Polyphony - A school of languages
Languages are essential modes of communication with members of present society and with cultures across time. Legacies of colonisation, however, have led to an increasing number of languages going extinct with English becoming a “global language”.
This project aims to platform the diversity of languages in our world and utilise the learning and sharing of them as a way of representing communities often forgotten in English-centered discussions. The learning of a language also instills learning of the values, traditions, and relationships people have with the world around them, advocating for more inclusive and therefore, more sustainable practices. Languages will also extend beyond just humans, to that of non-humans, materiality, and structure, to build long-term connections between people and the environment, as well as consider the building life cycle.
Programmatically, this building consists of classrooms, an amphitheater, a library, a cafe, and a staff room. Their structure is such that it encourages non-human habitation and re-wilding. The thatch roof, for example, is designed to support spaces of nesting. As nests are protected by law, a symbiotic relationship is created where the building protects the birds by providing them refuge, and the birds protect the building from future demolition. Over time, the building becomes a center for rewilding with the structure returning back to the landscape.
To truly meet the SKN agenda, the building looks to low-tech Passivhaus solutions for services such as water filtration, electricity, and heating, but also considers how each one can be celebrated as actors with their own voices. The water filtration system, for example, is linked with landscaping and structure strategy through reed beds and ponds. Each step provides a habitat for non-humans but also uses natural methods to filter water which is reused.
