Woman's House - Kaira Looro 2021
Baghere - Ethiopia
Access View
Women’s House should be a place for sharing knowledge and shared living in a truly African way where the individual is, above everything else, part of the community and nature. It should be a place where the community can express itself, passing on its knowledge through beliefs, dances, food, stories and legends, and through the way they celebrate life, bury their dead and educate their children. People do not dance or celebrate alone. Above everything else, though, it must be place where gender equality and social engagement are stimulated.
The deconstruction of the circle is the starting point for the site development, as to represent the rupture of the cycle of violence and domination to which women have been and are subjected until today, without however losing the idea of a central meeting space. The complex is located near an existing tree in respect for the local tendency of building in harmony with nature, and to reinforce the symbolic relationship between the tree and life, growth and the preservation of natural resources. We also opted for the complex to express a certain ambiguity between protection and free access. The walls curved outward have a quality of containment, but also offer openings through which people can freely move in and out. These walls contain the dynamics and energies produced inside it, while allowing a subtle flow towards the outside. The sloping ends of these walls smoothly transition into the soil, softening the boundary between construction and nature.
The design of the complex aims to create a deep feeling of community with its 3 different-sized buildings, set around a central court, enhancing local, social, cultural and economic development, while also empowering women as community leaders. The use of lightweight and easily movable panels permits various arrangements, suiting the changing needs of the community.
The deconstruction of the circle is the starting point for the site development, as to represent the rupture of the cycle of violence and domination to which women have been and are subjected until today, without however losing the idea of a central meeting space. The complex is located near an existing tree in respect for the local tendency of building in harmony with nature, and to reinforce the symbolic relationship between the tree and life, growth and the preservation of natural resources. We also opted for the complex to express a certain ambiguity between protection and free access. The walls curved outward have a quality of containment, but also offer openings through which people can freely move in and out. These walls contain the dynamics and energies produced inside it, while allowing a subtle flow towards the outside. The sloping ends of these walls smoothly transition into the soil, softening the boundary between construction and nature.
The design of the complex aims to create a deep feeling of community with its 3 different-sized buildings, set around a central court, enhancing local, social, cultural and economic development, while also empowering women as community leaders. The use of lightweight and easily movable panels permits various arrangements, suiting the changing needs of the community.
Location and data
Project Site
GIF - Form Evolution
Aerial View - Implantation
Floor Plan
Schematic diagrams
Tree View - Debate and conversation area
Section View
View of Pavilions and Administration
GIF - Dividing Forms
Internal View - Adaptable Pavilions
Axonometric diagram
Final board - A1 paper.
Group: Adriano Gomes, Nicole Saidler, Julio Treitler and Daniel Ostrowski
