Description
The design for the research station of the University of Namibia in Henties Bay goes beyond common spatial and aesthetical boundaries. The architects designed an innovative research centre that evokes associations with the playful and diverse aspects of scientific life and work. The complex strikingly explores the contrast between the architecture of a civilisation striving for knowledge and the barren, spacious and sparsely inhabited desert that surrounds the buildings.
Three buildings were erected during the first phase: a multi-purpose hall, a laboratory building, and a resource centre. The client envisages an extension of the premises if the Namibian government should decide to increase its measures for building training and research facilities in the country.
The extreme climate of the Namibian coastal region substantially influenced the design of the research station. Big day/night and summer/winter differences in temperature and frequent storms called for unconventional design strategies. In order to avoid direct exposure of the main façades to morning and evening sun the new buildings run in east-west direction. The largest window openings are on the north façade (which is the sunny side in the southern hemisphere) to admit sufficient daylight into the building. Exterior spaces such as balconies and terraces also face north, thus turning away from the wind.
Namibian architecture typically features thick massive brick walls – mainly because they have positive effects on the interior climate and the material is easily available. The research station is no exception and was built for the main part of local sand-cement-bricks to reduce the energy consumption of the building, control the interior climate night and day, and meet structural requirements.
The sustainable vernacular design approach meets the basic standards of the Zero Emission Research Initiative (ZERI), which were developed in conjunction with United Nations University (UNU).
All buildings comprise a central, architecturally distinctive service tower. Among other things, it thermally exhausts hot air and serves as a water tower. It enables the installation of future technologies such as systems for the use of fog, wind power stations, and modern communication technology.
Drawings
Photos
The barren landscape of the desert contrasts with the colourful asymmetrical forms of the research station; the entrance tower exemplifies the idea of the complex
The lightness and variety of the architecture also reflects the spirit of the young research team
Originally published in: Hardo Braun, Dieter Grömling, Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2005.