Usually representing spirits, ancestors or the primordial couple, these figures were placed in shrines and treated with great respect. Through a wide range of style, scale, belief and function the couples depicted share a timeless, serene equality necessary to the continuity of their societies.

SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah / Urko Sanchez Architects

Architects: Urko Sanchez Architects
Location: Tadjourah Djibouti
Project Team: Estrella de Andres, Borja Arellano, John Andrew
Interior Décor: Urko Sanchez Architects
Project Year: 2014
Photographer: Javier Callejas, Urko Sánchez Architects
Website: www.urkosanchez.com

Awards: Architecture for Social Gain 2015: Built Project-Merit Certificate

- 04 September 2015
- Edwin Seda
Education Centres , Editor's Choice ,

Urko Sanchez Architects set out to do the impossible, create a world class architectural children's space with a limited budget and still maintain the aesthetics and quality of architecture. This might seem like a easy task, especially looking at the ease with which the project seems to weasel itself into your heart, the truth is a far cry from it. Dealing with harsh weather conditions and emulating the traditional architecture with narrow streets and emblematic spirit, the SOS Children's Village melts itself into a spatial integrity that simply is.

From the Project Architects:

When we were approached by SOS Children to design and build a small village compiling 15 houses where to run family-strengthening programmes, we decided to build a medina with the singularity of being for children. This allowed us to build the homes in a very local way – narrow streets that would shade one another, providing natural ventilation and corridors of wind flow. We decided to leave the cars outside the medina so the inner streets, being pedestrian-only, became a playground for the children to play around the houses in a nice and safe environment.

SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah / Urko Sanchez Architects

The houses in this village are closed to the outside; they look inwards, protecting residents, while providing privacy and excellent ventilation. In order to create the required shaded areas with courtyards and corridors allowing wind flow, every single house is different to the others.

The streets of the medina suddenly open themselves creating squares of different sizes where children play and daily community activities can take place.

We also wanted to include as much vegetation as possible, even though Djibouti is extremely arid, we realise it was possible to integrate the vegetation in the open spaces which will grow with the proper cares giving extra shades in the future.

The construction was made using locally available materials as well as emulating the traditional architecture of narrow streets and lattices which allow for natural ventilation. A singular addition was made to the conventional architecture: ventilation chimneys that allow for hot air inside the houses to go up through them, creating a constant airflow inside the houses all day long. These "wind chimneys" were a kind of experiment which happened to work quite well.

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Anidan Clinic/ Urko Sanchez Architects
There are some projects that are small but great in design, and then there are those project that are small, great designs and most importantly of greater positive impact to the community they serve. The Anidan Paediatric Clinic is one such project. Built in the outskirt of Lamu where medical ...

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- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
- © SOS Children´s Village in Tadjourah Urko Sanch...
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