colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda

Zanya Pavilion hosts Wokober Toy and Innovation Festival

The Zanya Pavilion, a collaborative effort involving the Wokober Education Foundation, the Uganda Society of Architects, and the Innovation Consortium Uganda, takes center stage at the 2023 Wokober Toy and Innovation Festival in Gulu City, Northern Uganda. This architectural creation serves as a temporary space, providing an engaging backdrop for the festival’s activities.

Situated in the Acholi sub-region, which is in the process of recovery from a prolonged period of conflict, Northern Uganda faces significant challenges in education. Wokober Education Foundation, based in Gulu City, addresses this issue by tapping into the region’s uncultivated creative culture of toy-making. The foundation aims to foster creativity, innovation, and self-development among children, particularly through its annual flagship event, the Wokober Toy and Innovation Festival.

all images courtesy of Wokober Education Foundation

pavilion’s composition embodies playfulness and exploration

The Zanya Pavilion, a key element of the festival experience, resulted from a student design competition conducted in collaboration with the Uganda Society of Architects, the Wokober Education Foundation, and various architecture schools in Uganda. Designed by Charles Kalungi and Francis Mpano from Makerere University, the pavilion embraces the theme of playfulness and exploration. Inspired by the quote, ‘The world of reality has limits, the world of imagination is boundless‘ by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the pavilion creates a puzzle-like space with reusable, locally sourced materials such as bamboo and vibrant polyethylene sacks.

The design encourages interaction and exploration, serving as a multifaceted toy for the 85 children participating in the festival. Its composition, appreciated from various angles, adds an element of intrigue to the temporary space, embodying the spirit of creativity and innovation that the festival aims to cultivate.

the temporary pavilion forms a captivating backdrop for diverse festival activities

Wokober taps into the region’s toy-making culture, fostering creativity, innovation, and self-development

designed by Charles Kalungi and Francis Mpano, the pavilion embodies playfulness and exploration

the modular design can compose endless configurations of triangles, pyramids, and trapezoids

Zanya Pavilion evokes a sense of wonder stirring imagination and inspiring creativity

project info:

name: Zanya Pavilion

architects: Wokober Education Foundation | @wokober – Uganda Society of Architects | @ugandasocietyofarchitects

lead architects: Charles Kalungi, Francis Mpano

collaborator: Innovation Consortium Uganda | @innovation.consortium

location: Gulu, Uganda

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom