The project began with the simple observation that where there is shade, there are children playing, and where there is no shade, there are no children playing. The aim was to develop a simple and elegant response to the observed needs of the students while providing something useful and engaging for the community as a whole. The design utilizes the form of the existing bar building, which is then placed under a large kinked roof. Utilizing steel trusses and bamboo columns, the roof provides much needed shade to the existing open field. The space is defined on one side by the classrooms, and by the stepped seating area on the other. The stepped seats provide additional terrain for playing as well as seating space for village gatherings and performances with the expanded walkway serving as a stage. The geometry of the roof also allows the structure to collect rainwater, which can then be filtered and utilized as drinkable water for the students and people from the surrounding village. SHADE+WATER = LEARNING, COMMUNITY, HEALTH and FUN
This project was developed as part of my involvement in the usc summer asia study abroad program. The program involves a travel portion as well as a month and a half stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we attend classes and have a design studio. The projects in the design studio are typically humanitarian based, with the intent being for the winning student entry to be built.
This year’s project was an addition to an elementary school located in a village with no electricity or running water, about 2 hours outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The school facilities currently include 5 classrooms, 2 of which are typically used to house administration and the library, serving around 400 students. The project called for 3 additional classrooms, a new library space, and more bathroom facilities.
As stated above, the project began with observations made during the site visit. The site had a large amount of land, consisting mostly of large open field space. In most other places, kids would have been all over these fields hanging out and playing, but due to the heat in this region, all of this space isn’t used. All of the students were crowded in the front walkway of the school; the main draw being that it was one of the few places outside of the classroom that was shaded.
The project from this point became dual purpose; creating a place that fosters learning as well as a place that inspires play and social interaction between students. For this to be successful, it became clear based on observation that both of these spaces require most highly, shade. The form of the design took cues from the existing building, allowing for easy and seamless adjustment for the students to a new space. The design developed as a bar building containing the classrooms, pulled apart to allow for vertical supports and acoustic separation, placed along a covered elevated walkway. The roof covering the walkway was then extended out to provide shade, maximizing the highly used space in front of the classrooms.
This new created space extends out into the open field from the classrooms and then rises up by means of a series of large steps. This new stepped area provides diversity in the landscape for children to play while also creating seating facing the school. These stepped seats lend themselves well to potential village gathers or performances, utilizing the expanded walkway like a stage. This was important to make the design open and useful not only for the students, but for the village as a whole.
While the large space was seen as a major factor in the scheme development, the need for smaller, more intimate spaces needed to be addressed. By expanding the space between the classrooms, and utilizing the presence of the columns, these interstitial spaces become a series of smaller social spaces. These zones are defined by the two parallel classroom walls and the bamboo columns, allowing a visual connection to the large space while still creating a sense of protection and privacy.
With over 50 inches of rainfall annually in the area, rain can be a pretty large problem in terms of flooding and wet muddy ground. I began looking at how to take this problem and turn it into a solution. By kinking the roof plane down, rather than dumping the water off of the sides of the roof, the water collects at a centralized gutter, which then routes the water into a cistern. After a filtration process, the rainwater can then be utilized as safe drinking water for the students, providing nourishment after a day of learning and play, or for other members of the community.
The canopy structure consists of steel trusses and joists, supporting the corrugated metal roof with a thin insulating bamboo layer. The canopy is supported by a series of gathered bamboo columns rising from central points to create the large open space below. The classrooms consist of a steel frame, with segmented wood panels. The panels in the back of the classroom adjacent to the walkway are able to rotate, allowing breezes to flow into the classrooms and out of the louvered ceiling, cooling the interior spaces.
