Culture + Ecology Centre

Santa Catarina Quiané, Oaxaca (Mexico) 2019

Munich University for Applied Sciences (MUAS) (Germany)

The municipality of Santa Catarina Quiané and the local organisation for the defence of land rights decided to build a centre for culture and ecology to demonstrate their self-determination and self-esteem as a rural community and to strengthen their cultural identity. Halls and workshops, toilets and showers, a central meeting place for 400 people, gardens, a community kitchen and other installations were required.

MUAS decided to develop the project in two phases: The first phase consisted in one of the halls and the sanitary building with a sewage treatment plant connected by a covered gallery. The second phase includes the extension of the gallery connecting a larger open auditorium designed for dancing and music groups with the urgently needed new community kitchen. The gallery forms a collar on which the other buildings and functions hang like pendants. The central plaza is delimited by this permeable gallery to the landscape.

The MUAS cooperated with the community of Quiané and the local NGO CAMPO to determine the spatial programme and to coordinate the architectural concept and the construction phases. Students from the University La Salle of Oaxaca were participating in the construction work and community members supported in essential crafts as floor-laying and plastering and provided accommodation and food for the whole stay.

Participants
Client: Community Santa Catarina Quiané

Collaborators: NGO CAMPO: C. Morales, E. Torres with D. Escutia, E. Guzman, J. Martinez, I. Ruiz, G. Torres, N. Torres.
FRENTE + QUIANÉ: J. Bernardino, J. Bravo, J. Calderon, M. Díaz, R. Contreras, A. Cruz, R. Cruz, A. García, A. Gijón, M. Hernandez, G. Léon, E. Lopez, M. Marcial, J. Marcial, F. Mendez, M. Perez, O. Perez, B. Lopez,Y. Salvador, J. Salvador, F. Hernandez. Students (Universidad La Salle Oaxaca: M. Alvardo, R. Avendaño, A. Cortes, B. Gasga, J. Morales, P. Pérez, R. Quintana, I. Ramirez, N. Reyes, A. Rodriguez, S. Villacaña). Tutors (Universidad La Salle Oaxaca): A. Villanueva, V. Díaz. Other: K. Wagner, P. Ojeda

Students (MUAS): K. Baron, K. Bauer, A.M. Braun, R. Caizergues, M. Chiriboga, E. Eichinger, M. Felber, M. Fernandez, K. Franzl, A. Goncalves, M. Gutmann, M. Hartel, A. Hoelzel, F. Hecht, L. Holzapfel, S. Kayser, V. Kozma, M. Kurz, D. Lins, M. Mangas, A. Matulla, F. Menz, E. Neubauer, L. Ostermeier, I. Pinto, O. Petrenko, D. Rader, T. Reiner, M. Rottenwaller, P. Sauer, J. Schuldt, M. Schwarz, A. Sedlmeir, P. Streit, F. Stuffer, M. Tichy, L. Völkner, J. Weise, H. Wiesenfeld, M. Yücesan

Research Question
Design: organization of multi-functional indoor and outdoor spaces, articulating the transition between village and landscape. Finding of adequate, appropriate, sustainable and contemporary typologies and techniques that refer to local building tradition but serve the communities demand of modernity and sustainability
Technique: development of earthquake-resistant wood- and clay structures that can be realized within two 5-week construction phases.
Participation: Development of design and technique in close collaboration with the municipal representatives and the collaborating NGO CAMPO


Engineering, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Mexico, Architecture, Client-funded, Permanent, 11-50, Self-funded, Postgraduate, +, Years, Sponsorship, Collaboration, Curricular, Students with researcher