WORK IN PROGRESS

Individual work, group discussions, feedback from instructors and clients.

The design is being pushed forward by the three teams to come up with contextualized solutions that respond to the site and the needs of both clients and sellers.

zone#3 presenting their outcomes from th eurban analysis.

pin up and discussion about the existing amatas situation.

instructor Kilian Doherty revising zone#2 group work.

Olga Buranga Shebasitsi mapping social hubs and commercial activities in zone#1.

relation of existing amatas and site situation.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT_choosing paths

After the first stage of analysis the teams are aimed to apply the learned outcomes into the kiosk design. This stage requires a shift in scale, moving back and forward to address issues of context, and urban connections and social networks, at the same time they produce a successful kiosk that perform all the functions required.

The development of strong and context rooted concepts is crucial, as well as the choice of the path that the kiosk would follow during the day, the programmed stops, pauses and different activities.

The team composed by Olga Buranga Sebashitsi, Solange Muhirwa, Patrice Ndabaonye, Joe Diogene Maniraguha and Christian Karagire covering zone 1 will produce a dual kiosk.

The project will be composed by one fix part and one mobile. The fix main one, will be sitting in the surroundings of kimironko market. The idea is to decompose the main body into parts to allow the mobile component to separate and move around the proposed path. The mobile and adaptable kiosk will drive through the main street, stopping in front of KIE, in front of the bus stop nearby chez lando and then in front of ecobank before returning to kimironko.

It is important to understand the schedule and location of the proposed pauses, the refilling of the kiosk, and the adaptation to the different context situations. The project becomes a complex interrelation of processes or paths (flow of possible clients, refilling and storage of the product, production of the amata, etc)and the small architectural intervention of a mobil kiosk becomes the physical junction of those circuits.

This team will promote a duality in their design were the opposition of private and public, movable and fix, open and close, etc, produce a specific form and program guiding the design in a particular way and shape.

The team working within zone 2 composed by Emmanuel Nyrikindi, Emmanuel Havugimana, Yvonne Ingabire, Doreen Ingabire and Philbert Benamahirwe., propose to perform a triangle with its principal node situated in town, in front of the bank of commerce, development and industry,next to the future city hall and quartier commercial. This mothership will work as base for the satellite kiosk that will serve the areas of kaciyru and gacingiro. This fix kiosk works at the same time as a larger structure were to eat, sell, take away and store the product, as well as to “park” the small kiosk during the night.

The development of this modular design that adapts its shape and functions to the climate and the topography of a hilly city can be used in many differnt places within Kigali. The composition of its parts, the coupling of them and adaptation to the individual or the set situation would be critical during the process of design, production and use.

The third zone is covered by Aziz Farid Shyaka, Rene Bishop Isabane, Flavia Gwiza, Kenneth Nkusi and Emmanuel Mutabazi. Their proposal works as an agaseke or matrioska, decomposing the main element into smaller and smaller parts, following the system of pauses created for the path to follow.

The principal and originator element would be allocated in Nyabugogo serving as a hub and refilling station due to its strategic situation within the city, as well as a kiosk. The first pause in the path would be kimisagara, were the second structure would be sitting duvring all day, and from it two smaller units will cover the areas of muhima and nyamirambo, having a their small unit that will serve gitega during midday.

This complexity should be addressed with an overall concept. Like the matrioska dolls work, this kiosk would fold and unfold with the ability to compose one unit made out of smaller ones.

SITE ANALYSIS_learning from the context

The first part of the workshop has involved an intensive urban understanding of both the current amata/milk shops and three urban zones within the city where to possibly allocate the kiosks prototypes.

The aim of this first step was understand the bigger picture of the urban allocation and the smaller scale of the build entity itself, and how this piece is part of a process of production, marketing and commercial strategy, that involves as well cultural issues and social conceptions or behaviors related to the consumption of amata in Rwanda.

For this purpose and during three days, the students have mapped and understood daily activities, patterns of movement and processes of production and selling, to understand their site, the relation of the small amata with its area of influence and the big given area (your site) within the city (Connectivity, walking distance to other amata, flux node, etc).

Into the smaller scale of the existing amata consumption culture, the different teams have studied how the existing amata shops work, to learn from them, and then apply, adapt and improve their strategies of marketing in your own designs. Asking themselves questions of: Schedule of opening and relation with quantity and type of clients–daytime-timeline-activities-people; Goods routes: coming /going. What gets here, what is produced here, what is discarded as waste; Activities developed within the amata, or caused by it – social gathering Seating, eating; Dimensions, minimum and maximum; as well as other architectural caracteristics as: materiality, atmosphere, environment qualities, etc.

zone #3 Nyabugogo-kimisagara-Nyamirambo-Muhima_existing amata shops.

zone #3 Nyabugogo-kimisagara-Nyamirambo-Muhima_existing commercial activities.

zone #3 Nyabugogo-kimisagara-Nyamirambo-Muhima_social hubs.

STARTING UP

Mackenzie Knowles-coursin, from rwanda works has introduced the project to the students, and after a lecture with the instructors they have been divided into three teams.

Three zones have been identified among the city's districts, the students are now asked to analyze them, identify the hot spots, the amatas and the web of relations within the city and its inhabitants.

Zone #1:Rwandex-Kichukiro-Remera-Kimironko, will be studied by the team composed by:

Olga Buranga Sebashitsi, Solange Muhirwa, Patrice Ndabaonye, Joe Diogene Maniraguha and Christian Karagire

Zone #2: Kacingiro(Gisozi)-Kacyru-Nyabugogo, will be studied by the team composed by:

Emmanuel Nyrikindi, Emmanuel Havugimana, Yvonne Ingabire, Doreen Ingabire and Philbert Benamahirwe.

Zone #3 Nyamirambo-Biryogo-Kimisagara will be studied by the team composed by:

Aziz Farid Shyaka, Rene Bishop Isabane, Flavia Gwiza, Kenneth Nkusi and Emmanuel Mutabazi.

DESIGNER PARTICIPANTS

We want to thank all those who have applied, we will be very glad

to have you all in the lectures and final presentation, and to follow up the blog.

The selected participants to design kiosk prototypes are listed bellow:

1st-INGABIRE, DOREEN

1st-INGABIRE, YVONNE

1st-ISABANE, RENE BISHOP

1st-KARAGIRE, CHRISTIAN

1st-NDABABONYE,PATRICE

1st-SEBASHITSI ,OLGA BURANGA

1st-SHYAKA, AZIZ FARID

2nd-BENAMAHIRWE, PHILBERT

2nd-HAVUGIMANA, EMMANUEL

2nd-MANIRAGUHA, JOE DIOGENE

2nd-MUTABAZI, EMMANUEL

2nd-NKUSI, KENNETH

2nd-NYIRINKINDI, EMMANUEL

2nd-GWIZA, FLAVIA

3rd- MUHIRWA, SOLANGE

For those who have been selected please participate and take advantage of the blog,

as well as of all the info, links, lectures, instructors and colleagues.

These days prior to the workshop you can start familiarize with this blog

and with the links provided,as well as to research deeply and understand the

amata shops already existing around you.

We have just two weeks, we shall give our best!

See you monday 5th september, 9am, were the workshop

will be introduced and all the material will be provided.

Kiosk = Mobility, Adaptability, Flexibility.

Kiosk Design Considerations

Amata Critique - Kimisagara

One thing that was immediately obvious upon entering the store was the smell . Considering Amata (milk) is a perishable good, meaning it can quickly sour, its important to ventilate the space. The costs of refrigeration means that milk is not stored cold, but often heated and stored in fridge freezers, which when not powered, will keep the amata warm.

One other obvious issue is servicing such a narrow, deep space. The one entrance means all amata cans are delivered through the front door to the rear of the space. Also the proportions of the space mean its dark at the rear. Simply putting in a door (or large window) would resolve such issues.

This type of analysis may seem rather banal, but given the small scale of the proposed kiosks, the spatial configuration will have to be all the more refined, and thoroughly thought through, with internal elements such as storage, seating having to serve dual or multiple functions.

Amata Analysis - Kimisagara

Existing plan from a visit to the Amata in Kimisagara, close to the Maison Des Jeunes. Students will be expected to visit amata's and document them similiarly, to understand the limits but to build up a vocabularly of Amata's varieties, critically asking what is good, what works. What are the constraints with trying to service such a small space? What are the social interactions acceptable when drinking and/or eating in an amata. How does one ventilate this space, considering there is large quantities of heated milk? How do you keep the space cool? These are just some of the observations we made, and would expect there are more which will inform design decisions and direct the student's decisions.

Amata Process Diagram

Diagram illustrating flow of amata/milk from source, through distribution hub to Amata bars/shops.

OPEN APPLICATIONS TO ALL FAED ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS25th TO 27th AUGUST

Submit your application now, sending a statement of interest and some images of your studio projects in an A4 landscape to arcbox.ls@gmail.com

The workshop, held as a vertical studio, is open to all Architecture students. It is limited to 15 participants; ideally having at least three students of every year.

We'll be sponsored by Rwanda Works, so each student will be provided with daily allowance and material to work and produce the deliverables.

The applications should be submitted from Thursday 25^th to Saturday 27^th.The accepted students will be announced on Monday, August 29^th.

APPLY NOW!