Description
The
remarkable story of the Kahere Eila Poultry
Farming School began in the early 1980s, when
Alpha Diallo, a Guinean agronomist, and his
uncle Bachir Diallo, a veterinarian, formed
the idea of establishing a poultry farm to help
improve the Guinean diet. Both men earned scholarships
to study in Europe and while Alpha was in Hungary
he developed an interest in the Finnish language,
which is related to Hungarian. As a result he
translated the Finnish epic poem The Kalevala
into Fulani, and visited Finland, where he met
Eila Kivekäs.
When
Alpha died suddenly in Finland in 1984, Kivekäs
arranged for his body to be returned to his
home. Soon afterwards, Bachir, then in Canada,
received a phone call from Kivekäs: she
proposed that he return to Koliagbe near Kindia,
a town 120 kilometres inland from the coast
of Guinea, and create, with her support, the
poultry project that Alpha had discussed with
her. The farm was started in 1986, and in 1989
Kivekäs founded a development association
called Indigo, which went into partnership with
the poultry farm. From the farm's inception,
education was one of its primary missions. In
1997, when the facilities could no longer accommodate
the volume of students and trainees, Kivekäs
proposed to Bachir that school facilities be
provided near the main part of the farm. To
build the school she commissioned the Finnish
firm of architects, Heikkinen-Komonen, who had
worked on earlier Indigo projects, translating
Finnish structural ideas to local craft conditions.
In
the areas around Kindia, the oldest form of
dwelling is a round structure with a conical,
thatched roof. Three variants on this type,
each with a distinct function, are grouped around
an open space, usually with a large tree in
the centre, which is the site for household
activities such as food preparation and laundry.
The most common material for walls remains earth-bricks
fired in local kilns. The quality of the finished
material is poor, and a considerable amount
of wood is required for firing.
For
the new complex, three main areas were required:
a classroom, student quarters for up to twelve
people, and teachers' quarters. In the tradition
of local dwellings, these are organized around
a courtyard, at the centre of which is a tree.
The plan is based on a 1.2-metre grid, which
imparts a simple but formal elegance to the
architecture.
The
architects introduced wood-frame technology
in combination with weight-bearing walls made
from a double layer of specially developed,
stabilized earth-blocks. These blocks dispense
with the need for firing, helping to conserve
resources. They also act as heat collectors,
moderating room temperature, and their hard,
smooth finish means that they do not need rendering.
The wider span of the classroom is covered with
the aid of simple metal trusses combined with
the wooden beams. The tallest columns, those
of the classroom porch, are made of four posts
fastened by intermediate wooden blocks and steel
bolts, an economical way of overcoming a shortage
of long pieces of hardwood. All primary materials
were sourced locally.
The
significance of introducing new building techniques
is best illustrated by the example of the school's
head mason. After training in the stabilized
earth-block technique, he has gone on to use
the blocks in private houses, small industrial
installations and even a mosque, which has helped
boost the area's production of the blocks.
The
Kahere Eila Poultry Farming School is a rare
example of architecture that bridges distinct
cultures and building methods while maintaining
the local characteristics of its context. The
humble yet elegant design combines the timber
structures typical of Finland's native architecture
with local materials, improved by simple technological
advances.
Jury Citation
This
project has received an Award because it draws
on traditional local planning relationships,
with a courtyard dominated by a central tree
articulating teaching and accommodation spaces.
The complex is adjusted to the conditions of
the tropical climate: technologies are simple,
including locally made stabilized earth-blocks,
woven split-cane panel ceilings, and pigmented
concrete floors and roof tiles. Sophisticated
structural elements - columns and trusses -
are made of composite timber and metal, strengthening
the materials available to local craftsmen.
The architecture uses a deceptively simple language
and is distinguished by clarity of form and
appropriateness of scale. The solution is a
fine example of an elegantly humble yet modern
architecture that successfully crosses the boundaries
of local Guinean and Nordic traditions and,
in the process, avoids mimicry.
