BUILDING WITH EARTH: LA VOÛTE NUBIENNE

Next week, on Wednesday 10 August, at 15.00hs the arcbox lecture series will host a public lecture about earth and sustainable techniques of building.

The organization, La Voûte Nubienne is currently working on a project for Gardens for health near by Kigali, during the month of August. The guests are going to explain us the traditional technique of the nubbian vault and how it is applied all over the world.

We hope to see you there.

Images retrieved from: www.lavoutenubienne.org

EAIA ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS COMPETITION

The studio project entitled "Swahili Wood Restoration Center: Workshop and Exhibition" of Jean Paul Uwase Sebuhayi a 3rd year architecture student in FAED was awarded the "Best student work from emerging schools of architecture" in the East Africa Region prize.

This year’s competition took place in Kampala on 28th to 30th July 2011. The event is organized every year by the (EAIA) East Africa Institute of Architects, and aims to encourage students to keep pushing their projects to the limits as much as they can. It is also intended to promote and award the students' best projects in the region, from emerging schools and also the best final projects. This year, The first price for the final project went to University of Nairobi. The student awarded was Nyandiko O. Frederick for the project named “Malindi Water world Oceanarium”.

The deliberating jury was impressed by the quality of work Jean Paul Sebuhayi in its exhibition and its presentation. The project presented was done on a site outside of Rwanda (Mombasa Old Town, Kenya). The challenge presented by the project was how to respond to the diversity of a mixed urban development. To achieve a sustainable and suitable design that learns from the site conditions and constraints and the local authorities requirements. It was crucial to understand and strength the existing historical and urban qualities, given by the identity of Swahili architecture. In addition, the design solution should demonstrate clear understanding of mixed urban development, site planning, appropriate design scale to the local setting and use of private and public spaces, movement patterns and form / image.

The members of the jury congratulated the faculty staff members as well as the work as school of architecture, encouraging and valuing what FAED has accomplished so far.

Jean Paul Sebuhayi thanks his instructors (Toma Berlanda, Nerea Amoros Elorduy, Kefa Angwenyi) for their efforts to make sure his work is well done and worth presenting to this competition. He thanks as well Christian Benimana, the FAED members, lecturers, and all his colleagues’ students.

Thanks to AAR (Architects Association of Rwanda) and particularly Eudes Kayumba (ex president of EAIA) for help us, be always supportive with the new generation of rwandan architects and make this happen.

ARCHITECT OF THE MONTH

FRANCIS KÉRÉ

“African architecture should stop copying the West, engage the real needs of the people and regard the environment” Francis 


“Africans need to develop their own identity in architecture” Francis Kéré.( http://www.designindaba.com/speaker/francis-kere )

PERPETUAL PEACE PROJECT

Umushinga Perpetual Peace Project washinzwe bigendeye ku myumvire yuko nta muntu cg ikigo gishobora kwemeza ko kizi neza icyo ari cyo amahoro.

Muri iki gihe, kimwe no mu gihe cya Immanuel Kant(1724-1804),igitekerezo cy’amahoro ntikirasobanuka kandi gikomeje kubonwa nk’ikinyuranyo cy’intambara. Umushinga wacu ushobora gusobanuka binyujijwe mu gitekerezo cya Kant cyo “kwamamaza”; ubwinshi bw’imyumvire y’iryo jambo budufasha kwerekeza ibiganiro mu byerekezo bitandukanye bifite n’imyumvire itandukanye.

Uyu mushinga utangira wumvikanisha ko igitekerezo cy’amahoro kidashobora gusobanurwa binyujijwe mu muco no muri politiki. Intego y’uyu mushinga ni ukwiga no gusesengura igitekerezo cy’amahoro, uhereye ku myumvire ko nta rurimi rusange rushobora gukoreshwa nk’ururimi fatizo muri icyo kiganiro cy’amahoro. Ku bwizo mpamvu umushinga wacu ufite ingamba uhereye mu bigo bitandukanye,zo gushyiraho uburyo bwo kwongera kwibaza ku gitekerezo cy’amahoro.

Intego z’umushinga ntago ari ugushyiraho amategeko ngenderwaho, ahubwo gutekereza ku mushinga w’amahoro no kwibaza k’uburyo ushobora kugerwaho.Umushinga wacu ntushobora kugerwaho mu buryo bwo gushaka kubona igisobanuro nyacyo, ahubwo buri gisobanuro kigomba kugirana isano n’abantu runaka ndetse n’imigenzereze y’umuco. Ijambo amahoro riganirwaho mu buryo butandukanye bitewe n’abantu batandukanye ndetse n’uburyo babayeho. Mu yandi magambo, ibice bitandukanye by’ibi biganiro n’ imitunganirize yabyo biduha igitekerezo rusange mbere yuko biba.

Ibitekerezo bitandukanye twumvise muri uyu mushinga ku murongo w’ikoranabuhanga wa interineti, mu imurikabikorwa, mu biganiro nyunguranabitekerezo,  byatanze undi mwanya w’ibisobanuro bishoboka. Ibitekerezo  ntibyari bitegerejweho ibisobanuro byimbitse ku  muco w’amahoro ahubwo kugaragariza abitabiriye imurika n’abandi uburyo bwo gusobanura no gusemura amahoro ubwayo.  Uruhare rwa buri wese  rurakenewe muri icyo kiganiro kuko nta muntu wemezako afite ubumenyi buhagije bwerekeye ku gitekerezo  cy’amahoro.

ARCBOX GALLERY IS TAKING OFF THE GROUND!

This week the arc box has hosted the exhibition PHOTO PLAY by Mark Robins the Dean of School of  Architecture of Syracuse University. The photos included some homes,  of  Architecture students’ who volunteered and helped to the caption of those pictures that showed their own domestic spaces.

“The hearth within a house could be understood as the site of the first public forum. Domestic space is at once private and public”. Gottfried Semper.

The morning of  26^th July 2011,after the Theory class, the pin up in the arcbox and around it of giant adhesives  took place. Aaron Levy the founder of the Perpetual Peace Project is starting together with the arcbox gallery the PERPETUAL PEACE PROJECT interactive exhibition.

This event is going to drive us trough the universal concepts of peace and its relation with architecture and arts. On those adhesives some phrases were written, around the idea of peace extracted from Immanuel Kant’s essay “ Perpetual Peace” and students were invited to translate it into Kinyarwanda. This was a great moment for students as well as for lectures as it is shown on pictures. Everybody was amazed!!!

LECTURE:MEGASTRUCTURE AND MICROURBANISM

Delia Wendel a researcher from Harvard University will give a lecture within the subject of Human Settlements next Tuesday, 03.08.2011 at 11am. 

Axonometric drawing of Archigram’s, ‘Plug-In City’ project (1963-4)

PHOTO by Mark Robbins

This Friday July 22 the FAED lecture series, and also the arcbox gallery will host the public lecture and the exhibition PHOTOPLAY, by Mark Robbins.

The Dean of the School of Architecture of Syracuse University, will come to visit us. His lecture and exhibition will show a collection of images of around the world and will drive us trough the global domestic spaces.See you all this friday at 4.30 pm at FAED building.

CINEMA: CITY OF GOD,and the role of urbanism and architecture in the development of a society

City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian Film released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. All the characters existed in reality, and the story is based on real events.  It depicts different stories of the inhabitants of the favela Cidade de deus  in Rio de janeiro, between the end of the ’60s and the beginning of the ’80s. How the environment influences the growth of crime. How the urban fabric, and the architectural design is influenced and influences social relations and networks within neighbors and affect the life of the human beings is a key aspect to learn from. 

CREATIVE EYE EXHIBITION

This week the arcbox has hosted the Creative Design’s exhibition on the students’ best work .CREATIVE EYE featured works of Painting, Photography, Print Techniques and Free Hand Drawing. It was open till the end of this week. I hope you came and   experienced the artwork from the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, we encourage you to give us your opinion, Here you can see some pictures of the works!

OPENING DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION: 1ST2011

The past Friday, June 24^th 2011, the semester’s exhibition series were inaugurated, with the previous semester‘s best works. 1^st 2011 was the name of the event that hosted design studio’s projects from all years.

The students housing in KIST campus, developed by the third year’s was represented by the work of the teams composed by: Jean de Dieu and Lambert  and Thierry and Aloys.

The second year’s presented a Public Library project with works of Jean PAUL BIGIRIMANA, Flavia GWIZA and Emmanuel HAVUGIMANA 

The first year design studio was represented by the works of KAYIJUKA eric,NDAYAMBAJE J.damascene,AMAHORO eunyce,Olga,JMV,Fatumah,Vianey,Victor and Aziz.

The exhibition was a huge success and students were amazed about the work of their colleagues, that encouraged them to improve and work harder in further studios.

This was a good starting point for the exhibition series we hope to keep it up and see more works in future events!

LECTURE: LEARNING FROM MOMBASA

This semester the 3rd year students of architecture went to Mombasa, with the scope to develop a research on the Swahili architecture. The department of architecture has organized this Traveling studio to learn from the urban fabric and the Swahili architecture of the sea port city. The learning outcomes of the trip were the starting point to develop the second semester project. The program of a building inserted in a rich preexisting context, with a rich religious and cultural heritage of an UNESCO metropolitan landscape, it has to learn from a sustainable local construction, shifting ecologies and varied civic and community environment.

Once back home, third year design studio organized a public lecture for Kist staff, FAED students and some outside guests. The presentation was focused in the trip, the perceptions and sensations of its protagonists and on architectural concepts.

The leit motive were the preliminary studies on 3 specific sites that will be further developed  during the semester during design studio. The students shared their experiences and learning outcomes had during the week of the trip.

Vice rector Academics, Prof. John S. Mshana took time to attentively see the students work, and he kindly appreciated both faculty staff and students for the good presentations exhibited.

The introduction and guidance of Prof.Tomà Berlanda drive the audience throughout the trip and gave them the atmosphere of the trip, some entertaining stories and information took during the travel.

All students who spoke on behalf of their colleagues took time to shear their experiences in terms of architecture and social life. The third year’s also shared their impressions taken from different population, landscapes and cities along the three different eastern African countries crossed (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania).

As FAED students, we want to thank KIST administration for the continued support rendered to us.

OPENING OF 2ND SEMESTER ARCBOX EXHIBITION SERIES

The arcbox, a ship container reconverted into the gallery for the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design of Rwanda, was first inaugurated on March, 24^th 2011. The purpose of this reinvented space is to provide students of FAED and KIST, as well as the community in Kigali with a place to foster creativity, innovation and architectural culture.

From now on, the Architecture Lecture Series students will be responsible of keeping it alive. Every Friday a new exhibition will start, that will last for one or two weeks.