Temporary Residence
Sélingné, Mali
The private residence and UNDP (United Nations' Development Programme) field office were a pilot effort in the resettlement of 1500 families coming from 8 villages, necessitated by the construction of the Selingue hydroelectric dam in Mali.

The objective of the project was to re-evaluate traditional settlements and to improve planning and construction techniques for new villages. The local population was trained to improve existing structures and to plan the layout and construction of new settlements.

Traditional layouts, based on a nuclear organisation within family compounds, was maintained. Bedrooms and services were housed in typical round-plan shelters; new square and rectangular plans were introduced for guest houses and study rooms, which were of unusual dimension and therefore required reinforcement with wooden pillars.

The main improvements were:
-Creation of a micro-climate through abundant planting of the usually barren central courtyards;
-Introduction of hygienic measures;
-Sanitary equipment manufactured by local potters -Lime-plastering of interior surfaces treatment of wood to prevent termite damage;
-Facing of floors (usually tamped earth) with locally available stone-slabs;
-Introduction of built-in shelves for the storage of articles of daily use
-Technical improvement of the traditional banco (mud) bricks, mortar, and other mud based materials for exterior wall surfacing , and bamboo and straw used for roofing materials

Following the pilot experiment, the new villages were built on plans determined by the local population and using the ameliorated materials and techniques. The architect used this residence for one year, and it has since been used as a dispensary.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Location
Sélingné, Mali
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1979
Variant Names
Roger Katan Residence
Variant
Building Usages