MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Undergraduate Theses
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Undergraduate Theses
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

School construction in Sierra Leone

Author(s)
Rodríguez-Noyola, Joanna
Thumbnail
DownloadFull printable version (16.35Mb)
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.
Advisor
Jan Wampler.
Terms of use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
After years of British rule and a decade of civil unrest, rural communities in Sierra Leone were left with the residues of a colonial mentality and the psychological, physical and economic ravages of war. As a result, people are trapped in a mindset that discards vernacular architecture as obsolete and unpractical, and that associates modernity with the "concrete and zinc" model. Thriving to overcome extreme poverty, these villages plan to develop stronger economies and encourage education by building permanent school structures. The aim of this thesis is not to just provide villages with an economical school design, but to inspire a new mentality towards architecture and a construction system that can adapt to a diverse range of situations and be applied in Sierra Leone and beyond. In order for them to propose a new architecture; I suggest they 5 look back to their roots. The only way to produce sustainable and practically cost-free buildings is by making the most of locally abundant and renewable resources, such as earth to their full potential, thus giving an effective and interesting twist to traditional architecture. The new system breaks up the school into subunits that serve as a "kit of parts" that may be arranged to suit any condition. Furthermore, these individual units must take into consideration function, daylighting, waterproofing, and ventilation. When an entire community comes together to create exciting and innovative architecture, a new window of opportunity will be opened and a better standard of living can be reached.
Description
Thesis (S.B. in Art and Design)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2009.
 
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
 
Includes bibliographical references (p. 71).
 
Date issued
2009
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/61212
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Architecture.

Collections
  • Undergraduate Theses

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.