Architects:feat.collective

Area:710m²

Year:2016

Photographs:Barbara Vetter - Vincent Heiland

Design Team:Matthias Both, Carolin Lintl, Felix Lupatsch, Noemi Ott, Valentin Ott, Stefanie Schwemle, Spela Setzen, Felix Yaparsidi

Collaborators:MBKI Bau-Ingenieure, Stuttgart

Country:Sri Lanka

Text description provided by the architects. In the framework of a seminar and design project, the foundation for a school and training center on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka was created through a cooperation between the IRGE at the University of Stuttgart and Transsolar.

In the Batticaloa district, which is still suffering from the consequences of a civil war and a tsunami, the building was constructed with local entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and workers.

The prerequisite for the location of the building on the spacious property was that it would receive the most shade possible from the trees. The placement of the structures around a natural clearing met this prerequisite while also generating a shielded open space.

Five pavilions with the same design were grouped around a generous courtyard. Through its modulation, the exterior wall touches all structures and shapes them into a larger form that creates a protected interior. The concentration of different applications in a central open space generates a small urbanistic moment that can usually only be found in the markets in bigger cities.

With its construction and materiality, the architecture borrows from the prevalent and reliable construction of the local structures. Through the precise modulation of generic design elements, the project aimed to showcase potential approaches for the architectural appearance, the utility, and the handling of the adverse climatic conditions.

Originally published on September 13, 2017.

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Project location

Address:Sri Lanka