ABSTRACT
The developing countries are experiencing extremely fast and unique urbanization processes brought by a rapid increase in population (UN-Habitat, 2008), which in turn has produced a boom in the construction sector (Donath D., 2012). Currently, the situations that Africa is facing with regard to infrastructure provisions has also been in Europe decades ago. The article presents the individual and real built case studies and forwards series of recommendations to advocate new conceptual methodologies in the design and construction process for Africa as well as Europe. In response to the current situation, we needed to develop fundamentally new concepts that are socially responsive, spatially and functionally open and flexible structures which, in addition, employ innovative building techniques with a low maintenance requirements. Between 2012 and 2015, three different building prototypes were planned, built and tested as a potential model for flexible housing in emerging cities. The professional focus of the three different projects lay on different but intersecting areas in the field of architecture and construction innovations: the introduction of a new building material and corresponding working methods (SECU), the use of highly-prefabricated building elements to achieve short construction time (SICU) and the provocative use of state of the art production techniques using parametric planning systems (MACU). The design and implementation of all prototypes were carried out by the shared laboratory for emerging cities (ECL) which lays its foundation on a collaboration between the Institute of Experimental Architecture (ifex) at the Bauhaus University Weimar and the architectural institute (EiABC) at the Addis Ababa University. Various partners and parties have also been involved from the industry. Beside the research component, a strong educational objectives were hooked up throughout the project period. These real “design built” projects are a prelude to a whole series of full-scale experiments that the ECL has already constructed. They also paved the way for further and more holistic projects in the field of integrated infrastructure and industry based rural urbanization; projects that started in 2015 and 2016 consecutively.
Keywords: prototype, practical teaching, architecture, prefabrication, Africa
