01
Approach
Act Now
We have to act now, as there is no time to wait while our environment goes through drastic changes. Our aim is to design and build climate friendly buildings. Nowadays people are seduced with all kinds of luxury and create wealthy artificial surroundings. We believe in a different kind of wealth and comfort through building in a natural balance. Our designs follow natural principles of physics to keep you warm, dry or shaded.
We work on projects that cooperate with their environment. The international building practice can transform only step by step. Inspiring examples will be followed by others. In our projects you will see a variety of climate friendly approaches. Some clients were ready to go all in, others will set their first steps, together we grow. Overtime we build a community that act on its promises and supports each other to rebalance the earth.
02
Impact
Design wise, store CO2
Every design question has a natural answer. It can take more effort than you like, but we search for it. Using materials that sequesters CO2 over its lifespan before transforming it into a building material is one example. Another important focus in our designs is doing serious research of the physics around a building. Through smart design decisions the amount of technical installations can often be substantially reduced.
You can solve many problems through making sensible design choices in the first place. Together with the client we decide to what extent of building naturally we can go. We talk about the use of local materials, using the wind and sunlight in creating comfortable spaces and turn these qualities into innovative design proposals.
03
Responsibility
In search of balance
In our work we are inspired by the African philosophy Ubuntu: "I am because we are." If you extend it with Desmond Tutu's words: "because the earth is" an important responsibility of all mankind is addressed. Towards the earth, towards each other and towards ourselves. As architects we step up to take this responsibility to our daily practice. We are aware that the build environment has a long way to go, but we strive for improvement. An example is our search for local high quality materials. In Uganda we set up the value chain for bamboo building materials with our partners of Bamboo Uganda.
You can compare our work with that of a top level chef who grows her own herbs and veggies. We aim for high quality bamboo poles and therefore we have to start at the farm. Through these extensive collaborations we work hard to create a sustainable building practice that is in balance with its direct environment.
04
Inspiration
Curiosity
Nature captivates us every day. In so many ways we can be inspired by the intelligence of little flowers, the beautiful bark of a tree or patterns that birds have in their feathers. We keep our eyes open to learn and turn this inspiration into pragmatic solutions within our designs. You might have seen it before (it looks fun..) but architects often "touch" buildings.
Well, so do we, curiosity is in our fingers, in our touch. For us architects feeling a material or rhythm contributes to the set of inspirations we work from. The last years we have been captivated by the intriguing possibilities of bamboo. This material has capacities that we can only dream of. In our work we find ways to learn from these natural materials, to synchronize with them. Together we can balance our lives with our environment.
05
Cross overs
Open connections
Our studio has a special privilege. We have experience in the build environment in two continents: Africa and Europe. Through different stories our team members have a warm heart for the African continent. The team and partners of Studio Akeka are now located in the Netherlands and Uganda. We can tap inspiration from both experiences in new projects. The cross over of cultural influences is one of our design essentials that is very dear to us.
Where for example African countries bring in the necessity of using smart physics on multiple levels, Europe paves the way in sustainable high tech solutions. In Africa our work is currently focused on Uganda. Several projects are running, like a restaurant out of bamboo near Bwindi Impenetrable forest. In Europe we are bringing in our experience with bamboo through a series of pavilions in city centers like Brussels and Eindhoven.