Niamey 2000, Niger urban housing, African Residential Design, Architect, Building Photos
Niamey 2000, Niger urban housing, Africa
24 June 2022
Design: united4design / Yasaman Esmaili, Elizabeth Golden, Mariam Kamara, Philip Straeter
Location: Niamey, Republic of the Niger, West Africa
The design takes a firm position on material selection by using unfired earth masonry and passive cooling techniques:

Photos: Aboubacar Magagi
Aerial view of the six single-family units corresponding to the first phase of the project:

The Niamey 2000 project is a direct response to the current housing and socio-economic conditions found in the city of Niamey:
Each unit offers a bedroom, living and dining rooms, storage, and indoor and outdoor kitchens on the ground floor. The upper floor contains two bedrooms, an outdoor laundry and a terrace:
The project proposes a new model for urban housing and establishes a model for local development. Living spaces open out onto self-shading courtyards, which are cooled by both cross and stack ventilation.
View of the upstairs terrace:

To combat housing shortage amid rapid urban expansion, this prototype housing seeks to increase density while remaining compatible culturally.
Six family units, each on two floors and provided with outdoor spaces on the ground and upper floors, occupy the same footprint as a conventional single-family compound.
Each family unit contains two floors with outdoor spaces on the ground and upper floors:

Each unit conta...