Africa: Sense of belonging
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The CBF centre is set atop a raised platform to ensure hygienic/climatic conditions
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A World Architecture Festival award winner, the CBF Women’s Health Centre in Burkina Faso combines social and environmental responsibility with design innovation in harsh conditions to meet a local need, reports Erika Trabucco.
Created by AIDOS, an Italian NGO fighting for women’s rights in developing countries, the CBF [Centre pour le Bien-e^tre des Femmes] project, financed by the Democratici di Sinistra Political Party and with a contribution from the European Commission, is a health centre, training and counsellling facility with a particular focus on addressing the widespread health issue of Female Genital Mutilation [FGM]. The social and health services programme developed by AIDOS is centered on providing educational services, information and awareness about women’s sexual and reproductive rights in Sector 27 of Ouagadougou, a peripheral urban area settled by the rural population.
The programme called for a building complex capable of hosting a variety of activities in very harsh circumstances. Completed in 15 months by a local builder, the CBF is a functional and cost-effective response that simultaneously provides a sense of identity for the local community.
Designed by FAREstudio, the project prioritises an integrated approach to interactions between built space and climatic environmental conditions [building orientation and layout, control of resource consumption, the use of natural vegetation, the selection of building technologies], based on considerations of sustainability and appropriateness.
It is based on the separation of the primary activities performed by the CBF into two distinct buildings: a training centre dedicated to activities of awareness-building and the administration and management of the CBF; and a consultancy centre, used for medical visits, legal assistance and psychological counselling.
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Exteriors and interiors are designed as community spaces (Photo: Sheila Mckinnon)
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The two main buildings are set atop a single structural element: a raised platform that creates a true artificial plane that supports various buildings used for different purposes. The raising of the platform above the ground ensure hygienic/climatic conditions that are extraneous to local culture and practices of building (protection against dust, mud and humidity).
Both buildings are also protected against rainfall and, above all, direct sunlight, by a light, waterproof PVC recyclable velarium, supported by an independent structure of steel ‘trees’. This sloping tarpaulin is part of a system that collects and stores rainwater, which is used to irrigate the garden.
The volumes that contain the various rooms are independent of the roof structure and freely placed on the platform. They are articulated around a series of shaded and ventilated patios to ensure privacy. The modular configuration allows for future expansion.
The building walls are constructed using compressed dry stacked clay bricks, made on site using a rough mixture of earth, cement and water. The bricks were baked in the hot sun, with no energy consumption, thereby limiting any environmental impact.
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| The exterior space is designed to promote sharing and information exchange between visitors |
The buildings are covered by corrugated aluminum and translucent decking, which allows light to filter into the interior, reducing the need for artificial illumination. The space between the steel roof and the velarium, the open cavity underneath the platform, together with the exterior openings fitted with operable glass fins, help to improve the natural ventilation of interior spaces, reducing the need for mechanical air conditioning.
The exterior space, similar to the interior, is designed as an open area to be used by the entire community. It is a space of sharing and of information, used to present the themes dealt with by the CBF. The garden is a micro environment that surrounds the buildings taking advantage of the shade provided by the building and trees and the humidity produced by the plants. A layer of grass covers the earth, reducing the effects of erosion, while various species from Western and Sub-Saharan Africa have been planted to create shade and promote the return of autochthonous vegetation.
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| Site plan of the CBF Women's Health Centre |
Temperature control, perhaps the most significant climatic issue, has strongly influenced the overall design. The strategy includes: Carefully studied building orientation, reducing the effect of hot wind and taking advantage of mutual over shading; shading of heavy material against direct exposure to the sun; extensive use of operable windows; and the separation of enclosed areas by transitional spaces, such as verandas or patios.
As water and power are unavailable in the area, the centre is fully independent, integrating the systematic control of consumption and the self-production of resources, possibly renewable. Water is provided by a newly drilled and dedicated well. Photovoltaic cells have also been installed along the perimeter wall, reducing the use of the electrical generator.
The outside walls, with no openings, are finished with a plaster coat, painted with bright colours. The local NGO’s slogan, translated in five languages, completes the decoration of the walls.
Erika Trabucco is a project architect at FAREstudio
CBF Women's Health Centre
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| Client |
AIDOS, Voix des Femme |
| Completion date |
November 2007 |
| Architect |
FAREstudio |
| Site area |
1600 sq m |
| Cost |
€208,500 |
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