Oculus - Winter 2010/2011 - (Page 34) studioMDA: Raising Malawi Academy for Girls Out of Africa New York-based architects are using sustainable and cutting-edge technologies in Malawi, Botswana, and other African countries to help boost the economy and empower the people By Linda G. Miller M OCULUS WINTER 10/11 alawi is not the only developing country in sub-Saharan Africa plagued by extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, drought, substandard infrastructure, and a lack of clinics and schools, but her situation is one of the most studioMDA’s involvement with Raising Malawi began when a former staffer, designer Jessica Wilpon, was in Malawi for her master’s thesis and met the organization’s director. Wilpon suggested the director meet with Dochantschi. And so for the past two years, the firm has invested its time and intellectual capital on the project – on a pro bono basis. Dochantschi travels to Malawi about every eight weeks, with studioMDA designer Chris Maurer working on-site, alongside local architect Ismail Patel of IMDesign and other members of the international design team, until the project is completed. “As foreigners,” says Doschantschi, “we don’t want to force our design philosophy.” With the academy, however, the firm can practice what it preaches – environmental, cultural, and fiscal sustainability. The design team has developed passive methods of sustainability, such as the orientation and functionality of the buildings. The geometry of the roofs and fenestration of each building are designed to optimize natural light and airflow, a deceptively complicated task that combines desperate. In 2006 pop idol Madonna and Michael Berg co-founded Raising Malawi, an organization that aims to end the suffering of the country’s 2 million children who are at risk. Three years later, a Moringa tree was planted north of Lilongwe, the country’s capital, to mark the start of construction on the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, designed by Markus Dochantschi, Assoc. AIA, founder of NYC-based studioMDA. When completed in 2012, the 113-acre campus will include classrooms, dormitories, staff houses, a library and administration building, a dining hall, a gymnasium, a wellness center, and a sports field. True to its mission, the school will be a place where Malawian girls can be educated, instilled with cultural responsibility, and empowered to realize their potential. 34 Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Winter 2010/2011 Oculus - Winter 2010/2011 Contents First Words A Word from the Editor Center for Architecture One Block Over So Says...Craig Dykers, AIA, LEED AP Features Opener How Cities Learn from Each Other Why Isn’t Architecture a U.S. Export Priority? Outward Bound When Small Firms Venture Abroad Division of Labor Infrastructure Abroad Out of Africa Thinking Globally, Acting Humbly Good Practices 64-Year Watch In Print Click Here Last Words Index to Advertisers Oculus - Winter 2010/2011 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0113 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0412 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0312 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0212 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0112 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0411 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0311 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0211 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0111 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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