Legacy Restored in Niger

Religious and secular complex

Legacy Restored in Niger

Religious and secular complex

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    A place to play, to live and to pray.

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    Global LafargeHolcim Awards 2018 prize handover

    Winners of the Global LafargeHolcim Awards Silver 2018 (l-r): Yasaman Esmaili, Studio Chahar, Iran and Mariam Kamara, Atelier Masomi, Niger congratulated by Bernd Eitel, Head of Group Communications, LafargeHolcim; Jens Diebold, Head of Sustainable Development of LafargeHolcim and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation; and Stuart Smith, Director of Arup, United Kingdom and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation.

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    The project will be a culture and education hub where the secular and the religious peacefully co-exist to cultivate minds and strengthen the community.

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    Global LafargeHolcim Awards 2018 prize handover

    Winners of the Global LafargeHolcim Awards Silver 2018 (l-r): Yasaman Esmaili, Studio Chahar, Iran and Mariam Kamara, Atelier Masomi, Niger congratulated by Bernd Eitel, Head of Group Communications, LafargeHolcim; Jens Diebold, Head of Sustainable Development of LafargeHolcim and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation; and Stuart Smith, Director of Arup, United Kingdom and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Stemming from conversations and workshops with the village leaders, middle school students and women’s groups, Dandaji’s new library provides learning spaces inside what was its Friday mosque, in direct dialog with a new mosque erected on the adjacent lot. The new setup encourages daily use and upkeep, and brings the community together. The site becomes a new culture and education hub for all, and local artisans are invited to contribute to the project with an art wall at the center of the site.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    The two buildings and the site between them form a complex where the religious and the secular co-exist. While the old mosque is transformed from within using a modular shelving and spatial system, the new construction makes a strong statement through its scale and flexible spatial organization. The grounds are developed into a promenade to and fro, enhanced by generous landscaping that will thrive thanks to an underground irrigation system.

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    Corridor.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    An endangered legacy: the locally funded project reconciles aspirations with local imperatives.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Typological contemporization: the new mosque looks to ancestral spatial logic and revives tradition.

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    The use of earthen materials as the main source or thermal mass, as well as the banishment of any glazed surfaces help stabilize the interior temperature. Doors and windows are strategically placed to provide natural ventilation, removing the need for mechanical cooling most of the year.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Injecting the secular on sacred grounds: the new interior structure makes room for a new use.

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    The use of Compressed Earth Bricks made out of local red Laterite soil has already attracted the attention of the villagers and their neighbors who routinely come and watch the building process, marveling over this “new red brick”, as they call it, providing us an opportunity to educate them further on the material.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Identifying resources: the new design utilizes locally found and produced building materials.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Women attend agriculture and product transformation workshops, literacy, and accounting classes.

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    Global finalist entry 2018 – Legacy Restored

    Hikma woman by the wall.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    The new library is a hub to seek knowledge and converse.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    The exchange: the new design honors the sacred forms with new materials and building technique.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Peaceful dialog: on major life events, the new mosque turns into a venue for celebration.

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    Holcim Awards 2017 for Middle East Africa prize handover ceremony, Nairobi

    Winners of the Holcim Awards Gold 2017 Middle East Africa (l-r): Iranian architect Yasaman Esmaili and Nigerien architect Mariam Kamara for Legacy Restored: Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger.

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    Religious and secular complex, Dandaji, Niger

    Project authors (l-r): Mariam Kamara, atelier masomi, Providence, RI, USA and Niamey, Niger; and Yasaman Esmaili, studio chahar, Seattle, USA.

  • Awards Silver 2017–2018 Global
  • Awards Gold 2017–2018 Middle East Africa
A reinterpretation of traditional local construction is central to the design for a new mosque with a capacity for 1,000 people, and creation of a literacy center and library in the renovated derelict mosque in Dandaji, Niger. The project completed in 2018 creates a space in the village open to all. The design explores new techniques pertaining to the use of renewable resources. Involving local artisans, masons, and the community led to a knowledge transfer beneficial to all.

By Mariam Issoufou - atelier masomi, Niamey, Niger; Yasaman Esmaili - studio chahar, Iran

The project completed in 2018 creates a space in the village open to all. The design explores new techniques pertaining to the use of renewable resources. Involving local artisans, masons, and the community led to a knowledge transfer beneficial to all.

Legacy Restored in Niger

Project authors

The timeless, restrained design is greatly appreciated by the jury. The combination of all secular and religious activities in one complex is also praised; the jury sees it as providing civic space for both genders and promoting the education of women and their presence within the community. Global Holcim Awards Jury 2018

Legacy Restored: Holcim Awards Gold 2017 Middle East Africa

Reinterpretation of traditional local construction for a new mosque and community center in Dandaji, Niger, creating a space in the village open to all.

Project updates