Eco-friendly haven: 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust
Low-carbon circular building, an independent African and female-led NGO, and a beacon for art & creativity in Uganda (opportunity to donate)
32°East | Ugandan Arts Trust is a centre for the creation and exploration of contemporary Ugandan art. Based in the capital Kampala, the Trust provides an artistic community with studio and exhibition space, an art library, resource centre and communal working space.
32° East Arts Centre, Kampala‘s first purpose-built community arts space and the new home to 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust, was one of our „must-see“ spots while in Kampala. If you were to stroll aimlessly through the neighborhood of Kabalagala, high on Ethiopian coffee, you could be forgiven for not stumbling across it. Ever since we had heard about the arts trust, and the eco-friendly circular building it is housed in, we were sure not to miss it. Given that we are now somewhat familiar with the challenges that the environment here in Uganda presents when it comes to construction - climate, terrain, economics, logistics, access to materials and skills - we were interested to see how good design and a circular approach is still achievable given these challenges. Much like the school at Ngaara, we believe that well-conceived and welcoming buildings can have a positive impact on people and their outcomes. So when we arrived at the centre and Sheillah (one of the 32° East team) offered to give us a tour and some explanations, we were more than happy.
„The aim of the circular economy strategy is to maximise the potentialities of the materials and utilisation of available resources through the circular flow of building materials, decreasing waste, reduction of primary resource consumption, and environmental burden“
We found it really interesting to see such an intelligent response to the challenges posed by climate, economy, materials and skills. The solution is not only creative, but it also reduces the negative impact of construction on the environment, and the result is absolutely beautiful! The whole design process focused on the innovative use of local and eco-friendly materials and construction techniques. The low-carbon, hyper-local, concrete-free building is constructed from materials already on site - two redundant buildings and the ground/earth itself. Kampala-based „Localworks“, an expert in earth construction, led the process. The building is made from rammed earth and earth bricks composed of the rich, red-colored earth that has been extracted directly from the site and sifted and pressed into blocks. The earth bricks are unbelievably perfect and create such a natural and warm atmosphere.
They used local eucalyptus timber for the rammed earth formwork and then reused it to make the roof. The sturdy timber roof is breathable and the organic textures of the wood beams light up the interior in a golden glow. Demolition materials were reused for fill and as aggregate. The first thing you notice when you enter the building is how cool and airy it is. The building incorporates strategies to alleviate the intensity of the equatorial sun. They have installed slim polycarbonate roof lights for natural daylighting, and shutters instead of glazed windows. The shuttered „windows“ mean that there is a constant airflow through the building. The windows are all south-facing, which means the building has light all day long, and thick walls ensure that the building is kept cool during the hot dry seasons. The roof itself is built in a way that it provides shade to the building’s facade and the courtyard.
Localworks specialises in the design and realisation of ecological architecture in East Africa. Their approach is rooted in the principles of sustainable architecture, with a focus on site-sensitive, contextual design and socioeconomic, environmental and technological appropriateness.
This arts centre project is divided into two phases. Phase one, which is now complete, comprises of four artist studios, a library (the only specialist library in Uganda and an amazing learning resource), restrooms, and a flexible café that also functions as an interim gallery and workspace until phase two is complete. Phase two, which is planned for launch by October 2023, is now in the fundraising stage. They have raised £370,000 so far, enabling them to complete Phase 1, and they estimate an additional £470,000 to bring Phase 2 to completion. We really wanted to share the link to the crowdfunding with our readers, as we feel it is a fantastic resource for artists and home-grown talent in Uganda, a great example of ecological architecture, and an opportunity for art lovers from all over to get involved. The trust is a female-led non-profit, and their purpose is to create a space so that artists can focus on the creation and exploration of contemporary art with access to a library, studio spaces and residencies, space for exhibitions, training, career development, and much more. They present the project in a very transparent manner, and provide constant updates during the construction via the blog on their website. Have a look for yourself if you‘re interested!
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