The next generation of African architects and designers | Christian Benimana

校对人员: XU Gloria

我人生中最长的旅途

发生在 2002 年，

那一年我才 19 岁。

The longest journey that I have ever taken.

那是我第一次乘坐飞机，

也是我第一次离开我的国家，

That was in 2002.

I was only 19 years old.

卢旺达。

我得去上千公里远的地方

It was the first time I had ever been on an airplane

and the first time that I had left my country,

去追寻一个梦想。

一个我从小就怀揣着的梦想，

Rwanda.

I had to move thousands of kilometers away

那就是成为一名建筑设计师。

to follow a dream.

A dream I have had ever since I was a child.

在当时的卢旺达， 这个梦想是遥不可及的。

And that dream was to become an architect.

在那时，整个国家都没有任何建筑院校。

所以当我获得了去中国学习的奖学金后，

That was impossible at the time in my country.

我离开家人，抛下了过去的生活，

There were no schools of architecture.

只身来到了上海。

So when I got a scholarship to study in China,

这是一段非常奇妙的经历，

这个国家的建筑业正在蒸蒸日上。

I left my life and my family behind

and I moved to Shanghai.

我的新家上海，

It was an amazing time.

正在快速地变成一个 摩天大楼林立的城市。

This country was going through a major building boom.

中国正在改变。

许多世界一流的工程 向我们展现了她蓬勃发展的新面貌，

Shanghai, my new home,

was quickly turning into a skyscraper city.

令人惊叹的宏伟现代建筑比比皆是。

China was changing.

World-class projects were built to convey a new image of development.

但是，在这些华丽的外表下，

Modern, striking engineering marvels were going up literally everywhere.

是许多被剥削的农民工，

无数人背井离乡，

But behind these facades,

造就了这些大工程。

exploitation of huge numbers of migrant workers,

这种快节奏的发展

也带来了严重的污染，

massive displacement of thousands of people

困扰着当今的中国。

made these projects possible.

时间快进至 2010 年，

And this fast-paced development

also contributed significantly to the pollution

我回到了卢旺达。

我发现卢旺达的经济发展模式 与我在中国所看到的类似。

that is haunting China today.

Fast-forward to 2010,

这个国家正经历着人口和经济的增长。

when I went back home to Rwanda.

There, I found development patterns similar to what I saw in China.

城市的发展， 基础设施和房屋建设带来的压力

The country was and still is experiencing its own population and economic growth.

正处于巅峰，

因此，

这里也正面临着大规模的建设热潮。

The pressure to build cities, infrastructure and buildings

这也是整个非洲正在面临的现状，

is at its peak,

and as a result,

there is a massive building boom as well.

以下是背后的原因。

到 2050 年， 非洲的人口将会增长一倍，

This is the reality across the entire continent of Africa,

达到 25 亿。

and here's why.

到那时，

By 2050, Africa's population will double,

整个非洲大陆的人口数量将仅仅略小于

reaching 2.5 billion people.

现在的中国和印度相加的总和。

At this point,

the African population will be slightly less than the current population

基础设施和楼房要容纳下这么多人，

of China and India combined.

这是史无前例的。

The infrastructure and buildings needed to accommodate this many people

我们粗略估计，到 2050 年，

我们需要建造过 7 亿住房，

is unprecedented in the history of humankind.

We have estimated that by 2050,

30 多万所学校

we have to build 700,000,000 more housing units,

和将近 10 万个医疗中心。

more than 300,000 schools

让我来解释一下这是什么概念： 

and nearly 100,000 health centers.

在接下来 35 年内的每一天，

我们需要建成 7 家医疗中心，

Let me put that into perspective for you.

25 所学校

Every day for the next 35 years,

和将近 6 万住房，

we have to build seven health centers,

每天如此。

25 schools

and nearly 60,000 housing units each day,

我们要怎样才能达成这些目标呢？

是不是将要模仿像我在中国时所看到

every day.

那种不可持续发展的模式？

How are we going to build all of this?

或者我们是否可以

Are we going to follow a model of unsustainable building and construction

构建一个非洲特色的， 可持续发展的模式？

similar to what I witnessed in China?

我相信我们可以的，

Or can we develop a uniquely African model

我知道一些非洲人正在做这件事。

of sustainable and equitable development?

举一个尼日利亚的建筑师 Kunlé Adeyemi 的例子，

I'm optimistic we can.

他的工作是改善那些 沿海超级城市的贫民窟。

I know Africans who are already doing it.

比如 Lagos 的 Makoko，

Take Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi for instance,

在那里，成千上万的人们 居住在水上临时搭建的

and his work in slums of coastal megacities.

高脚屋里，

Places like Makoko in Lagos,

这里没有政府建设的基础设施 或者其他服务。

where hundreds of thousands of people live in makeshift structures on stilts

这个社区正面临着全球气候变暖 和海平面上升的威胁。

on water,

without government infrastructure or services.

然而，住在这儿的居民们心灵手巧，

A community at great risk of rising sea levels and climate change.

拥有强大的生存意志。

Kunlé 和他的团队 设计了一种学校范式，

And yet, people who live here are examples of great ingenuity

能够适应上升的海平面。

and the will to survive.

这就是 Makoko 学校。

Kunlé and his team have designed a prototype school

它是一个漂浮的模型结构，

that is resilient to rising sea levels.

也适用于诊所，住房，市场，

This is Makoko School.

以及这个社区需要的其他基础设施。

It's a floating prototype structure that can be adapted to clinics,

这是一个富有创造力的方案，

保证了在 Lagos 海域上的居住安全。

to housing, to markets

and other vital infrastructure this community needs.

这是 Francis Kéré，

It's an ingenious solution

that can ensure this community lives safely on the waters of Lagos.

他在他的家乡

Burkina Faso 工作。

Kéré 和他的团队 使用传统建造方法设计了些项目。

This is Francis Kéré.

He works in the country where he comes from,

在社区里，

Burkina Faso.

Kéré and his team have designed projects that use traditional building techniques.

他们已经完成了学校的范式设计，

就和这个国家的

所有村落中每一个项目一样， 整个社区会帮忙

Kéré and his team working in the communities

一起参与建造工作。

have developed prototype schools

that the whole community,

孩子们提供地基的石头，

similar to every project in the villages of this country,

女人们给砖块制作打水，

comes together to build.

所有人一起夯实泥地。

Children bring stones for the foundation,

与社区合作，

women bring water for the brick manufacturing,

Kéré 和他的团队提高了建筑质量，

and everybody works together to pound the clay floors.

配备了足够的照明和通风设备。

Working with the community,

这些建筑既能满足需求，

Kéré and his team have created projects that function better,

也很有艺术感。

with adequate lighting and adequate ventilation.

在过去的七年，

我的工作是 MASS 设计组的一名建筑师。

They're appropriate for this particular context

MASS 是在卢旺达 成立的一个设计公司。

and really, really beautiful as well.

For the past seven years,

我们去过非洲的很多城市， 并在那里工作过，

I have been working as an architect at MASS Design Group.

对更能促进平等和可持续发展的

It's a design firm that began in Rwanda.

建筑实践项目更加关注。

We have worked in several countries in Africa,

马拉维就是其中的一个国家，

focusing on this more equitable and sustainable model

这个国家有着壮丽又广阔的风景，

拥有高耸的山峦和富饶的谷地，

of architectural practice,

and Malawi is one of those countries.

但它也是世界上孕产妇死亡率 最高的国家之一。

It's a country with beautiful, remote landscapes

with high-peak mountains and fertile valleys.

马拉维的孕妇要么在家分娩，

But it also has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world.

要么长途跋涉去最近的诊所。

A pregnant woman in Malawi either gives birth at home,

每三十六名孕妇中， 就会有一名在分娩过程中丧失性命。

or she has to walk a really long journey to the nearest clinic.

在马拉维，

And one out of 36 of these mothers dies during childbirth.

MASS 设计组的团队

设计了 Kasungu 孕妇临产村落。

这里住着六周之内将分娩的女人。

In Malawi,

with our team at MASS Design Group,

we designed the Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village.

她们会得到产前护理服务，

了解营养学和家庭规划的知识。

This is a place women come to six weeks before their due dates.

与此同时，她们也与其他准妈妈

Here they receive prenatal care

和她们的家人们组建了一个社区。

and train in nutrition and family planning.

Kasungu 孕妇临产村落的设计

At the same time, they form a community

借鉴了马拉维村落本地的建筑类型学，

with other expectant mothers and their families.

并使用了简易的材料和方法建造。

The design of the of Kasungu Maternity Waiting Village

borrows from the vernacular typologies of Malawi villages

砖块使用本地土壤建造，

and is built using really simple materials and techniques.

这降低了建筑的碳足迹，

The earth blocks that we used were made from the same soil of this site.

不过最重要的是，

这些房子给准妈妈们提供了 一个安全且有尊严的场所。

This reduces the carbon footprint of this building,

这些例子说明了建筑和设计

but first and foremost,

it provides a safe and dignified space for these expectant mothers.

是解决复杂问题的有力手段。

These examples show that architecture and design

不仅如此，

have the power and the agency to address complex problems.

这也证明了我们能够为社区提供

有效的问题解决方案。

But more to point,

不过有这三个例子还远远不够，

that we can develop a model of effective solutions

三百个也不够。

for our communities.

我们需要非洲所有的建筑设计师

But these three examples are not enough.

300 more examples will not be enough.

不断创造千千万万的例子。

We need a whole community of African architects and designers

今年五月，

我们在 Kigali 开展了 有关非洲建筑的座谈会，

to lead with thousands more examples.

邀请了很多非洲顶尖设计师

In May of this year,

和建筑教育工作者。

we convened a symposium on African architecture, in Kigali,

and we invited many of the leading African designers

我们有着相似的经历。

我们都曾离开故土，

and architectural educators working across the continent.

We all had one thing in common.

出国留学。

这需要改变。

Every single one of us went to school abroad

如果我们想提出非洲独特的解决方案，

而不是试图将基加利转型成北京，

and outside of Africa.

This has to change.

或将拉各斯转型成深圳，

If we are to develop solutions unique to us,

我们就需要一个社区，

这能构筑起下一代 非洲建筑师和设计师

rather than attempting to turn Kigali into Beijing,

对于设计的信心。

or Lagos into Shenzhen,

we need a community

（掌声）

that will build the design confidence of the next generation

of African architects and designers.

(Applause)

去年九月，

我们成立了非洲设计中心，

开始了这个社区的建造。

In September last year,

十一个非洲的伙伴加入了我们，

we launched the African Design Centre

to start building this community.

这是一个为期 二十个月的设计建造合作项目。

We admitted 11 fellows from across the continent.

在这里，他们将学习如何面对挑战，

比如城市规划和气候变化，

It's a 20-month-long, design-build fellowship program.

就像 Kunlé 和他的团队所做的一样。

他们与社区合作，

Here, they are learning to tackle big challenges

去做出有创意的建筑方案和实施计划，

such as urbanism and climate change,

as Kunlé and his team have.

就像 Kéré 和他的团队所做的一样。

They're working with communities

他们学着去理解好的建筑对健康的影响，

to develop innovative building solutions and processes,

与我们在 MASS 设计组

as Kéré and his team have.

过去几年研究的目的相同。

They're learning to understand the health impact of better buildings

这个团队最荣耀的时刻

是他们设计建造出了 一个真实落地的项目。

as we at MASS Design Group have been researching

for the past several years.

这就是他们设计的项目，

The crowning moment of the fellowship

Ruhehe 小学。

他们设身处地，理解当地人面临的困境，

is a real project that they designed and built.

This is Ruhehe Primary School,

因此发现了解决方法，

the project they designed.

比如使用当地火山石筑墙，

They immersed themselves in the community to understand the challenges

让孩子们尽情玩耍，积极学习。

but also uncover opportunities,

like using a wall made of local volcanic stone

他们评估了环境指标，

并设计出了能最大化利用 自然光的屋顶系统，

to turn the entire campus into a space of play and active learning.

还改善了建筑的声学性能，

They evaluated the environmental conditions

Ruhehe 小学将于今年开始破土动工。

and developed a roof system that maximizes daylight

and improves acoustic performance.

（掌声）

The construction at Ruhehe Primary School will begin this year.

今后的数月内，

非洲设计中心的工作人员 将与 Ruhehe 社区合作，

(Applause)

手把手指导当地人进行建造。

And over the coming months,

当我们问工作人员，

the African Design Centre fellows are going to work hand-in-hand

离开非洲设计中心团队之后 他们想做什么，

with the Ruhehe community to build it.

南非的 Tshepo 说，

他想把这种全新的建筑理念 引进他的国家，

When we asked the fellows

what they want to do after their African Design Centre fellowship,

所以他准备在约翰内斯堡 开设一个私人企业。

Tshepo from South Africa said

Zani 想为女性争取 更多成为工程师的机会。

he wants to introduce this new way of building into his country,

so he plans to open a private practice in Johannesburg.

在加入非洲设计中心之前，

她在内罗毕帮助建立了

Zani wants to expand opportunities for women to become engineers.

一个旨在改变女工程师 遭受不平等待遇现状的组织，

Before joining the African Design Centre,

她希望将这一举措在非洲发扬光大，

she helped start, in Nairobi,

an organization to bridge the gender gaps for women in engineering fields,

甚至扩展至全球。

Moses 来自于南苏丹，

and she hopes to take this movement across Africa,

那世界上最年轻的国家，

他想要成立当地第一个理工学院，

eventually the whole world.

教授人们如何用当地材料建造房屋。

Moses, from South Sudan,

the world's newest country,

wants to open the first polytechnic school

Moses 下定决心成为一名建筑师，

that will teach people how to build using local materials from his country.

当地频繁的内战 影响了他的建筑教育生涯。

Moses had to be determined to become an architect.

当他申请加入非洲设计中心时，

The civil war in his country frequently interrupted his architectural education.

我们能听到他的视频通话背景中 传出的枪声。

At the time he was applying to join the African Design Centre,

但即使身处内战中，

we could hear gunshots going off in the background of his interview call.

Moses 仍坚持认为

建筑能重新将社区联结起来。

But even in the middle of this civil war,

Moses hangs on to this idea

你很难不被他的想法激励：

that architecture can be a way to bridge communities back together.

伟大的建筑能为非洲

未来的建设带来改变。

You have to be inspired by this fellow's belief

非洲史无前例的发展机遇不能被忽视。

that great architecture can make a difference

on how the future of Africa is built.

想象非洲未来的城市

The unprecedented growth of Africa cannot be ignored.

并非广阔的贫民窟，

而是最具适应能力的，

也是全球最有社会包容性的地方。

Imagine Africa's future cities,

but not as vast slums,

这是可实现的。

but the most resilient

我们有能力使它变成现实。

and the most socially inclusive places on earth.

但要培养出应对未来任务的能力，

This is achievable.

And we have the talent to make it a reality.

就像我自己走过的路一样，

并非一蹴而就。

为了非洲有创新精神的下一代领导者们，

But the journey to ready that talent for the task ahead,

like my own journey,

我们需要让这条路更短，更快捷。

is far too long.

For the next generation of African creative leaders,

但最重要的是——

我需要反复强调这一点——

我们需要建立起他们对设计的信心，

we have to shorten and streamline that journey.

并协助他们创造出真正属于非洲人，

But most importantly --

and I cannot stress this enough --

但又具有全球影响力的解决方案。

we have to build their design confidence

十分感谢。

（掌声）

and empower them to develop solutions that are truly African

but globally inspiring.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)