ACCESS TO EDUCATION, CLEAN ENERGY AND WATER AS BASIC ELEMENTS

OF BUILDING GREEN FUTURE ON THE EXAMPLE OF CHILDREN'S CENTER IN

THE GAZA STRIP
Barbara Widera Wroclaw University of Technology, barbara.widera@pwr.edu.pl
Faculty of Architecture

Fig 1: ARC and MCA, The Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012 ARC
WHICH ARE YOUR ARCHITECTURAL (R)SOLUTIONS TO THE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
CHALLENGES OF TODAY?
Research summary
This paper presents bioclimatic architectural solution applied in the childrens education center
located in Um al Nasser in the Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territory) and called the Childrens Land (La
Terra dei bambini). The edifice was developed in purpose to create safe, healthy and comfortable
educational facility for the children. The authors of the project: ARC Architettura e Cooperazione in
cooperation with MCA Mario Cucinella Architects, were focused on providing local people (especially
children and women) with access to water as well as introducing clean energy and renewable
resources into the challenged area of the Gaza Strip. These elements were perceived as basic factors
contributing to the idea of building green future. Preventing further destruction of the ecosystem was
also very important for the project. The earth-bag technique was used in purpose to construct the
building in a very short time and to take advantage of locally available, cheap materials. The aim of
the paper is to show how this innovative low-cost and low-tech structure promotes the
environmental safety in balance with contemporary technology and with respect to the local culture
which leads to the establishment of new, sustainable and replicable architectural model. The paper
analyzes the relations between indigenous tradition and bioclimatic strategies. Presented approach
provides appropriate and feasible solutions to the social, environmental and economic challenges of
the Gaza Strip, but can be also followed in other regions.
Keywords: improving life quality, bioclimatic design, educational facility, access to water, clean energy
1. Introduction relations between indigenous tradition and
bioclimatic strategies.
The aim of this paper is to present new Finally, the intention of the paper is to show
methods and techniques of bioclimatic design, how proposed architectural solutions allow to
oriented towards establishing safe, promote the environmental safety in balance
comfortable and healthy learning environment. with contemporary human needs which leads
Such actions are especially important in areas to the establishment of new, sustainable and
affected by problems of inequalities in terms of replicable architectural model.
access to water, energy and sanitation
facilities. In these places development of new
building typologies dedicated to education is a
necessity. It contributes to creation of new job
opportunities and consequently to the
improvement of the quality of life.
The subject of the research is the innovative
architectural solution that was applied in the
childrens education center located in Um al
Nasser in the Gaza Strip (Palestinian Territory)
and called the Childrens Land (2012) (Fig 1).
The authors of the project: ARC Architettura e
Cooperazione in cooperation with MCA Mario
Cucinella Architects developed the edifice in Fig 2: Difficult life conditions in Um Al Nasser,
purpose to create sheltered, hygienic and Palestinian Territory, demanded improvement,
convenient educational facility for the children. especially in terms of creating safe place for
children. Photo ARC.
Providing local people (especially children and
women) with access to water as well as
introducing clean energy and renewable
2. The idea of Childrens Land
resources into the challenged area of the Gaza
Strip were perceived as basic factors
2.1 Access to educational and health facilities
contributing to the idea of building green
The design concept of the childrens center
future.
emerged in response to the request of the
The paper describes pioneering strategy that
local community. Bedouins from Um Al Nasser,
allowed to overcome the resource shortage
a village situated in the northern part of the
(water, raw materials, energy) and
Gaza Strip, wanted to provide a safe access to
simultaneously to deal with vital problems like
educational and health facility for their
recycling and energy efficiency. The response
children and women (Fig 2). They asked for
provided by the authors combines traditional
international help and addressed their request
building materials and low-cost techniques
to Vento di Terra, Italian non-government
with cutting-edge technologies which results
organization that operates in the border
with the optimal performance of the building.
territories defending human rights and the
Elements of design for local context and
environment, giving citizenship to childhood,
identity were involved as relevant aspects of
when it has been violated (Vento di Terra
the project and thus the paper analyzes the
2011). In response to this appeal Vento di
Terra, in cooperation with ARC and MCA,
developed a project of the Childrens Land.
Italian architects and specialists in the area of
bioclimatic design undertook the challenge to
create safe, healthy and comfortable
educational facility for the children. At the
same time they aimed to provide local
community with access to clean energy and
water.
Some of the most important aspects of the
design were proper adaptation to local climate
and culture. That involved the necessity to
propose a new building typology for the Gaza
Strip, as due to the lack of urban and
architectural planning in this region schools are
usually built without proper design and
educational activities are difficult to carry out
in stuffy, overheated classrooms (Widera
2014).
Fig 3: ARC and MCA, Plan of the Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012 ARC.
The newly erected educational complex
needed efficient natural ventilation combined
with cooling/heating system to ensure
appropriate indoor air temperature, so that the
children could focus on learning in a pleasant
ambience. Correctly lighted and ventilated
classrooms improve the indoor comfort and do
not generate extra costs. Consequently, the
whole learning process is more effective (Lepik
2011).
Schools designed with an understanding of
how the brains and minds of children respond
to the attributes of spaces and places can lead
to enhanced learning. Such research is adding
to our architectural knowledge base an
understanding of how daylight, acoustics, air
quality, and views of nature are deeply
influential on the cognitive processes of
children (Eberhard, 2007). Specialists from
Vento di Terra trained local teachers and
helped to develop new educational programs,
that involve meta cognitive learning and
problem solving skills oriented towards
achieving targets. Finally strengthening
proactive role of women and building positive
relations between a mother and a son are
perceived as vital part of youngest children
education.
The single floor building of the childrens
center is organized around open courtyard and
divided into two areas (Fig 3). The first zone is
public and more open, while the other one is
dedicated to private life of the small
community of children and women. Proposed
division follows the simple schedule commonly
used in local dwellings described further in the
text.
Within a total area of 400 m2 the childhood
center houses: reception and deposit,
management office, library, teachers room,
surgery, women center, bathrooms, collective
hall and multifunctional area. There are 6
indoor classrooms for about 150 pupils. Each
classroom has 25 m2 of surface area and
provides comfortable learning space for 25
children.
The educational function has been completed
with 4 outdoor classrooms, intended for
reading, playing, participating in creative
workshops, symbolic and logical games,
developing social and psychomotor skills, etc.
In Um al Nasser kindergarten children learn
basics of Arabic, English and mathematics to
continue their education in primary school.
Additionally, the Childrens Land is featured
with a counselling desk for families and
provides educational activities focused on
issues of health and peace. The health and
hygiene workshops are supervised by the
Palestinian Medical Relief with an intention to
teach local community how to prevent
intestinal infections and their proliferation
among preschool age children (Vento di Terra,
ARC, MCA 2012).
Finally the authors of the project had to
overcome one more challenge that arose from
the attitude of some opponents who were not
convinced that educational facility for the
children should be priority when people
struggle to get food and fresh water (Aburawa
2012). Therefore a series of meetings and
discussions was carried out in purpose to
explain local community the importance of
education as a substantial factor of building
green future in the region.
Fig 4: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al
Nasser, 2012. Rainwater collection is a crucial part
of the project. ARC.
2.2 Access to clean water and energy
The location of the Childrens Center in the
Gaza Strip was inextricably linked to a major
challenge of water pollution and the shortage
of potable water sources. According to
approximate statistics 40% of inhabitants have
no access to clean water and the real numbers
can be even worse (Aburawa 2012). Therefore
it was absolutely crucial for the project to
provide fresh water supply for the Childrens
Land with the benefit of the whole community
of Um al Nasser. To achieve that goal the
authors designed efficient rainwater harvesting
and water recycling system (Fig 4).
Fig 5: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012. Long section presenting rainwater harvesting and
phytopurification system. ARC.

Fig 5: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012. Long section shows phytodepuration and water
recycling system. ARC.

The rainwater is harvested on the roof and

stored in an underground tank. Greywater is
delivered through the pipe system to the
phytodepuration basin (about 80 cm deep).
The basin is located in the central part of the
open yard. It is filled with pebbles and with
aquatic plants (macrophytes e.g. Phragmites
australis) that provide biological purification of
water. The pre-treatment of wastewater allows
to avoid the substrate occlusion.
Phytodepuration process proposed by Mauro
Lajo is based on subsurface flow system. It is
safe for human health as well as for the
environment and allows for effective water
recycling (Fig 5).
Apart from the shortage of water in the Gaza
Strip there are many challenges connected to
extremely limited access to most of resources.
Electric energy is produced with the old,
inefficient generators that consume plenty of
fuel and cause serious environmental
pollution. The energy blackouts result with
other complications, especially in hospitals and
schools as their work is regularly disturbed.
To deal with these issues and provide the
Childrens Land with the source of clean energy
the authors introduced the photovoltaic
system, which, although not the cheapest, was
the only logical and environmentally safe
Fig 6: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al
Nasser, 2012. Photovoltaic installation. ARC
solution in these circumstances. The roof slope
angle was chosen to provide optimal location
for the photovoltaic installation (Fig 6).
3. Bioclimatic approach
In polluted area of the Gaza Strip preventing
further destruction of the ecosystem was a
critical issue for the project. ARC in
cooperation with MCA developed bioclimatic
strategy oriented towards minimization of
negative environmental impact and promotion
of the new attitude towards building without
pollution in the whole region (Vento di Terra,
ARC and MCA, 2012). The Childrens Land was
erected with an intention to establish new
sustainable and replicable model for the
schools and kindergartens. The most important
element of bioclimatic approach was to take
maximum advantage of local bioclimatic
conditions and therefore to achieve optimal
adaptation of the building to the climate.
The authors of Um Al Nasser kindergarten
decided that the structure must be created as
an easy to explain, low-tech and low-cost
system. Decision to build a school complex
employing bioclimatic architecture criteria was Fig 7: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al
driven by the need to use readily available and Nasser, 2012. Earth-bag technique. ARC.
cheap local resources (Vento di Terra, ARC,
MCA, 2012). Only locally obtainable and
environmentally safe materials were taken into
account.
In effect a hypogean building, partially located
beyond the ground level was developed. Such
choice allowed the classrooms to take
advantage of thermal inertia of the soil that
protects interiors against both winter cold and
summer heat (Minke 2012). The system was Fig 8: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al
completed with earthen walls. Thermal mass Nasser, 2012. Simple roof structure set on earth-
was created in purpose to store energy and to bag walls. ARC.

Fig 9: ARC and MCA, Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012. Double roof system supports natural ventilation
and rainwater collection. ARC.
regulate the temperature inside. The earth-bag
technique, first used by Nader Khalili in the
1980s, was applied as one that was cheap and
based on locally available materials. This
simple method allowed to erect the building in
a very short time, even by the people without
advanced construction knowledge (Fig 7, 8).
The bags were filed with earth, put layer by
layer to form walls and then pressed for
stabilisation with the simplest tools (or just by
feet). Ready walls were plastered with clay and
lime. A double layered roof was constructed
with iron bars and covered with trapezoidal
iron sheets. Thermal mass of earthen walls and
floors was successfully combined with natural
ventilation. Double roof supports convection
and fastens hot air elimination from the
classrooms (Fig 9). In consequence an optimal
hygrothermal comfort was achieved.
4. Inspirations from local culture.
To make sure that the project can be
Fig 10: ARC, MCA, Childrens Land in Um al Nasser, 2012. Sheltered inner courtyard with greenery. ARC.
understood and accepted by the community,
the authors showed a lot of respect to the local
culture. To establish the balance between
tradition and modernity, popular form of
Bedouin tent was translated to the language of
contemporary technology. Similarly to the tent
The kindergarten grows from the desert
(Vento di Terra, ARC, MCA, 2012). However,
instead of being a temporary structure, the
earth-bag walls are strongly connected to the
ground. Organized around the central court,
with greenery and rainwater collection, the
complex resembles a sheltered oasis (Fig 10).
That illustrates one of the main ideas of the
project, i.e. to provide safe access to water,
where the children can learn and play in spite
of the difficult situation around. The folded
roof is shaped analogously to the cloth
covering the tent. Wooden louvers that
protect classrooms against excessive insolation
and overheating may be compared to
horizontal lines of the Bedouin homes. Finally,
the space division in the Childrens Land
reflects traditional sections typical for the
Bedouins shelters, where the public zone is
accessible for the guests and the private part is
restricted for the family.
5. Conclusion
The three essential elements of building green
future were presented and discussed on the
example of the Childrens Land in Um al
Nasser. Providing children with an access to
education, potable water and clean energy
were the most important goals of the project
and all of them were achieved. A
contemporary learning and health facility was
created exclusively with the use of locally
available resources and solutions safe for the
natural environment.
The paper described how low-cost and low-
tech methods were innovatively intertwined
with contemporary technology in purpose to
develop modern edifice, strongly based on the
local traditions and culture. It is important to
emphasise that proposed ideas and
techniques, although not absolutely new in the
global scale, were truly innovative for the Gaza
Strip. For example the rainwater harvesting,
water recycling and phytodepuration were not
practiced in this area before. The sum of
applied methods provided tailor made solution
for that particularly challenged area. As a result
replicable model of bioclimatic architecture for
the Palestinian region was established.
It is worth to underline that local community
was strongly involved in the building process
and acquired innovative technical skills. People
learned not only how to erect a green building
with very limited resources but also how to
look after the edifice once it is finished
(Aburawa 2012).
The approach presented in the paper resulted
with appropriate and feasible solutions to the
social, environmental and economic challenges
of the Gaza Strip. However, proposed methods
should be perceived as a valuable inspiration
for other regions with similar problems.
6. Acknowledgments
The author of the paper sincerely
acknowledges support from ARC Architettura
e Cooperazione and MCA Mario Cucinella
Architects, who are the promoters of green
future and authors of the project, which was
the subject of the presented research.
7. References
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Gazas Green School Architect.
http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/04/mario
-cucinella-interview-with-gaza-green-school-
architect (access: 14 February 2015).
Eberhard, J.P. 2007. Neuroscience and the
sustainable school. In: Ford, A. Designing the
sustainable school, Mulgrave: Images Pub., 8-9.
Lepik, A. 2011. Moderators of change - architecture
that helps. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz.
Minke, G. 2012. Building with Earth: Design and
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Walter de Gruyter.
Vento di Terra. 2011. Our Commitment.
http://www.ventoditerra.org/en/who-we-are/
(access: 31 March 2015).
Vento di Terra; ARC - Architettura e Cooperazione;
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Um Al Nasser: Architettura di pace per
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Widera, B. 2014. Educational And Cultural
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