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Renzo Piano’s Emergency Children Surgery Center in Entebbe, Uganda

Renzo Piano is an Italian architect that has received numerous awards and nominations for his work, mostly qualified as “high-tech architecture”, a type of modern architecture that dares to innovate and defy norms. (1) His most famous design is the Centre Pompidou of Paris in which he works with high tech and sustainability through an emphasis on structural and technological elements. (1)

Vittoriano Rastelli / Corbis via Getty Images

Renzo Piano’s involvement in creating an Emergency children’s surgery center out of raw earth in Uganda continues that legacy of surpassing the norm. In this project, Piano contributed with EMERGENCY, a non-profit dedicated to offering complimentary, high-quality medical services to those in need (2). Such a partnership between visionary Renzo Piano and EMERGENCY therefore pushed for a project that guaranteed quality of biomedical devices, quality of building and a quality of life for those in the center(3).

Images courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneria

While the facility currently hosts 72 beds, a diagnostic centre, a laboratory for analysis, a blood bank, a pharmacy, as well auxiliary services such as a canteen and a laundry, it also hosts a healing and playful environment (2). In this center, play becomes part of a healing process as colorful walls populate the facility illuminated with the center’s large windows offering a view of either the heart of the complex: a large garden, or the site, which in total contain 350 trees planted (5).  

Image courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneria
The Center’s Courtyard. Image courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Center’s Floorplan. Courtesy of ArchDaily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this project, Piano and his team championed local tradition of building with earthen materials while also fusing it with his characteristic modern architecture seeking to build sustainably and efficiently.

Image courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a complex process of trial and error, architects and engineers of the Milan Ingegneria team researched theories and traditions in the region of earthen architecture, testing out experiments in the laboratory and on the construction site, to eventually come across the most performing mix for the project. The final mix was composed of: silty clay from the site, dried and cleaned in order to remove organic materials; aggregate to give the material compressive strength; Mapesoil, an establishing agent used to solidify the soil; a small amount of cement to stimulate the hardening process; inch-long (2.4 cm) polypropylene fibers to prevent tiny cracks from forming as the material shrinks; a fluidizing agent which made the mix easier to work with; and finally, a clear xylan-based coating applied to the outer surface of the wall to create a water-resistant layer stopping moisture from being absorbed or retained.(6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A whole process of trial and error                                                                                                           Images courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneri

 

 

 

 

 

 

This rammed earth technique ensures proper humidity and temperature control(4), inducing thermal inertia. 

Image courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati, Milan Ingegneria

This project by Renzo Piano is part of a broader movement that reimagines earthen architecture as a viable and valuable component of our modern world. It challenges the notion that traditional materials belong only to the past, showing how earth-based construction can play a key role in creating a more sustainable future. By integrating innovative techniques with time-honored methods, this approach not only honors architectural heritage but also addresses the urgent environmental needs of today, offering a path forward in the global shift towards more eco-conscious building practices.

Location: Entebbe, Uganda

Completion Date: 2021 

Project Owner: EMERGENCY NGO Onlus

Architects: Renzo Piano Building Workshop & Studio TAMassociati

Design team: RPBW – G.Grandi (partner in charge), P.Carrera, A.Peschiera, D.Piano, Z.Sawaya and D. Ardant; F.Cappellini, I.Corsaro, D.Lange, F.Terranova (models) – TAMassociati – R.Pantaleo, M.Lepore, S.Sfriso, V.Milan, L.Candelpergher, E. Vianello, M.Gerardi – EMERGENCY Field Operations Department, Building Division – Roberto Crestan, Carlo Maisano.

Consultants: Milan Ingegneria (structure); Prisma Engineering (MEP); Franco and Simona Giorgetta (landscape); GAE Engineering (fire consultant); J&A Consultants

References:

(1)”The Centre Georges Pompidou by Richard Rogers & Renzo Piano.” ArchEyes, www.archeyes.com/the-centre-georges-pompidou-by-richard-rogers-renzo-piano/.

(2)”Emergency USA – A Surgical Center in Uganda.” Emergency USA, www.emergencyusa.org/?doing_wp_cron=1727479427.1156270503997802734375.

(3)”Emergency Children’s Surgery Center.” Renzo Piano Building Workshop, www.rpbw.com/project/emergency-childrens-surgery-center.

(4)”Hospital Quirúrgico Infantil, Entebbe.” Arquitectura Viva, www.arquitecturaviva.com/works/hospital-quirurgico-infantil-entebbe.

(5)”Centre of Excellence in Paediatric Surgery.” Emergency USA, www.emergencyusa.org/prj/uganda/centre-of-excellence-in-paediatric-surgery/.

(6)”Children’s Surgical Hospital: A Scandalously Beautiful Dream.” The Plan, www.theplan.it/eng/whats_on/children-s-surgical-hospital-a-scandalously-beautiful-dream.

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Preschool of Aknaibich

 

 

Location: Aknaibich, Morroco

Completion: 2014

Project Area:  55 m²

Budget: 25.000€

Architect(s): BC architects & studies + MAMOTH

The population of Aknaibich collapsed from 1266 inhabitants in 2014 to only 634 in 2013. Of which the majority were young students migrating to the center of Agadir 30km away, to study. This rural-urban trend  exacerbates not only the physically abandonment of Aknaibich but the cultural abandonment of traditional earthen building. Returning migrants opt for the faster and easier concrete construction to build their village homes, scattering the village with exposed rebar.

BC Architects proposes a strategic combination of traditional vernacular seismically maximized by innovative technologies, built by the community, in an architecture that might be called a new, contemporary vernacular. The vernacular embraces the humanity of Aknaibich, it’s logical and thoughtful response to the communities needs. The utilization of local typologies and materials allows bioclimatic functioning. A dialogue is created with the existing concrete school on site, leaving it up to the teachers and children to make their own perceptions of the juxtaposing materiality. The school complex further visualized the importance of education in the small village.

Plan
Section

Adobe Brick + Qued Stone

Gravel earth, excavated from the site, and clayey soil, from the river bank of Qued Souss are made into sun-dried soil bricks. The process of forming the earth into a brick is only ever done in the village by a single craftsmen. Stones found at the same river bed are traditionally used for foundations, for its strength and durability.  These stones are processed for an even wall surface.

Thomas Joos

Cement ‘Where it is Necessary’

To resolve seismic challenges of traditional earthen buildings, cement is strategically placed, in ring beams connected by reinforcement bars and the foundation, to guarantee stability. In replacement to local wood, which is poor in tension, normally used in Moroccan construction. At the south facade, these ring beams become small platforms or niches. At the north facade, the ring beams become openings to the interior courtyard.

Rammed Earth ‘Leh’

Rammed earth, ‘Leh’ in Berber, walls are using for enclosure walls.

‘Tamelass’ + ‘ Nouss-Nouss’

For protection against weather and impact, a rendering of straw, sand, and earth is used to finish exterior adobe walls. In interior spaces, a finer and more worked plaster, made of sieved clayey soil and gypsum called ‘Nouss-nouss,’ or half-half in Berber. The material reflects light well, luminating the classroom.

Ratan

Moroccan carpenters weave in between wooden beams in order to create a flat roof and a pergola. Overlaid on a lattice of wooden beams, the ratan allows for hot air to rise and escape the interior space. Then a thick, heavy earthen flat roof, additionally insulated by 10cm of cork, slows down the heating process from the exterior.

The interior courtyard consists of a playground as well, protected from the sun by a pergola covered by ratan. This outdoor space creates enough shade that it doubles as a possible outdoor classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

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Matthews Residence: Exploring Modern Adobe Architecture in the Desert

Will Bruder is an American architect known for his innovative use of materials and site-specific designs. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1946, Bruder’s background spans art, sculpture, and architecture. He studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, earning a degree in Fine Arts, and later apprenticed under visionary architect Paolo Soleri, which significantly influenced his work in the desert Southwest.

Bruder’s work focuses on creating architecture that integrates with the natural environment, using innovative material choices and architectural forms. His approach prioritizes materials that connect the building to its surroundings, as seen in his use of adobe for the Matthews Residence.

The Matthews Residence, designed by Will Bruder, was built between 1979 and 1980 and received the 1983 Environmental Excellence Award for its innovative design. The residence is a 2,800-square-foot adobe home. The primary material of this residence is adobe brick, a traditional earth material made from sun-dried bricks, which is able to blend into the natural landscape. Adobe also offers excellent thermal properties, helping regulate temperature in the desert climate.

Inspired by the traditional Southwestern courtyard house, the design features curving adobe walls, strategically shaped to reduce exposure to the intense Arizona sun. The house spans a large double cul-de-sac lot in a suburban area of west Phoenix.

The layout creates a dynamic interplay between expansive and more intimate spaces, enhanced by the flowing geometry of its curves. The design’s sense of light, compression, and openness is carefully crafted, with a long skylight running from the entrance, introducing a play of light that highlights the contrast between rougher materials like adobe and concrete floors and the more refined details of oak and galvanized steel.

A key inspiring aspect is how Bruder masterfully combines adobe with modern materials like steel and wood, which creates a dynamic contrast between natural, traditional, and modern industrial materials. This combination enriches the architectural narrative by blending the old with the new. The combination of modern architectural design with natural, sustainable materials makes the Matthews Residence a source of inspiration for architects interested in sustainability and regionalism.

Interestingly, this is the only known Bruder house constructed from adobe, making it a rare and distinctive project. The way adobe is used in this design adds to its uniqueness, and it remains one of the most intriguing examples of Bruder’s residential work.

Matthews ResidenceCitations:

AZ Architecture. “Matthews Residence – Will Bruder Architect – Adobe.” AZ Architecture, https://azarchitecture.com/architecture-guide/matthews-residence-will-bruder-architect-adobe/. Accessed 23 September 2024.

USModernist. “Will Bruder.” USModernist, https://usmodernist.org/bruder.htm. Accessed 23 September 2024.

Rael, Ronald. Earth Architecture. Princeton Architectural Press, 2009, pp. 120-121.

 

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Taos Pueblo

 

Pueblo de Taos
© Edmondo Gnerre
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/492/gallery/

Taos Pueblo is an ancient, occupied multi-generational community in Northern New Mexico. “Pueblo” refers to both the physical buildings and community (stylized “pueblo”) and the native people of those communities (stylized “Pueblo”). The people are also known as Puebloans, or Pueblo peoples, and are native to the Southwestern United States (New Mexico, Arizona, Texas). They share a common culture, including food and agriculture, history, traditions, and religious practices. Aside from Taos, inhabited pueblos include San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi.

Taos Pueblo
© OUR PLACE The World Heritage Collection
Author: David Muench
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/492/gallery/

The most recognizable feature of the Taos Pueblo community are the multi-story, red clay and adobe homes and community buildings. They span both sides of the Sacred Blue Lake/Rio Pueblo de Taos (a tributary of the Rio Grande) which is also the population’s only source of water. The community has been continuously occupied for over 1000 years, likely originally built between 1000 and 1450 C.E. It is both the longest continuously inhabited community in the United States, and the largest of the pueblos.

Taos Pueblo
© OUR PLACE The World Heritage Collection
Author: David Muench
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/492/gallery/

The structures are built in terraced tiers, extending out as they descend toward the ground, and a height of five stories at maximum. “The property includes the walled village with two multi-storey adobe structures, seven kivas (underground ceremonial chambers), the ruins of a previous pueblo, four middens, a track for traditional foot-races, the ruins of the first church built in the 1600s and the present-day San Geronimo Catholic Church” UNESCO. The community sits at the base of the Taos mountains, the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains

old-taos-images-historic-museum-of-taos-015
https://taospueblo.com/history/

Spanish explorers arrived in 1540 C.E. and originally believed the community to be one of the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola, a legend of Aztec mythology pursued by Coronado, among others. The miccaceous mineral (micca) found in the clay that is used to re-mud the homes every year shimmers in the light, seemingly like gold.

It is an occupied, inhabited, living community, with dwellings passed on within the family from eldest son to eldest son throughout generations. Taos Pueblo is recognized as both a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors are welcome, but as an occupied space, access is limited to businesses and tourist centers, and photography of certain parts of the physical community and people is limited. The tribal land encompasses 95,000 acres with about 4,500 inhabitants. Approximately 150 people lived in the historic pueblo adobe dwellings as of 2010.

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https://taospueblo.com/history/
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https://taospueblo.com/history/
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https://taospueblo.com/history/
Google Earth 3D aerial of Taos Pueblo buildings
Google Earth aerial of Taos Pueblo land

REFERENCES

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Shimba: Manhattan of the Desert

Yemen is located on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and the city of Shibam is renowned for its densely packed mudbrick buildings. These high-rise structures were built in close proximity as a defensive measure against Bedouin raids.

Shibam’s buildings are multistory (up to 11 stories), and the city is considered one of the earliest examples of vertical urban planning. The towers range between 5 to 11 stories, made primarily of adobe bricks reinforced with wooden beams.

The city is enclosed by a protective wall, with two gates serving as entry points. The compact clusters of five- to eight-story buildings create a unique skyline, with some homes connected by elevated corridors. These corridors allow residents to move between houses quickly, providing a means to defend against attackers. The buildings feature wooden window frames set into mud-plastered walls, with many windows carved into elegant arches. While Shibam’s history dates back to the third century, most of the existing structures were built in the 16th century. Regular maintenance is required for these earthen buildings, as the walls must be replastered periodically to combat erosion from wind and rain. And the roofs and the exterior of the mud towers had sustained the most damage.

 

The bricks used in Shibam’s buildings gradually decrease in size on the upper floors, resulting in thinner walls as the structure rises and giving the buildings a trapezoidal shape. This design helps to reduce the load on the lower floors, enhancing the overall stability and strength of the buildings. Typically, each building is occupied by a single family, with living spaces located from the third floor upwards. The first and second floors are often designated for food storage and livestock stables, allowing families to keep cattle inside during periods when the town was under siege.

Citations:

 

  • UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Old Walled City of Shibam.” Accessed September 2024. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192.
  • Al Sayyad, Nezar. “The Architecture of Mud: Construction and Repair Technology in the Hadhramaut Region of Yemen.” Environmental Design: Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre, 1988.
  • Serageldin, Ismail. Traditional Architecture: Shibam and the Hadramut Region. London: Academy Editions, 1991.
  • Alhussein, Redhwan, and Tetsuya Kusuda. “Performance and Response of Historical Earth Buildings to Flood Events in Wadi Hadramaut, Yemen.” Built Heritage, vol. 5, no. 1, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-021-00044-8. Accessed 23 September 2024.
  • DaliySabath. “Shibam: Yemen’s ancient ‘Manhattan of the Desert'”. Agencies. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen. December 17, 2020.
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Centinela Chapel

The front facade of Centinela Chapel captured at dusk. (César Béjar via Arch Daily)

Architect: Estudio ALA

Location: Jalisco, Mexico

Year of Completion: 2014

Area: 480 square meters

Centinela Chapel was designed by Estudio ALA based in Gaudalajara, Mexico. The studio was established in 2012 by Luis Enrique Flores and Armida Fernandez. Flores received his undergraduate education from Universidad de Guadalajara, and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard GSD.  Fernandez began her education in industrial design at Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudio Superiores de Monterrey before continuing on to a Master of Design Studies at the GSD.  Their view of the architectural discipline is as interdisciplinary as their educational backgrounds might suggest,  approaching each project with a holistic mindset that in their words is rooted in “[the time, the history, the place, and the people]”[1]. You can read more about their approach in this interview with the Architectural League of New York.

These design imperatives are evident in Centinela Chapel. The 480 square meter building, a small chapel located inside of a Tequila production facility in Jalisco, sits in a verdant landscape with broad views to a pond and adjacent fields [2]. The chapel consists of two rectilinear volumes, open to the air and sky. Used primarily by the facility’s workers, the open plan allows great flexibility and large capacity with a very small building, all while elegantly connecting to the landscape.

Plan of Centinela Chapel (via Arch Daily)

Adobe bricks and pink terracotta tiles are the dominant material expression of the Chapel. However, the primary structural system is in fact steel, which allows for large span openings,  and a flexible open plan with wide views. Although the adobe bricks incorporated here are not structural they do play an important role of tying the Chapel to its site, by enhancing thermal comfort, and relating the building to local architecture. Estudio ALA puts great emphasis on the materials as means of connecting a project to its surroundings [3], and the adobe walls undoubtedly achieve this at Centinela Chapel. As a whole the building is an interesting case study of a hybrid material composition, where adobe is the protagonist, but has been enhanced beyond its traditional formal limits with the introduction of a steel structure. The project demonstrates that even where traditional adobe construction may not be feasible for the given form the material can still be a critical part of a building’s identity given its cultural, aesthetic, and climatic significance.

A construction detail illuminated the relationship between steel structure, and adobe bricks (via Arch Daily)

 

The interior of the chapel. The unusually large spans and flexible plan, and openess to the air and sky are evident (César Béjar via Arch Daily).

1. Estudio ala. Estudio ALA. (n.d.-a). https://estudioala.com/

2. Arch Daily. (2015, December 29). Centinela Chapel / Estudio Ala. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/779489/centinela-chapel-estudio-ala

3. Be critical, adapt constantly, and connect. The Architectural League of New  York. (2024, July 30). https://archleague.org/article/be-critical-adapt- constantly-and-connect/

 

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New Gourna – Hassan Fathy

Location: Egypt, New Gourna
Year: 1946 to 1952
​Architect: Hassan Fathy

The project is done by Hassan Fathy, which is an Egyptian architect renowned for his pioneer technology for building, especially by working with regional materials such as adobe and mud brick. By working with traditional materials and construction processes Hassan tried to propose another type of architecture that is opposed to the international style which was popular during the period.

The project was assigned by the Egypt government in 1946 and was built between 1946 to 1952. The purpose of the project is to rebuild a new village 3 kilometers away from the old Gourna and relocate the residents in order to safeguard the pharaonic tombs that were embedded in the mountain of Gorn.

In the master plan, the new settlement provided the residents with a mosque, a school, a theater, a market, and a total of 90 houses. However, the project has never been completed due to political and financial reasons as well as the inhabitants’ rejection of the new site and the new architecture.

The design has failed to connect to the lives of its intended residents. For instance, Fathy made courtyards an essential part of the residences. However, courtyards were rarely used in that region of Egypt, and when they were used, they served a more practical function as a work area, not a space for leisure and enjoyment as Fathy intended.

Despite the failure of replacing the old village, the new Gourna still showcases the potential of traditional techniques as genuine solutions to some contemporary problems. Hassan has chosen adobe and mud brick as the materials due to their simplicity and affordability, which could be constructed with local materials without relying on international resources.

Source:  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13602360903357120#d1e238

The project applied the ancient Nubian Vault technique, which Fathy is often associated with. This technique enables vaulted roofs to be built without the need for the usual timber framework and using only standard mud bricks. Ideal I locations where wood is not an abundant resource, particularly in some arid regions where harvesting what timber there is can cause serious erosion problems.

 

Source:https://www.designboom.com/architecture/anicent-nubian-vault-modern-solution-for-tanzania-07-29-2020/

Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/12/01/video-interview-thomas-sgranier-nubian-vault-transform-housing-future-africa-movie/

Source: https://daily.jstor.org/hassan-fathy-and-new-gourna/

The technique itself is as simple as it is ingenious. Building off of a vertical wall, brick courses are laid in angled arches, inclining against the wall, each supporting the next. The first 5 courses are not complete arches (the first only consists of a single brick on each side) as they have to establish the incline. This produces a vault with forces working more or less in the traditional way but that is self-supporting from the very start of construction as opposed to requiring support until the last brick is laid.

By using traditional materials and construction in a modern way, Hassan’s experiment found a contemporary vernacular architecture answer for post-colonial Egypt instead of the globalized modern international style.

 

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The Great Mosque of Djenne

The Great Mosque of Djenne, east facade.

 

The national emblem of Mali.

Originally built during the 13th century CE, the Great Mosque of Djenne was rebuilt in 1906, and remains the largest mud brick building in the world to this day. It is located in the town of Djenne, which is situated near the Bani River in Mali. It is considered the preeminent example of Sudano-Sahelian architecture, and served as a center of Islamic knowledge for centuries before it fell into ruins. The Old Towns of Djenne were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, including various other mud buildings and archaeological sites in addition to the Great Mosque. The Great Mosque has been featured on Mali’s national emblem since it was adopted in 1961.

Photo taken by Edmond Fortier in 1906.

The Great Mosque is located in the city center of Djenne, adjacent to the marketplace. It is built on a raised platform or mound of earth 3m tall, and measuring 75m by 75m. This platform protects the Great Mosque from damage when the nearby Bani River floods. Rain does damage the mosque, though usually only causing cracks that are addressed through regular maintenance. Unusually heavy rain can cause greater damage, as was the case in 2009 when the upper portion of the south tower of the east facade collapsed. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture funded repairs in 2010, and the mosque has been fully restored as of the present day.

La fete de creppisage, the annual festival when the Great Mosque is fully rendered and repaired.

The Great Mosque is maintained through an annual festival, “La fete de crepissage,” where community members participate in the rendering of the building. The mud plaster used in this annual process is mixed in large pits, and left to cure and ferment for several days before it is ready to use. Young men and boys climb the toron, the rodier palm clusters protruding from the facade of the mosque that serve as scaffolding, while the young women and girls bring water to aid in plastering. More senior masons observe the young men as they smear a new layer of mud plaster over the mosque, and later check the work to ensure that it is smooth and even. The festival begins with a race to see who can bring the first bowl of mud plaster to the mosque, and ends with the workers washing the plaster off in the remaining water.

Detail view of the exterior wall of the Great Mosque.

The Great Mosque is constructed entirely from mud, excepting the toron. Mud forms the bricks, the mortar, and the plaster with which the mosque was originally built. These bricks are made of banco, a combination of grain husks and the traditional West African brown mud that forms much of the earthen architecture of the region. The qibla, or prayer wall, of the mosque faces east, toward the central square of Djenne and toward Mecca. The qibla is roughly a meter thick and punctuated by three main towers, with small minarets at either end. The wall derives additional support from the eighteen pilasters, each ending in a conical pinnacle.

East elevation of the Great Mosque.
Plan of the Great Mosque.

The prayer hall is directly behind the qibla, and takes up roughly half of the interior of the mosque. The other half is an open court which is surrounded on three sides by galleries with pointed archways, one of which is reserved for women. The roof of the prayer hall is made of more rodier palm clusters, which run crossways, and are covered in mud plaster. It is supported by interior walls.

Interior of one of the galleries of the Great Mosque.

In 2005, the Zamani Project spatially documented the Great Mosque, producing 3D scans and GIS analysis of the area. Play with the 3D model produced by the Zamani Project here. Watch an animated tour of the model here.

 

References:

[1] https://zamaniproject.org/site-mali-djenne-great-mosque.html

[2] https://www.archnet.org/sites/6395

[3] https://reportage.org/2000/Djene/PagesDjeneFrames/DjeneFrameset.html

[4] https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/116/

[5] https://the.akdn/en/where-we-work/west-africa/mali/cultural-development-mali

[6] https://edmondfortier.org.br/fr/postal/soudan-djenne-ruines-de-lancienne-mosquee/?highlight=Djenne

 

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Contemporary Architects Association: Observatory in the Desert

The Observatory in the Desert is a public addition to a decaying mud village located in Esfahak, Iran, a village in the north-east of the country. The structure consists of mud brick and rammed earth walls, creating a concentric pattern that leads a person to the center raised platform between the highest walls; a perfect place for an observatory.

The project was conceived by the Contemporary Architects Association an organization based in Tehran, dedicated to “creating an environment where its teachers and students, equipped with a deep understanding of architectural knowledge, history, and theories, engage in meticulous observation of the current state with an analytical and research-driven approach,” and the Esfahak Mud Center (E.M.C) . The main lead of the project was Pouya Khazaeli, founder of Esfahak Mud Center (E.M.C), an organization whose aim is of reviving traditional clay and mud construction in Esfahak Village.

Together with selected students of the CAA, the group designed a model with clay to re-enact the process of building the structure. After understanding the patterns and modes of building, the group traveled to Esfahak and began moulding 20cm x 20cm bricks out of the found mud. As the moulds dried construction began with the original group, however eventually community members of all size, ability, and age came to the need of the designers.

Food was shared, stories were told, tea was served, and the process of building and designing turned into a community process; an intention the architects never set forth with.

The special 20cm x 20cm bricks were placed on the outside of the inner center at 45 degree rotation, reflecting the essence of the palm trees surrounding the space. A curved single person entry way leads you to the center of the structure, where the sky is framed by the circular opening.

The project inspired and engaged the locals, bringing life to an area that was surrounded by decaying structures and rubble. The group even received a “is this for us?” question from locals, with a resounding answer of “yes”. With all of the additional help and support from the community, the project took about 10 days. The Observatory in the Desert is a beautiful example of a cultural, communal, and material specific piece of architecture that was built locally by hand and engaged with active participants of all backgrounds.

Size: 69 square meters

Year: 2017

Photos: Anis Eshraghi

Architects: Amir Ali Zinati, Behnaz Motarjam, Aydin Emdadian, Sonia Begi, Bahar Mehdipour, Hamidreza Malekkhani, Ramtin Ramezani.

Advisor: Puya Khazaeli

Local colleagues: Mohsen Mehdizadeh, Mostafa Yaqoubi, Hossein Bagheri, Mehdi Hosseini

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rlO0HdpLLk Arch Daily video

[2] https://www.archdaily.com/873615/observatory-in-the-desert-contemporary-architects-association#:~:text=We%20don’t%20have%20a,even%20though%20it’s%20still%20early Arch Daily article

[3] https://en.caai.ir/about-caai/ Contemporary Architect’s Association

[4] https://esfahkmudcenter.org/?p=1885 Esfahk Mud Center

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pouya_Khazaeli Pouya Khazaeli

 

 

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Rudolph Schindler’s Adobe House Design in Taos, New Mexico

R. M. Schindler in Taos, October 1915. Photographer likely Victor Higgins. Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Art Museum, Architecture and Design Collections, Schindler Collection.

Rudolph Schindler was an Austrian architect that practiced in Southern California from 1920 to 1953. [1] Starting as a talented student at the “Wagnerschule” in Austria, Schindler became a pioneering figure in 20th-century modern architecture, ultimately emerging as one of the most significant influences of the Modern Movement in America. Rudolph was born in Austria but spent most of his life in the United States, establishing his identity as a “Californian architect”[2].

Nevertheless, Rudolph Schindler generally surpasses many boxes attributed to him with a term he championed in his work: space architecture, in which he sought the protagonism of materials into a “new architecture”[2]. Materials like adobe!

His country house in adobe project is the result of a trip to Taos, New Mexico in which Schindler allowed the Southwestern scene to fill his sketchbooks and camera films, influencing his designs and eventually his style[3]. 

Photograph taken by Schindler in 1915. Courtesy of New Mexico Architecture Magazine.

His sketches and photographs reveal a delicate eye sensitive to tradition in Southwestern America, and inevitably an understanding of the nature of this material[3]. Delineated lines in his sketchbook represent the characteristic irregular bulk of adobe walls, and his photographs show his interest in how adobe ultimately shapes space[3]. 

Sketch made by Rudolph Schindler in New Mexico. Courtesy of New Mexico Architecture Magazine.

These observations hung onto Schindler when he was commissioned to design a summer house for a client, Dr. T. P. Martin in a site spanning approximately 3 acres, set against the scenic backdrop of Taos, New Mexico. [4]

Taos Pueblo, October 1915. Photograph by R. M. Schindler. Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Art Museum, Architecture and Design Collections, Schindler Collection.
House Floor Plan Design by Schindler. Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Art Museum, Architecture and Design Collections, Schindler Collection.

In his proposed plan, Schindler advocated for a modernization of the Spanish Pueblo vernacular architecture he discovered featuring ADOBE, to draft his “Country Home in Adobe Construction” design that stretched horizontally within the site[4]. While the house plan did not model local tradition with its reigning symmetric layout, his material of choice, adobe, allocated him the freedom to explore what he inevitably noticed in his trip to Taos: the versatility of the material [3]. His design therefore probes the fundamental thickness of the adobe walls in the deep recesses of the windows and reveals adobe’s inherent lack of rectangular precision with the uneven surfaces of the walls[3].

As planned, his proposed layout sought to integrate harmoniously with the landscape as a low-rise adobe structure with viga ceilings and a large courtyard[4].

Perspective of Design by R.M. Schindler. Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Art Museum, Architecture and Design Collections, Schindler Collection.

This design never came to fruition, but the lessons that Schindler absorbed from New Mexico fundamentally embedded his designs with a vision he could only learn from the South, architecture as a question of space formed through materials[5]. 

“When I speak of American architecture I must say at once that there is none. . .The only buildings which testify to the deep feeling for soil on which they stand are the sun-baked adobe buildings of the first immigrants and their successors — Spanish and Mexican — in the south-western part of the country.”   

Letter from RMS to Richard Neutra, Los Angeles, California, ca. January, 1921: quoted in E. McCoy, Vienna to Los Angeles: Two Journeys (Santa Monica, Arts & Architecture) [6]

Citations

[1]”R.M. Schindler.” Los Angeles Conservancy, www.laconservancy.org/learn/architect-biographies/r-m-schindler/. Accessed [09/22/2024].

[2] Riemann, Joshua. “Rudolph M. Schindler : theory and design” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012, dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/79933

[3]Gebhard, David. “R.M. Schindler in New Mexico” New Mexico Architecture Magazine, vol. 7, no. 1, 1965.

[5] Blackman, Harrison. “The Art of Design, the influence of a place : the Emergence of Pueblo Revival Architecture in New Mexico.” Taos News, 30 May 2018, www.taosnews.com/magazines/the-art-of-design-the-influence-of-a-place-the-emergence-of-pueblo-revival-architecture/article_f56e3b41-8379-54a8-b424-df4770e8416d.html.

[4]Schmidts, Hannah. “Deep Dive: Rudolph M. Schindler’s Take on Californian Architecture.” New Classics, 13 July 2020, www.newclassics.ca/blogs/journal/deep-dive-rudolph-m-schindler-architecture?srsltid=AfmBOoqlF6sNPy0xk1V8ypxbl6XSa_-lTbYHs1OQjgR5SPz0QWbFu9sj.

[6] “R. M. Schindler and Richard Neutra: Space Architecture and the Pueblo” Southern California Architectural History, 18 May 2019, socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/2019/05/schindler-wrote-to-neutra-extolling.html