'cassia coop training centre' by TYIN tegnestuen architects, sumatra, indonesia
image © pasi aalto
all images courtesy of TYIN tegnestuen architects
french businessman patrick barthelemy approached norwegian practice TYIN tegnestuen architects with a briefcase full of cinnamon and a plight for laborers in sumatra living and working in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. this region of indonesia is responsible for 85% of the global production of cinnamon, however farmers and locals are forced to work long days under poor conditions. just over a year later the 'cassia coop training centre' was completed, giving a safer, sanitary and most importantly ethical facility for the community as a fair socially functioning enterprise with proper wages, healthcare and education.
a foot print of 600 square meters is covered with a tilted floating timber and corrugated metal canopy. the massive roof plane is designed to block out sun rays with deep eaves in addition to sheltering a naturally ventilated space and allowing the light wood construction to create the feeling of being in the lush forest. the site finds two durian trees right in the middle, left to grow freely through an open central courtyard that serves all surrounding spaces. locally crafted bricks rest on concrete foundations, delineating rooms under the collective roof. the cinnamon tree trunks, normally disregarded by the locals, were collected used throughout the construction, most notably for the doors and windows. the individual masonry buildings house a classroom, laboratory, offices and a kitchen, in what is expected to improve the quality of life of its users.
durian tree in the middle of the courtyard
image © pasi aalto
the project, built in around three month's time, was constructed with a large labor force of 70 local unskilled workers, eight water buffaloes and an on-site saw mill. being prone to frequent earthquakes, each component is structurally independent and possesses differing material frequencies, which so far have withstood more than one earthquake measuring over a magnitude of five on the richter scale.
foldable windows add a contemporary feel and functional pragmatism
image © pasi aalto
two durian trees
image © pasi aalto
an open floor plan creates a type of miniature infrastructure of buildings under the same floating roof
image © pasi aalto
the floor is a combination of stones, concrete, and tiles
image © pasi aalto
image © pasi aalto
village local
image © pasi aalto
windows contain cinnamon stocks to help filter out direct light and add texture
image © pasi aalto
image © pasi aalto
local
image © pasi aalto
inside one of the larger buildings
image © pasi aalto
image © pasi aalto
separate structure
image © pasi aalto
(left) cinnamon infill creates a texture in a window
(right) the material contrast between natural stone and rock tiles
image © pasi aalto
the floating roof's light wood structure connects to the ground without inhibiting the flow of space
image © pasi aalto
window detail on the masonry wall
image © pasi aalto
exterior of facility sitting on a concrete foundation
image © pasi aalto
approach
image © pasi aalto
large sloping roof plane
image © pasi aalto
window detail
image © pasi aalto
floor plan / level 0
section
section
elevation
elevation
project info:
location: sungai penuh, kerinchi, sumatra, indonesia
client: cassia co-op
project: training facility for cinnamon production
cost: 30,000 euro
time: august - october 2011
built by: tyin tegnestue with local workers
sponsored by: link arkitektur
architects: gjermund wibe, morten staubo, therese jonassen, kasama yamtree, andreas gjertsen, yashar hanstad
students: rozita rahman, bronwyn long, sarah louati, zofia pietrowska, zifeng wei
