Italian architects Tamassociati design a sustainable housing compound for Emergency NGO using discarded containers

All images and information courtesy of Tamassociati; © by Tamassociati

Although Sudan is not typically considered part of the Mena region we’d like to draw your attention to this project to show how simple socially responsible and sustainable design can be if architects take on the challenge. The following description has been provided by Tamassociati:

In the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery - Emergency NGO

Looking at the amount of discarded containers laying around the building site of the Salam Centre we had this simple idea: to use them again in order to realize the required international staff housing compound.
The Compound placed besides the Hospital, in the surroundings of the Nile river, is realized around a great courtyard full of wonderful mango trees. It consists of 95 20ft-containers for housing and 7 40ft-containers for the cafeteria. Every lodging is 20 sqm and is realized with one and a half containers; the lodging is composed of bedroom, bathroom and a small veranda on the court side.
Peculiar care has been dedicated to insulation and energy saving. The containers are insulated with a “layer system”. Inside the container 5 cm insulating panels have been placed. The outside “skin” is realized with a second insulated roof and a bamboo brise-soleil panel system. In this way the sunrays never hit the containers. This system involves a huge energy saving. Solar panels also supply hot water for the entire compound.

Location and date:

Soba, Khartoum (Sudan), 2008-09

Client:

Emergency ngo

Dimension:

Area: 8.663 sq. metres. Covered surface: 1668 sq. metres.

Design team:

Program coordinator: Emergency Technical Office,Pietro Parrino;
Project: Studio tamassociati Raul Pantaleo, Massimo Lepore, Simone Sfriso, con Pietro Parrino e Gino Strada;
Structural engineering: Francesco Steffinlongo;
Mechanical/services engineering: Nicola Zoppi;
Site engineer: Roberto Crestan, Alessandro Tamai, Claudio Gatti;
Builder: ISNAD Sudan.