Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community

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Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community
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Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community

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Architectural acupuncture II: Hyperlocal design for community
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A hyperlocal building taps into the knowledge, skills, and resources indigenous to a place. How can the very act of constructing it engage and positively transform a community?

In the sixth episode of the Holcim Awards 2023 limited webinar series, we speak with Aya Helmy, Co-founder and Managing Director of BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development (Cairo, Egypt), and Richard Kroeker, Project Designer at Richard Kroeker Design (Halifax, Canada).

Their respective Holcim Award-winning projects are both recipients of the Acknowledgement prize: Ezbet Eshaq’s Eco Classroom (Ezbet Eshaq, Egypt) from the Middle East and Africa region, and Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour (Saskatchewan, Canada) from the North America region.

These projects exemplify the hyperlocal approach in vastly different contexts. They demonstrate how architects can work hand-in-hand with local communities to deliver buildings that boost economic growth and celebrate culture, while also being environmentally sustainable.

Exterior view of the Eco Classroom on a cloudy day. The classroom is a rectilinear volume finished in mud plaster. Ezbet Eshaq’s Eco Classroom, by the BENAA Foundation, is an affordable and sustainable model for educational facilities in rural Egypt.
© BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development

Ezbet Eshaq’s Eco Classroom, describes Aya, is an educational and community space that addresses the lack of such amenities in Ezbet Eshaq. Its material palette focuses attention on the issue of increasing amounts of solid waste in the small Egyptian village, which has 1,100 inhabitants.

The design and construction process involved active community participation right from the outset. Key stakeholders included children, their parents, and the local youth.

A man and a woman lay sand-filled recycled plastic bottles one over the other, building a wall for the Eco Classroom.Local youth were trained to assist in the construction of the Eco Classroom. This helped to build skills within the community.
© BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development

The Eco Classroom was built with more than 9,000 upcycled plastic bottles (filled with sand), broken concrete from a nearby demolition site, and local materials such as compressed earth blocks and clay. The building has been operational for around two years.

Rendering of the exterior of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour. The tiered conical roof appears to hover over its prairie landscape.Designed by Richard Kroeker and Oxbow Architects, Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour will be a place of celebration and connection for Indigenous communities.
© The Mirage Studio

Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, says Richard (who is working on the project with Oxbow Architecture), will be a cultural centre for powwow celebrations in Saskatchewan, Canada. Indigenous communities will come together there to honour their culture and traditions and to conduct tourism activities.

An interior render showing powwow celebrations beneath the conical roof. Daylight penetrates through an oculus at its apex.The column-free space beneath the canopy of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour will provide a large and versatile setting for Powwow gatherings.
© The Mirage Studio

The shape of the structure (which is currently under construction) symbolises the sacredness of the circle in Indigenous cultures and pays homage to the traditional teepee typology.

The design combines timber members and steel tension cables. The construction process is drawing on local resources and expertise. For instance, the structure incorporates local trees harvested by Indigenous groups.

The two projects’ climates, contexts, and structures are drastically different, yet they are bound by a common desire to transform the communities they serve through the act of building.

The Eco Classroom interior with wooden furniture and mud-plastered walls. A tree grows through an opening in the bamboo roof.At the naturally ventilated Eco Classroom, wooden pallets have been upcycled into desks and benches, and local bamboo has been used for the roof.
© BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development

Thanks to deep engagement with locals, Aya explains, the Eco Classroom has been tailored to their specific needs. This, she says, would not have been possible if an externally sourced solution was imposed. For example, the need for outdoor play-based learning spaces emerged after discussions with the children.

A night-time render of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour showing Indigenous community members in and around the building.Tree trunks sourced locally by Indigenous forestry management companies will be used to construct Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour instead of sawn timber.
© The Mirage Studio

Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, says Richard, aims to bring Indigenous thinking to the forefront by challenging the misguided notion that such cultures are ‘a thing of the past.’ Rather, it will showcase how they continue to thrive and move forward.

It will highlight how symbolism in Indigenous building practices often corresponds with scientific reason. For instance, cutting a tree trunk along its length is considered harsh in symbolic terms. It also compromises the structural strength of the untouched material.

In both projects, community engagement required optimisation of communication techniques. Visual aids and hands-on demonstrations were key at Ezbet Eshaq’s Eco Classroom. For Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, physical models were used to convey design ideas.

Children play outdoors beside a climbing wall. The wall is a square frame structure holding nine tires.The Eco Classroom’s outdoor learning spaces make education more resilient to unforeseen events such as pandemics.
© BENAA Foundation for Sustainable Development

But community interactions had moments of contention too.

Aya and her team were asked why they were not building a ‘modern’ concrete structure. Most locals, says Aya, hadn’t heard of the term ‘climate change’ till then but they all felt it. By explaining the impacts of global warming and how to make a difference, the project team was able to bring the community on board with more traditional and low-carbon building methods.

In the case of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, a need to balance the opposing forces of a limited budget and the community’s big ambitions led to the innovative timber structure. Using more conventional materials like fabric and industrial timber would have been too expensive and less expressive.

Physical models showcasing the structure and joinery details of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour.The structure of Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour will be supported by repeating tripod-like modules, which will be assembled on site with local community involvement.
© Oxbow Architecture

Both Aya and Richard point out that winning a Holcim Award has been encouraging for both their teams and the communities they are working with. The recognition has shown them that such hyperlocal interventions are appreciated globally.

Aya is already witnessing ripple effects. Several individuals and groups in Egypt are interested in replicating the approach taken for the Eco Classroom.

Richard hopes that Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour will strengthen the relationship between local youth and their Indigenous culture. He also aspires to bring change to the official building code that often undermines or doesn’t recognise Indigenous building practices.

This limited webinar series is created in collaboration with:

The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction

The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.

The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.

Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with our recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.

The Holcim Foundation is proud to team up with Ecogradia and the host of its podcast, Nirmal Kishnani, with whom we share a common goal: contribute to a just, equitable and sustainable future via sustainable construction and design.

W  |  Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn  |  YouTube  |  Instagram

This limited webinar series is created in collaboration with:

The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction

The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.

The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.

Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with our recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.

The Holcim Foundation is proud to team up with Ecogradia and the host of its podcast, Nirmal Kishnani, with whom we share a common goal: contribute to a just, equitable and sustainable future via sustainable construction and design.

W  |  Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction

Facebook  |  Twitter  |  LinkedIn  |  YouTube  |  Instagram

Host
Nirmal Kishnani

Producer
Maxime Flores

Editor-at-large
Narelle Yabuka

Senior editor
Tyler Yeo

Senior communications executive
Sana Gupta

Art director
Alexander Melck | Phlogiston

Sound technician and editor
Kelvin Brown | Phlogiston

Video editors
Guellor Muguruka | Phlogiston
Madelein Myburgh | Phlogiston

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