Browsing by Author "Ahimbisibwe, Achilles"

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Capacity building in adaptive reuse through collaborative workshops for students: on-site and remote experiences in Rwanda and Zanzibar
(European Union, 2021) Ahimbisibwe, Achilles; Louw, Michael; Michieletto, Manlio; Olweny, Mark R. O.; Papanicolaou, Stella; Lans, Berend van der
The idea of ‘adaptive reuse’ is relatively new in the African built environment. The value of working with existing under-utilised buildings as a resource for the future lies in the inherent potential for addressing sensitive issues that often originate from their colonial past or previous regimes during which they were built or occupied. As part of the International Forum Cultural Spaces for Kigali, a workshop for students was hosted at the University of Rwanda’s School of Architecture and Built Environment from 10 - 14 March 2019. The participants included the University of Rwanda (UR), Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT). The objective of the workshop and the Forum was to test the adaptive potential of unused buildings near Kigali’s city centre, and to evaluate whether disused buildings – such as the Kigali Central Prison (also known as Nyarugenge Prison, Gikondo Prison, or simply “1930”) and the Ecole Belge (the former Belgian School) – could be adapted for use as precincts for the production and performance of art and culture. The project was launched and run by the Rwanda Arts Initiative (RAI), with African Architecture Matters and the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels (BOZAR), and funded by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. The workshop targeted students, who, navigating their cultural differences, presented a variety of options or possibilities using visualisation methods. This was done in cooperative workshops, with presentations by students and professionals from across Africa, developing an independent, continent-specific approach. The success of the Rwandan workshop, and its reiteration in Zanzibar, are presented here.
Deliberations on conservation of built heritage: paying homage to a historical past through architectural education, learning and research
(WIT Press, 2021) Ahimbisibwe, Achilles; Wako, K. Anthony
Memorialization of Africa’s architectural past continues to fade in time by way of exposure to the cruelty of natural or man-made forces, iconic buildings from as recent as the 1960s are torn down with little consideration of their heritage value. In 2010, controversy surrounding the demolition of Uganda’s National Museum for a proposed high-rise redevelopment brought to light the blatant disregard for thematic value of Uganda’s memorable architecture. Unfortunately, this was a lone survivor among a myriad of projects where developers show no sympathy, architects offer no guidance, and research efforts draw no attention to protect built heritage or safeguard rich historical narratives. Architecture Education should adopt to support participatory approaches that underpin the integration of revitalising heritage values. It is envisaged that through immersive design experiences students could gain a critical awareness of the realities, insight on regional success stories, an appreciation of limitations around conservation efforts, as well as a lasting memory of taking part in the design of integrated conservation projects. Faculty of the Built Environment (FBE), engenders learning activities appropriated with: conservation doctrines, community needs, sense of the cultural context of historic buildings. A pertinent concern during these undertakings was to initiate processes that instigate students’ abilities to band together and work jointly with: students from two similar schools of thought at the faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (EBE), University of Cape Town (UCT) and School of Architecture and Design (SADE), Ardhi University (AU), in conjunction with African Architecture Matters, a non-profit consultancy firm working in fields of design planning, research and education. This paper thus seeks to highlight, from both socio-cultural inferences and historical perspectives, the significance of the learning opportunities for students, researchers and academics through adaptive reuse project of the oldest cinema in East Africa, the Majestic cinema.
Deliberations on conservation of built heritage: paying homage to a historical past through architectural education, learning and research
(WIT Press, 2021-07-26) Wako, Anthony Kalimungabo; Ahimbisibwe, Achilles
Memorialization of Africa’s architectural past continues to fade in time by way of exposure to the cruelty of natural or man-made forces, iconic buildings from as recent as the 1960s are torn down with little consideration of their heritage value. In 2010, controversy surrounding the demolition of Uganda’s National Museum for a proposed high-rise redevelopment brought to light the blatant disregard for thematic value of Uganda’s memorable architecture. Unfortunately, this was a lone survivor among a myriad of projects where developers show no sympathy, architects offer no guidance, and research efforts draw no attention to protect built heritage or safeguard rich historical narratives. Architecture Education should adopt to support participatory approaches that underpin the integration of revitalising heritage values. It is envisaged that through immersive design experiences students could gain a critical awareness of the realities, insight on regional success stories, an appreciation of limitations around conservation efforts, as well as a lasting memory of taking part in the design of integrated conservation projects. Faculty of the Built Environment (FBE), engenders learning activities appropriated with: conservation doctrines, community needs, sense of the cultural context of historic buildings. A pertinent concern during these undertakings was to initiate processes that instigate students’ abilities to band together and work jointly with: students from two similar schools of thought at the faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (EBE), University of Cape Town (UCT) and School of Architecture and Design (SADE), Ardhi University (AU), in conjunction …
Online architectural education: reflections on COVID-19 emergency remote learning in East Africa
(Sage, 2022-08-18) Olweny, Mark RO; Ndibwami, Alex; Ahimbisibwe, Achilles
This paper investigates how students in two schools of architecture in East Africa, engaged with educational activities during the early phase of the COVID-19 lockdown. The COVID-19 lockdown and shift to emergency remote teaching and learning raised a number of questions for architectural education. These relate to access, equity and pedagogical approaches, which emerged through this study. The paper presents the findings of the study carried out in the University of Rwanda, and Uganda Martyrs University, along with the implications of the findings for architectural education. Making use of an online questionnaire distributed via QualtricsXM, the study attracted 70 student participants. The paper concludes with some suggestions for architectural educators as they rethink the embedded pedagogical traditions of architectural education, and how these must adapt for the future in order to cope with future shocks and disruptions.
Rural (low income) housing: inspiring communities to shape their future: Paper presented at PLEA 2015 Conference
(PLEA, 2015) Ahimbisibwe, Achilles; Ndibwami, Alex; Niwamara, T
This paper details patterns of energy consumption for domestic buildings in urban areas of Uganda. The paper shows the range of energy sources employed by households, the level of consumption of energy, as well as common appliances and equipment in use. The findings suggest strong demand for energy, but largely from solid fuel sources with most households making use of firewood or charcoal for cooking. While currently low by world standards, electrical energy use was largely for lighting and entertainment. Efforts at increasing access to electricity to reduce pressures on dwindling forest resources, although a noble goal, has significant challenges, linked to limited and erratic availability of electricity, approaches to building design, as well as lifestyle transformations that contribute to a growth in energy demand. The study itself contributes to discourse on energy use and energy efficiency in buildings, filling the gap in the availability of information and geared to informing future policy and interventions.
To Build or Not to Build: Going Live is [Not] Just Being Practical!
(Association of Architectural Educators, 2014) Ahimbisibwe, Achilles; Olweny, Mark R. O.; Ndibwami, Alex; Thomas, Paul; Lubingo, Mathieu; Katta, Jude
Increasingly students and faculty alike are calling for a “hands-on” approach to architecture and building construction as an integral part of the architectural education. Schools of architecture have implemented courses to address this need, notably: the Harvard Graduate School of Design's 'Project on the City’; the design-build ‘Rural Studio’ run by Auburn University; and the Over-the-Rhine Design-Build Studio out of Miami University. Such activities are considered a good way to enhance problem-solving skills, dealing with client groups, working with different materials, construction techniques and methods, and preparing students for future practice. The courses run largely in parallel to the established design studio, mostly as electives or summer courses, but nevertheless, present as a ‘tectonic shift’,1 moving from the traditional structure of architecture education, based largely on the studio, with associated support courses, to an approach that seeks to supplement the learning through interactive projects that expose students to a range of experiences to enhance the architectural education experience. Regardless of the significance of these moves internationally, there has been only limited penetration of this approach in architectural education in East Africa. In the context of East Africa, the studio is regarded as being where students demonstrate their creative abilities, viewed as designing flamboyant buildings, often without any real sites or context to deal with - in effect, poor imitations of the real world. The notion of ‘practical’ gets lost within the context of architectural education as the nurturing of individuals who are ‘Master Builders’ or ‘Experts’, but not versed in the actual production of architecture, and how to respond directly the needs of clients. A perennial plea from applicants to the architecture programme at Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) is to join a ‘practical programme’. This indicates a demand for something more, or different, from architectural education, although it does raise a question: ‘what does practical mean in the context of architecture education?’ From a practice point of view, this suggests practice-ready graduates. However, with students only exposed to limited architecture practice as part of their educational experience, this raises two questions; how do students acquire the necessary skills to enhance their educational experience, and more significant, what is the purpose of architectural education? This is important with regard to future practice in the context of an unknown future. The lack of engagement with practical courses makes teaching of architecture somewhat difficult, with students generally unable to seek innovative solutions as a consequence. Thus, there is a need to engage students beyond mere book knowledge as part of their architectural education. A design-build workshop, hosted by Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), was to introduce students to some practical aspects of architecture, in this case through the use of research on poured earth construction. The three main objectives of the workshop were to: expose students to the nature of materials; engage with a learn-by-doing construction approach and; to educate in collaboration with fellow students. This paper reports on an initial venture into live projects in the context of architectural education in Uganda. It looks at the opportunities and challenges associated with this educational approach in the context of numerous north-south initiatives, but only a few schemes initiated from the global south.