BSLA / MERIT AWARD Design — Education
MASS DESIGN GROUP
Mubuga School Musanze , Rwanda
In 2013 the Mubuga Primary School was over capacity , and poor implementation had resulted in overheating , poor ventilation , and material and structural failures . We designed and implemented solutions to both meet those needs and create an exemplar comfortable , healthy , and playful learning environment . In addition to new classrooms , library and resource buildings , MASS designed the landscape with distinct play areas , a volleyball court and outdoor classrooms , emphasizing play and sports as a means to promote healing and unity .
There are three programmatic areas , The Wetland , the lowest portion of the site , is adjacent to the youngest classrooms ; it is planted with wet-tolerant species , and includes a play area with stumps for climbing and jumping , and boardwalks ending in spring-loaded platforms . The Grassland , the central spine of the campus , is planted with a variety of grasses and shrubs , and provides a venue for outdoor play and learning for the older students , including a rock garden , a bamboo maze , and a football pitch . The Forest , on the edge of the campus , is planted with a dense canopy to provide quiet spaces , with stone masonry benches providing a variety of scales , for congregation under the trees . photos | M2 Foundation
The construction utilizes local materials , techniques , and labor , ensuring design solutions are replicable locally and regionally . The planting strategy involved propagating from the immediate area around the school and selecting easily maintained plants to be used to educate students on local ecological conditions . Centrally located within the district , Mubuga is well suited to become a prototypical campus for quality school infrastructure .
130 BSLA