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Designers: Flavius Tinco, Petra Veljkovic
- Area: 463 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Tobias Creta
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Lead Architects: Petra Veljkovic, Flavius Tinco
Text description provided by the architects. In the course of the project, The Guest House architectural challenges of a one-to-one design process have been taken on and outworked in the form of a diploma thesis of the TU Vienna masters program in architecture within a team of two. The goal was to design a housing project for a NGO in Buyaga Village, Uganda, to plan this in advance and to take over the execution of the planned building.
Through the commitment of the organization Hannah Christian Aid, an education and healthcare center is being set up in the area. The project consists of a multi-part construction project - smaller buildings with different functions. On one building plot there is a boarding school, a library, a canteen, school classes and a clinic. On the plot next to it, it was necessary to plan and build the living quarters for temporary helpers, the so-called Guesthouse.
This building was planned in detail and executed on-site by Petra Veljkovic and Flavius Tinco with the help of local workers and volunteers. Based on the development area, they researched the architectural traditions and the cultural context as well as the materials and resources in the project area. This served as the basis of the concept and is reflected in the draft. Technical solutions for the prevailing climatic conditions were found and elaborated in detail. Also, it is important to note that the project was financed by donations as well as Crowdfunding, which was also organized and set up by the architects.
Gently embedded in its surroundings, the long structure with its flying roof blends harmoniously into the flat landscape. The linear and clear architecture makes the building appear inconspicuous at first glance. A closer look reveals the playful character of the building. The massively exposed clay brick facade is replaced in sections by a semi-transparent front made of locally available eucalyptus wood. Thoughtful details such as the floor-to-ceiling mahogany window elements and a large opening in the roof speak a modern design language, whereby the materials are unmistakably local.
The design clearly reflects the community-oriented character of the guesthouse and the client's priorities. A covered outdoor space, which functions as a meeting place, is divided into generally accessible functional areas by free-standing spatial structures. The closed rooms, which are perceived as a structure within the structure due to the decoupling from the roof, contain private uses.
The free-standing of the building and the decoupling of the roof is a decisive part of the ventilation concept, which is naturally fulfilled by constructive measures. This creates a room arrangement in blocks of 2, in which the rooms are used identically or belong together. The size of the rooms is measured by the time that is to be actively used in them. Since the bedroom is supposed to be a place of rest and only for sleeping, square meters are deliberately saved and functional rooms are planned in a minimal space with functional furniture.
