a plan, section/elevation and design detail. Please list the required materials and describe the build process. Scale of drawings at the discretion of the entrants. Submit questions, release form and final PDFs to furniturecomp@afh-chicago.org