Located in the flat farmlands, the Nakuru Project in Kenya is a newly built shelter for destitute children, designed and constructed by Orkidstudio. This shelter is unique in design, form, and spatial context, where each cubicle accommodates four teenagers with a generous percentile of circulation space for moving around and provides substantial daylight and wholesome air.
In view of the space allocation, the shelter includes shared activity spaces for playing and conversing, besides having calm and tranquil spaces for studying and unwinding the stress. Primarily, this shelter focuses on providing safe and improved environment for the upbringing of abandoned children.
At a closer look, local materials such as earth-bags come into use for building the walls, wherein, the bags dumped with mud and earth soil act as stacked brick blocks. These bags retain moisture and reduce the internal temperature of the shelter whilst effectively combating against the external rays of the sun. They keep the interiors warm during the night and cool during the day and are an effective soundproof material block.
Besides these filled earth bags, the shelter appears cladded using timber panels sourced from leftover wood scraps. These timber panels act as a lattice façade for the earth bags and prevent them from tumbling down. Even more, the shelter includes a rainwater collection system and a pipe valve for providing fresh drinking water to the entire community.
On observing all these incorporated design ideas and features along with the apt use of recycled materials, the resultant outcome of this project is highly gratifying, where the children community can thrive and empower to build their independence. Each nook and corner of the shelter appears well-designed with respect to space and cost constraint and availability of materials. In essence, the Nakura Project is an environment-friendly habitat for children using limited resources in a unique and innovative manner.
Photos By : Odysseas Mourtzouchos
