Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Mafula-Gabon
Mafula-Gabon
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Other Projects by ALAIN KHOURY ARCHITECT
Mafula-Gabon
STATUS
Under Construction
Mafula – The Project
A large number of roundabouts and major intersections mark the entrances to Libreville’s residential and working-class neighborhoods.
Like an intermodal hub—whose function is to allow a passenger to transfer between two means of transportation of differing importance, for example between a commuter train and a local bus—Libreville’s intersections are often the stopping point and compulsory passage for residents transferring from the taxi that brought them from downtown, or from the city in general, to another taxi that takes them closer to home.
If we add to this “rotating platform” function a neighborhood market supplying a flourishing trade in fresh produce and basic necessities, but within a context where sanitation and food hygiene are far from being top priorities, we obtain a very particular situation.
What results is a cacophony of honking horns and vendors of all kinds, stationary taxis and constant movement—an everyday scene which, during peak hours, clogs the entrances to neighborhoods as well as the city’s main traffic arteries.
In June 2010, the Minister of Housing, Urban Planning, Housing, Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr. Pacôme-Rufin Ondzounga, took the initiative to launch a series of reflections on the issue of these interchange-intersections. A few months later, field observations and the conclusions of studies and round-table discussions made it possible for the AK-architects, to develop a prototype solution for a commercial interchange-intersection for urban transport, presented in the following pages under the title Project Mafula.
In its essence, Mafula is a covered, spacious and sanitary market, as much as it is a transport interchange (or taxi hub), according to the diagram explained above.
The philosophy of the project is not to disrupt habits or the way of life of those who use these intersections daily, but rather to offer a clean and secure space for exchanges, and to ensure smoother road traffic flow at the city’s most sensitive points.
Technologies, sustainability, and operation
The presence of new, clean and sustainable technologies—such as solar panels installed on the market’s roof—will make it possible to power nighttime lighting as well as the air-conditioning of a small storage facility. Nighttime lighting, using very low-energy LED bulbs, will allow the market’s operating hours to be extended. On the other hand, a small warehouse will give vendors the possibility of leaving their merchandise overnight in a refrigerated, secure space with controlled access.
The central tower that crowns the structure is designed to receive advertising banners in order to generate revenue intended for the maintenance of the market, the roadways, and green spaces. Part of this revenue could help amortize the investment costs for the municipality that owns the facilities.
The estimated cost of one 9-meter-wide span (including foundations, columns, structural framework, and roofing) is between 6 and 9 million CFA francs. Site preparation works, roads, paving, landscaping, and urban furniture are not included in this estimate.
A large number of roundabouts and major intersections mark the entrances to Libreville’s residential and working-class neighborhoods.
Like an intermodal hub—whose function is to allow a passenger to transfer between two means of transportation of differing importance, for example between a commuter train and a local bus—Libreville’s intersections are often the stopping point and compulsory passage for residents transferring from the taxi that brought them from downtown, or from the city in general, to another taxi that takes them closer to home.
If we add to this “rotating platform” function a neighborhood market supplying a flourishing trade in fresh produce and basic necessities, but within a context where sanitation and food hygiene are far from being top priorities, we obtain a very particular situation.
What results is a cacophony of honking horns and vendors of all kinds, stationary taxis and constant movement—an everyday scene which, during peak hours, clogs the entrances to neighborhoods as well as the city’s main traffic arteries.
In June 2010, the Minister of Housing, Urban Planning, Housing, Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr. Pacôme-Rufin Ondzounga, took the initiative to launch a series of reflections on the issue of these interchange-intersections. A few months later, field observations and the conclusions of studies and round-table discussions made it possible for the AK-architects, to develop a prototype solution for a commercial interchange-intersection for urban transport, presented in the following pages under the title Project Mafula.
In its essence, Mafula is a covered, spacious and sanitary market, as much as it is a transport interchange (or taxi hub), according to the diagram explained above.
The philosophy of the project is not to disrupt habits or the way of life of those who use these intersections daily, but rather to offer a clean and secure space for exchanges, and to ensure smoother road traffic flow at the city’s most sensitive points.
Technologies, sustainability, and operation
The presence of new, clean and sustainable technologies—such as solar panels installed on the market’s roof—will make it possible to power nighttime lighting as well as the air-conditioning of a small storage facility. Nighttime lighting, using very low-energy LED bulbs, will allow the market’s operating hours to be extended. On the other hand, a small warehouse will give vendors the possibility of leaving their merchandise overnight in a refrigerated, secure space with controlled access.
The central tower that crowns the structure is designed to receive advertising banners in order to generate revenue intended for the maintenance of the market, the roadways, and green spaces. Part of this revenue could help amortize the investment costs for the municipality that owns the facilities.
The estimated cost of one 9-meter-wide span (including foundations, columns, structural framework, and roofing) is between 6 and 9 million CFA francs. Site preparation works, roads, paving, landscaping, and urban furniture are not included in this estimate.
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.