Fringe to Center

Fringe to Center

Spring 2010 | International Community Center
Lyceum Fellowship Competition 2010 Merit Winner
Program Author: Steven Ehrlich
Site: Abuja, Nigeria

This proposal attempts to addresses the current condition of Abuja. It mediates the unstructured nature of the site periphery, which is currently dense with traffic and market vendors, with a landscape and building, resolving both into a unified whole. Gradually emerging unity from the unstructured periphery gives meaning to the Community Center by bringing together all types of people at the local, national, and global scales.

The location of the building on the site is also intended to bring people in from the highly charged Friday Market. The main circulation paths and resulting building form derive from surrounding points of interest in Abuja. These points converge at a large outdoor lobby that provides a unified democratic space anchored by the outdoor amphitheater. At certain points, the landscape becomes building, providing natural cooling in the hot Nigerian climate. The use of local materials such as terra cotta, local stone, clay pavers, and limestone also reflect the Nigerian traditions.