Nøha

| Not Only Human Architecture |

Nøha explores both human and non-human subjects, with a central focus on environment-based research.

Nøha is committed to collaboration and cross-disciplinary partnerships, emphasizing research-driven design and novel perspectives.

Nøha translates future visions into SPACE — physical, digital and ethereal.

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Nøha is a collaborative lab that challenges the design process of space-making Nøha is a collaborative lab that challenges the design process of space-making

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THE PITCHARD

Mayukwayukwa Refugee Camp
a sustainable development center in Zambia
competition organized by Archstorming

finalist

It’s December 2022 - February 2023, we are working from Beijing and Mexico City. Our test-run project to re-establish a collaboration that started years ago at the Politecnico di Milano.

the process

The brief is to deisgn a center to host volunteers, staff, and NGOs, organize workshops, and support local authorities - a building that can become a reference for the whole community. Of course we do a thourough site analysis, checking all the materials we could gather on distance, site pictures, climate, environmental specifics and so on...

And then we run the site through a speculative lens - an exercise of changing the perspective that we like to do during our working sessions. We ask ourselves how was the site before the arrival of humans and how it could be if the humans would exploit the land in a regenerative manner.

This eye-opening reflection reveals a possible positive future scenario where the refugee center would become not only a building, but a self-sufficient ecosystem. The project then evolves around two core values: the land of Mayukwayukwa and its people. Diverse cultural backgrounds, habits and modes of interacting with the soil and the environment are cross-programmed into a circular village with the use of simple, affordable means and a little pinch of inventiveness.

With the future of the place clearly set up, we go back into the present to intervene in the crucial nodes:

addressing the deforestation through a harvesting food forest
creating workplaces for all: brute force + craftsmanship and a focus on the contribution that women could have during the implementation works
establishing a framework for a future village - learning by doing - a replicable design for the villagers to learn how to build their own homes. A micro-model of a village - an experimentation polygon with rainwater collection, sustainable pavement materials, new and vernacular construction techniques and ancient wisdom blended with modern know-how
introducing elements of pride and enjoyment - "luxury" in a context of extreme poverty
leaving space for constant evolution - flexible and adaptable building

Pitched Roof & Passive Tech

The whole site is plotted out to create symbiotic interactions and to ease the daily life of the villagers. The building enclosure, its structure and its roof are all combining their main function with lateral, but not less important roles. Thus, the rammed earth walls of the building provide a pleasant feeling in the interior spaces, but also create moments of social encounters and play. In the same way, the wooden frame of the building accommodates spaces for storing materials and food, growing mushrooms, exposing hand-crafted objects. Besides sustaining the roof, it also provides a pleasantly shaded veranda with bleachers facing the openable classrooms and allowing for creative learning. The roof of the building is, with no doubt, the main actor. Not only is it adapting its shape to the sun and the wind for the best response to the site’s conditions, but it also provides a framework for storing solar energy, effectively using the sun to dry fruits and hay and harvesting water during the rainy season.

Construction Method

The construction strategy proposed consists of two distinct elements. The canopy system is defined by a metal-clad roof and held by a wood timber structure and the simple modular element made of rammed earth. The structural choice allows us to phase very easily the project and maintain usability while keeping different parts of the camp. The roof structure consists of a square wood column combined with an assembled wood beam through simple joints which makes it very simple to construct. The system allows not only efficient construction but also easy disassembly due to the divided structural systems. The construction techniques make use of local soil, wood, and stone. A simple concrete base will be poured only where strictly needed like the base of each rammed earth wall (to allow the best durability of the walls) while the paving will be prepared with a mix of recycled aggregates and natural material to provide enough insulation.

Ancient wisdom spiced with modern know-how is applied to the village prototype. As a result, the integration to the local context is effortless, while the relevance in global context increases over time.

We will be more than happy to provide the project documentation to any NGO/organization interested to build it and to consult further on the topic.

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