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LakeVictoria

LakeAlbert

LakeEdward

LakeGeorge

LakeKyoga

R.Katonga

R.Nile

R.Nile

R.Kagera

DESIGN THESIS PROJECT 2015/2016.FORT PORTAL CULTURAL CENTER.

CONCEPTUALISATION..

DEPT OF ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING SCIENCE.SCHOOL OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT.

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

MINDRA SAMUELB02/35352/2010

6TH YEAR

SHEET NO.

11.

CONCEPTS AND PHILOSOPHY.

SOCIAL CULTURAL CONCEPTS/ INSPIRATION.

The concept is generated from the principles of design of traditional African homesteads. These homesteads wereplanned with houses around a central courtyard. This court acted as an organising principle of design which hasbeen used in this design.

FORM CONCEPT.

STRUCTURAL CONCEPT.

CONCEPTUAL LAYOUT.

PLANNING CONCEPT.

THE AFRICAN HOMESTEAD.

Main entrance

Ist wife3rd wife

Courtyard

Cattle kraal

A typical Tooro Homestead.

The oldest beehive shaped dwellings was an undifferentiatedstructure, existed for a long period of time and was known to mostof the Western lacustrine communities. This form is incoporated inthe design.

Tooro Homestead planning.

A typical Tooro House.

PRIVACY GRADIENT.

Private spaces(rest areas)

Semi public(storage)

Public spaces(seating)

The spacial organisation of the house was divided intopublic spaces for seating, semi pubic for storage of drumsand pots and finally the private spaces for rest " all underone roof"

The design borrows this same concept where the spacesaccessed by the public like the restaurant and food court areseperated from the less social spaces like the administrativeoffices, library while maintaining a harmonious relationshipfor the facility to "operate as a whole."

Tooro house layout.

From parking.

Homestead 2

MERITS

1.The four components of the cultural center relate tothe traditional homesteads with the dwellingsarranged around a courtyard.

2.Responds well to the site.

3.Responds well to environmental factors.

4.Responds well to the identity of the Tooropeople.

5.Responds well to the growth and futuredevelopments.

6.Fluid circulation.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPT.

RECEPTION

ADMIN BLOCK

GALLERIES

EDUCATION

Crossventilation.

Cold air in.

Air circulationwithin the courts.

1.The design allows adequate air circulation betweenthe blocks aiding natural ventilation.

2.Cross ventilation across the blocks ensures ambientinternal temperatures.3.Adequate lighting is achieved with large windowpanes and open to the sky courts.

4.Rain water harvesting is made possible by thenature of the roof.

GROWTH CONCEPT.

RECEPTION

ADMIN

GALLERIES

EDUCATION

Homestead 3

Homestead 4

Homestead 1

Reception

(Admin section)

(Education section)

(Exhibition galleries)

Main accesspoint

Main accesspointFrom parking.

Main accesspoint

Basing on the growth of one man's homestead into a village ofnumerous homesteads running down generations, the design hasroom for further expansion.

Futureexpansion

Futuredevelopments

1st Generation.

2nd Generation.

3rd Generation.

A typical Tooro homestead is characterised by:

1.Radial planning of spaces around a commonunifying element.2.Increamental growth capability in terms oflayout.

3.Layout based on seperation of activities.4.Activity linkage achieved by physicalproximity.

12

3Linkage & activity grouping.

Main accesspoint

CIRCULATION CONCEPT.

A family of a man builds houses for his wives,children follow the same generation of which thesehomesteads grow into clusters which describes thevillage planning.

Room for expansion for other homesteads. Sustainable deign strategies.

5.Sustainable design strategies.

Homestead 2

Homestead 1

Primaryfootpath

Secondaryfootpath

PUBLIC SPACES.

The facility has a restaurant with outdoor seating space,coffee bar. An amphitheatre for out door performances,auditorium for cultural plays and conferences.

SEMI PUBLIC SPACES.Administrative offices that manage the exhibition galleriesand the center's day today running, Library, workshopsand lecture rooms for knowlegde aquisition.

LEGEND.

Main circulation points.

Internal spaces.

DESIGNIDEA

Homestead 1 (Reception/Lobby)

Homestead 2

Homestead 3

Homestead 4

LEGEND.

Main circulationpoints.

Internal spaces.

Future expansion.

LEGEND.Main circulation points.

Internal spaces.

Primary circulationpaths.Secondary circulationpaths.

Circulation paths were used to connect homes, farms. Thefootpaths developed through habitual use and eventually makingthem recognized circulation paths. Homesteads were set a littlefurther from the major paths for privacy reasons.

LEGEND.

Main circulationpoints.

Internal spaces.

Crossventilation.

Traditional house is suppoted by a combination ofvertical and horizontal saplings.

Vertical saplings.

Horizontal saplings.

Mesh infill (pergola) forinformal rooftop space,

1.Emphasis on central point relates to radial concept of traditionalarchitecture. (location of focal components.)

Therefore a strucural grid iron system is used in plan of the columnlayout. This will result in a frame structure of beams and columns.These members will be cladded with wood/ stone to maintain thescheme of traditional architecture.

Proposed frame structure of beams andcolumns.

From parking.

Homestead 2

Homestead 3

Homestead 4

Homestead 1(Reception)

(Admin section)

(Education section)

(Exhibition galleries)

Main accesspoint

The layout of spaces take up a circular arrangement withthe various activities organised around an open courtyard.The design generates this idea from the way a typicalTooro homestead was setup.

INTERIOR PLANNING.

The entire form of the house was thatched from the ground and tiedto the apex to avoid leakage. This thatch is layed on to saplings thatare horizontally placed and tied on to ground driven verticalmembers with banana fibres. The focus is the use of locally availablematerials. This design borrows the use of resin treaed thatch toincrease fire resistance, timber and stone among others to maintainthe traditional aspect in design.

Layout planning.

The layout of circulation paths that linked differenthomesteads created a form of cluster planning andan aspect of unity. The different spaces (arrangedaround their homestead) can be linked in a similararrangement to form one unit.

6.Sunshading elements to be incorporated sincethe longer parts of the site face the East-Westdirections.

7.Landscaping elements in form of stone pavedpathways among others which have minimalinterferance with the environment.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION CONCEPT.

Tooro community.

Great lakes region.

Tooro settlement.

LEGEND.

The Tooro is a Bantu speaking community that migrated fromCameroon Highlands. They settled within the great lakes region ofWestern Uganda. A number of lakes that include Edward, George,Albert, Victoria, Kyoga among others along side rivers surround thiscommunity. A number of tourist destinations which include Amaberefalls and caves, crater lakes as well as the Rwenzori mountains make thisregion unique.

Water is a symbol of life in this community. The proposed culturalcenter will therefore incoporate water features in form of ponds andwaterfalls in its design. Having water features enhances the functionalaspects of a space and as well as maintain the element of nature (blendsin with the existing environment.) The water features act as organisingdesign elements. The map shows the location of the Tooro region in thegreat lakes region.

2nd wife

Granaries

Granaries

Mainentrance

1st house

1st house 1st house

Courtyard

Granaries

Goats,sheep