Archstorming, in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation (FVF) and Rural Development Trust (RDT), announces the winners of its latest humanitarian architecture competition, which focused on designing a versatile Community Center for rural communities in India.

These community centers are fundamental in rural India for enhancing community cohesion, facilitating collective decision-making, and providing essential spaces for education and social gatherings.

The first prize was awarded to a team of architects settled in Berlin, formed by Francisco Rodriguez Zafra, Diego Peña Jurado, and Kei Sugimoto. Their project was praised for its simplicity, modularity, and sustainability, offering a low-cost, adaptable solution. The design features several strengths that caught the jury’s attention, such as its potential for growth, passive energy strategies, permeable walls for community engagement, and a ventilated roof for thermal and acoustic insulation, balancing aesthetics, practicality, and cultural sensitivity.

The second prize went to a team from Lima, Peru, comprised of Sergio Ponte, José Pastor, Gabriel Vera, and Sebastian Cisneros. The third prize was awarded to a team from Bangalore, India, formed by Shruti Venkat, Arindam Das, Muhammad Shariq, and Raksha Hemmige. Both teams presented innovative designs that impressed the jury with their unique approaches to creating sustainable and functional community centers.

Special Honorable Mentions were given to a team from Chennai, India (Deepak Jain, Ashok Kumar, and Rahul Lodha), and a team from Braga, Portugal (Tiago do Vale, Paula Campos, Alara Çağla, and Marija Matozan), recognizing their outstanding contributions and creative solutions.

Archstorming is renowned for its humanitarian architecture competitions that emphasize community and sustainability. Dive deeper into their initiatives at www.archstorming.com.

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WINNERS

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1ST PLACE

Francisco Rodriguez Zafra, Diego Peña Jurado, Kei Sugimoto
GERMANY

Indian Community Center – Kodidoddi\

The proposed design focuses on modularity, flexibility and permeability: a low-cost structure adaptable to the needs and opportunities of each location. The basic module is composed of an enclosed space and a veranda (open-air porch). The use of the spaces is variable according to the size and to the permeability of the openings. The sequence of closed and open spaces generates a clear and powerful architectural image and adaptable to possible scenarios, while keeping the values of the project. The perimeter wall varies also in its porosity, ensuring security at the same time.

The Indian Community Center of Kodidoddi consists of a single linear volume that houses a multifunctional room for collective activities, a storage room, an office for medical or management issues and the Anganwadi, which consists of a classroom for the children, a kitchen-storeroom and a feeding room. Between these closed spaces, semi-open spaces are generated that can be used in a flexible way such as for informal meetings, video projections and exhibitions or for communal dances. The toilet module is placed separately in order to be used for both facilities at the same time and for hygienic reasons.

The main pathway crosses the plot from east to west generating two access. The geometry of the plot allows more intimate courtyards to the north and semi-public spaces to the south along the water channel such us shadowed spaces under the Neem tree, the water well and the kitchen gardens. The exterior wall becomes more permeable in some points making it possible to see from outside what is happening inside and inviting the people to enter.

The building structure and the facades are made of reinforced concrete and cement bricks respectively. The ventilated tiled roof serves as a buffer zone against the heat. The low energy consumption is achieved through passive strategies with as good day-lighting, cross ventilation, thermal mass and roof insulation (thermal and acoustic) and a well designed solar protection system through latticework. The design of the roofs at different heights facilitates the collection of rainwater at the lowest point and its evacuation in the water channel for use in the kitchen gardens and the toilets. The architectural proposal is durable and easy to maintain and prioritizes low-cost construction techniques and easily accessible materials.

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2ND PLACE

Sergio Ponte, José Pastor, Gabriel Vera, Sebastian Cisneros
PERU

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposal for the Kodiddodi Community Centre, India is conceived as a prototype building that seeks to create flexible spaces for community meeting while ensuring sustainability in its construction and operation and its replicability for future projects.
Due to its community programme, focused on children and motherhood, the building is designed as a place of refuge and recreation. Architecture defines a protected space and opens in its interior to facilitate exchange between its inhabitants.
The building is generated from the repetition of a single typical section. The space proposal lies in the arrangement in the form of strips that intercalate the built module with the courtyard as an intermediate space. The boundaries of the lot are defined by the perimeter walls that run on the long sides of the terrain. Between these, a fluid space is created that dissolves the boundaries between interior and exterior using the veranda, characteristic of local architectures, as a space for its confluence.
The layout also responds to the need for protection against the site’s extreme weather conditions. The placement of courtyards allows you to regulate the temperature by means of shade and vegetation. The closed space covering system allows the hot air to be evacuated upward by convection while activating a fresh air flow from the courtyards to the closed spaces to generate thermal comfort.
The relationship with water is another important point in the proposal. The building rises on its foundation slab to protect itself from the stagnant rainwater, but it also takes advantage of its roof to capture the water from these same rains that, through the pipes that run through roofs and beams, reach and supply the cylindrical devices that serve as bathrooms, wells and laundry facilities for the community.
The constructive system and the choice of materials respond to the quest to make a prototype of easy construction and replicability. In this sense, the project has been conceived from the idea of modularity that is based on a defined catalog of pieces for each of the proposed architectural elements. The flexibility of the system allows an adaptation to new programmes prevailing the space proposal that understands the building as a potential scenario for the coexistence and exchange of the community.

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3RD PLACE

Shruti Venkat, Arindam Das, Muhammad Shariq, Raksha Hemmige
INDIA

Our community centre is envisioned as a vibrant hub that fosters social interaction, cultural exchange, and personal development within the neighborhood. Situated at the heart of the community, its design aims to reflect inclusive, sustainability, and functionality, catering to diverse age groups and interests.

Our community centre is designed around a central court with open spaces on either side of the blocks. Its flexible construction system allows for variety of spatial configurations and activities, mixing areas with different privacy grades and different relationships to inside and outside.

The spatial arrangement is kept simple. The given program is arranged in two parts. The multipurpose hall and the administration spaces are grouped together as one, and placed closer to the road edge. The services, community Kitchen and the classroom are arranged towards the rear side with two dedicated entrances and placed next to the amphitheater space to allow for extended usability.

Modularity:

The two blocks are kept simple and self-similar in nature to allow for interchanging activities. The first block along the front road edge will allow for public meetings, health camps and larger gatherings. The second block, will primarily focus on children and women, with extended spaces that allow for privacy.

Materiality:

The material palette is kept very simple and familiar to how construction happens in peri-urban Indian villages. The foundation is a simple sized stone masonry foundation with red brick plinth walls. The partition walls are made using regular 200×400 mm concrete blocks and the roof is supported on a minimal truss form and GUNA tiles are used to give shape to the curvilinear roof. These local materials will help in keeping the cost in control. The shape of the roof allows for ample light and ventilation and flexible bamboo screens are used for doors and windows.

Adaptability:

Flexibility of use and adaptability are two key principles of the design and a large maidan space connects the two blocks which allows for both the blocks to work in unison and in isolation as well. Support spaces like vending cart zone, weekly bazaar area and water collection space are placed next to the front side block. Other activities like amphitheatre and kitchen garden are clubbed with the second block on the rear side.
Overall, the community centre will be indispensable in fostering a vibrant, resilient, and cohesive community. We aim to address various social, economic, and cultural needs while empowering villagers to lead fulfilling lives and contribute actively to their community’s development.

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