Chamanga Cultural Center

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

CHAMANGA CULTURAL CENTER

Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura, DesignBuild Studio, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Opción Más, Portland State University

ARCHITECTS
Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura, DesignBuild Studio, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Opción Más, Portland State University

LOCATION
San Jose De Chamanga, Ecuador

AREA
1937 ft²

YEAR
2018

CATEGORY
Cultural Center

PHOTOGRAPHS
Santiago Oviedo

CLIENTS
Opción Más

ENGINEERING
Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas de Múnich: Schiemann, Dauberschmidt, Scholz, Universidad de Tokyo; Araki, Sato

BAMBOO CONSULTING
Fabián Burbano, Ursula Schmid

ATARRAYA TALLER DE ARQUITECTURA
Burbano, Oviedo

OPCIÓN MÁS
Sol Godoy, Ericka Godoy, Alberto López, Mauricio Gudiño, Nathaly Godoy, Vladimir Patiño

CHAMANGA COMMUNITY
Fabián Burbano, Mario Baloy, Ángel Bone, Jon Villegas, Deyton Pata, José Godoy, Freddy Godoy, Germán Baltán, Eduardo Cevallos, Eber Napa, Marcos Betancourt, Alison Betancourt, Manuel Valle

COOPERATION
del Hierro, Maron, Vogliano, Movimiento Mi Cometa, Angst

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
Kawasaki, Ryokawa, Sakura

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Chandler, Gerkhardt, Iancu, Jones, Ducay, Lindner, Peterson, Pleasant, Rodriguez, Sagrero, Sanchez, Van Duzen

MUNICH UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
Arzberger, Bachert, Baumeister, Biet, Brandt, Fuerstenberg, Fromme, Gloeckler, Haberlander, Hacker, Hoermann, Keilhacker, Kuisl, Loserth, Makowski, Pfeffer, Reiser, Rischer, Rosenfeld, Schmid, Seifert, Zettl, Hartig, Schmid, Schiemann

CONTEXT
Chamanga is a fisherpeople town located on the Cojimíes River Estuary, in Esmeraldas, a predominantly Afro-Ecuadorian and historically underserved province in coastal Ecuador.

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo
Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

After the April 2016 earthquake severely damaged 80% of their buildings, the majority of chamangueñxs migrated farther inland.

The disaster not only threw Chamanga in a situation of social and physical transition, but also deepened the historical inequalities that have put 100% of Chamanga’s population below the poverty line.

Since 2009, local organization Opción Más runs cultural programs for children and youth, focused on strengthening Afro-Ecuadorian and Montubio cultural identity and heritage in music, dance and poetry. However, the earthquake destroyed the house they ran their programs in.

The Chamanga Cultural Center is the result of a long-term collaboration between the community of Chamanga, academia and civil society organizations.

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo
Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

PROCESS: MINGA AND DESIGN/BUILD
The project was organized in two phases within a design/build framework, where students design, plan and build in collaboration with local community, professionals and professors.

The leadership of local maestros and maestras throughout the process provided opportunities for the exchange of knowledge, integrating the local tradition of social reciprocal construction, the minga- with the academic methodology of design/build. 

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

This was crucial to ensure that the building was appropriate(d) and relevant, as well as to strengthen the social organizing process that the construction was a part of.

Portland State University took part in the design and construction of phase I, whereas the Munich University of Applied Sciences spearheaded the second phase.Throughout the process, Atarraya Taller de Arquitectura and Opción Más, alongside other chamangueñx stakeholders, led processes of on-site research, participatory decision-making and implementation.

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

DESIGN
Located in a 9x15m interior lot, the project is organized in two parallel bars surrounding a double-height atrium. During presentations and events with larger attendance, the atrium opens up to the street, integrating the building with public space.

The center anchors itself to its context by taking cues from local vernacular architecture.

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo
Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

At the same time, it stands out by means of its scale and reinterpreted use of traditional building systems.

The first floor, built in brick and reinforced concrete, responds to the community’s concerns regarding security, while simultaneously protecting natural materials from water and insects.The second floor is framed in local Guadua bamboo and wood. Clad in Guadua mats and latticework, the space is comfortably day lit and ventilated.

Recycled Tetrapak sheets make up the roofing, resulting in improved acoustic and thermal conditions inside the Center. Rainwater is harvested in tanks and provides users with access to running water, whereas the dry-toilet system provides an alternative for Chamanga’s sanitation crisis, still neglected by public water and sewage systems.

TODAY
Opción Más and different local collectives use the Cultural Center for activities including workshops on community film-making, marimba and mangrove-ecosystem preservation, art courses, and neighborhood assemblies.

Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo
Chamanga Cultural Center
© Santiago Oviedo

The Cultural Center provides a place for community-run skill-building and technical training.

While helping local organizations re-establish the community’s cultural ties to their history and the estuary.


Chamanga Cultural Center
Plan - Ground floor
Chamanga Cultural Center
Plan - 1st floor


Chamanga Cultural Center
Stairs details 01
Chamanga Cultural Center
Stairs details 02
Chamanga Cultural Center
Stairs details 03
Chamanga Cultural Center
Bathrooms detail 01
Chamanga Cultural Center
Bathrooms detail 02
Chamanga Cultural Center
Bathrooms detail 03


Chamanga Cultural Center
Implantation
Chamanga Cultural Center
Process diagram


Chamanga Cultural Center
Section
Chamanga Cultural Center
Facade