Solar Village

Cabiri, Angola 2012

The outer spaces of the Solar Village are organized and characterized according to their functions, while sharing the same principles of minimum impact on the landscape and cost containment of implementation.

The design includes outer spaces of common use to the whole village - squares, market, jangos and sports fields - outer spaces of common use to village's nucleus – squares and small living areas - and also some public outer spaces of more restricted use - playgrounds, vegetable gardens and school playing fields.

The outer pavements should provoke a minimal soil sealing, so in most areas should only be done soil stabilization. In the areas where a higher load of trampling is predicted, it might be used an inert material, like concrete blocks or slabs, but they should be applied with open joints to guarantee some permeability.

Small walls in compressed soil blocks will be built, in order to organize the public outer spaces. These will work as benches as well.
The vegetation to be introduced, with the exception of agricultural species, shall be limited to the arboreal stratum, which shall create a structure that, in addition to promoting shading as a means of easing the spaces, will help to organize and prioritize different areas.