以充分包容的心做設(shè)計(jì)

Designing with Plenty of Tolerance

在軍事基地上修建圖書(shū)館，需要的不僅僅是一種有形的結(jié)果，還有過(guò)程——讓參與圖書(shū)館修建的士兵們能夠從中學(xué)到新技能，從而讓他們更容易回到平民身份的生活。

從1983年到2009年，在超過(guò)1/4個(gè)世紀(jì)的時(shí)間里，斯里蘭卡一直在殘酷的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中掙扎。一方面是斯里蘭卡的政府軍，另一方面是力圖在斯里蘭卡北部建立獨(dú)立王國(guó)的泰米爾叛軍武裝。這場(chǎng)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)造成了8萬(wàn)～10萬(wàn)人喪生，數(shù)十萬(wàn)人逃離家園。

政府軍中有一個(gè)名叫辛哈的重要軍團(tuán)。該團(tuán)由24個(gè)營(yíng)組成，駐扎在首都科倫坡東北45km處的安貝普瑟軍事基地。團(tuán)中有許多在戰(zhàn)事后期才入伍的17、18歲年輕士兵。他們中大多數(shù)人都出身貧苦家庭，入伍前無(wú)一技之長(zhǎng)。如何重新整合這一大批年輕人，是斯里蘭卡政府在內(nèi)戰(zhàn)后需要面對(duì)的重大難題之一。軍方意識(shí)到了自身的責(zé)任，并推出了各項(xiàng)舉措，以期為這些士兵的未來(lái)開(kāi)辟新的道路。而軍方的這一舉措與政府長(zhǎng)期致力于將斯里蘭卡轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)橹R(shí)型社會(huì)的想法不謀而合。于是，辛哈團(tuán)負(fù)責(zé)人決定在基地上修建一座圖書(shū)館。這不僅可以為士兵接受進(jìn)修教育提供支持，而且還可以為他們繼續(xù)擴(kuò)充培訓(xùn)知識(shí)提供一個(gè)環(huán)境。與此同時(shí)，圖書(shū)館還對(duì)安貝普瑟的民眾開(kāi)放。

圖書(shū)館包括參考資料閱覽區(qū)、兒童圖書(shū)館、研究區(qū)、計(jì)算機(jī)實(shí)驗(yàn)室和報(bào)刊閱覽區(qū)，可容納100人。其自助餐廳計(jì)劃于2015年6月啟用。該圖書(shū)館由米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈和甘加·拉特納亞克設(shè)計(jì)。米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈和甘加·拉特納亞克在澳大利亞工作、學(xué)習(xí)和生活了近10年，直到4年前，他們才返回斯里蘭卡。目前，米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈在莫勒?qǐng)D沃大學(xué)任教，并與甘加·拉特納亞克及另一名合伙人一起經(jīng)營(yíng)著一家名為Robust的建筑工作室。在談到其團(tuán)隊(duì)設(shè)計(jì)的項(xiàng)目時(shí)，米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈稱(chēng)：“我們想成為實(shí)踐型研究者”。米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈醉心于施工過(guò)程的研究。在完成研究后，他撰寫(xiě)了一篇名為《結(jié)構(gòu)設(shè)計(jì)與施工知識(shí)之間的關(guān)系》的論文。2011年，米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈獲得了英國(guó)皇家建筑師學(xué)會(huì)主席頒發(fā)的“優(yōu)秀博士論文獎(jiǎng)”。

該項(xiàng)目中，對(duì)建筑師的職責(zé)規(guī)定非常籠統(tǒng)——修建一個(gè)服務(wù)于士兵和社區(qū)的圖書(shū)館。項(xiàng)目包括一個(gè)兒童圖書(shū)館和一個(gè)小型研究區(qū)域。建筑師在此基礎(chǔ)上設(shè)計(jì)構(gòu)思出了一個(gè)在各個(gè)方面都兼具可持續(xù)特點(diǎn)的建筑。建筑師們尤其注重建筑物的經(jīng)濟(jì)性，盡可能降低建筑材料成本。他們提議利用從附近運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)上挖掘到的廢料來(lái)修建夯土墻。這樣只需填充少量混凝土即可輕易建成墻體，并且這些墻體還具備保溫功能。地面則采用回收的軌道枕木鋪設(shè)。斯里蘭卡鐵路正逐步廢棄老舊枕木，用混凝土代替，他們正在以低價(jià)出售老舊枕木。還有一種建筑材料是從廢棄工廠中回收的鋼架構(gòu)件。

4 首層平面/Floor 0 Plan

5 剖面/Section

此外，建筑師所設(shè)計(jì)的圖書(shū)館需要的運(yùn)營(yíng)和維護(hù)成本低廉。他們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)了通風(fēng)屋頂和通風(fēng)窗，用于捕獲微風(fēng)，這同時(shí)也優(yōu)化了在斯里蘭卡常用的通風(fēng)系統(tǒng)。

Building this library on a military base was not only about the physical result, but also about the process: The soldiers who worked on it acquired new skills that will ease their transition back into civilian life.

Sri Lanka struggled through a brutal civil war for over a quarter century – from 1983 until 2009. On one side stood the Sinhalese government troops, on the other the Tamil rebels who were fighting for an independent state in the north of the island. Te conflict cost the lives of 80,000 to 100,000 people and drove hundreds of thousands to flee their homeland.

An important segment of the government troops was the Sinha Regiment, which comprises 24 battalions. It is stationed at a base in Ambepussa, 45 kilometers northeast of the capital city, Colombo. Many soldiers in the regiment are still young; they joined the Army at the age of 17 or 18 in the final phase of the war. Most of them come from underprivileged families and had no previous training. The reintegration of this large group of young men is one of the great challenges Sri Lanka faces in the aftermath of civil war. Te Army is aware of its responsibility and launches initiatives to open perspectives for the soldiers – and it is doing so in alignment with the government, which aims to transform Sri Lanka into a knowledge society over the long term. The officers in charge of the Sinha Regiment decided to establish a library on the base. Tis would support the continuing education of the soldiers and offer them a context in which they can expand the knowledge they acquire through their training. Te library would also be open to the civilian population of Ambepussa.

The library with a capacity of 100 occupants including reference area, children's library, research area, computer lab, newspaper area, and cafeteria is planned to be opened in June 2015. It was designed by Milinda Pathiraja and Ganga Ratnayake. Te pair lived, studied, and worked for almost ten years in Australia, until they moved back to Sri Lanka about four years ago. Today, Milinda Pathiraja teaches at the University of Moratuwa and runs the office Robust Architecture Workshop along with Ganga Ratnayake and another partner. "We want to be practicing researchers," says Milinda Pathiraja about the projects the team takes on. Te architect is fascinated about working with construction processes. At the close of his studies he wrote a thesis about the relationship between architectural design and construction knowledge. In 2011 he received a "President's Award for Outstanding PhD Tesis" from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Te architects' mandate was formulated in very general terms: Build a library to serve the soldiers and the community. The program included a children's library and a small study area. Based on this, the architects conceived a building that is sustainable in every way. They paid special attention to economic aspects: The construction materials should cost as little as possible. Tey proposed making the walls out of rammed earth – using waste material excavated from a playground built nearby. These walls require only a small supplement of cement, they are easy to build, and they provide thermal mass. The floors are constructed from salvaged railroad ties. The Sri Lankan railway is gradually replacing its old wooden ties with new concrete ones, and selling the old ties for a pittance. Another building material used was steel framing members that were salvaged from decommissioned factories.

The architects also designed the building for low operating and maintenance costs. They provided cross ventilation using a monitor roof and monitor windows to catch the breeze – optimizing a commonly-used system in Sri Lanka.

6 圖書(shū)館的三維效果圖/3D view of the proposed library

7 立面/Elevation

問(wèn)：您的論文是關(guān)于哪方面的？

米琳達(dá)·帕蒂拉賈：建筑和施工過(guò)程之間的緊密關(guān)系。建筑師經(jīng)常會(huì)在施工工地上遇到不合格的工人，而這種情況在斯里蘭卡尤為惡劣。早期，年輕人需拜訪建筑師傅，并向經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富的工匠學(xué)習(xí)一段時(shí)間的技藝。而現(xiàn)在，這套學(xué)習(xí)系統(tǒng)幾乎已不復(fù)存在，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在采用的是分包商制度。如今，相當(dāng)于建筑師傅的主要承包商與實(shí)際施工人員并無(wú)聯(lián)系。因此，我對(duì)施工過(guò)程進(jìn)行研究，通過(guò)在施工過(guò)程將工人培訓(xùn)成建筑師。怎樣在建筑工地上傳授知識(shí)？如何將實(shí)際存在的建筑項(xiàng)目轉(zhuǎn)化成概念并用作培訓(xùn)施工勞動(dòng)力技巧的場(chǎng)地？

問(wèn)：是什么激發(fā)了您對(duì)這些問(wèn)題的思考？

帕蒂拉賈：我認(rèn)為建筑師需要承擔(dān)3種責(zé)任：首先是對(duì)自己和實(shí)踐負(fù)責(zé)，其次是對(duì)客戶負(fù)責(zé)，最后是對(duì)社會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)。我們一直想將這3種責(zé)任融入我們的工作中。我們想通過(guò)項(xiàng)目來(lái)幫助工人獲得資質(zhì)，并提高斯里蘭卡的施工質(zhì)量。將熟練工變成建筑師對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)很重要，但是，對(duì)于那些想從事建筑行業(yè)的所有工人來(lái)說(shuō)，獲得技能同樣也非常必要。因此，施工過(guò)程是互惠互利的。坦率地說(shuō)，與單純的繪圖工作相比，綜合性工作更能令我們興奮。像安貝普瑟這樣的圖書(shū)館項(xiàng)目，可以讓我們學(xué)到更多！

問(wèn)：為什么軍方想修建一座圖書(shū)館？在計(jì)算機(jī)的時(shí)代，書(shū)籍正在消亡……

帕蒂拉賈：這對(duì)極了，就全球趨勢(shì)而言，是這樣的，但是，在斯里蘭卡并非每個(gè)人都擁有電腦。很多僧伽羅語(yǔ)書(shū)籍無(wú)法從網(wǎng)絡(luò)上獲得，我們?nèi)匀恍枰獔D書(shū)館。

問(wèn)：為什么軍方會(huì)選擇由你們來(lái)設(shè)計(jì)該項(xiàng)目？

甘加·拉特納亞克：我們?cè)诨馗浇鼌⑴c修建了一棟私人住宅，期間，我們采用了穩(wěn)定的泥土—混凝土磚塊作為主要材料。一些高級(jí)軍官看見(jiàn)了，覺(jué)得不錯(cuò)，于是想使用類(lèi)似的材料。

問(wèn)：所以您的論文與獲得設(shè)計(jì)委托無(wú)關(guān)？

帕蒂拉賈：是的?？蛻舨⒉恢牢覀兪钦l(shuí)。他們甚至沒(méi)有方案，雖然最后我們意識(shí)到他們只是想要一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)圖書(shū)館。但是我們認(rèn)為這個(gè)項(xiàng)目是一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，可以讓我們引入一些新的東西。我們甚至也愿意免費(fèi)工作。

問(wèn)：這是一個(gè)無(wú)償?shù)捻?xiàng)目？

帕蒂拉賈：是的。事實(shí)上，軍方并沒(méi)有項(xiàng)目預(yù)算。由于主要由士兵和指派人員參與施工，施工成本被降到了最低。

拉特納亞克：軍方經(jīng)常自己修建小型自用建筑。畢竟，他們擁有足夠多的勞動(dòng)力。我們還發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們的床、桌子等所有軍用家具都是由士兵自己制作的。我們想：我們也必須使用到這些勞動(dòng)力。

問(wèn)：當(dāng)你們建議軍方負(fù)責(zé)人將圖書(shū)館施工作為培訓(xùn)項(xiàng)目時(shí)，他們的反應(yīng)是怎樣的？

拉特納亞克：最開(kāi)始時(shí)，我們獲得了他們的支持。

帕蒂拉賈：我們認(rèn)為，我們正在以過(guò)程為核心，推動(dòng)項(xiàng)目朝著積極的方向轉(zhuǎn)變，這是非常切合實(shí)際的。圖書(shū)館代表著知識(shí)，而我們的整個(gè)施工過(guò)程就是施工知識(shí)。

問(wèn)：你們是如何確定圖書(shū)館形態(tài)的？

拉特納亞克：圖書(shū)館的設(shè)計(jì)耗時(shí)約4月。我們搭建了多個(gè)模型，并到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)考察了數(shù)次。場(chǎng)地上有許多樹(shù)，而我們想要保留它們。因此，我們將圖書(shū)館設(shè)計(jì)成圍繞這些樹(shù)修建。事實(shí)上，到最后，只有一顆樹(shù)被砍掉了。此外，從一開(kāi)始，我們就非常明確，為了實(shí)現(xiàn)良好的自然通風(fēng)和照明，圖書(shū)館必須建成狹長(zhǎng)狀的。雖然也設(shè)計(jì)了電氣照明，但是，我們想盡可能減少電氣照明的使用。

帕蒂拉賈：此外，設(shè)計(jì)還必須符合軍用建筑的風(fēng)格，即：個(gè)別區(qū)段必須盡量重復(fù)。整個(gè)建筑物由相同的元素構(gòu)成。我們針對(duì)所有夯土墻和各種鋼連接件制定了簡(jiǎn)單的制作說(shuō)明書(shū)。我們制定了全部所需連接件的確切時(shí)間表，并與士兵一起檢查整個(gè)系列的連接件。開(kāi)始制作時(shí)，士兵們從簡(jiǎn)單構(gòu)件入手，然后再逐漸過(guò)渡到最復(fù)雜的構(gòu)件。針對(duì)這個(gè)問(wèn)題，我在論文中提到了一種系統(tǒng)?，F(xiàn)在該系統(tǒng)已投入使用。

問(wèn)：不夠完善的墻體不需要拆除和更換嗎？

帕蒂拉賈：不需要。如果你計(jì)劃像我們這樣做的話，你設(shè)計(jì)的建筑就不能太過(guò)精致。你必須以足夠包容的心態(tài)來(lái)設(shè)計(jì)建筑物和施工過(guò)程。這個(gè)過(guò)程必須穩(wěn)健、靈活，且適應(yīng)性強(qiáng)，可承受眾多的介入和干擾。

問(wèn)：你們會(huì)經(jīng)常到施工工地上去嗎？

拉特納亞克：我們不住在安貝普瑟，但我們每隔兩周會(huì)到建筑工地上去一次。軍方指派了經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富的工頭負(fù)責(zé)閱讀計(jì)劃方案，我們也可選用工頭。此

8 閱讀室外景/Te reading room

Q: What is your thesis about?

Milinda Pathiraja (MP): Building has much to do with processes. One is often confronted underqualified workers on construction sites and in Sri Lanka this situation has definitely worsened. In earlier times, young people went to a master builder and learned their trade from an experienced artisan over a period of time. Today this system hardly exists anymore, because subcontractors are usually employed, and the main contractor – the present day equivalent to master builders – no longer has a relationship with the people who actually construct the building. So I searched for processes through which I can help train workers – as the architect. How can knowledge be transferred on the building site? How can real building projects be conceptually organized – architecturally – to act as training grounds for the development of construction labor skills?

Q: What intrigues you about questions such as these?

MP: I think an architect has three responsibilities: first to oneself and the practice; second, to clients; and third, to society. We always aim to bring these three dimensions together in our work. Trough our projects, we want to contribute to the qualifications of workers and we want to improve the quality of construction in Sri Lanka. Skilled workers are essential for us as architects, but acquiring skills is also necessary for all those workers aiming at building careers in the construction industry. So the benefits of cuh process are reciprocal. And, quite honestly, it's simply more exciting for us to work in a comprehensive capacity than simply drawing plans. With projects like the library at Ambepussa, we can learn so much!

Q: Why did the Army want to build a library? In the computer age, the book is on the way out...

MP: This is certainly correct, seen globally, but in Sri Lanka not everyone has a computer. And many Sinhalese books are not available through the internet. We still need libraries.

Q: Why did the Army choose you for this project?

Ganga Ratnayake (GR): We were involved in the building of a private residence near the base, where we used stabilized earth-cement blocks as the main materials. Some high-ranking officers saw it, thought that it was good – and wanted something with a similar material response.

9 圖書(shū)館內(nèi)景/Interior of the library

Q: So your thesis had nothing to do with this commission?

MP: No. Te clients didn't know who we are. Tey also had no program – although we ultimately realized one –they simply wanted a conventional library. But we saw this project as a chance to introduce something new. And we were also willing to work for free.

Q: Tis is a pro bono project?

MP: Yes. The Army actually has no budget for such projects. Te construction cost was minimal because the work was done mainly by the soldiers, and these were assigned to the job.

GR: The Army usually builds its own smaller buildings itself. After all, it has plenty of labor available. We also saw that the soldiers were making all the Army furniture: beds, tables, and so on. We thought: we must use this too.

Q: You proposed to the officers in charge the idea of treating the construction of the library as a training project. What were their reactions?

GR: We were met with support from the very beginning.

MP: Our argument was: We are pushing for positive change by placing the process at the center. This is perfectly fitting: A library represents knowledge, and our construction process is all about construction knowledge.

Q: How did you determine the form of the library?

GR: The design took about four months. We built several models and visited the site many times. Many trees are on the site and we wanted to keep them, so we designed the library around them. Actually, in the end, only one tree had to be cut down. Also, it was clear from the outset that the building would have to be narrow and elongated – for good natural ventilation and lighting. Te building does have electric lighting, but we wanted this to be required as little as possible.

MP: Also, the building would have to be designed to suit the way the army builds: individual sections repeated as many times as necessary. Te whole building consists of the same elements. We drew up simple instructions for building the walls out of rammed earth and making the various steel connectors. We provided an exact schedule of all the required connectors and went through the whole series with the soldiers. Tey began by making the外，我們有一個(gè)居住在附近的朋友，他可以對(duì)項(xiàng)目進(jìn)行密切關(guān)注。

問(wèn)：現(xiàn)在，士兵可以在沒(méi)有指導(dǎo)的前提下修建一個(gè)一模一樣的建筑嗎？

帕蒂拉賈：我們的理念就是讓他們能夠復(fù)制出這個(gè)建筑。而現(xiàn)在，他們甚至還可以修建其他類(lèi)型的建筑。這就是這個(gè)系統(tǒng)的魅力。退役后，他們可以利用自己學(xué)習(xí)到的技能修建自己的房屋。他們還將從軍方獲得一張培訓(xùn)證明書(shū)，可以用來(lái)應(yīng)聘建筑行業(yè)的工作。在另一個(gè)項(xiàng)目中，我們看到了他們?nèi)绾问褂盟麄儗W(xué)習(xí)到的新技能。約一年前，我們?cè)诹硪粋€(gè)地方開(kāi)始修建一個(gè)類(lèi)似的圖書(shū)館，但采用的是磚塊。后來(lái)，工人們用相同的方法修建自己的房屋。他們復(fù)制了這個(gè)過(guò)程。

10 外景/Exterior view

11 建筑系統(tǒng)構(gòu)成/Building system organization1-波紋鋼屋頂板/Corrugated steel roof sheeting2-油漆面層木吊頂/Timber ceiling—stain finish3-循環(huán)利用I型鋼屋頂桁架/Recycled steel I section roof truss4-素土夯實(shí)墻/Rammed earth wall construction5-混凝土樓板：水泥拋光面層/Concrete floor—cement polished finish6-碎石/石材地基/Rubble/stone foundation7-循環(huán)利用圓形鋼柱支撐輕質(zhì)甲板/Recycled circular steel columns support the lightweight deck8-循環(huán)利用鐵路枕木/Recycled railway sleepers

問(wèn)：你們?nèi)绾谓M織培訓(xùn)？

拉特納亞克：我們與100名士兵一起工作。這100名士兵被分成了若干小組，一組負(fù)責(zé)處理地面，而另一組負(fù)責(zé)處理墻體等等。我們先向士兵做示范，在這方面，我們獲得了一些商界人士的支持，他們承擔(dān)了對(duì)士兵的指導(dǎo)工作。士兵們都是好學(xué)生。他們基本上可以按照試錯(cuò)法進(jìn)行操作。他們首先修建好墻體，然后由我們檢查并提出建議。他們通過(guò)走小步、不停步的方法學(xué)習(xí)到了所有知識(shí)?，F(xiàn)在，你可以很輕易地分辨出，哪些是第一次修建的，哪些是后來(lái)修建的。

問(wèn)：這個(gè)項(xiàng)目面對(duì)的主要挑戰(zhàn)是什么？

帕蒂拉賈：當(dāng)然，最難的是如何在提高士兵技能的同時(shí)，組織開(kāi)展一切活動(dòng)，使建筑物本身也符合高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)要求。其次是與客戶的合作。當(dāng)你已經(jīng)把建筑物擺在那里時(shí)，人們忽然有了新的想法，如：使用大理石鋪設(shè)地面。這時(shí)，要想堅(jiān)守原有的規(guī)劃理念不是一件容易的事。而另一個(gè)總會(huì)遇到的問(wèn)題就是可持續(xù)性建設(shè)。在紙上，一切看起來(lái)都還不錯(cuò)，但是，回到現(xiàn)實(shí)中時(shí)，所有變化都將接踵而至。如果想要在這種情況下有所作為，就必須學(xué)會(huì)接受妥協(xié)。如果太拘泥于意識(shí)形態(tài)，就會(huì)栽跟頭。因此，我們認(rèn)為：給客戶想要的，但要以正確的方式進(jìn)行。

拉特納亞克：還有一項(xiàng)巨大的挑戰(zhàn)就是士兵的工作速度。軍隊(duì)可以指派任意數(shù)量的兵士前往施工工地。這對(duì)于建筑師而言，是美夢(mèng)，亦是噩夢(mèng)。幾乎在我們提出某些建議的同時(shí)，他們就已經(jīng)完成了。

問(wèn)：圖書(shū)館很快將會(huì)面向公眾開(kāi)放。民眾真的會(huì)使用嗎？他們與軍隊(duì)之間的關(guān)系是什么？

帕蒂拉賈：雖然在更大領(lǐng)域內(nèi)，公眾對(duì)此還存在不信任感，但是，居住在基地附近的居民對(duì)此卻是付出了毫無(wú)保留的信任。一方與另一方是相互依存的關(guān)系。目前，軍事基地上已經(jīng)修建了一些公共設(shè)施，如：供本地學(xué)校使用的游泳池。雖然與公眾的關(guān)系尚未達(dá)到軍方預(yù)期，但是，你可以感受到軍方將著眼于未來(lái)，并構(gòu)建橋梁紐帶。同時(shí)，這種橋梁紐帶工程已經(jīng)在各個(gè)領(lǐng)域中凸顯出作用，如：村民自愿幫助修建圖書(shū)館。

問(wèn)：士兵們可以從該項(xiàng)目中學(xué)到很多，那么你們呢？

帕蒂拉賈：我們也學(xué)到了很多！我們的實(shí)踐經(jīng)驗(yàn)尚且非常稚嫩，每一個(gè)建筑項(xiàng)目都可以為我們提供試驗(yàn)、學(xué)習(xí)和成長(zhǎng)的機(jī)會(huì)。此次圖書(shū)館的施工是一段艱難的經(jīng)歷，但是也是成功的經(jīng)歷。對(duì)于我們建筑師而言，總是希望自己的想法最終變成現(xiàn)實(shí)，而這個(gè)項(xiàng)目的最終結(jié)果與我們的初衷非常接近。easiest pieces and gradually worked their way up to the most challenging ones. I had already developed a system for this in my thesis – now it was being put to use.

Q: Te less-perfect walls weren't torn down and replaced?

MP: That wasn't necessary. You can't design a delicate building if you plan to build as we did here. You have to design the building and the process with plenty of tolerance. The process must be robust, flexible, and adaptable – and be able to withstand many interventions.

Q: How often were you on the jobsite?

GR: We don't live in Ambepussa, but we visited the building site every two weeks. The Army assigned experienced foremen to the job who could read plans, and they allowed us to select them. In addition, a friend of ours who lives nearby kept a close eye on the job.

Q: Would the soldiers now be able to build the same building again without instructions?

MP: That was the idea – that they would be able to replicate this building. But now they can even build other buildings. It's about the system. With the skills they have learned, they will be able build their own houses when they return home after their military service. They also receive a certificate from the Army that authenticates their training, so they can apply for jobs in the construction sector. In another project we already saw how such newly-learned skills can be applied. About a year ago at another place we built a building similar to the library, but made of brick. Afterwards, the workers built their own houses in the same method. Tey replicated the process.

Q: How did you organize the training?

GR: We worked together with about 100 soldiers, whom we divided into groups. One group handled the floors while another handled the walls, and so on. We showed the soldiers how they must proceed, and in this we were supported by some tradespeople who served as instructors. Te soldiers were good students. Basically they followed the principle of trial and error. Tey built the first wall; we inspected it and gave recommendations for the next one. They learned everything in small, continual steps. Today you can easily see which walls were built first and which ones later.

Q: What were the main challenges of this project?

MP: Certainly the most difficult part was to enhance the skills of the soldiers while organizing everything so that the building itself would also meet high standards. The second challenge was the cooperation with the clients. Once the building was there, people suddenly had new ideas such as a marble floor, and it wasn't easy to insist on the original concept as planned. Tat's always a problem in sustainable construction: On paper everything looks fine, but then comes reality and all the change orders. If you want to achieve something within such a context, you must accept compromise. If you are too ideological, you will stumble. So we thought: Give the client what they want, but do it in the right way.

GR: A great challenge was also the rate at which the soldiers worked. Te Army is able to post any number of people to a construction site. For architects, this is both a dream and a nightmare: Barely after we had suggested something, it was already done.

Q: Te library will be opened soon, also to the public. Will civilians really use it? What is their relationship to the Army?

MP: Tere is some mistrust among the broader public, but the people who live around the base hardly have reservations. Each party is dependent upon the other. Today there are already some public facilities on the Army base, for example, a swimming pool used by the local schools. Te Army is not yet as close to the public as it would like to be, but you can sense the will to look ahead and to build bridges. And this bridge-building already works in many ways: Men from the villages also did volunteer work to help build the library.

Q: Te soldiers learned a lot through this project. What about you?

MP: We learned very much too! Our practice is still very young and every building project gives us the opportunity to experiment, learn and grow. The construction of this library was a difficult experience, but a satisfying one. In the end, for us as architects it's always a matter of seeing how the ideas turn out – and in this project the final result comes very close to our original intention.

12 公共大堂的全景窗/Te common lobby with its panoramic window.

13.14 外景/Exterior views