"Mizengo Pinda Tanzania Asali & Nyuki Sanctuary, is a honey (asali), beekeeping (nyuki) and education center. The intention of the sanctuary is to provide a centralized facility for honey extraction and processing, a public market, and provide education and services to local villages in support of beekeeping activities. By teaching sustainable methods, providing resources and a market for harvested products, the government hopes to provide a means of economic support to rural communities. A key component of the design is to help foster a sense of community, collaboration and improvement through informal and formal spaces for interaction.
The processing facility will be built to USDA and EU guidelines for global distribution and profits will return to the Asali and Nyuki Sanctuary to encourage local learning, conservation and eco-tourism. In support of the organization?s mission to foster community and collaboration, the design of the facility elevates what might have been an ordinary utility shed and imbues it with a sense of dignity and purpose that flows to its users. The sanctuary is organized in a cellular-patterned structure around garden courts providing a framework for future expansion as well as spaces for informal interaction and learning.
The building will use sustainable and locally sourced materials and labor. The structural components include mud fire bricks that are made on site; and create a structure that visually grows out of the landscape. The custom brick bond is dimensional, textural, and interwoven, recalling local weaving traditions. The varied arrangements are dictated by the programmatic necessities within each structure to maximize ventilation. The metal roof design accommodates water catchment and is slightly elevated above the enclosed areas to allow for passive ventilation and air circulation. The building form is intended to be flexible ? as the enterprise grows the building form follows that growth."