HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS IN ZAMBIA

Idea projektu

The idea behind the project was to design an uncluttered high school campus in Zambia that will provide a safe space in which children in their teens can learn, grow and intergrate. It will become a center for community life. The project responds to the competition's objectives of creating an education space that responds to local climatic and cultural challenges. Special attention was paid to using local building materials that are easy to transport and assemble. The buildings were loosely arranged on a modular grid.
The development was divided into several zones:
- The zone of the representative square connected to the educational area
- The zone of sports facilities
- Zone of part of the dormitory facilities for students
Each zone is fenced off with green belts.

Popis projektu

The subject of the study is an architectural competition for a secondary school campus in Kashitu located in Zambia organized by the Czech Technical University in Prague.

BASIC SCHOOL
Primary education, which is free and lasts seven years, is available to 90% of the country's children. Private, state or community schools are available in Zambia. A significant barrier in rural areas is traveling long distances to such educational facilities.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Secondary education is available to only 25% of the population. The main reasons for the low availability of secondary school education are tuition fees and the location of such institutions in larger cities.
UNIVERSITY
Financial reasons are the main reason for the very limited availability of university education in Zambia. There are 3 colleges and several universities available in the country. Tuition fees are required at all universities.

The proposed plot is pentagon-shaped and located in a sparsely urbanized area, with irregularly spaced single-family houses that do not provide references. The project was created with the idea of creating a comfortable and safe environment adapted to the adjacent needs of the community and campus users. Due to the need to connect the campus to the public highway, an access road was designed, leading to the main asphalt road near the plot, allowing technical services such as food delivery, access for teachers and parents of students. Parking spaces have been designed on the plot. The design of the buildings on a regular grid made it possible to obtain a compact but not overwhelming structure.

The main intention of the project was to create a safe and legible space in which students can develop. The basis for the organization of the space became a 10 by 10 matrix, which was extended by 4 meters to create communal tracts. This layout allows for logical and flexible placement of facilities on the plot. Initially the buildings were to be located on modules of a 10 by 10 meter grid as designed in the dormitory part, but in response to competition requirements some of them were decided to merge to form larger functional complexes. In this way, common spaces were created, such as a canteen and a larger multipurpose room for assemblies or expanded teaching rooms. The method of combining these rooms allowed to maintain coherence while diversifying the utility program of the educational part.The main intention of the project was to create a safe and legible space in which students can develop. The basis for the organization of the space became a 10 by 10 matrix, which was extended by 4 meters to create communal tracts. This layout allows for logical and flexible placement of facilities on the plot. Initially the buildings were to be located on modules of a 10 by 10 meter grid as designed in the dormitory part, but in response to competition requirements some of them were decided to merge to form larger functional complexes. In this way, common spaces were created, such as a canteen and a larger multipurpose room for assemblies or expanded teaching rooms. The method of combining these rooms allowed to maintain coherence while diversifying the utility program of the educational part.

Technické informace

FUNDAMENTALS
In the construction of foundations, a foundation slab 35 cm thick was used.
LOWER AND PARTITION WALLS
All walls in the buildings are made of traditional earth blocks. The load-bearing walls are 30 cm thick, and the partition walls are 14 cm thick, as shown in the competition conditions.
In Zambia, the traditional building materials are fired and unfired bricks. Typically, unfired bricks are used for residential buildings, while fired bricks are used for public buildings. Due to the high consumption of wood which is necessary in the process of firing bricks, it was decided to use unfired bricks. Wood resources in Zambia are very limited even subject to deforestation. To improve the strength of the bricks, cement was added to the sifted clay mixture.
ROOF AND FLOORS
The roof structure was made of a reinforced concrete floor with a lightweight concrete finish supported by joists.

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