2021 ‘Empower’ — Architecture Design Competition Launched by UNI to Challenge to design a skill development center for youth
Youth unemployment
There are almost 7,50,000 young adults in Kenya getting into the job market annually, and they form one of the highest numbers getting into the job market worldwide. But the amount of youth that secures a job is only 15 per cen%, which is creating a situation where the amount of potential is higher than the jobs available, which is resulting in social and economical imbalance.
Overall, Kenya’s youth unemployment is higher than the national unemployment average: 17.7 % of youth are unemployed, whereas the national rate is 7.4 %.
Further, 21 % of female youth are unemployed compared to 17 % of their male counterparts. Thus, making Kenya’s most powerful resource a weakness. During 2013, the NEET rate for youth aged 15–34 years was estimated at 29 %, meaning close to 5 million youth was not in education, employment, or training in 2015.
While this issue springs from a much deeper problem of illiteracy, education systems, overpopulation, and resources provided by the region/country, how can we tackle it through the lens of a problem solver and architect?
Empowerment, education, and reform
There are a variety of reasons that are accounting for unemployment, which includes the majority being the lack of education or awareness or both in the youth. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) points out that youngsters who are not in education, employment or training, are especially at risk since they are neither improving their future employability through investments in vital skills nor gaining work experience through employment.
This problem is expected to increase and estimated that the unemployment number will reach 7 million by 2030. Various solutions have been carried out by authorities to withstand this changing trend by introducing various schemes/scholarships and educational programs/activities that would help in the reformation and employment of the youth. These being temporary solutions aid in a few sectors of a region. Can we provide a long-term and growing solution to this issue? How can architecture aid as a solution to this issue? What architectural interventions will aid in the betterment of this solution?
Brief of the Competition
There is a need to create a sustainable approach to educate the youth with marketable skills.
To create and teach such skills to this large number of youth there is a need for a dedicated space that will help them build these skills.
Brief: This challenge aims to create a skill development center for the youth of Kenya.
Space will be focused on creating a community space that will provide the youth with a common platform to gather, work and learn together.
The challenge is to create a space that will aid the process of skill learning and also function as a multifunctional space that will also act as a gathering space for social engagement of the youth under one roof.
Design Objectives
- Multi-functional: Design a center that only teaches but also empowers in form of spaces and accessibility.
- Context: Design to suit the contexts and help the area around the center to make it an all-around and lively space for youth learning and development.
- Collaborative: Create fluid spaces that collaborate with learning and practical experiences.
- Evolve and adapt: Spaces for future needs should be considered and the center should evolve with time.
The above objectives can be a point of beginning to conceive this design. Participants can assume their contexts and a user group based on their concepts and designs.
Site
Location: Roysambu, Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya, a country in East Africa is famed for its scenic landscapes and vast wildlife preserves. It has a large portion of urbanized areas that are growing with development. But with mass migration, the number of homeless people in the country has increased dramatically. There are more than 2 million people without proper shelter of which 50% are children.
The site is located in Nairobi. More than 60,000 homeless children wander the city streets. They live and work on the streets and face grave situations regarding safety, hygiene, and security.
The site is in the central region of the city
The majority of the neighborhood is filled with residential, commercial, and open green lands. The site has a direct connection to major roads on both sides. Placing this typology in a vibrant community will improve the access and reach of youth.
- Site Area: 4020 sq.m
- Height limit: 10 m
- FAR (Floor Area Ratio): 1
- Ground Coverage: 30%
- Coordinates: 1°12'50.3"S 36°53'03.3"E
Area Programme
Design is expected to cater — 100 youths. Space division is as Educational — Engagement areas.
The Spaces are as follows:
- Information space — 5 percent.
- Hands-on learning spaces — 10 percent
- Sitting area
- Pantry
- Washrooms — 10 percent
- Storage rooms — 10 percent
- Community hall — open or closed — 20 percent
- Open areas for skill learning — 20 percent
- Meeting/gathering space — 10 percent
- Workshops — 10 percent
Other ancillary spaces along with additional spaces that the participant wants to include can be included.
Originally published at https://uni.xyz.
