Mkombozi
Promenade Roof
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
2016-2018
Promenade Roof
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
2016-2018
The covered promenade forms the backbone of the Mkombozi Primary School, a church-owned primary school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Not only does it connect the various school buildings and outdoor areas, it also offers space for a variety of activities such as lessons, games during breaks and lunch.
A construction was sought that would provide sufficient ventilation in the courtyards even after the extension by further school buildings.
The substructure of the vault is made of steel for structural reasons and to protect against termites. The irregular distances between the columns react to the class wings, which are alternately lined up on both sides of the promenade and interrupted by planted courtyards.
The vault itself forms a wooden reciprocal framework. This kind of structure is suitable in areas where highly developed carpentry techniques and engineering timber are too expensive, and where long timber lengths are difficult to obtain for transport reasons. The construction principle was used thousands of years ago, and in recent years ETH Zurich has been researching solutions for its use in current construction. The findings of this work have been incorporated into the roof.
In collaboration with APC, Dar Es Salaam.
©images: PK-Odessa, Lucas Sager
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A construction was sought that would provide sufficient ventilation in the courtyards even after the extension by further school buildings.
The substructure of the vault is made of steel for structural reasons and to protect against termites. The irregular distances between the columns react to the class wings, which are alternately lined up on both sides of the promenade and interrupted by planted courtyards.
The vault itself forms a wooden reciprocal framework. This kind of structure is suitable in areas where highly developed carpentry techniques and engineering timber are too expensive, and where long timber lengths are difficult to obtain for transport reasons. The construction principle was used thousands of years ago, and in recent years ETH Zurich has been researching solutions for its use in current construction. The findings of this work have been incorporated into the roof.
In collaboration with APC, Dar Es Salaam.
©images: PK-Odessa, Lucas Sager
