Architecture studios Hassell and Localworks have collaborated with the creative platform To.org to create a performing arts centre for the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda.
Constructed from earth bricks, the Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre is intended as a creative outlet for the community, which is home to more than 250,000 displaced people, making it the largest refugee settlement in Africa.
The Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre has opened in Uganda
It is designed by Hassell and Localworks as an amphitheatre-like building, positioned on the border with a neighbouring Ugandan village, with access points from both sides.
While providing a creative outlet, To.org said it is hoped to unite these "communities through music and dance" and help refugees heal from the trauma they have experienced. It is designed for the Bidi Bidi refugee settlement
"At To.org, we have been planning this performing arts centre since the team visited Bidi Bidi in 2018," said CEO Nachson Mimran.
"Back then Bidi Bidi was the youngest and most rapidly growing refugee settlement in the world, and from the people we hung out with there, we learned that there was a deeply felt need for creative outlets across the settlement," he told Dezeen.
Its form is modelled on an amphitheatre
The Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre's positioning on the border between the two communities aligns with existing pathways on each side and ensures the building feels like a shared space.
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