Eye of Ouagadougou

Zhejiang University of Science and Technology

Project idea

Inspired by the grandeur of Eye of Sahara, I have created a landscape consists of several concentric circles around the old theater to connect the two separated parts of informal gardening and make the rehabilitation of Theater Polulaire become a new and unique landmark of Ouagadougou.Furthermore, through the extraction of archtype from vernacular residence, a unique spatial relationship belonging to Burkina Faso will be sought to connect the ancient and modern life, which can awaken the cultural genes contained in the site to facilitate the revival and long-term prosperity of the reconstructed theater in the future.

Project description

My design is mainly divided into two parts:
(1) One part is the south area, which retains existing buildings while just add a new truck garage besides the CDC buildings and keep their original style like the thatched pavilion;
(2) The other part is the north area contains the theatre, which is surely the core area of the site. The design motif is based on the natural form of Eye of Sahara and the spatial relationship of vernaculal residence by creating a unique spatial experience to make time fuzzy so that people can feel the intertexture of history and reality to stimulate their own cultural pride of living land.

In addition, the material selection is based on existing local materials, such as the rammed earth construction of vernacular residence with red soil and bricks used on ventilation processing. I also gain experience from traditional ventilation patterns and refer to some constructional practices of the local architect Francis Kere to achieve coordination of material and construction.

Technical information

All technical information is marked on those architectural drawings.

Co-authors

Tutor: Donghui Yao

Created in: