Creative minds TOGETHER: An Agricultural complex in Dedougou.

Ecole Africaine des Métiers d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme (EAMAU) a Lomé (Togo)

Project idea

Agriculture is the work of the land. In the countries of sub-
Saharan Africa, agriculture is essential for the growth which is
itself necessary to fight poverty and food insecurity. To take
full advantage of these possibilities, our project proposes to
implement a profusion framework of all the actors of the
economy of agricultural innovation in one place, which will
allow them to enjoy adequate equipment and to federate
their different skills for agricultural development and value
creation, that is to say an agricultural pole hence the proposal
for a creative city in Dedougou, the fertile city of Burkina Faso
and agricultural pole of Burkina Faso including its university is
guarantor.

Project description

The site of our project was chosen in Dedougou, pole of
agricultural development thanks to the presence of its great
faculty of research in agronomy and thanks to the fertility of
the area. In this way we can benefit from types of users:
farmers with a wealth of millennial know-how and young
professionals and students eager to create innovations and
opportunities. Bringing these two types of actors together is
creating an environment conducive to creation. From where
we have arranged the exterior of the building into a public
space for creating opportunities to ensure proximity between
the two players.
The patterns and the layout of the project are inspired by the
culture of the local peoples of the city of Dedougou. The
constituent materials of the hull are produced by the women
of the locality.
Thanks to the creation of values from the start-ups created
and pole activities, the project will constitute a source of
economic boost for the city of Dedougou and beyond. This
type of equipment could be a model of engine of urban
development for the other medium-sized cities of Burkina
Faso by ricochet.
Autonomous connectivity boxes outside will serve as a point
of attraction for the young people of the locality thanks to the
wifi and the energy produced by these elements.
Waste and wastewater are captured and reused to generate
energy for the project.

Technical information

Emphasis was placed on reducing the energy bill of the
project thanks to the optimization between the use of healthy
and efficient materials, the use of renewable energies and the
protection of the building. That's why the main materials are concrete for the structure and laterite blocs for the walls. The different spaces cluster around
the courtyard and are served by interior and exterior
passageways. The site is not fenced and access to the site is
via a peripheral circulation leading to internal circulation
which serves the different areas of the site. The main block is
enclosed in a central courtyard allowing optimal flow
management. The site is laid out in such a way that the
outside is a public space for socializing, business creation and
a space for agricultural experimentation (sales areas,
connectivity boxes and experimental areas).

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