African Design Magazine Africa's Top 10 Projects of 2015 | Page 45

Library of Muyinga, Burundi

URAL LOGIC

This project is the first library
of Muyinga, Burundi, part of a
future inclusive school for deaf
children, using locally sourced
compressed earth blocks, built
with a participatory approach.

B

C Architect’s work in
Africa started within
the framework of
OpenStructures.
net. BC was asked
to scale the “Open
structures” model to
an architectural level.
A construction process
involving end-users
and second-hand economies was
conceived. Product life cycles, water
resource cycles and energy cycles were
connected to this construction process.
This OpenStructures architectural
model was called Case Study (CS) 1:
Katanga, Congo. It was theoretical, and
fully research-based. 5 years later, the
library of Muyinga in Burundi nears
completion.

Vernacular inspirations
A thorough study of vernacular
architectural practices in Burundi was
the basis of the design of the building.
Two months of fieldwork in the region
and surrounding provinces gave BC
Architects insight in the local materials,
techniques and building typologies.
These findings were applied, updated,
reinterpreted and framed within the
local know-how and traditions of
Muyinga.

The library is organized along a
longitudinal covered circulation space.
This “hallway porch” is a space often
encountered within the Burundian
traditional housing as it provides a
shelter from heavy rains and harsh sun.

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