Mouila University Gabon building, African Project, Gabonese higher education design, Property image
Education Development in Gabon, Africa
Mouila University Gabon design – Gabonese Architecture
3 Mar 2010
Design: Maissa Architectures / A.P.U. Architectures & Projets Urbains in cooperation with Blok Kats van Veen architecten
Main designer: Jean Pierre Maissa
Mouila University Gabon
Mouila University has been created by the Gabonese Government during the year 2007. This project is based on a comprehensive programme of formation of new campus across the country which has so far as three campus locations including two in Libreville and Franceville too. The decision to create Mouila University has been taken at the same time than create two other Port-Gentil and Oyem campuses. With these new three campuses Gabon counts six University campuses. The purpose by the Government is to allow Gabonese students academic training in their countries. Indeed, 60 % of the Gabonese students are trained abroad.
Each campus in creation will be its specificity in terms of academic curriculum. Thus to Mouila, will the University be composed of the following faculties: A school of architecture and urban planning, a Faculty of arts and Heritage, and a faculty of Tourism and Hotel management. Depending on future decisions, it is anticipated campus could allow other faculties. Outside of academic buildings, the library and office buildings, the campus must also include housing for students, teachers and administrative staff, sports and recreation facilities.
Mouila University Buildings
The campus will host approximately 750 students and 100 teachers. Mouila campus site consists of a forest and savannah vegetation. The campus is bordered by the Ngounié River and a series of lakes and pockets of water, including the most important Blue Lake. This site is known for its environmental beauty. The Blue Lake at present is a tourist attraction in the Mouila region. The site is also a fauna and flora varied, typical wet of Gabon and dense forest.
There are in Gabon approximately 150 species of mammals. The monkey, white solatus, discovered in 1984 by Micheal Harrison is endemic. It was also noted the presence of a rare species of invertebrate, Antimachus (Druryeia antimachus), identified in the Lopé reserve. Finally, the elephant (Loxodonta africana) is well represented. Elephants and the great apes colonize a large part of the forest. There are also almost 600 species of birds which several endemic, the site is therefore a natural habitat for this diverse and varied fauna.
Mouila University Building Design – Climate emergence
the climate comfort is a core issue in the project because of the high humidity of to the great pluviometry. The combination of high temperatures and humidity makes difficult living conditions and is an area of innovative architectural research. Data below illustrate the above:
medium temperatures: 22 ° – 32 ° C
rate moisture: 85 %
Rain precipitation: 2,000 – 3,800 mm annual rain
Insolation: 1,400 h/year Evaporation: 1,300 mm
Evapotranspiration: 1,400 mm vents: 5 m/s
seasons:
– two dry seasons: May-Sep (dry high season) and Dec-Jan (dry small season)
– two rainy seasons: Sep-Dec (small rainy season) and Feb-May (great rainy season)
The campus was designed as a set of architectural volumes immersed in nature. The project as a whole avoids the idea of a definition of a level of artificial soil and accepts rather deal with natural terrain ripple. The major challenge is to allow a natural irrigation site on the one hand and on the other hand to take the aesthetic qualities of the existing natural environment. In this same purpose, architectural volumes are generally raised of at least 7 metres above natural ground.
This provision makes for a Visual continuity of the natural horizon, and also capture the breeze of ventilation and release steam interior spaces in a natural way. Each volume little work independently and create its own dialogue with the surrounding nature.
In addition, the sustainable development strategy implementation in the project to permit get porosity ventilation while protecting the sunshine spaces, through different typologies of facades, in relation to the air conditioning type implemented in each building. Academic buildings usually have a red ochre aspect, color laterite. They are thus texture latéritique clay soil of the natural campus on which the plant coats extends. This texture has the purpose to mineralize these such gross concrete blocks laterite blocks carved, out of the basement.
Website : www.mouilauniversity.com
Mouila University Gabon images / information from Blok Kats van Veen
Location: Gabon, Africa
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Comments / photos for the Mouila University – Gabon Architecture design by Maissa Architectures / A.P.U. Architectures & Projets Urbains in cooperation with Blok Kats van Veen architecten page welcome
