tunaHAKI Theater

 TunaHAKI Theater, Moshi, Tanzania, 2008 Building Area: (sf)10,000 sq ft Location of Project: Moshi Tanzania Type of Project: Public Theater Construction materials, mechanical systems or other pertinent information Fabric formed concrete, earth block, Biogas system 

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Summary  In Kiswahili, “TunaHAKI” means “we have rights”! The belief that children have rights to a clean and productive future is the basis for the TunaHAKI Center in Moshi, Tanzania. Environmentally and socially sustainable, the fundamental action of the TunaHAKI Foundation is to provide orphan children with a home, medical care, education, and training for a position in their village, city, and the world. The program is at once ordinary and spectacular, an orphanage and a public theater, a private compound connected to a festive gathering place.

The architects are dedicated to the necessity of acting locally, understanding traditional building types and the availability of local materials both natural and manufactured, are working together with local leaders on the design. A rural site with a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro has been purchased for the compound. At the orphanage, familiar activities occur in new ways which avoid environmental degradation. Garbage is composted and contained rather than burned, solar cookers replace wood fire stoves to prevent deforestation and smoke, rainwater is collected, gray water is used for garden irrigation, solar water heaters and solar electric panels and wind turbines generate light and heat, a sustainable system will treat sewage.

The visionary Tanzanian artist and TunaHAKI founder imagined an orphanage supported by a public theater. Supported by Cirque du Soleil, TunaHAKI children participate in cultural events at the theater, learn circus arts, and form a family through acrobatics and dance. Locals and tourists enjoy cultural gatherings in the courtyard.