RAYS OF LIGHT .

SEETA grocery market is an old local market serving a large community of people. It is located in Seeta, a village about 19km east of Kampala. The inspiration for the design was to create a ‘large home’ for the community that functions as a comfortable enabling proper day and night shopping. The architectural ambition is not programmatically prescriptive, but rather to inspire the community to inhabit spaces in multiple and creative ways, to (literally) think outside the box.The thick, earthen, undulating external walls stop short of the roof allowing the flow of fresh air to cool down the spaces. Direct sunlight is filtered through the roof in selected areas filling the space with comfortable levels of natural light. The landscape and architectural design are in complete harmony with each other. Free-flowing forms resonate in the landscape design in a fluid, This objective is taken seriously in the design by literally creating a space for nature. Another ambition of this project is to improve biodiversity, despite the construction, and to (re-) create indigenous forests, whilst ensuring human activities on the land is sustainable, practical, and enrich the overall environment. These goals are being achieved through conservation agriculture, soil regeneration, and sustainable indigenous timber plantations.Material-wise, the design makes use of bricks sustainably fired with coffee husks. Using brick as a primary material follows the brick is available close to the site, ages well, and is easy to handle. Direct sunlight is filtered through the roof through the overhead skylight windows, and the butterfly roof design allows enough daylight to areas filling the space with comfortable levels of natural light at all periods of the day, This allows for a sustainable lighting system throughout the daytime.The direct roof skylights are a VELUX product that effectively allows a reduction in energy use with the utilization of natural light.The Butterfly roof allows for Air movement in and out of the marketplace as it allows efficient aeration into the marketplace. This ensures a comfortable indoor climate throughout the year.There are no windows, and instead, the building envelops filters light in various ways; perforations in the brickwork, a gap between walls and roof, a high-level roof vent with a skylight, and ‘Liters of Light’ illuminating the area. The roof cover is made of zinc-al roof sheets supported by Eucalyptus trusses, and the ceiling is made of purpose-designed handmade ‘Mukeka’ reed mats.