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Architects: Light Earth Designs, Localworks
- Area: 2110 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Will Boase Photography
Text description provided by the architects. RUCID ('Rural Community in Development') is a privately run College for Organic Agriculture in Mityana, Uganda. Directly funded by The Tudor Trust from the UK, this project created new dormitory space for 72 students as well as two additional classrooms and kitchens, organised into two villages. Existing teaching and accommodation buildings were refurbished as part of the project.
Given the school management’s keen interest in eco solutions the most local of construction technology was used: manually compressed stabilised soil blocks, largely made from earth sourced on site, and roofs and shading screens made of eucalyptus wood found in nearby plantations. All buildings have a decentralised rainwater harvesting system and kitchens with fitted fuel-efficient wood stoves. The project was built by local teams contracted on a labour basis and overseen by an in-house construction manager.
The buildings were designed in collaboration with Light Earth Designs who prepared the Masterplan as well as the schematic designs of the dormitory courtyards. Studio FH added the pentagon-shaped classrooms, detailed all buildings and oversaw the construction on site.
