Winners have been announced for a Peace Pavilion of the Kaira Looro Architecture Competition, launched by the Balouo Salo Association. Peace Pavilion is the third edition of the Kaira Looro international architecture competition, the theme of which is architecture in developing and emerging countries. 

After the first editions, dedicated to the design of a sacred structure (2017) and a cultural centre (2018), this year, the competition has announced the winners in a theme that is of global interest: peace. Participants were asked to design a Peace Pavilion to be built in the city of Sedhiou in southern Senegal, Africa.

The objective of the competition was to come up with a symbolic structure that would serve as a memorial to the victims of the African wars and that would sensitize the local and international community, creating a commemorative and educational space that respects both the environment and local traditions. The ultimate goal of the structure is to promote the culture of peace.

The competition was organised by the Balouo Salo Non Profit Organisation, which has been active in Africa for decades, with the collaboration of the University of Tokyo, Kengo Kuma & Associates, important international associations, and local partners including the Municipality of Sedhiou and its Department of Culture. 

The winners were chosen by an international jury made up of: Kengo Kuma, Toshiki Hirano (University of Tokyo), Agostino Ghirardelli (Blengini Ghirardelli Associati), Urko Sanchez (Urko Sanchez Architects), Jean Paul Sebuhayi Uwase & Noella Nibakuze (Mass Design Group), Diana Lopez Caramazana (UN HabitatNairobi), and a scientific committee composed of Raoul Vecchio (Balouo Salo), Sebastiano D’Urso (University of Catania), and Moussa Soaune (Senegalese institution).

On 3 May 2019 the jury declared the 30 winning projects, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, 2 honourable mentions named by Kengo Kuma and by the Balouo Salo Organisation, 5 special mentions, and 20 finalists. The designers of the 1st place project will receive a cash prize and an internship at the Kengo Kuma studio in Tokyo. Furthermore, all of the projects will be published inthe competition’s official book, exhibited at events, and published in articles and magazines. 

The objective of the competitions is, however, also the construction of the winning project which will be evaluated by a team of expert architects and engineers from the organisation, in collaboration with Sedhiou’s authorities and institutions, in order to study its financial and technological feasibility. The winning project will be inserted in a particularly delicate urban context. The lot is located along the bank of the Casamance River, on predominantly clay terrain and with a minimal slope. 

It is immersed in the surrounding environment and natural landscape, bordered by the river on one side and the city on the other. Therefore the project is intended to be a fusion of various spacial realities and must insert itself within an urban context characterised by a street market, central piazza, two sacred trees, and a nearby conference centre.

Project site

Project site on the map

The winner of the competition is the chinese project by Changze Cai. The Second place is also won by a chinese team composed by Dongming He, Yi Xie and Zeyi Yuan. While the third prize goes to an Italian team composed of Jurij Bardelli and Federico Testa. 

Two honorable mentions were awarded, one nominated by Kengo Kuma for the Colombian team composed of Alejandro Saldarriaga, Bachir Benkirane and the other one by the Balouo Salo organization to the Italian team composed by Federica Linguanti and Matteo Mazzoni. In addition, 5 special mentions and 20 finalists for teams from Poland, Mexico, Colombia, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Egypt, Brazil, Spain and Greece were assigned.

Winning project of Kaira Looro Competition Peace Pavilion – Edition 2019, courtesy of Kaira Looro Competition 

The previous editions of the competition were won by an Italian team and by a Polish team, respectively. As is the competition’s tradition, this year too all proceeds derived from participants’ enrolmentfees will be donated to the Balouo Salo humanitarian organisation, which works to find solutions to the social and environmental issues that plague African communities. 

These funds will be used in part for the development of social projects in particularly disadvantaged communities, and in part for the construction of the winning project. The main goal of the competition is, in fact, that of sensitizing the international community to the themes of development and emergence, as well as to hold young men and women from the international architectural landscape accountable for the responsibilities that designers have towards society, at the same time giving them an opportunity for professional growth and international visibility in order to facilitate their insertion into the professional sphere.

Winning project of Kaira Looro Competition Peace Pavilion – Edition 2019, courtesy of Kaira Looro Competition

The competition had an exceptional turnout with over 600 projects submitted from all around the world. The projects showed great sensibility towards the theme of the competition and towards the geographical context of the project.

The winning projects can be viewed online on the competition’s official website and will betransmitted to the sector’s international media outlets. 

Furthermore, a special book will be published entitled "Kaira Looro Architecture Competition – Peace Pavilion" which will feature all ofthe winning projects. Proceeds from the sale of this book will also be donated to humanitarian causes.

World Architecture Community is official Media Partner of the competition and held an exclusive interview with Kengo Kuma about the competition. 

See the winning projects with their short info below:

1st prize: Changze Cai from China

"Peace pavilion Gently float on the ground and blend into the base landscape in a humble posture. Stepping onto the suspended pedestal and entering through a narrow doorway, it is a courtyard enclosed by a wooden structure colonnade. The sun shines in from the top of courtyard and shines on the wooden box in the middle. The simple sequence expresses the tranquility of the space. People can walk, communicate and sit quietly in the courtyard to feel the stability and tranquility of their homes in the peaceful times. On the one hand, the courtyard provides a space for people to communicate with each other. On the other hand, it also improves the microclimate of the building and increases the indoor ventilation effect." Read more.

2nd prize: "The Lost Horizon" by Dongming He, Yi Xie, Zeyi Yuan from China

"Africa has a complex and diverse geo.dimate, natural environment and regional culture. Whether it is a restricted economic constraints or a disorderly social order, the internal contradiction of the beginning of its war is the conflict of human-Iand relations. If faith, culture and other conscious conflicts are abandoned, peace is a reflection of the symbiotic order between people and nature. On the contrary, people's friendly handling of the relationship with the environment will inevitably lead to a good economic system and social contract The boundary is a manifestation of a spiritual or material dispute, and it is also an expression of the order of humar干land relations, and the essence of peace is the self-digestion of the boundary." Read more.

3rd prize: Jurij Bardelli, Federico Testa from Italy

"Peace revolves around dialogue and understanding between peoples. So the spaces rotate around the patio of light and water. The strength of the earthen wall contrasts with the fragility of the bamboo cane wall creating a path of light and shadow. The water make a vibrant light into the spaces transmitting a sense of vitality. A fabric upholsterers the ceiling giving a sense of lightness. The pavilion is a small introvert volume with a simple shape that defines a clear relationship with existing buildings and the river in terms of proportions and position." Read more. 

Honorable Mention by Kengo Kuma: Alejandro Saldarriaga, Bachir Benkirane from Colombia

"Plant a seed To be freed, Of what we lost, In soul and trust, A plant is born, We shall mourn, To be at ease, And find peace....
The main concept of the proposal derives from the idea that true peace can only be achieved through the involvement of the affected community of Sedhiou. Thus, the Pavilion is a frame. In its built form it will be left unfinished, and only with the community’s intervention will it change and physically grow though time. Therefore, within the frame lives a garden. Said space is designed for those affected by the violent African conflicts, giving these survivors the opportunity to plant a seed in memory of those lost and to mourn by creating life. Thus, reverting the graveyard methodology. Sorrow tends to overwhelm one’s mind and soul; to give one the capability to physically represent this is a step closer in finding tranquility." Read more. 

Honorable Mention by Balouo Salo: Federica Linguanti, Matteo Mazzoni from Italy

"There are a lot of legends in different cultures about the Baobab, but what inspired the project most about this tree is its peculiar way to live between earth and sky, with an enormous trunk attached to the soil and much thinner branches gathered at the summit only which spread towards the sky. The intention consisted in bringing familiar symbols in such a dense and oddly stratified context, in order to give birth to a place which could easily enter the lives of the community. The request of creating a pavilion, for the promotion of universal peace and for the contemplation, reflection and prayer for those who unjustly lost their life, was deeply investigated in order to build a safe and symbolic concept space, passing through two essential architectural acts: the elevation of the floor at an unusual height and the construction of thick walls which create different levels of self-exploration going through the pavilion." Read more. 

See 5 Special Mentions on the Kaira Looro Architecture Competition's website. 

Top image: 1st prize winning project Changze Cai from China

All images courtesy of Kaira Looro Architecture Competition

> via Kaira Looro Architecture Competition