KPRA is the name of an Italian architecture collective consisting of Piergiacomo Acerboni, Andrea Redaelli, Danilo Tomasoni and Michele Amadori. They have recently submitted a bid for the Kaira Looro International Architecture Competition (which challenges design groups to conceptualise a community-driven spiritual center for the Senegalese village of Tanaf) with the HUT design.
HUT is a multi-layered, elliptical structure that is meant to provide inhabitants of Tanaf Village a place of peace. The designers explored the concept of synergy between the interior and exterior facades of the building as it is meant to communicate restfulness throughout.
HUT features a main hall with a focal point for congregation as well as benches surrounding the space. It has a rainwater collector and underground tank to store water for times of scarcity. The openness of the central space is deliberate – in an emergency, HUT can be transformed into a first aid center.
The architects took the rural context of Tanaf into consideration, devising a plan to build HUT using limited resources and relying on local craft and manpower. It has a concrete base, handmade brick walls and a roof made of straw with supporting wooden frame.
It was KPRA’s objective to turn the design into a symbol for the village in which it would be situated, involving inhabitants in the construction process as well as utilising building methods already in practice in Senegal.
