Urban Development and Housing for Low Income Groups in the Rapidly Growing City of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

The first meeting for this studio will take place on Tuesday, September 4th.
 
With over one million inhabitants, Ouagadougou is the largest city in Burkina Faso while also being the country’s administrative, economic and cultural center. The city experiences a population growth of approximately 100,000 migrants each year from the surrounding rural areas. As a result Ouagadougou vastly expands each year creating new neighborhoods, many of which, without electricity or running water. Moreover, the majority of Ouagadougou´s buildings are one-story clay constructions.
 
The aim of this design studio is to generate new affordable living spaces for the low/middle income groups within the city. The project will involve creating a 45m housing unit for a modular family of five members (two adults and three children). This standard module will be used in a new urban development consisting of 10,000 units. The intervention will be integrated in the city center in order to avoid creating a socially segregated society. Throughout the process it will be important to take into consideration the layout of existing neighborhoods, the city’s economic situation and the local climate.
 
After a theoretical preparation, a study trip to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso will take place. At the site, the students will meet people from a range of different backgrounds whilst being confronted by the problems caused by urbanization and globalization.
 
In the course, the students will be required to consider economical, cultural, environmental and social factors in order to design a suitable house with the available resources. The project will give the students an insight into some of the important challenges facing developing world.
 
A studio site visit to Burkina Faso is planned in October this year.
Course Schedule:
Tuesday / Wednesday 2:00 – 6:00 pm every other week (with additional time for desk crits Tueday mornings, Wednesdays, and Thursday mornings)
Studio Trip: Week of October 8
No studio: Weeks of 9.10, 9.17, 10.15, 10.30, 11.26