ZAZA - center of education and remediation / E D A - A U / Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures / Wallonie-Bruxelles Architectures

ZAZA - center of education and remediation

Programe: The Rwandan public school system operates by half-day teaching. Based on the observation that some need more time, the place offers to use half a day for remedial courses. The project on 3 levels follows a standard plan subdivided into 3 bays: classroom, circulation and services. Each of the large classes can accommodate 20 children. They are through, in a north-south orientation against overheating.
[...]

About: In Rwamishiba, Rwanda, EDA-AU is building a home dedicated to education with local craftsmen. The project is initiated by a Rwandan residing in Belgium who wishes to support his adopted village. Thanks to acquaintances, he meets Arnd Amand, founder of the EDA-AU office, who is involved in this project on a voluntary basis. Together, they go to visit the country with interested stops in public schools, factories, brickyards, etc. both to identify the culture and to think of the possible ways of building. In schools, capturing the attention of children seems difficult, high temperatures or rain hammering a sheet metal roof are the reasons. While in this country also concrete is an icon of modernity difficult to dethrone, the building will favor the use of terracotta. The construction system developed with the engineer Cédric Evrard hybridizes traditional know-how and modern techniques (“row lock bond wall” method). The load-bearing walls made of narrow bricks (H.10 x W.5.5 x L.21cm) are hollow, they regulate the heat and allow cables and pipes to pass through. Concrete columns in these same voids make it possible to connect foundations, walls and floors. The workforce, all qualified for the construction of massive walls, is trained by the brother of the architect, Benoît Amand, chief mason. The participatory dimension on the site, born of the accompanied implementation, consolidates the happy reception of the home.
[...]