Connecticut, New Haven - From December 11 to December 13, AETS was delighted to participate as a member of the final jury for the course ‘Advanced Design Studio: Dwelling Ecologies - Community, Construction, and Collaboration in a Changing Climate’, taught at the Yale School of Architecture.
A prestigious jury, made up of renowned architects such as Guillaume Koffi, Francis Kéré, Anna Dyson, Matthew Rosen and Russel Katz, was invited to analyse the students' projects. These projects focused on innovative and sustainable solutions to contemporary issues such as climate change, urbanisation and the design of habitats adapted to the challenges of the future. One of the key projects was the Ebrah sustainable city project, located in a lagoon village near Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire. This project embodies an innovative approach to urban ecology and community integration. The Ebrah project is located in the Grand-Bassam region, a strategic area bordered by a tropical mangrove forest, a lagoon and the ocean. Proposed as an alternative to haphazard urbanisation, it aims to reassess traditional models of urban development by incorporating local materials and sustainable design at all scales.
AETS, which specialises in the technical and financial structuring of low-carbon projects in Africa, is supporting the firm Koffi & Diabaté in the development of the Ebrah project. The firm, founded by Guillaume Koffi & Issa Diabaté, who is also one of the professors on the course, is renowned for its commitment to architecture that combines tradition and modernity, while placing particular emphasis on respect for the environment. The Ebrah project, which integrates a housing estate into a vast urban development in progress, is characterised by the use of locally sourced coastal materials and a desire to experiment with urban ecosystems adapted to climatic and social challenges. This collaboration offers a unique opportunity to explore the flow of materials, water, energy and other essential resources through the prism of sustainable housing, while developing strategies to create a sense of ‘home’ for potentially uprooted populations.
By working directly with the ‘architect-developers’, the students on the ‘Dwelling Ecologies’ course were able to examine fundamental questions linking architecture and material culture: Why do we live? How can design support housing needs in a changing world? In a context where modern urbanisation often erases biodiversity in favour of rigid structures, the project encourages the exploration of hybrid methods, integrating traditional knowledge and contemporary innovations. For example, it involves reassessing notions of human safety and material durability in the face of climate upheaval, by promoting rigorous life cycles for the materials used.
Listening to the students' presentations and contributing its expertise, AETS praised the initiatives taken by the students and the Ebrah project, which provide a concrete illustration of the possibility of creating sustainable habitats in harmony with their ecosystem. This type of collaboration, bringing together the academic world and development players, underlines the importance of a shared vision for shaping the urban future while respecting climate and social issues.