CREDITS: 1.00 LU/HSW
Course DescriptionThe course illustrates an African urban development project in Benin: a gated community designed along vernacular lines but where modern energy-saving benefits were a priority concern. As well as an exhaustive overview of the project, the course provides information on the technologies and materials adopted, with particular focus on the sustainable strategies implemented in both the communal and private areas. Course material includes a descriptive text, photographs, and technical and construction-detail drawings of the envelope and structure of a standard building in the compound. On completing the course, you will able to describe the development model used to build this green-field estate on edge of the town, and to assess its feasibility use in your own work.
Learning Objectives – after reading the article and studying the drawings, you will be able to:
- Analyze how the individual buildings in the compound form a harmonious whole.
- Define how both the spatial distribution of each residence and the exterior circulation routes optimize spatial functionality and help to create a close-knit community.
- Define how the new development fits into its wider context without distorting the natural landscape, and the role of energy-saving and emission-reducing systems in achieving this.
- Describe the key features of the new urban development, especially the exterior and interior finishes, and assess how these contribute to creating amenable interior and exterior environments while at the same time ensuring energy-saving benefits.
