#green building
THREAD Center - Sinthian, Senegal
The New Artist Residency is the local center for the THREAD program, designed to aid local Senegalese artists in mastering their crafts.
The building is constructed using local materials and local builders have shared their sophisticated knowledge of working with bamboo, brick, and thatch. These traditional techniques are combined with design innovations by the New York based architect Toshiko Mori. Like many Senegalese structures the building is eco-friendly and sustainable. The traditional pitched roof is inverted allowing for the collection of approximately 40% of the villagers’ domestic water usage in fresh rainfall.
Read more about THREAD here
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Pavilion Estate - Windhoek, Namibia
Newly constructed modern estate in the suburb of Windhoek, Namibia.
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Okavango Safari Lodge - Okavango Delta, Botswana
A small boutique luxury hotel was recently completed in Okavango Delta, Botswana. The Okavango Delta is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the African continent. The contemporary design was inspired by the pangolin, an inhabitant of the area that is also called the African armadillo.
The curves and roofing of the structure resembles the hard carapace of the armadillo. Due to the serene setting the hotel needed to coexist in nature instead of disrupt it. The building is constructed solely of biodegradable materials and 70% of its energy sources are sustainable. Still there is no compromise in power, hot water supply, and food preparation. The exterior is comprised mostly of laminated pine and woven eucalyptus laths. The safari hotel is intertwined with the natural elements in the quiet delta so as not to disrupt the elephants, leopards, and lions that also call the delta home.
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Khamsa Modern estate in Petit Côte, Senegal. The outdoor oasis serves as both attractive landscaping and a sustainable water treatment facility.
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Chernobyl, Ukraine
Adobe Mud: Building With Earth
Simone Swan and her students at the Adobe Alliance are building with earth in the southwestern United States using adobe mud and traditional North African construction techniques.
By Catherine Wanek
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