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

wokober and uganda society of architects employ reusable, locally sourced materials like bamboo and polyethylene sacks.

wokoscapos edited by christina vergopoulou February 17, 2024 3 min

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.

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 1 — 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.

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 2 — the temporary pavilion forms a captivating backdrop for diverse festival activities

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 3 — Wokober taps into the region’s toy-making culture, fostering creativity, innovation, and self-development

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 4 — designed by Charles Kalungi and Francis Mpano, the pavilion embodies playfulness and exploration

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 5 — the modular design can compose endless configurations of triangles, pyramids, and trapezoids

zanya-pavilion-wokober-uganda-society-architects-designboom-1800-2 — Zanya Pavilion, a result of a student design competition, stands out as the festival’s highlight

colorful angular tents shape puzzle-like zanya pavilion in northern uganda - 6 — Zanya Pavilion evokes a sense of wonder stirring imagination and inspiring creativity

zanya-pavilion-wokober-uganda-society-architects-designboom-1800-3 — using reusable materials like bamboo and polyethylene sacks, the puzzle-like space encourages interaction

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

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