Public library on the first floor: offering the community a variety of knowledge resources, including books, lectures, information meetings, and events. The program hopes to inspire people to return to their communities and teach their neighbors and peers through the lens of their own success and experiences.
The concrete structure utilizes vernacular building techniques and standardized formwork to create a seismically stable shape. This construction translates into an investment in local craft and workmanship. In contrast to local concrete buildings, which are normally finished in stucco, the orphanage’s exposed concrete accentuates and expresses the vernacular. The brise-soleil provides an armature to negotiate interior and exterior through gardens, circulation and social spaces. (Image by Sagar Chitraka)
Presentation of the Holcim Awards Silver 2014 for "Children’s Ziggurat: Locally-adapted orphanage and library, Kathmandu, Nepal" (l-r): Ian Thackwray, Holcim Exco Member Asia Pacific; project client Christopher Gish, Seeds of Change Foundation; and David Herrman, Chief Macroeconomics & Finance Unit, Embassy of the USA in Indonesia.
Presentation of the Holcim Awards Silver 2014 for "Children’s Ziggurat: Locally-adapted orphanage and library, Kathmandu, Nepal": Christopher Gish, Director at Seeds of Change Foundation, Colorado, accepting the award on behalf of Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith of MOS architects, New York.
Project client Christopher Gish from the Seeds of Change Foundation (USA) considers the engagement with children on the issues of sustainability as the most significant impact of the Holcim Awards Silver winning project by Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith of MOS Architects (USA). “Children’s Ziggurat: Locally-adapted orphanage and library” in Kathmandu, Nepal addresses the needs of an under-served rural population.
The vertical garden and permaculture is a critical component of the sustainability strategy. Vegetation is integrated into the exterior structure and circulation. The vertical structure processes waste, provides food, shades the building, purifies the air with ferns, and creates a lush outdoor environment throughout the building. Whereas this kind of interweaving of daily life with agriculture has often been proposed as a symbolic image of optimism, here it is a necessity.
The Lali Gurans orphanage and library in Kathmandu, Nepal, addresses the needs of an under-served rural population. In a context lacking basic infrastructure, the new 21 m high facility utilizes low-tech renewable energy and material resources, local craftsmanship, and vertical gardens for insulation and food, significantly reducing operating costs. The project also addresses the needs of the nearby communities by offering a library accessible to the public and a seismically stable refuge area during earthquakes.
By Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample - MOS Architects, New York, NY, USA
Ideas: Economic & Social Empowerment
The Lali Gurans orphanage and library in Kathmandu, Nepal, addresses the needs of an under-served rural population. In a context lacking basic infrastructure, the new 21 m high facility utilizes low-tech renewable energy and material resources, local craftsmanship, and vertical gardens for insulation and food, significantly reducing operating costs.
The project also addresses the needs of the nearby communities by offering a library and a seismically stable refuge area during earthquakes.
Project authors
MOS Architects
USA
MOS Architects
USA
