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Malawi Masterplan

Lilongwe, Malawi.

In the hills on the edge of Lilongwe, Malawi, 170 hectares of land are dedicated to a new campus for the Miracle for Africa Foundation, an initiative to expand healthcare*, education, and agricultural education. The campus masterplan, inspired by Batik paintings of a local Malawian artist, creates a condensed pedestrian campus positioned strategically in relation to its existing buildings.

The first building for the new campus is a central library providing 6,600 m2 of space for books, archives, reading rooms, classrooms, offices and an open forum.   The architectural aim: to bring in the maximum of cool natural light while powering the building via solar energy. An ascending array of roof elements each have a gentle curve, like the wind moving across a field, giving orientation to the interior spaces. The flexible solar panels along the roof create an ecological engine, supplying energy to the library itself and other campus buildings. A locally crafted bamboo screen enclosure allows the entire library to breathe with natural ventilation and net-zero energy consumption, while a few free floating glass rooms control humidity.

Client
Miracle for Africa Foundation
Location
Lilongwe, Malawi.
Year
2016
Size
142,500 sq. m.
Status
In design
architect
Steven Holl Architects
Steven Holl (design architect, principal)
JongSeo Lee (senior associate in charge)
Hannah Ahlblad, Lourenzo Amaro de Oliveira, Okki Berendschot, Suk Lee (project team)
associate architects
Junglim Architecture
structural engineer
Silman
MEP engineer
Transsolar

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