reviving redhill preschool

redhill, south africa

Red Hill Preschool. Travel Blogs, Photos, Videos and Maps. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.travelblog.org/ Photos/1891437>.

Zoe Ganch ARCH 2001 Architecture Design IV Spring 2012 Section 1 Reviving Red Hill Preschool LSU School of Architecture

Zana + South Africa=missionary. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://godmademedoit.blogspot.com/2007/08/ love-red-hill-2.html>.

cont 2 ents

narrative

precedent study

culture

site conditions

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materials

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texture + color

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passive systems

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early learning environments

Red Hill embodies a social spirit intertwining community and culture. Outdoor spaces are often a location of social gathering and community ties. What the existing preschool lacked was that connection to place: both physical and cultural. My design concept revives Red Hill Preschools sense of place through transparency and a mirrored central community. The preschools series of louvers enhances the transparency between the interior learning environment and the exterior culture and community. The louvers are also placed for optimal sun allowance in the southern hemisphere. Although the spaces are placed on an orthogonal grid, several building cut outs transform into green gardens that filter and heighten the views to the outside community from within. The centralized outdoor space is open yet protected enough to serve as a teaching environment, further amplifying the sense of a centralized community. To develop learning interaction for the children, a water harvesting system collects water to support daily hand washing and water usage and composting toilets allow for recycled waste to enrich the existing garden that the children take care of. Each element acts as a connection to the

Precedent
gando secondary school
location | gando, burkina faso project group | building and engineering works construction year | 2012
Burkina Faso is amongst the poorest countries in the world. With an illiteracy rate of over 80% the majority of its people have no alternatives to agriculture. The village of Gando - 3000 inhabitants - is situated 200km from Burkina Fasos capital Ouagadougou. Born here as the son of the headman, Francis Kr was the first to study abroad. He reinvested his knowledge as an architect into the urgently needed construction of a new school in his home village. Guided by principles of sustainable development, Kr stressed the importance of clay as one of the main building materials. The Gando school project taught the local people how to refine clay and local materials, and how different construction techniques could further improve the performance. The extremely hot weather conditions in the area, makes studying in buildings without airconditioning very difficult. That is why all interior spaces are embedded partially underground in the redesigned landscape to create a shadowed oasis. The project aims for the sustainable use of resources to provide natural ventilation without any use of electricity. The natural ventilation system works with lowtech, cost-effective earth-tubes, which is a sustainable, zero-energy

ARCHELLO YOUR CONNECTION WITH ARCHITECTURE. Media : 145979. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.archello.com/en/project/secondary-school-passive-ventilation-system/image13>.

To prevent the dehydration of the ground, collected rainwater irrigates the recently planted trees around the existing school buildings. By slowely filtering the water from the basin and through the pipe with gravel, the accumulated water seeps into the planters consistently.

AB C
The project entailed using local materials in the construction of the school. Two of the main materials were clay stiffened with concrete and laterite, an iron-rich soil that is harvested soft, spaded into brick shapes, and sun-dried into rusty-red building blocks.

The use of vegetation was carefully implemented in the project to provide shading as well as to absorb dust in the arid climate of Gando. The planter vegetation also functions to cool the air as it passes through towards the building.

Aqua Botanics Aqua Bloggin. Why Use Laterite in the Aquarium? Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.aquabotanic. com/?p=1056>.

culture

Zulu and Xhosa tribes establish large kingdoms in the South Africa region

1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

The Duth establish the port of Cape Town. They are the first Europeans to settle in South Africa The British take control of Cape Town. South Africa becomes an independent nation. Apartheid is introduced. Laws legally and physically separate different racial groups.

AIDS

1400

HIV in South Africa is transmitted predominantly through heterosexual sex, with mother-to-child transmission being the other main infection route. 11 percent of children born to HIV positive mothers become infected with HIV in South Africa.

The number of premature deaths due to HIV/AIDS has risen significantly over the last decade from 39 percent to 75 percent in 2010. The loss of the main income earner also takes a toll on the family financially.

There are 1.9 million AIDS orphans in South Africa. Orphans may have to relocate from their familiar neighbourhood and siblings may be split apart, all of which can harm their development.

The African National Congress, a black civil rights group, begins a Campaign for Defiance of Unjust Laws as a protest against apartheid. Nelson Mandela was one of its leaders. Mandela is arrested for plotting against the President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid. Mandela is freed from prison after serving 27 years. South Africa holds its first elections in which all races can vote. Nelson Mandela is elected president.

classroom water source kitchen

office + storage

classroom

classroom

garden

B
C playground

The site sits within a village of colorful huts made with cheap found materials. All of the pathways are unpaved which causes an air quality issue especially in the dry season. The single water source is accessible to both the kitchen and garden.

site conditions

m um

er

solar path
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win

ter

Due to the position of the Cape Peninsula in relation to the equator, the sun exposure is drastically different from the United States. The southern sun is the most desirable light while the northern light is better avoided. Because of the preschools absence of air conditioning, the sun is a significant tool for heating and cooling spaces.

jan

feb

mar apr may

june

july aug sept

oct

nov dec 10 8 6 4 2 0

temperature + rainfall

100
Cape Town, on the Cape Peninsula, has a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and wet winters. Seasons are well defined, with winter, between May and August, being influenced by a series of cold fronts that cross the Peninsula from the Atlantic Ocean. Winters are characterised by heavy rain, particularly on the mountain slopes, strong north-westerly winds, and low temperatures. In summer the weather in Cape Town is warm and dry, but the idyllic sunny weather is often punctuated with strong south

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0 degrees in fahrenheit

rainfall in inches

materials

corrugated metal aggregate concrete brick

Corrugated metal sheets are often used as roofing for the local homes in Red Hill. Because it is inexpensive, metal roofing is the material of choice for several types of building projects.

Salvaged brick is locally available and easily assembled. Brick is robust, durable, and aesthetically pleasing,.

Discarded rubble can be used as aggregate in concrete, making it a locally produced material. Concrete is ideal for foundations and also retains coolness even during the warmer months.

Reeds are an indigenous building material in South Africa and can be used as screening or roofing. They regenerate quickly, making them an abundant local resource for construction.

The Xhosa traditionally built their umuzi (homesteads), a collection of huts grouped around a cattle enclosure. The huts used to be made of grass and reeds woven around a frame of sticks. However, during the past 100 years, this style of building has been replaced by a round, mud-walled hut with a cone-shaped thatch roof. The traditional floor is made of cow dung or the crushed soil of an ant heap. Both are tightly compressed and easily swept clean.

reeds

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texture color + + texture color

Colors have a large impact in the learning environment, especially when it applies to pre-school age children. There have been numerous studies that prove that colors serve as more than just an aesthetic appeal, but also as a functional one. Studies have shown that the correct color scheme can relieve eye fatigue, increase productivity and accuracy, aids in wayfinding, and supports developmental processes. Younger children find high-contrasting and bright colors stimulating. When it comes to a color pallet, a warm and bright color scheme compliments their extroverted personalities.

Trees, shrubs, and flowers qualify as both color and texture. The greenery and nature is a soothing component in the design of any project. With bland and neutral colors in the building materials, the vegetation acts as a distraction from monotony. Vegetation also serves as a barrier to sound, sun, and dust. The leaves of the trees absorb surrounding sounds and collect dust from unpaved pathways. Vegetation also plays a key part in ventilation and solar absorbtion. During the summer, the trees block out unwanted solar rays. In the winter, the leaves fall and the sun can shine through and create heat.

Olea Europaea Subsp. Africana - African Wild Olive - a Photo on Flickriver. Flickriver. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://www.flickriver.com/photos/nturland/2273054393/>.

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passive systems
Rainwater is collected on the roof and stored in a tank to later feed water to the sink. A ventilation pipe prevents the odor from permeating the bathroom.

Human waste can be mixed with organic kitchen waste and will slowly turn into fertilizer. With organic fertilizer, vegetation can flourish.

Urine is diverted and diluted for fertilizer.

A slope helps to turn aerate, and compost the waste.

Dry Composting Toilet. Catorce. Web. 02 May 2012. <http://catorcekt.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/dry-composting-toilet/>.

passive ventilation

Passive ventilation strategies use naturally occurring air flow patterns around and in a building to introduce outdoor air into the space. Wind and buoyancy caused by air temperature differences create air pressure differences throughout occupied spaces. Buildings can be designed to enhance these natural air flows and take advantage of them rather than work against them. The passive elements that contribute to natural ventilation include the following: Operable windows Openings to corridors and Buffer spaces and double between otherwise facades separated Building shape spaces Space planning Central atriums and lobbies Orientation Wind tower Strategic architectural features

solar shading
External solar shading is the use of overhangs, blinds, louvers, trellises, or anything else that blocks the suns rays from heating the building envelope and entering the building through windows.

Internal solar shading features, typically internal blinds, are any material that blocks the sunsrays at the perimeter but inside the building.

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early learning environment

The buildings must be clean and safe for young children. Children must be protected from physical, social and emotional harm or threat of harm from themselves or others. All reasonable precautions should be taken to protect children and practitioners from the risk of i re, accidents and or other hazards. The inside and outside play areas must be clean and safe for young children. Each child must have enough space to move about freely, meaning there must be 1,5 m2 of indoor play space per child and 2 m2 of outdoor play space per child. Equipment must be clean and safe for young children. There must be enough equipment and resources that are developmentally appropriate for the number of children in the centre.The premises and equipment must be safe for young children, clean and well maintained. The premises should be bright and welcoming to children. Premises should be accessible to children with disabilities.

space
At least 2 m2 safe outside playing space per child must be provided. The outdoor area must be fenced with a gate that children cannot open. Children should not be able to leave the premises alone. Strangers should not be able to enter the premises without the knowledge of the staff. Children need space to move and exercise to develop their gross motor skills. They need space to run freely and play with outdoor equipment.The outside area can consist of lawn, sand pits, shady areas and hard surfaces. Outside play equipment must be provided. This must be safe and not have sharp edges or pieces. No poisonous or harmful plants may be grown on the premises. There must be enough age appropriate indoor as well as outdoor play equipment and toys, books and print material and other materials. There must be adequate storage space for indoor and outdoor equipment. Play apparatus must be safe so that children cannot be injured.

shelter
The structure must be safe, weatherproof and well ventilated. The floor should be covered with material that is suitable for children to play and sit on. Walls and floors should be easy to clean.There must be windows that give adequate light and, if possible, allow the children to see the outside world.

health
Where food is prepared on the premises, there must be an area for preparation, cooking and washing up. When the kitchen is in the same area as the playroom, it must be cornered of and safety requirements must be complied with. Provision must be made for the safe storage of anything that could harm children. Medicines, cleaning materials, cooking fluids, sharp knives and kitchen utensils must be stored out of reach of children. Medicines and cleaning materials must be kept away from food.

safety
Toilet facilities that are safe for children must be available. In areas where there are no sewerage facilities, suifficient covered chambers (potties) must be available. Where potties are used, the waste must be disposed of hygienically in a toilet. Potties must be disinfected after each use. Potties and nappies must not be cleaned near the food preparation and eating area. Toilet facilities must always be clean and safe. There must be somewhere for children to wash their hands. For older children (ages three to six years) one toilet and one hand washing facility must be provided for every 20 children, irrespective of gender. Doors on the childrens toilet facilities should not have locks. Separate adult toilet and hand washing facilities must be provided for the staff in terms of the National Building Regulations.

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