One of the most important stakeholders of any architectural design is the people who are going to inhabit it. Ultimately, they have to use or live in the building. They know their lifestyle and the requirements the best. Community-driven architecture is one in which the community has a complete say in the design process. The members of the community are consulted back and forth and many a time they are the true designers. The design can be one that can be easily modified according to the wants and needs of the individual user.
It is the one that invites people to participate and take ownership of the building. The more the participation of the people, the more meaningful and sensible the spaces would be.
It is a misconception that architects only design fancy buildings like malls, and hotels. However, their role in designing micro-level community spaces cannot be ignored. Here are two examples of how architects’ engagement with the community and efforts resulted in beautiful architectural pieces.
Modskool
Social Design Collaborative, Squatter community, Steel frame, Local materials
The Modskool by Social Design Collaborative is a fine example of architect-led community-driven architecture. The challenge was to make a school for a squatter community that can be dismantled and does not face a bulldozer if its location is declared illegal. Swati Janu’s Social Design Collaborative took up the challenge and created something likewise.
The school has a nut-bolted steel frame that can be easily dismantled and set up again within a few hours. Local materials like wood, bamboo, and charpai weaving cover the bare face of the frame. Resting above the walls, the roof is pitched one made of corrugated steel. The community participated in the process from the beginning till the end. The community’s artistry is reflected in the weaved louvers that provide diffused light and ventilation to the single-classroom school. The school has already been relocated once. The frame is now being covered with the new local materials, reflecting new craft skills.
Such types of projects provide ownership to the community of their own space. Whenever the school is to be relocated, the people know how to dismantle and assemble it, and they are not dependent on outsiders. It can always be enveloped by an artwork unique to the community. Every age group and gender can participate in the building process of such entities. The men can do the installation of the frame. The women can look for its wrap and children can take the responsibility for its maintenance.
Diebedo Francis Kere
Africa, Pritzker Prize Award, Community projects
“I am hoping to change the paradigm, push people to dream, and undergo risk. It is not because you are rich that you should waste material. It is not because you are poor that you should not try to create quality. Everyone deserves quality, everyone deserves luxury, and everyone deserves comfort. We are interlinked and concerns in climate, democracy, and scarcity are concerns for us all,” says Francis Kere. (www.pritzkerprize.com, n.d.)
Diebedo Francis Kere is a German-based architect, born in one of the most poverty-hit regions of Africa. He won the Pritzker Prize Award in the year 2022. His vast portfolio of community projects in several areas is indicative of the fact that simply thought, functional projects can have a far reach and impact.
He comes from Burkina Faso’s Gando city. In his childhood he, with his community, used to arrange for food and build houses. His village and his community were his family, his school, and his well-wisher. When he became an architect, he knew that it was time to give back to the community.
His first experience of a school was in Tenkodogo, as his own city did not have a school. His experience was not good at all. The school building was no less than a pigeonhole. It lacked light and ventilation, and there was no provision for an ambient temperature as per the boiling temperatures of Africa. This experience also had a great impact on the works of Kere.
The list of his community projects includes- Gando Primary School (2001), Gando, Burkina Faso; Opera Village (2010), Laongo, Burkina Faso; Center for Health and Social Welfare (2014)), Laongo, Burkina Faso; Surgical Clinic and Health Centre (2014), Leo, Burkina Faso; Lycee Schorge Secondary School (2016), Koudougou, Burkina Faso; Benga Riverside School (2018), Tete, Mozambique; Leo Doctor’s Housing (2019), Leo, Burkina Faso; Burkina Institute of Technology (2020), Koudougou, Burkina Faso.
These buildings are beautiful, sustainable, and made with limited materials, being in the land of scarcity, and improving the lives of marginalized people.
Every time a community reaches an architect with unique requirements but limited resources, it is an opportunity for him/her to satiate his/her creative hunger. It is also the responsibility of an architect to serve this section of society by using his/her knowledge and expertise. The people know the dish that they want to eat but they do not know the recipe. That is where the role of architects comes in. They exactly know how to bring in the perfect taste with the available ingredients.
References
www.pritzkerprize.com. (n.d.). Diébédo Francis Kéré | The Pritzker Architecture Prize. [online] Available at: https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/diebedo-francis-kere#laureate-page-2446 [Accessed 10 Sep. 2023]
Dezeen. (2020). ModSkool for squatters in India can be dismantled to evade bulldozers. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2020/01/24/modskool-social-design-collaborative-squatters-india/
