Kéré Architecture GmbH

Kamwokya Community Center

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz

Kamwokya Community Center 

Kéré Architecture

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jaime Herraiz

AREA
1600 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Kampala, Uganda

CATEGORY
Community Center

Text description provided by architect.

The Kamwokya Community Centre is the fruit of a partnership between the local non-profit Kamwokya Christian Caring Community, which runs sports, leisure, and artistic activities in one of the poorest areas of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and the Ameropa Foundation, which works internationally on projects that aim to improve the lives of marginalized communities.

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz
Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz

The project's goal is to maintain and enhance the public and free character of the site, seeking not to impose, but to uplift it gently.

The playground provides a more conducive space for the activities already happening on site, such as sports training and matches, spontaneous gatherings, community events, workshops, music, and dance classes.

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz
Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz

The entire project is raised on a platform featuring an efficient drainage system to protect it from recurrent floods during heavy rains.

The platform is divided into distinct areas by slight differences in level that allow multiple activities to take place simultaneously without interfering with one another.

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz
Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz

The main sports field, drained and shaded, is surrounded by tribune-like steps to watch the games or gather informally.

On the platform, two naturally ventilated buildings house a small gym, an internet café, various multi-purpose rooms for classes and workshops, a music studio, and an office, as well as an adjacent sanitary block.

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz
Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz

These spaces are covered by two butterfly roofs raised by steel structures to allow for airflow, which gives a strong identity to the site in its urban context.

Beyond its practical function, the project aims to transform the community by becoming a source of inspiration and pride that in turn can create a sense of agency and ownership.

Kamwokya Community Center
© Jaime Herraiz


Kamwokya Community Center
East elevation
Kamwokya Community Center
West elevation


Kamwokya Community Center
Section
Kamwokya Community Center
Floor plan

Kéré Architecture GmbH
T +49 30 78952391
Kéré Architecture GmbH
Arndtstraße 34, 10965 Berlin, Germany