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Spiritual Centre

Design of a facility for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cenacle in Togo.

Located 40 km north of Lomé, the building is intended to permanently house a community of nuns that is recognized by the Togolese State, but which must also be able to receive guests seeking a spiritual retreat, groups of young people for various teachings or even novices who are gradually entering the community.

To ensure the safety of the nuns and people passing through the center, a wall over a kilometre long has been erected all around the property. It also guarantees the serenity and tranquillity conducive to this place of prayer and meditation.

Lastly, adapting to the complex nature of Togo's economy was also necessary, requiring the use of traditional local expertise, such as the construction technique of using adobe (compressed earth brick). This vernacular architecture made it possible to involve the local population as much as possible in the construction process, while limiting the use of natural resources and energy consumption.

Client : Congrégation des Soeurs du Cénacle

Location : Pedakondji Vogan, Togo

Size : 12 000 m² de SDP m²

Status : Delivered

Date : 2015

Key points

Multifunctional spaces.
Comfortable.

Environmental perfomances

Raw earth construction.
Scooped roofs to provide shade.
Rooms with double orientation.
Roof in over-ventilated aluminium pan.
Autonomous energy production.

Download the project sheet

Intentions – Design Choices

The evolving accommodation capacity required a simple overall layout, oriented around the chapel. This chapel, the gravitational center of the entire composition, is located where the “Elder’s” house used to be. In Togolese tradition, the Elder is the wise person who is respected and listened to. The chapel organizes subspaces bordered by galleries, following the model of Cistercian cloisters.

A large wall over one kilometer long around the property is necessary for the safety of the Sisters. The concrete stilt structure, meanwhile, allows the building to withstand the rainy season.

The Choice of a Bioclimatic Architecture

One of the main constraints was the climate: the year in Togo is divided into two main seasons—a dry period from November to March and a rainy season from April to October, although humidity remains high throughout the year. Moreover, during periods of intense heat, nighttime temperatures are nearly as high as daytime temperatures.

Given this challenging climate and the rather hostile natural environment, the project was designed to be as autonomous as possible in its use of natural resources and energy consumption.

Large overhanging “scoop-shaped” roofs provide solar protection and promote natural ventilation. Each room has a double orientation, encouraging airflow that was studied in advance through thermodynamic simulation to optimally position the windows.

The roof slab is topped with a ventilated aluminum sheet roofing, designed to block solar radiation and prevent direct impact on the slab.

The entire project is elevated on concrete stilts to keep the building dry during the rainy seasons.

Large covered areas welcome children who come to benefit from photovoltaic electricity to read, play, and learn to write.

Adobe, an Ancestral Construction Technique

The need to use local know-how became evident from the very first visit to the site. The presence of red clay on-site guided the construction principle.

Compressed earth bricks, often referred to as CEB (Compressed Earth Blocks), are made from sieved soil. Generally, clay is extracted from about 50 cm below the surface, depending on the location.

The soil is slightly moistened and then strongly compressed using a mechanical press. This compression removes air from the block, making it waterproof and increasing its strength.

Once pressed, the bricks are shaped and stored in the sun to dry for one to three weeks before being used in the building’s construction.

Its advantages are numerous:

Absorption and release of humidity
Temperature regulation through thermal inertia
Excellent sound insulation
Low water usage during transformation
Abundant and renewable local resource
Therapeutic properties: destroys bacteria and dust mites
Raw earth construction uses only 3% of the energy required for concrete construction

Team

Patriarche (Architecture, MEP Engineering, EBQ, Cost)

Credits

Program

Residential

OFD NRW

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