https://soalaajienka.com Soala Lolia Ajienka Sun, 07 Aug 2022 22:15:35 +0000 https://soalaajienka.com en https://soalaajienka.com/Home Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:36:56 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Home Soala Ajienka&nbsp; MArch, MSRED BA (Hons) Cantab &nbsp; About Work  https://soalaajienka.com/About Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:36:56 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/About &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Soala Ajienka MIT SA+P MArch Candidate 2025 BA (Hons) Cantab soala@mit.edu &nbsp;&nbsp;Interdisciplinary musings&nbsp;, clarified and extended&nbsp; The practice of Architecture is a series of questions. The answers we purport are trajectories in reasoning that form the basis of and are influenced by cultural practices. Soala is interested in questions pertaining to Materials and construction, Policy&nbsp; and Law, labor and heritage. As a Masters’ of Architecture Candidate and Graduate Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she will be exploring these questions, treading the bounds of architectural practice to engage in interdisciplinary research and practice.&nbsp; She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at the University of Cambridge in England where she first wrote on the implications of the Global Crude Oil Industry on communities of extraction. Soala’s architectural practice spans across geographies, from Lagos, Nigeria with&nbsp; James Cubitt Architects to London, England with Wright and Wright Architects.&nbsp; Soala’s independent research and experience in the industry have situated her questions and concerns, clarified them and extended them even further.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img width="1591" height="1801" width_o="1591" height_o="1801" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ce060c535612ab6073d377a07fae7472eca2498544486e0716db0784221f44cd/SLA_.jpg" data-mid="150337536" border="0" data-scale="78" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ce060c535612ab6073d377a07fae7472eca2498544486e0716db0784221f44cd/SLA_.jpg" />&nbsp; Home soala@mit.edu https://soalaajienka.com/Work-in-Practice Sun, 07 Aug 2022 22:15:35 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Work-in-Practice Work in Practice &nbsp; Wright and Wright Architects&nbsp; [‘19-21] <img width="1847" height="919" width_o="1847" height_o="919" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/45c2f0b61d28fdf09916968a9d825392222161fca7550fad67bd35f4336e87b1/Proposed-Landscape_.png" data-mid="149847062" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/45c2f0b61d28fdf09916968a9d825392222161fca7550fad67bd35f4336e87b1/Proposed-Landscape_.png" /> <img width="5601" height="5651" width_o="5601" height_o="5651" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a4b106c2066e4d56476f3cb4c9c1552c9696dcf4f33211a4a54a0b99ba6e8a64/Louvre-Details_1.png" data-mid="149846301" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a4b106c2066e4d56476f3cb4c9c1552c9696dcf4f33211a4a54a0b99ba6e8a64/Louvre-Details_1.png" /> <img width="846" height="634" width_o="846" height_o="634" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ae01277c6618778e5ebc0fac7c1422d62fa84cb1ef312936cdcde3643646288e/Louvre-Details_2.png" data-mid="149846638" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/846/i/ae01277c6618778e5ebc0fac7c1422d62fa84cb1ef312936cdcde3643646288e/Louvre-Details_2.png" /> Unlocking the Geffrye - Museum of the Home&nbsp; RIBA Stage 5 I was part of the team that worked on the redevelopment of the Museum of the Home in Hoxton, London. The project was completed in March 2021. I was in charge of incorporating MEP Infromation from the consultants into drawings for issue to the contractor and also responsible for developing a cohesive FF&amp;E strategy for the project.&nbsp; There were certain aspects of the project that had not been resolved fully and I was responsible for designing and developing the construction details for them. One of those details was for a ventilation grille adjacent to the main entrance of the Museum, meant to service the air handling unit (AHU) in the plant room behind. <img width="7522" height="3015" width_o="7522" height_o="3015" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bd85fce303795089628c9d204af6dc1a219680ad9a65185e8cca0a56560076cb/Railing-Details_1.png" data-mid="149846451" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/bd85fce303795089628c9d204af6dc1a219680ad9a65185e8cca0a56560076cb/Railing-Details_1.png" /> <img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4c24c9b3dda14548fbe3db132769d3c63f00d2a8461d787fe9bdefe923716291/IMG_4188.JPG" data-mid="149846771" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4c24c9b3dda14548fbe3db132769d3c63f00d2a8461d787fe9bdefe923716291/IMG_4188.JPG" /> This was another detail developed for construction.The brief was to accommodate reclaimed metalwork from a discarded gate into a nook in the boundary wall of the museum. <img width="792" height="1000" width_o="792" height_o="1000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9cad74ee33ac073bd1948b0f7e0d94cac223b1dbd9de568f272d2b265bc01398/CRYPT-IMAGE-.jpeg" data-mid="149846289" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/792/i/9cad74ee33ac073bd1948b0f7e0d94cac223b1dbd9de568f272d2b265bc01398/CRYPT-IMAGE-.jpeg" /> Furniture, Fixtures &amp; Equipment (FF&amp;E) I was responsible for developing the FF&amp;E for the Museum of th Home Project - responsible for preparing the overall schedule, organising and chairing client meetings, contacting suppliers and preparing room layouts to assist the client in making decisions, Hence, the creartion of a total building, where furniture is considered as part of the design. The role involved responding directly to the design intentions of the spaces and researching historically significant pieces that tied with the building as the Museum of the Home. https://soalaajienka.com/Architectural-Engineering Sun, 07 Aug 2022 22:02:31 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Architectural-Engineering eries of columns, a core and thick cassette floors. Maiden Lane Tower: Timber Frame Construction&nbsp; University of CambridgeArchitectural Engineering Research [‘18 - ‘19] This project done in a group with Final year Structural Engineers was the design of a timber skyscraper in King’s Cross, London. Our proposal was a mixed cohousing, office and retail development across three towers that aimed to push the boundaries of timber construction.&nbsp; Design The guiding principle of the design of the facade, is the expression of the unique physical qualities of timber. It is designed to be as interactive as possible, with windows and interspersed mullions that are not merely visual, but act functionally to mitigate solar gains and maintain a comfortable internal environment. Rather than a monolithic external visual form, the multiplicity of the elements that make up the facade draw from the variety of the internal living spaces. Daylight Vertical and horizontal mullions as well as elements of the truss act as an extensive system of shading mechanisms that allow direct sunlight to bounce off them, diffusing the light incident on the interior. The horizontal mullions in particular, act as light shelves. <img width="3966" height="3508" width_o="3966" height_o="3508" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/03655aebd44243a2f15ef9e3ef8736c9ac8364f142ee3896d8152bdf4e391fe6/Arc_Eng_1.png" data-mid="149842620" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/03655aebd44243a2f15ef9e3ef8736c9ac8364f142ee3896d8152bdf4e391fe6/Arc_Eng_1.png" /> Light Shelf&nbsp; Internal light shelves reflect light onto work plane of upper levels away from the facade. They are supported by the external facade structure. Structure The facade forms two-thirds of the load bearing structure of the building. Large C24 glulam columns at the corners of the three towers work in conjunction with glulam beams, CLT cassette floors and a CLT core. Ventilation Cooler air comes in through top hung ventilators, located at the top of each three floor set and escapes from the bottom of the lowest of the three floors. Planting on the periphery of the floors helps in filtering the air. Triple glazed windows with 50% transmittance are employed to reduce glare and ensure high thermal performance. Insulated CLT panels are used as infill in places that require more privacy. Construction The facade although structural, does not support the entire load of the building. It acts in unison with a series of columns, a core and thick cassette floors. <img width="3946" height="3508" width_o="3946" height_o="3508" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/89ccceafb053a39d2d0bb0123885a4ea00e8ae59383c82c9d26881531f4b7408/Arc_Eng_2.png" data-mid="149842831" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/89ccceafb053a39d2d0bb0123885a4ea00e8ae59383c82c9d26881531f4b7408/Arc_Eng_2.png" /> Facade elements: A. Cassette floor B. Secondary structure with smaller partitions with either - Openable windows or - Insulated CLT panels C. Truss system with vertical columns for lateral stability Structural Connections&nbsp; D. Timber Column to column connection using a steel knife-plate connector to create a fixed connection E. Pinned connection between the truss elements and the main structural columns. https://soalaajienka.com/Where-Fires-Never-Go-Out Sat, 06 Aug 2022 21:49:21 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Where-Fires-Never-Go-Out Where Fires Never Go Out: Challenging the Enclave Narrative of the Nigerian Crude Oil IndustryCambridge UniversityDissertation Research [’18-’19] <img width="2234" height="3651" width_o="2234" height_o="3651" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1c49c8a556b286ce11867a922e2b038e7026d980b4611614f5ce526f7803a1ff/DISSERTATION_IMG1.png" data-mid="149786640" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1c49c8a556b286ce11867a922e2b038e7026d980b4611614f5ce526f7803a1ff/DISSERTATION_IMG1.png" /> This dissertation examines the ways in which the ‘self-contained enclaves’ of the global crude oil industry spill over into Niger Delta communities. Drawing on photographic documentation by George Osodi and my first hand research, I reframe the argument that the localities from which crude oil is extracted are ‘lacking in a sense of place’. I start by identifying the gas flare; as the most visible form of crude oil exploration, and an immaterial phenomenon that evades the walls delineating the enclaves within which itoccurs. Laconic signage punctuates these enclave walls to police the mobility of local inhabitants, going a step further in some cases to impede economic activity. Okrika provides a more in depth study to understanding the ways in which local communities dispossessed of ancestral land, have to adapt to disavow the presence of these enclaves in close proximity. Dispossession is made possible by the laws, acts and ordinances that govern the industry, ignoring community boundaries and ‘secondary’ economies in the process. These legalities are a legacy of the colonial origins of crude oil extraction in Nigeria, and provide precedent for the neo-colonial nature of the industry, where pre-eminence is given to the safe extraction and transport of crude oil,over socio-economic or ecological concerns. Violence and destruction has been employed as a conjecture to the ownership of oil resources, and from 1967-70, characterised the daily life of Niger Delta inhabitants caught between the Nigerian government and the seceding Biafra state. It situated the Niger Delta as a frontier for war, a war between the socio-economic banalities of everyday life, and the exigencies of crude oil extraction. “From whose backyard is it extracted?“ The prosaic world of oil and gas has been overlooked in academic discourse. This has been in favour of the aestheticization of the ontological forms of their commodification; tropes such as derricks, pipelines and rigs, corporate oil, global geopolitics and the phenomenon of paradox of plenty (Appel et al, 2015, p.9-17). This everyday world however, - the family displaced fromancestral land on which a flow station is situated and the security agent at said flow station- is an unseen additive in fuel tanks globally. (Appel et al, 2015. p.28). <img width="3761" height="4901" width_o="3761" height_o="4901" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/61a7c6b954f925098c4ad19c1a790a042dcd36fd6fd87485ea6eb3b140486f8c/refinery-detail-copy.jpg" data-mid="149787009" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/61a7c6b954f925098c4ad19c1a790a042dcd36fd6fd87485ea6eb3b140486f8c/refinery-detail-copy.jpg" /> Although recent conversations about the longevity of the planet have created a demand for more renewable sources of energy, the global lag to disavow crude oil as a non-renewable source, has ensured the critical nature of these spaces of crude oil exploration. Crude oil is the lifeblood of the modern capitalist society, necessary for the production of ‘essential’ goods - from food grown using fertilizers, to clothing made using textiles such as polyester and acrylic, and plastics. To ensure unimpeded supply to the global market, the industry through a set of socio-material practices makes the effort to disentangle itself from local sites of extraction. Mbembe (2014, p.143) theorizes them as ‘offshore’, and their resulting enclaves as offshore cities, whose modular architecture ‘will always be haunted by the very entanglements it claims to sever’. This phenomenon is present in the oil fields of Nigeria, Venezuela, Alberta, Mexico, Equatorial Guinea, etc., but in each of these, they are spatio-temporal, built within localized political economies. The Niger Delta is the collective name for the oil producing areas of Nigeria, a nod to the naturally occurring deltas that form from the Niger River, on which settlements are located. It is an ecologically diverse region, thick with mangrove vegetation that has been threatened by malignant human activities. Activities documented in the poetry, prose and photography of published Nigerian Authors such as George Osodi, Ibiwari Ikiriko, Nnimo Bassey and Helon Habila, which I regard as testimonies concerning the impact of the extraction of crude oil on life in the region. These works are paradigmatic examples of ‘petroculture’ – in the same category as Abdelrahman Munif ’s Cities of Salt (1984) - which according to Feldner (2018, P.518), is located at the ‘intersection of postcolonialism and ecocriticism and links such geographically dispersed places as Nigeria, Alberta, Siberia and Ecuador in the attempt to write the importance and ubiquity of fossil fuels into the cultural and social imaginaries of the global North and South’. My dissertation seeks to examine the ways in which the ‘self-contained enclaves’ of the global crude oil industry spill over into Niger Delta communities. It orientates attention towards the seemingly commonplace and normalised aspects of the global oil assemblage: local socioeconomic interactions, National oil companies, laws, and institutions that allow the industry to function. <img width="3876" height="2831" width_o="3876" height_o="2831" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2dbe7fa70b9f74ab9381df027d2b63bf8bff96c8d48f299bbb8851d6bb5cef2e/okrika-map.png" data-mid="149787095" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2dbe7fa70b9f74ab9381df027d2b63bf8bff96c8d48f299bbb8851d6bb5cef2e/okrika-map.png" /> <img width="4724" height="2853" width_o="4724" height_o="2853" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b8927ae2ff2a0cf27b9c104908a74227b454e6708c184d296b7f5a2f84d5f0c1/REFINERY-SECTION.png" data-mid="149787144" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b8927ae2ff2a0cf27b9c104908a74227b454e6708c184d296b7f5a2f84d5f0c1/REFINERY-SECTION.png" /> <img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/12ebb4f306ad78c032bdededf71baf689cc8dae4bd15ab270b60c7e335270558/IMG_9909.JPG" data-mid="149839337" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/12ebb4f306ad78c032bdededf71baf689cc8dae4bd15ab270b60c7e335270558/IMG_9909.JPG" /><img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9360e4fe8dc963587cd69a5b40030ac29829d168df9fa4301000408e12f81c13/IMG_9958.JPG" data-mid="149839338" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9360e4fe8dc963587cd69a5b40030ac29829d168df9fa4301000408e12f81c13/IMG_9958.JPG" /><img width="3264" height="2448" width_o="3264" height_o="2448" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/714deb140b8cf46e162d3d6d489646ed4478518e1fd752e92f5e33bfef0239be/IMG_9986.JPG" data-mid="149839339" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/714deb140b8cf46e162d3d6d489646ed4478518e1fd752e92f5e33bfef0239be/IMG_9986.JPG" /> https://soalaajienka.com/PG-21 Mon, 20 Jun 2022 03:16:39 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/PG-21 Play GardenCompetition[‘21] Enter  Think of little children exchanging thoughts between fits of laughter, their feet grazing blades of grass as they play on a sunny day, in a space that is many things to them; a happy place, a place of play, a place for creativity, a place of learning and the foundation for unlocking their vast developmental potential. A report released by the Ethiopian Ministry of Education in 2014 highlighted that only 25% of Ethiopia’s 7.4million children of pre-school age could attend school. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out by the United Nations, covers this pressing issue extensively. Goal Number 4 on equitable education, necessitates the creation of sensitive learning spaces that ensure the effective delivery of equitable, quality learning. Our project for Hiddi and Dillu in Ethiopia, aims to build on the foundation the charity Abay Ethiopia have laid, by creating a replicable preschool that prioritises creative and collaborative learning and community development. https://soalaajienka.com/PG-Work Mon, 20 Jun 2022 08:36:31 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/PG-Work Play GardenCompetitionGroup Project [’21] <img width="1695" height="724" width_o="1695" height_o="724" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d6b6897221080bdd9b50207a9c32ed30f5ab403013fb84c728119ccecfd7d48f/Scene-1.png" data-mid="145923967" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d6b6897221080bdd9b50207a9c32ed30f5ab403013fb84c728119ccecfd7d48f/Scene-1.png" /> Phased DevelopmentThink of little children exchanging thoughts between fits of laughter, their feet grazing blades of grass as they play on a sunny day, in a space that is many things to them; a happy place, a place of play, a place for creativity, a place of learning and the foundation for unlocking their vast developmental potential. A report released by the Ethiopian Ministry of Education in 2014 highlighted that only 25% of Ethiopia’s 7.4million children of pre-school age could attend school. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set out by the United Nations, covers this pressing issue extensively. Goal Number 4 on equitable education, necessitates the creation of sensitive learning spaces that ensure the effective delivery of equitable, quality learning. Our project for Hiddi and Dillu in Ethiopia, aims to build on the foundation the charity Abay Ethiopia have laid, by creating a replicable preschool that prioritises creative and collaborative learning and community development. <img width="2279" height="3791" width_o="2279" height_o="3791" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6adc68231c3e0f21cc3df7f94d373249e1401c3bfa3fccfaf30013559f1b7f5a/Phased-Development.png" data-mid="145928299" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6adc68231c3e0f21cc3df7f94d373249e1401c3bfa3fccfaf30013559f1b7f5a/Phased-Development.png" /> &nbsp; Design Strategy &nbsp;<img width="4584" height="872" width_o="4584" height_o="872" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a46e62aa23315d154ef01024c5b0fc9898826583db807cae8d9aa31753432f21/Strategies.png" data-mid="145925817" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a46e62aa23315d154ef01024c5b0fc9898826583db807cae8d9aa31753432f21/Strategies.png" /> <img width="4360" height="3357" width_o="4360" height_o="3357" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a9bd1a52722aadfc29393e6f6b595ddec88ee9607182c22aa3a9f535dcad0424/Plan-Drawing.png" data-mid="145926170" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a9bd1a52722aadfc29393e6f6b595ddec88ee9607182c22aa3a9f535dcad0424/Plan-Drawing.png" /> &nbsp;<img width="3382" height="748" width_o="3382" height_o="748" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/78e87eed283b3ffe445cc5356da95240e5e838aefbe336a54967b5f40b483281/Elevations-A.png" data-mid="145928997" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/78e87eed283b3ffe445cc5356da95240e5e838aefbe336a54967b5f40b483281/Elevations-A.png" /><img width="3386" height="748" width_o="3386" height_o="748" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5864cb9e74a2fb56bb401ea916722f2683c349b922f6c6fef14b915a840f9c70/Elevations-B.png" data-mid="145928996" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5864cb9e74a2fb56bb401ea916722f2683c349b922f6c6fef14b915a840f9c70/Elevations-B.png" /> PROPOSAL The Play Garden aims at encouraging the curiosity and imagination of children through play and sustained contact with the natural environment. It’s simplest unit is a module adaptable to the programmatic needs of a classroom, kitchen, and dining, nestled in a productive landscape. For the classroom, the module gives way to a decentralised series of spaces to the scale of a child, with access through a perforated veranda abutting a semienclosed area for informal learning. This leads to the fully enclosed learning area, lined on the exterior with an open street, used both as a route and as an inhabitable space. This module is a replicable form that allows for simultaneous learning and play, and it draws from Ethiopian education culture, hinged on interaction-based activities for children, including traditional games and songs. <img width="1424" height="2005" width_o="1424" height_o="2005" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b135a5c1d6557aab8a49f1a84c517263a5de4a83d26e835dab4d0418efbd7ee9/Section-F.png" data-mid="145930454" border="0" data-scale="84" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b135a5c1d6557aab8a49f1a84c517263a5de4a83d26e835dab4d0418efbd7ee9/Section-F.png" /> <img width="1848" height="1909" width_o="1848" height_o="1909" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c12c4fea887f9bf721d2d06279b288437b307005f7e64f867d9cd83c271d5893/Classroom-Section-2.png" data-mid="145934373" border="0" data-scale="87" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c12c4fea887f9bf721d2d06279b288437b307005f7e64f867d9cd83c271d5893/Classroom-Section-2.png" /> <img width="3152" height="1945" width_o="3152" height_o="1945" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a577a2ab1905d54ad859b72e163c4c2623fabc745757560cee3afb708f78a925/corridor-view.png" data-mid="145934626" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a577a2ab1905d54ad859b72e163c4c2623fabc745757560cee3afb708f78a925/corridor-view.png" /> <img width="3264" height="2029" width_o="3264" height_o="2029" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a5cbc6ff1843342726e5ded1e56b99093fb9a742f7de2af50ce203ebf5572a09/long-section.png" data-mid="145934502" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a5cbc6ff1843342726e5ded1e56b99093fb9a742f7de2af50ce203ebf5572a09/long-section.png" /> CONSTRUCTION The spaces are made possible by a careful interplay of Eucalyptus wood, bamboo and interlocking compressed earth blocks, chosen for their ease of use and availability in Walmara. Mono-pitched metal roofs further allow for an efficient water collection strategy, through a sandfiltration system into a storage tank underneath the courtyard. By building on known construction methods, members of the local communities are empowered with skills through socially responsible practices that efficiently manage community resources. The goal is to foster a sense of inclusiveness within the community through the intersection of responsible developmental practices and education. We want to promote a culture of education that allows for self-expression through play, whilst upholding the tenets of Ethiopian culture. <img width="1920" height="1906" width_o="1920" height_o="1906" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/60e7b8cc8650a5cec44bfc2d07e340d5ac993eadd16794747132d4d7f22cf4b0/Entrance-Space_Revised.png" data-mid="145935629" border="0" data-scale="89" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/60e7b8cc8650a5cec44bfc2d07e340d5ac993eadd16794747132d4d7f22cf4b0/Entrance-Space_Revised.png" /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<img width="1488" height="1735" width_o="1488" height_o="1735" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2eaca4a17e9651ab78bb60eabe9fc1e5009d86327017020f3caa119c417f9c29/entrance-section.png" data-mid="145935855" border="0" data-scale="82" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2eaca4a17e9651ab78bb60eabe9fc1e5009d86327017020f3caa119c417f9c29/entrance-section.png" /> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img width="4800" height="1781" width_o="4800" height_o="1781" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e7a8068eefaa45144f207e98f06da9a4a137d22d92f3c70a0b70a7857f9443e7/Large-Axo-for-classroom.png" data-mid="145929255" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e7a8068eefaa45144f207e98f06da9a4a137d22d92f3c70a0b70a7857f9443e7/Large-Axo-for-classroom.png" /> <img width="3508" height="7875" width_o="3508" height_o="7875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d14337c5a74a932da777abcf32519b916d95b2da45f54a18bf056ffcc4725398/Modules.png" data-mid="145859301" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d14337c5a74a932da777abcf32519b916d95b2da45f54a18bf056ffcc4725398/Modules.png" /> <img width="1695" height="900" width_o="1695" height_o="900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/949d3462e8ece7c9a5d270d4ef16271219aae5b7580af6e96de715a4d50b9efc/Scene-2_.png" data-mid="145935923" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/949d3462e8ece7c9a5d270d4ef16271219aae5b7580af6e96de715a4d50b9efc/Scene-2_.png" /> https://soalaajienka.com/Musings Sun, 19 Jun 2022 22:12:10 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Musings MUSINGS Column entry for Out of Frame _Traipsing through Boston in 1783 Excerpt "….the horizon is peppered with the first signs of American flags. Paddocks, horses&nbsp; and overgrown grass characterise the path on which I am treading (Fig.1). The horse I am on is old, but its gait is firm, reminiscent of an active, hard-fought life. I am donning military garb,&nbsp; alluding to a past of which I am a part. There are groups gathered in small numbers and I can only speculate about what they are discussing. Reeling from the losses and wins just recorded or hopeful for a more peaceful future. I traipse through them, neither acknowledging their presence nor apologising for breaking their conversation. At least they see me and move out of the way. A fort appears in the horizon. It is an unusual one because my encounter with forts in other cities are as relics, leftover features from the past. This one is recent, still inhabited...” Column entry for Out of Frame _The City &amp; Global Economy [’21] Excerpt As Saskia Sassen unravelled her argument on the identity and constituents of a Global City, I could not help but make associations drawn from personal experience. A set of these experiences are rooted in the territorialisation of petroleum extraction and the creation of situations within which the global is localised. There is an allusion here to the source implications of the culture of consumerism we discussed last week that necessitated a particular approach to design. “Global cities are centres for servicing and financing international trade, investment, and headquarters operations. That is to say, the multiplicity of specialized activities present in global cities are crucial in the valorisation, indeed over-valorisation of&nbsp; leading sectors of capital today.” (The Global City) Column entry for Out of Frame _Planetary Environment &amp; Map of Operations [’21] Excerpts “…to suddenly become aware of one’s own putrescence, to be forced to live intimately with one’s own death, contemplating it as a real possibility” “…if you eat corn and it’s a lot, you will sneeze. If you walk in the rain and it beats you, you will sneeze. If it gets into your body, you will sneeze. So forget about sneezing. There is no place we can’t stand, there is nothing like covid-19. As a person, I don’t know what covid-19 is, I have never seen it.” ‘suddenly’ in the first assertion by Mbembe jumps out as peculiar. Seemingly, the world has forgotten the possibility of death. Perhaps some cannot. The second quote is from a ‘man on the street’ interview of a hawker carried out by a Nigerian news station looking to question why a significant proportion of the Nigerian population did not believe that covid-19 existed in its early days and why the concept of lockdowns were so foreign that you’ll be laughed out of a room if you vehemently made a case for them with graphs and statistics at your fingertips. A place where the daily sustenance of over 60% of the population is predicated on their ability to leave their homes and engage their corpus with the ‘outside’ socioeconomically -&nbsp; an ‘inside’ for some not existing, to draw from the duality painted by Barber (Barber D., p.47). When the extended ‘footprint’ - to borrow from Graham et al - of those ‘suddenly becoming aware of their putrescence’ is laid out&nbsp; to the fullest extent, it implicates the people for whom ‘outside’ is a necessity. My aim here, which I will explain further, is not to contrast the implications of wealth and a lack thereof or to entangle myself with the politics of Covid-19 in the US, but to present a parallel to Barber’s bid for an after comfort, in societies where discomfort is daily life. Architects’ Journal _AJ Sketchbook: Soala Ajienka [’21] Excerpt My first composition when the lockdowns kicked in was the cheese plant in our living room, which we gave the moniker Kashka V. It was perched on a stool in a corner of the room, illuminated by a red lamp. It was my first attempt at embroidery, one of many crafts I reached for in the months that followed. I began to see my everyday differently, taking pleasure in the new leaves that emerged from my thriving plants, paying close attention to them, like a helicopter mom.... <img width="2408" height="3401" width_o="2408" height_o="3401" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b56f6fa3ad13b1e7f0143a46cd17354b5ab3a7a5fdefff497014b544facb6052/SA_AJ-6.jpg" data-mid="145841939" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b56f6fa3ad13b1e7f0143a46cd17354b5ab3a7a5fdefff497014b544facb6052/SA_AJ-6.jpg" /> _ https://soalaajienka.com/Resume Sun, 19 Jun 2022 03:11:26 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/Resume Soala Ajienka Resumé MIT SA+PMArch Candidate 2025BA (Hons) Cantab soala@mit.edu Experience Graduate Research Assistant Massachusetts Institute of Technology ︎Cambridge MA, USA [Jan ‘22 - present] Summer InternshipKennedy Violich Architects Ltd︎Boston MA, USA [Jun ‘22 - Aug ‘22] Part I Architecture Graduate Wright and Wright Architects︎London, United Kingdom [Sept ‘19 - Aug ‘21]&nbsp; Projects: Redevelopment of the Museum of the Home, Hoxton, London Lambeth Palace ,London Joining the Museum of the Home project at construction stage meant that I had the opportunity to take charge of consolidating the Mechanical and Electrical consultant information and preparing construction drawings for issue to the contractor. Coordinated the Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&amp;E) package for the project, through organising client workshops, preparing furniture layout images and liaising with suppliers.Proffered solutions for access, accessibility and space use maximisation, feeding into visuals for client presentations and reports for the Masterplan project.&nbsp;Developed and Implemented a series of social media campaigns that illuminated the rich portfolio and approach to architecture of the practice through well curated visuals and write ups. These campaigns have led to a 50% increase in online impact of the company.&nbsp; Work Experience James Cubitt Architects︎Lagos, Nigeria [Aug ‘18 - Sept ‘18] Projects: JTL Properties, Lagos&nbsp;Developed submissions for competitions and bids, using hand sketches, computer programmes such as Revit and Adobe creative suite, to prepare visuals for client presentations. Designed the form and character of courtyard areas for a housing development project with limited available green space. Attended weekly site visits to a project for a new headquarters for a major financial institution in Ikoyi, Lagos. This was to gain a better understanding of building practices and the relationship between the architect and contractors on site in the Nigerian construction industry. Set Designer TEDxNewnham ︎Cambridge, United Kingdom [Oct ‘17 - Feb ‘18] Appointed as head set designer for the first TEDx event in collaboration with a Cambridge College (Newnham College) after a thorough application process. In charge of organizing workshops with the TEDxNewnham coordination team to develop stage design ideas for the event, including audience activities. Procured and produced the materials that constituted the stage set. Work Experience CAP Architecture Consultants ︎Port Harcourt, Nigeria [July ‘17 - Aug ‘17] Responsible for preparing visuals for client presentations. In charge of writing up minutes of site visits for small scale, new build and refurbishment residential projects. Education Massachusetts Institute of Technology&nbsp; ︎Cambridge MA, USA [Sept’21 - Present] &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Awards: &nbsp; &nbsp;Graduate Architecture Fellowship&nbsp; Masters of Architecture - 5.0 GPA Contributor to Out of Frame [oof], a student run online publicationBuilding Energy Modelling&nbsp; Urban Building Energy Modelling Student Admin at MIT Department of Architecture HQ Newnham College, University of Cambridge&nbsp; ︎Cambridge, United Kingdom [Oct’16 - June ‘19] &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Awards: &nbsp; &nbsp;Anne Clough Award for Academic Excellence &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Rosalind Yuping Foo Award for Architecture&nbsp; BA (Honours) in Architecture -First Class&nbsp;Dissertation - WHere fires never go out: Challenging the Enclave&nbsp; v&nbsp; Narrative of the Global Crude Oil Industry in the Nigerian Niger Delta RIBA Student Mentoring Programme [2018-2019] at AC Architects, Cambridge. This involved working closely&nbsp;with architects to gain an understanding of architectural practice in England, accompanying the lead architect on site visits, reviewing drawn construction information and sitting in for design briefing meetings. Design Workshops in Naples and Venice, Italy (2017)Design Charrette with Spencer de Grey of Foster &amp; Partners to address: Homelessness in the city of Cambridge and Debate in times of conflict in the wake of BrexitArchitecture Society (Arcsoc): Mentor for B.A. Architecture applicantsNewnham College Badminton Society (First Team)Sponsorship and Liaisons Officer of the Cambridge University African-Caribbean Society, CUACS (2017-2018): In charge of contacting potential sponsors, drawing up sponsorship contracts and ensuring that a cordial relationship was maintained between the society and sponsors. Ashbourne Independent College ︎London, United Kingdom [July ‘14 - May ‘16] &nbsp;&nbsp; Awards: &nbsp; &nbsp;Academic scholarship (2014-2016) &nbsp; &nbsp;Ashbourne Gold Award for Fine Art (2016) &nbsp; &nbsp;Council for Independent Education (CIFE) Creative Arts Award (2016) A levels: A*A*A*A in Mathematics, Physics, Fine Art and History of ArtExtended Project Qualification - Design research thesis project titled ‘Architecture and Environmental&nbsp;Sustainability: A Historical Analysis and a&nbsp; Contemporary Overview’ Art Workshops in Paris and Vienna (2014, 2015) Charles Dale Memorial International School ︎Port Harcourt, Nigeria [Sept ‘08 - June ‘14] &nbsp; &nbsp;Awards: &nbsp; &nbsp;Full academic scholarship (2008-2014) &nbsp; &nbsp;6-year consecutive award for the most outstanding student &nbsp; &nbsp;Informatics Olympiad - Gold Medallist (2012-2013) IGCSE: A*A*A*A*A*A WAEC Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination: A1 A1 A1 A1 TOEFL iBT - 111/120 Nigerian International Secondary Schools Model United Nations (MUN) (2013) - Representing the Bahamas at the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Languages English French Native/ Bilingual Proficiency Limited Working Proficiency https://soalaajienka.com/AJ-Sketchbook-21 Sun, 19 Jun 2022 23:14:58 +0000 Soala Lolia Ajienka https://soalaajienka.com/AJ-Sketchbook-21 AJ Sketchbook: Soala Ajienka Read here My first composition when the lockdowns kicked in was the cheese plant in our living room, which we gave the moniker Kashka V. It was perched on a stool in a corner of the room, illuminated by a red lamp.It was my first attempt at embroidery, one of many crafts I reached for in the months that followed. I began to see my everyday differently, taking pleasure in the new leaves that emerged from my thriving plants, paying close attention to them, like a helicopter mom. <img width="3380" height="2373" width_o="3380" height_o="2373" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/22d87c52d253618881ffde5bed4848b0cdf8f3b9b791cf0b559558571150f192/SA_AJ-1.png" data-mid="145841186" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/22d87c52d253618881ffde5bed4848b0cdf8f3b9b791cf0b559558571150f192/SA_AJ-1.png" /> <img width="3076" height="2175" width_o="3076" height_o="2175" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/140db80d7fda6bf2f83e2079c63a3b6b7ceb32ed7add2571862aa4740086c3af/SA_AJ-2.png" data-mid="145841617" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/140db80d7fda6bf2f83e2079c63a3b6b7ceb32ed7add2571862aa4740086c3af/SA_AJ-2.png" /> Our flat dinners became my new idée fixe, a mid-week routine that soon became a ritual. Each dinner was commemorated with a quick sketch: there were pen drawings with streaks of gouache to highlight items of interest, reimagined realities brought to life with detailed acryic pieces. <img width="4537" height="3208" width_o="4537" height_o="3208" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cf396576dacdfa749c94b2e87f0fd57d82e0edf7b9685cd0e00016887bca42b7/SA_AJ-3.png" data-mid="145841616" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cf396576dacdfa749c94b2e87f0fd57d82e0edf7b9685cd0e00016887bca42b7/SA_AJ-3.png" /> <img width="3508" height="2481" width_o="3508" height_o="2481" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e973e2c7a5a5f9e11c12091a6baf33c1902e7aa62c132c3d4bf9543d07d6afa4/SA_AJ-5.png" data-mid="145841609" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e973e2c7a5a5f9e11c12091a6baf33c1902e7aa62c132c3d4bf9543d07d6afa4/SA_AJ-5.png" /> <img width="3508" height="2481" width_o="3508" height_o="2481" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/619ae12585717e72ca25df87f58ca25bff667ea61294508355e8cb9a818663e1/SA_AJ-4.jpg" data-mid="145835852" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/619ae12585717e72ca25df87f58ca25bff667ea61294508355e8cb9a818663e1/SA_AJ-4.jpg" /> “...In retrospect I realise green was my lodestar; the rich emerald of an empty wine bottle, an over-ripe lime, or the edge of a leaf peeking through crevices. Three lockdowns in and a series of (un)finished projects later, the simple act of pen on paper underpins moments of reprieve from the screen. Between lockdowns my sketchbook has been a trusty companion on site visits to projects I have worked on. From dwelling briefly in the gardens at Lambeth Palace Library, observing the way the trees seemed to wrap around the buildings, to tracking a frolicking duck in the pond from the entrance hall, sketching was my way of keeping records of closely held sentiments at any point in time.” <img width="2408" height="3401" width_o="2408" height_o="3401" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b56f6fa3ad13b1e7f0143a46cd17354b5ab3a7a5fdefff497014b544facb6052/SA_AJ-6.jpg" data-mid="145835855" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b56f6fa3ad13b1e7f0143a46cd17354b5ab3a7a5fdefff497014b544facb6052/SA_AJ-6.jpg" />