Bamboo and clay: renovating tradition

A school in Bangladesh, designed by Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag, draws on old building techniques to safeguard local cultural identity.
Text by Rita Capezzuto. Photos by Kurt Hörbst.

Among the bamboo and clay constructions in Rudrapur, northwest Bangladesh, there is one that stands out from all the rest. Although made out of identical building materials, it is differentiated by the fact that its ample and luminous spaces are organised on two storeys instead of just one. It is the local community school for 168 pupils, built in just five months with traditional construction techniques, which were adjusted and supplemented with technical know-how in order to improve the liveability, stability and lifespan of the structure.

The pictures of the building and its worksite tell an exemplary but simple tale. The protagonists of this story include two young western architects, METI (Modern Education and Training Institute), some non-governmental organisations, a few volunteers and, above all, local workers, already skilled or specially trained by experts to tackle the job. The school differs from the nearby houses on account of two constructional innovations: the 50-centimetre-deep foundations in brick and with a concrete rendering to protect the surface, and the addition of damp insulation to the foundations – achieved with a double layer of polyethylene film that is inexpensive and easy to procure on the local market.

After this pilot experiment these techniques can be applied to improve the population’s living conditions and reduce emigration from small villages to the cities. The load-bearing walls of the ground floor are made from a mixture of straw and clay, which is produced with the aid of oxen and water buffalo and cast in vertical layers, each of which takes a week to dry. Along with the clay, it is the lightweight, strong and cheerful bamboo that connotes both the school structure and its spaces. The joyously airy and large classrooms reverberate with the bright colours of the curtains and cloths hung beneath the ceilings. They also respond to the METI educational principles, which promote a freelearning method aimed at maximising individual ability and the child’s personal interests and pace.

The arrangement of the child facing the teacher’s desk is not contemplated and as a result the rooms have been left open and flexible, although some have been designed to encourage moments of meditation and tranquillity. On the ground floor, special earth caves run parallel to the rectangular rooms and their enveloping gently curved forms are entered through large round openings. One more game, one less rigid space – all the better for teaching.

From: Domusweb.it

Official site: http://www.meti-school.de/