Kashitu High School

Idea projektu

The site is located in Central Africa, in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, known for its mineral wealth. The plot is situated in the village of Kashitu, where the first buildings of a future school are currently being erected. The land is flat, grassy, with occasional tall vegetation. A railway station, the New Renato community, and a Catholic church are located nearby. The purpose of this design is to create the first phase of a secondary school, including student accommodation, with a second phase to add accommodation for teachers. This work will focus exclusively on the first phase of construction. The outcome of the design is an urbanistic solution for the school campus and the definition of all resulting spaces.

Popis projektu

Urban Design To respect the existing workshop and caretaker's house already built on the site in previous years, I decided to incorporate their positions into the design. Given the plot's shape and the location of these existing structures, an axial solution seemed most suitable. This design centers on a main axis connecting the primary entrance gate on one side, with the main school building acting as a dominant focal point on the other. Both of these structures underscore the unique character of the design through their height. Along the sides of this main axis, I've arranged the core classrooms, angled slightly outwards. This layout is designed so that as students walk from their accommodation to class, they are gradually drawn off the main axis into the covered areas of their respective classrooms. Adjacent to the existing workshop building, I've grouped additional structures that are similar in both shape and function. This includes two more workshop buildings, three new laboratories, and a building for beekeeping. To ensure short walking distances and easy external access from the campus, I've also placed the majority of the student sanitary facilities in this area. On either side of the main school building are identical structures housing the changing rooms and the library with a study area. Beyond the changing rooms, further into the plot, are the sports fields with a grandstand. Behind the library, there's a park. The main building itself is passable along the axis, creating a direct connection to the teacher accommodation. In the northern part of the plot, you'll find the accommodation complex. This is a relatively dense layout, primarily designed to create shade and numerous secluded nooks offering tranquility. The complex is axially symmetrical, with a central gathering space. Transportation Solution Given the widespread poverty in the area, designing a large number of parking spaces is unnecessary. Most residents travel exclusively on foot, occasionally with a cart. For this reason, I've primarily designed bicycle stands near the main entrance, with only a few parking spots for short-term stops. In addition to the main entrance, the site can also be accessed via two secondary entrances, and there are service entrances near the workshops and laboratories for the delivery of necessary materials. Architectural Design To meet the demand for simplicity and accessibility in construction, I drew inspiration from the already built structures on site. I also aimed to utilize similar building forms for various purposes. A unifying element of the design became the arched passageway, which creates pseudo-arcades in different sections. For integration with the surrounding buildings, I chose a simple gable roof, but with a raised ridge to allow for more efficient ventilation of the space. Layout Solution The layout design is quite simple, as each function generally has its own building. At the main entrance, you'll find the gatehouse along with the caretaker's house. The doctor's office for visitors has its own dedicated treatment room. This connects to a room for serious injuries, from which patients are transported as quickly as possible to the nearest clinic. The building also includes a room for less acute problems with beds and sanitary facilities. The core classrooms have access to a storage room and changing room, and they can be opened up to a covered courtyard. Entry to the classrooms is via a covered anteroom. The changing room building contains divided changing areas with toilets and showers. A covered veranda with sports and exercise equipment surrounds the inner core of the changing rooms. In the main building, you'll find the school kitchen with its associated operations, and the school cafeteria. Additionally, this building houses teacher's offices and the school administration. The library building is divided into an inner core, which is the library itself, surrounded by a covered study area. The accommodation complex is divided into smaller blocks. One accommodation building has three rooms, each for four students. A second accommodation building is similar in design but two-thirds smaller, with just one room for four students. These two buildings are complemented by a washroom with washing machines and storage areas for clean and dirty linen. One washroom is allocated for every seven rooms. Each building also features a covered veranda.

Technické informace

Structural Solution The design incorporates both a frame system and a load-bearing wall system. I used the frame system to tie into the existing structures. However, I opted not to use it for smaller buildings, as concrete isn't always cheap or easy to acquire. Therefore, I utilized a load-bearing wall system made from patented ICEB unfired earth bricks. These bricks were developed for this purpose by Ing. Petr Čanda from CTU in Prague, who is currently constructing buildings with them. These bricks feature two vertical cavities where reinforcement can be inserted, allowing the earth walls to essentially be monolithic once filled with cement. The buildings are founded on reinforced concrete strip footings for the load-bearing wall system, and on reinforced concrete pad footings and ground beams for the frame system. The flooring consists of a bare reinforced concrete slab, 200 mm thick, connected to the foundations using permanent formwork. The floor is raised 300 mm above ground level to prevent flooding. The trapezoidal sheet metal roofs are supported by wooden trusses anchored to reinforced concrete ring beams, which also serve as window lintels. In the habitable rooms, the trusses are covered with a reed ceiling. The load-bearing wall structural system is always plastered. Sustainability During dry seasons, drinking water will be pumped from wells and distributed throughout the campus. In the rainy season, water will be collected from paved areas into drainage channels. These channels consist of an impermeable base sloped towards a gutter, where the water collects in a rainwater storage tank. From there, it's distributed as needed. Photovoltaic panels on the main building's roof will collect energy into storage batteries located in the technical room. This electricity will then be distributed across the campus for lighting and powering equipment. Wastewater will be directed to a wastewater treatment plant. Excess waste will be stored in holding tanks that require regular emptying. Air exchange and cooling within the interior will be ensured by the raised roof ridge and the intake of cool air from shaded verandas. Basic Building Balance Total plot area: 104,845 m² Area for Phase One construction (school): 85,845 m² Area for Phase Two construction (teacher accommodation): 19,000 m² Arable land area: 3,790 m² Capacity per classroom: 50 students Boy's accommodation capacity: 192 students Girl's accommodation capacity: 192 students Number of teacher's houses: 16 houses