Submitted by jula-kim sieber
Simple = natural > sustainable
Mali Architecture News - Apr 23, 2010 - 13:24 10580 views
No Global Communication means no School for Tuareg-Kids
This is the century of communication.Collaboration between cultures happens via internet or via mobilephone. We knew this Tuareg-clan settling since a few years north ofTimbouctou, who asked an interpreter and an architect from Darmstadt,Germany, to help with the construction of their first permanenteducational building for their kids. Of course, we will join in;didnt we have a splendid time in the desert some years ago …
A process from one continent to the other gotstarted – running almost 4,000 km: some presentation sketches weresent via email as JPGs from middle Europe to Mali, West Africa; butthe adequate communication has still to be learnt; the newly foundname Scarabs School brands a tangible, palpable idea forall participants and motivates the whole team. Asking, checking andasking again is done via VoIP-mobile phone-connection.
The above paragraphs seem to be the beginning of afuturistic story from the seventies, yet they are our built realityon the desert sands of Timbouctou. Completion of the Scarabs Schoolwas within 3 and half months of construction time in July 2009.Throughout the whole process of designing, site management,completion as well as use of the building two caracteristics werenoted: the harmonious communication as well as the horizontallystructured collaboration between a „developing country“ or forthe case being a „nation without country“ and on the other hand a„highly civilized industrial country“. The work flow, thebuilding and hopefully the didactic in this building will thrive onantihierachization!This collaboration is about processes, whichare – given a constantly changing world – more important thanresults and more important than immutable ultimate results.
www.worldarchitecture.org/theory-issues/?position=comments&codde=2922&tipi=5&up=588&title=articles%20@%20WA%20architecture%20and%20communications
This is the century of communication.Collaboration between cultures happens via internet or via mobilephone. We knew this Tuareg-clan settling since a few years north ofTimbouctou, who asked an interpreter and an architect from Darmstadt,Germany, to help with the construction of their first permanenteducational building for their kids. Of course, we will join in;didnt we have a splendid time in the desert some years ago …
A process from one continent to the other gotstarted – running almost 4,000 km: some presentation sketches weresent via email as JPGs from middle Europe to Mali, West Africa; butthe adequate communication has still to be learnt; the newly foundname Scarabs School brands a tangible, palpable idea forall participants and motivates the whole team. Asking, checking andasking again is done via VoIP-mobile phone-connection.
The above paragraphs seem to be the beginning of afuturistic story from the seventies, yet they are our built realityon the desert sands of Timbouctou. Completion of the Scarabs Schoolwas within 3 and half months of construction time in July 2009.Throughout the whole process of designing, site management,completion as well as use of the building two caracteristics werenoted: the harmonious communication as well as the horizontallystructured collaboration between a „developing country“ or forthe case being a „nation without country“ and on the other hand a„highly civilized industrial country“. The work flow, thebuilding and hopefully the didactic in this building will thrive onantihierachization!This collaboration is about processes, whichare – given a constantly changing world – more important thanresults and more important than immutable ultimate results.
www.worldarchitecture.org/theory-issues/?position=comments&codde=2922&tipi=5&up=588&title=articles%20@%20WA%20architecture%20and%20communications