32° East Arts Centre
Kampala, Uganda
2023
Kampala’s first purpose-built community arts space.
The new home of 32° East, a not-for-profit promoting East African contemporary art and East African artists. The Arts Centre is a focal point for Kampala’s artist community, contemporary art in Uganda and the wider East African region. The hyper-local building is made from earth taken directly from the site. Sandstone from a nearby quarry and timber formwork reused as roof shingles.
Winner of Dezeen’s Cultural Project of the Year 2023.
A series of strata in the elevations reference the steep topography of the site: a solid local stone base, rammed earth above, and then textured brick mediating between walls and roof. Expressive roof forms have been designed to float above the building; the large roof overhangs which provide shade also protect the earth walls below from heavy rain. Horizontal tile details to the rammed earth walls provide further protection. The roof pitch sets at an angle across the plan – lifting up to the highest point to create a clear entrance to the building and give the individual elements direction. This simple twist creates a gentle curve in the roof trusses and a dynamic ceiling in the main space.
“This project is a great example of the ambition to build radically local; of real, meaningful collaboration; and of emphasising process over product. The visionary leadership of 32 Degrees East and the design skills of New Makers Bureau combined perfectly with the technical expertise of Localworks to create a building that will make a real impact on Kampala’s cultural scene.”
Felix Holland, Director-Principal Architect, Localworks
Phase one comprises four artists’ studios, a library (the only specialist art library in Uganda), restrooms, and a flexible café, which will function as an interim gallery and workspace until phase two completes. The flexibly designed, fully accessible building is sited on a slope and arranged around a shaded, step-free courtyard, which creates a visual connection between all spaces, as well as an amenity space for social gathering and overspill space for the making and display of larger works.
Located on the equator, the light conditions in Kampala are extreme so minimising solar gain and creating shaded and cool spaces are a design priority. The building incorporates strategies to temper the intensity of the sun, with the use of slim polycarbonate rooflights for natural daylighting, shutters prioritised over glazed windows, a sweeping roof to provide shade to the courtyard and a bespoke textured open brick ‘hit and miss’ in the façade to create dappled light.
The arts centre can be accessed by vehicle or foot and is adjacent to a large local green space and residential areas. New Makers Bureau has designed built-in seating on the perimeter of the courtyard to encourage impromptu social moments and pauses and window seats are strategically positioned inside to offer views over the nearby green space.
"This project has been a labour of love for so many of those involved. It is a joy to be a part of something that transforms the arts landscape in East Africa, and a physical reminder of the power of community and collaboration across borders. As the first contemporary art centre built for this purpose, 32° East aims to be a home for artists and creative communities to dream freely, create without limitations, and imagine new possibilities for how we live and work together".
Teesa Bahana, Director, 32° East | Ugandan Arts Trust
Phase 1 of the building has been funded by the Sigrid Rausing Trust, Outset Contemporary Art Fund, The African Arts Trust, Arts Collaboratory, Mercedes Vilardell, Linda Mutesi, Shayna Robinson, Susan Rosenberg and John Lazar, Allison and Geoff Ng, Veghte Family, with in-kind support from Roofings Group, who provided materials, and New Makers Bureau who worked on a pro-bono basis.
Sited in Kabalagala, a central district of Kampala, the arts centre will serve as a welcoming and inclusive hub for the contemporary artist community in Uganda, providing three-month residencies, alongside rented studios and a gallery. It will be a dynamic space, providing a diverse set of experiences that engage different audiences and give them opportunities to interact with artists and the art scene in the region.
The single-storey, low carbon building is hyper-local. Following key principles of the circular economy, it is constructed from materials already on the site: two redundant buildings above ground and the ground itself.
The building is made from rammed earth and earth bricks composed of the rich, red-coloured earth that has been extracted directly from the site and sifted and pressed into blocks. Kampala-based Localworks - the region’s expert on earth construction - led the process, operating as the main contractor.
Local eucalyptus timber has been used for the rammed earth formwork and then reused to make the roof shingles. Demolition materials have been reused for fill and as aggregate. The design takes its cues from the built environment and atmosphere of Kampala, for example in its lintels from concrete cast against corrugated metal – a ubiquitous local material.