Centre for Culture and Ecology Quiané II

bajareque

- clicking on the picture at the left, you can follow the process-

Walls comprising a woven lattice of wooden strips or branches daubed with a clay mixture are common in Latin America and, as a building technique, probably go further back than clay bricks. The technique is known as bahareque, bajareque, or quincha in Latin America, and as wattle and daub in English.

The technique used for the project in Quiané was a modified version of the bahareque technique and, because it was easy to learn and required little equipment, was also quick to implement. For the walls in Quiané, the students created a vertical structure made of recycled wooden slats taken from the formwork, and interlaced it horizontally with sections of giant reed (carrizo in Spanish).

The completed wattle panels were then filled with a mix of sandy clay, water and cutted pine needles until the reed sections were covered. On top of this came a two- to three-centimetre layer of clay render. After leaving the panels to dry for a few days, the students returned with sponges and trowels to apply the finishing coat and render the panels sufficiently water-resistant. Protection from the elements was afforded by the large roof overhangs on the buildings. An additional protective layer could have been achieved by coating the walls in a liquid made by cooking the leaves of the prickly pear cactus (nopal).

loadbearing structure of the hall

- more information by clicking on the left picture-

The structure supporting the auditorium roof comprises six double trusses and is a made entirely of wood. It was designed so as to allow the individual parts to be constructed and prepared on the ground so that only the assembly work needed to be performed up high.

The process of assembling the structure was nonetheless extremely challenging. The trusses at the front of the building are held in place by V-shaped supports, while those at the rear rest on a timber frame construction that houses the storage rooms. Because the two outer trusses have a far greater load to carry than the four in the middle, two different truss types were used. The outer trusses feature a lattice design while the middle trusses have no bottom chord (so as to offer greater ceiling height).

File

CCEQ%20how%20structure%20auditorium.pdf (PDF)

foundation and formwork

- more information by clicking on the left picture-

With a project like this, you need to constantly monitor costs and sustainability.

In this context it was decided that the formwork elements for the plinths would be used multiple times. To this end, the students created detailed, formwork plans for the kitchen, auditorium and gallery plinths, outlining which elements could be used multiple times and in which areas.

They then constructed the formwork elements on site, brushing them with formwork oil (sunflower oil) to ensure that they could be easily detached from the concrete, and erected them as designated. After completing the concreting process, they carefully removed and cleaned the formwork. The formwork for the auditorium was constructed using the formwork elements used for the kitchen, plus a few additional elements. The moisture in the concrete had caused warping in a few of the already used boards, which the students rectified with the aid of additional nails. After oiling the boards, the students got the formwork ready for concreting the auditorium plinth.

After concreting the kitchen and auditorium, the students turned their attention to creating the spot footings for the gallery. For this, they again cleaned the formwork, then dismantled and rebuilt it, adapting it to the smaller column footings. By this point the condition of the boards had deteriorated significantly. While additional nails and screws initially counteracted the problem well, the students eventually had to resort to tensioning belts and screw clamps, and put in a night shift, to complete the final plinths.

File

CCEQ%20foundation%20and%20formworks.pdf (PDF)

Choosen design

- more information by clicking on the left picture-

Merging three proposals from a second preliminary design round to a singel one, we are sure to follow a straight concept, interpreting the master plan and elaborating the kitchen-building, a new hall and the in-between spaces.

File

2_Jury%20decision%20matrix.pdf (PDF)

decisionmaking process

- more information by clicking on the left picture-

CAMPO showed and discussed the design proposals with the authorities in gatherings in Santa Catarina Quiané. The plans were layouted in A3 format to easily be printed. A projector enables the group- discussions.

After the meetings, skype-sessions were held where the conclusions werde discussed between CAMPO and the students and organizors from the HM.

The conclusions were sumarized in a protocol, avaiable for al students for further development.
 

Preliminary design

Four proposals developed different approaches of the second phase of the Quiané Centre for Culture and Ecology based on the existing master plan and buildings and in communication with the local stakeholders.

Three different concepts were choosen to be developed further. One main concept will serve as master plan, incorporating solutions from the others. Based on this master plan, the buildings to be executed in February will be designed and calculated in the next weeks.