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KURANDZA – A Learning Center in Mozambique

 

 

 

Sponsor: Kurandza non-profit NGO, San Francisco
Administrator: archstorming
Type: open, international, one-stage
Languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Eligibility:
Architects and students of architecture, regardless of location;
Teams may consist of 1 to 4 persons
Fees: See timetable

Timetable:
29 June 2022 – End of early registration (€60/team)
27 July2022 – End of regular registration (€80/team)
24 August 2022 – End of advanced registration (€100)
14 September 2022 – Submission deadline
11 October 2022 – Winners announced

Awards:
1st Prize – €6,000 + Construction
2nd Prize – €2,000
3rd Prize – €1,000
10 Honorable mentions
(All of the above will receive certificates of achievement and the official competition book.)
Jury:
– Yasaman Esmaili, Studio Chahar, Tehran (Iran)
– Joao Boto, ROOTSTUDIO, Lisbon (Portugal)
– Shrutihi Ramakrishna, Made in Earth, Bangalore (India)
– Samista Jugwanth, Zutari, Durban (South Africa)
– Elisabetta Colavbianchi, Kurandza (San Francisco, CA)
(More to be added)

Design Challenge:
This Sub-Saharan Africa country is ranked 139th out of 159 countries on the UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index. Women are exposed to threats of diseases, discrimination and violence. 
Around 94% of girls in Mozambique enroll in primary school, but despite this high number, only 11% of girls continue to study in secondary schools. As girls grow older, they are met by an increasing domestic workload and more responsibilities. Many girls have no choice but to stay at home to do chores or work to help their families. Teen pregnancies prove to be a major reason for girls dropping out of school early. 30 to 40 percent of girls are pregnant before they turn 18 years old. Taking care of a child, working and performing household chores can be overbearing and leave these girls no time for school. 
This competition is calling for proposals to design a new learning center for the NGO Kurandza. Kurandza is focused on making sure that girls and women in their community are able to finish their studies and don’t have to drop out of school early. To accomplish that mission, they are building a new learning center where girls can feel safe and comfortable, a place where they can learn, play, run and discover.
Architecture should bring them a dynamic place where they can interact with each other and the surrounding environment. The projects will have to use locally sourced materials, easy to build constructive systems and be self-sufficient in terms of energy. They will have to be respectful with the local traditions and nature.

The program of the new learning center will be similar to that of a regular school. The goal of this competition is to create spaces that are flexible and can change their function if necessary.
The new learning center will have three classrooms, a kitchen, a multipurpose room, a childcare room, an office, a storage room and a bathroom. Outside, the learning center will contain an area for sports and outdoor activities, a space for a playground for the girls to play, which will encourage them to engage in physical activities.

For more information:
https://www.archstorming.com/info.html