JISC Design Competition 2020 Book

Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Honourable Mention
Team Maestro
SABON FARAWA
At the core of our design proposal is the belief that
no one deserves not to have a home. Shelter, apart from
being a basic human need, is also a fundamental human
right. Faced with the challenge of designing a home for the
resettlement of displaced individuals, we decided that a key
factor to the success of this project was to fully understand
the essential special configurations that these people
recognize as their own so we can ensure its continuity
through a carefully thought out design and construction
Chuka Uwakwe
process, hence the decision to choose “RESTART “as the
concept. Inspiration for this project is drawn from the
restart icon. Two arrows, one starting where the other stops were literally inscribed as the building forms as a
way of literally symbolizing the theme of the project. SABON FARAWA literally translates to ‘a fresh start’, and
to achieve the intent of this project, we chose elements that will provide an initial frame that can be further
developed by the families, at their own pace and that are based on a simple construction detail that is easy to
replicate.
After thorough research into the life and culture of these areas, we were able to provide a response to
the housing need by ensuring that important aspects of their lifestyle (occupation, religious affiliations, privacy
and security) are all accommodated within the design. We started by properly zoning the spaces with regards
to cultural appropriation and the spaces were tailored to meet specific needs. The public zone (for guests and
the head of the family), the intermediate zone (the courtyard and some other unifying spaces) and then the
private zone reserved basically for women and the children. Visitors are received either at the entrance foyer
of the house (dakali) or in the visitor reception room (zaure) away from the actual living room occupied by
the family. The last part of the public zone is the unit of the head of the family (Turaka) which is most times
a small sitting area that precedes the main bedroom. The remaining spaces are organized around a central
courtyard which serves as the central activity zone of the family. The courtyard is also some sort of a healing
space for traumatized individuals, as it offers an open yet secure space to contemplate, as well as perform group
activities with the entire family. A common shed (rumfa) is also provided as a common space for women and
children, and also for activities like prayers and rituals. The bedrooms are designed such that the occupants
have the freedom to introduce design elements that appeal to them. From the locally made cane furniture, to
the colorful hand sewn traditional carpets and fabrics used to adorn the walls and beautify the interior and
JINKAI Initiative Shelter Competition
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