CAUKIN studio introduces gathering space in fiji with its naidi community hall

fiji’s naidi village, a place which had gone long without a place for community gathering, sees the completion of an expressive timber hall designed by CAUKIN studio. when their previous center fell into disrepair and was deemed unsafe for use, the design team was approached by a local NGO ‘the naqaqa giving foundation,’ leading to the inception of the project. serving a village of four hundred people, the hall is primarily programmed to provide a space for the community to come together for meetings, celebrations, funerals and weddings. in fijian culture, the community hall is the cultural and operational heart of a village.

three pivot doors create a stage area for performances
all images by katie edwards

in collaboration with local volunteers, CAUKIN studio introduces the naidi community hall as a place to sing, create handmade crafts, and perform traditional fijian dances. the design team believes that having a safe, functioning, and beautiful space to express oneself creatively is vital to personal and community growth. the form of the design is drawn from theater staging, expressed clearly at the front facade, facing towards the center of the village green. three large counter-weighted, top hung doors, open to create a performance space.

the center is designed to be easily replicated

CAUKIN studio designs its naidi community center with an extended ceiling height to increase the natural flow of air throughout the building. circulated air is released through hit-and-miss timber cladding under the roof eaves, results in a space that can remain cool on the hottest days. the opening shutters, louvre blades and large panes of glass create a naturally lit space internally, enhancing performances and events taking place within. the structure demonstrates innovative design and cyclone resistance whilst still using only locally sourced materials, thus allowing the project to be easily replicated by local communities in fiji.

the hall is suspended above a slope in an exoskeleton structure

the front of the community hall opens out to the village green

interior of naidi community hall

occupied interior of naidi community hall

occupied interior of naidi community hall

community center’s opening ceremony

all six meter pine poles were lifted and placed by hand

architecture students helped build the structure in eight weeks

prefabricated timber trusses

1/7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

project title: naidi community hall

architecture: CAUKIN studio

location: naidi village, vanua levu, fiji

lead architects: harrison marshall, joshua peasley, alden ching, andrzej bak

design team: harrison marshall, joshua peasley, alden ching, andrzej bak

clients: the naqaqa giving foundation, the jazmin fund, naidi village

engineering: centrespace design

international participants: maria reyes bariain, emily charlton, maggie dalton, dinjal damania, lewis danielson, ksenia davydova, nikolina georgieva, kate gonashvili, maddie griffiths, ash kendall, cassie li, nikoleta petrova, richard rothwell, nadejda tabakova, connor tulip, lili wagner, sabrina waibel, janet wong

project donors: the john gore organization, fulton hogan hiways, spratley & partners, centrespace structural design, the pratt foundation, vincent hughes, susan rose, stefan berner, sandra elkins, cristina and liam lynch family foundation, anna miller, andrew d. perlman, the carl and renee landegger trust, aaron siegel, anna l. miller, niamh blancardi, salma aitali, paul isaacs, claire fordham

photography: katie edwards