Initial nucleus of a small community

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The first phase of the project showing the nucleus of a sustainably growing settlement - new community structures in the future will have to adhere to the initial design with units and a 45° rotation.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The central courtyard serves as an assembly area and playground, and is the heart of the community.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The 3.5ha site lacked all infrastructure and the community is self-sufficient with solar panels providing electricity and rainwater collected in cisterns for domestic use.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The eight basic hut structures provide two sleeping spaces, three lecture halls, two offices and a bathroom.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": As the children grow to adulthood, the village can be extended for their own families to grow up in this caring community.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The project to build a school and home for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS has been built on a tiny budget of USD 30,000.

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The first phase of the project comprises residential space for 50 orphans and a primary school catering to around 200 children

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    Project update 2011 - "Low-cost school and home for HIV orphans, Rakai, Uganda": The project is environmentally and socially sustainable while maintaining an innovative approach to space making.

The first series of eight buildings are now completed including residential space for 50 orphans and a primary school catering to around 200 children. The project to build a school and home for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS has been built on a tiny budget of USD 30,000. The first eight rectangular units have now been completed on a rural site without water or power, and form the nucleus of a small community.

Last updated: May 23, 2011 Rakai, Uganda

The project is environmentally and socially sustainable while maintaining an innovative approach to space making. The architect used a rule-based approach to yield the spatial organization of the community, which comprises residential space for 50 orphans and a primary school catering to around 200 children.

The simple freestanding rectangular structures are simple to set out and erect using basic equipment and unskilled labor. The eight basic hut structures provide two sleeping spaces, three lecture halls, two offices and a bathroom – arranged in a ragged circle around the spreading foliage of a “teaching tree”, under which students can gather and take classes. Canopies link the triangular spaces between structures, creating a continuously-roofed outdoor space. The courtyard, with its tree and well, serve as a practical and symbolic heart of the community.

The walls are made of unfinished masonry, and support simple tin roofs on timber trusses. All materials are sourced locally and are easy to erect. Rainwater is collected from the roofs in cisterns; solar panels are used to generate power for lighting and computers. The children participate in growing food, providing the basis of a self-sufficient community.