House of the impluvium, multi-storey house and architectural forms in&nbspCasamance

From the journey of Pavel Nasadil to Senegal

Publisher
Pavel Nasadil
04.05.2012 09:30

Casamance is an area in southern Senegal, named after its large river and lagoon system. Casamance is separated from the larger northern part of the country by a narrow strip of Gambia and is, in comparison, a very poor and neglected region. For over 30 years, there has been a separatist movement here seeking independence for the region from northern Senegal. The place differs from the northern part of the country with its tropical climate, which can produce up to 1500 mm of rainfall during the monsoon season. At the same time, the area is characterized by its ethnic composition, where the unique cultural forms of the Diola tribe are represented by distinctive architectural styles. The climatic conditions and traditional building practices are reflected in the forms of the so-called Impluvium House and the Multi-story House. These two typological forms arise from the need for protection against persistent rains and shield from heat and sunlight. Traditional building techniques have produced architectural forms that, due to civilizational development, are now disappearing, replaced by often foreign and imported architecture. Their remnants can be counted on the fingers of both hands. However, in the last five years, there has been a phenomenon known as Campement Villageois, where these buildings are being reconstructed for the purpose of accommodating visitors and tourists in such a way that the generated income directly contributes to the respective village communities. Tourists, with few exceptions, do not travel to Casamance due to unfounded concerns for their safety.
Houses case á impluvium and case á étages are spread over a relatively small area to the west and north of the region's capital, Ziguinchor. Their inspiring form and simple pragmatic logic of climate protection deserve professional attention and support. Most of the preserved examples are buildings from the second half of the 20th century, some of which are newly constructed designs by French architects with respect for local building culture.
This photo report is a record of my two trips to southern Senegal in February 2011 and 2012, where I had the opportunity to visit the buildings. With the support of French architect Francoise Joliot, who has been trying to design his works in traditional building practices in the region for over twenty years, I decided to document the most significant buildings in Casamance. All of them are easily accessible by local transport (taxi sept place), by bike, or by traditional wooden boat called pirogue. Almost all of them offer comfortable accommodation.

Map of the Basse Casamance region – source: Lonely Planet

Location: ZIGUINCHOR
Object 1: ALLIANCE FRANCO - SENEGALAISE DE ZIGUINCHOR
Function: Cultural center - lecture halls, café, cinema, classrooms, library with reading room, offices, cultural events, concerts
Architect: Patrik Dijarick (France), year 1994

Architecture is completely modern, inspired by traditional forms of case á impluvium, respecting the basic rules of protection against heat, sun, and rain, similar to traditional buildings in Casamance. Three impluvia serve as rainwater collectors. Technologies are partly modern - reinforced concrete, ceramic walls, terrazzo floors with inlays, wood, cardboard, palm and bamboo mats. The garden is fenced with concrete poles painted with hand-made geometric patterns.

Location: AFFINIAM
Object 2: CAMPEMENT VILLAGEOIS, case á impluvium
Function: Accommodation including restaurant
Probably the largest case á impluvium in Casamance. The exterior of the building is quite closed, offering entry through four passages that also ensure cross-ventilation of the house. The technologies used are entirely traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood and mats, doors made of kapok, sand, concrete edging of the impluvium, straw roof.

Location: ENAMPOUR
Object 3: CAMPEMENT VILLAGEOIS, case á impluvium
Function: Accommodation including restaurant, excursions to the surroundings
Traditional Impluvium, reconstructed last year. The technologies used are again traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood and mats, doors made of kapok, sand, concrete edging of the impluvium, a banana tree in the middle, straw roof.

Location: ENAMPOUR
Object 4: CASA GRAN, case á impluvium
Function: Family house
Traditional impluvium, family residence, black kitchen, rice storage. The technologies used are entirely traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood and mats, bamboo, doors made of kapok and corrugated iron, sand, straw roof. No use of concrete.

Location: SÉLÉKI
Object 5: ECO CAMPEMENT, case á impluvium
Function: Accommodation including restaurant
Traditionally built smaller impluvium. Part of the circular floor plan open to the exterior as a restaurant/bar. The technologies used are traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood and mats, sand, concrete edging of the impluvium, a garden in the middle, straw roof. Individual rooms with their own outdoor bathrooms. Energy from solar panels.

Location: OUSSOUYE
Object 6: Aljowe, case á impluvium
Function: Accommodation - 7 rooms and 4 apartments, kitchen, bar, private house and architectural studio, bicycle rental, off-road vehicle rental, excursions to the surroundings.
Architect: Francois Joliot
Construction: in 2004 in 9 months, investment costs 85,000 Euros
Floor area: 650 m²
Land area: 5500 m²
One of the largest impluvia in Casamance. The building with a symmetrical circular floor plan offers accommodation in seven rooms with shared bathrooms or in four apartments with a living entrance, bedroom, and separate bathroom. The house was built by French architect Francois Joliot according to his own design, using local materials and labor. The technologies are again traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, on a concrete foundation slab, combined with raw unfired bricks, hand-crafted palm wood, doors made from a single piece of kapok, straw roof. The interior is partly furnished with recycled materials - e.g. furniture made from tin barrels, old military parachutes as suspended ceilings. The impluvium serves as a garden and also as a pen for the semi-wild antelope of the owner. During the rainy season, it fills completely with water. The homeowner alternates living in France in Nancy and in Oussouye in Senegal. He has cycled the journey from France to Senegal several times. He is currently overseeing the construction of a house for the family of the king of Oussouye, designing a church in Oussouye and a private villa in Dakar.

Location: OUSSOUYE
Object 7: AUBERGE DU ROUTARD, case á impluvium
Function: Accommodation, community project
Very small impluvium. Construction technology is traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood and mats, framed wooden doors, concrete edging of the impluvium, straw roof.

Location: OUSSOUYE
Object 8: CAMPEMENT VILLAGEOIS, case á étages
Function: Accommodation, community project
Multi-story house with a staircase hall, once a family residence, now a small hotel. Technologies used - concrete, unfired bricks, clay plaster, palm wood and mats, bamboo, framed wooden doors, straw roof.

Location: M'LOMP
Object 9: Cases á étages
Function: Family houses with economy and rice storage
Two multi-story houses with a staircase hall in the village square of M'lomp. The technologies used are traditional - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, clay plaster, palm wood, framed wooden doors, straw roof.

Location: M'LOMP
Object 10: Musée Diola, case á impluvium
Function: Museum of Diola culture, community project
The smallest impluvium in Casamance. Construction technology is traditional without the use of concrete - clay walls manually cut to level with a machete, palm wood, doors made of kapok, straw roof, sand, shells reinforced with mortar on the floor. Artifacts of the Diola tribe are hung on the walls.

Location: BANDIAL
Object 11: Cisterns
Function: Rainwater tanks
Construction technology - concrete foundations (marine shells and oyster shells instead of aggregates), palm wood, clay, corrugated iron

Location: various - villages ENAMPOUR, BANDIAL, LOUDIA OUOLOF, LOUDIA DIOLA
Object 12: Residential houses
Construction technology - various, primarily clay walls, palm wood, and straw. Solar energy.

Location: village KAFOUNTINE (beach bar), OUSSOUYE, ILE de EGUEYE, ELINKINE
Object 13: Bars and restaurants
Construction technology - various, primarily palm wood trusses, clay masonry, alternatively unfired blocks, straw on the roof. Solar energy.

Acknowledgments: Lonely Planet, Abibatou Diop - Alliance Franco Sénégalaise, Francois Joliot - Aljowe

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