DS3 is a new MArchD studio for 2020/2021. The theme of the studio is "resiliente by design", which this year is being applied to the context of Nouakchott, Mauritania. The students from DS3 created a catalogue summarising their research about the city.
"Nouakchott is the capital city of Mauritania and the name is derived from the Berber word Nawaksut to mean “Place of the Winds”. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahel region and serves as the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania.
Nouakchott relies heavily on the complex intersectionality of systems, such as economic and political systems. The vulnerability of these systems to shocks and stresses is the reason why cities need to be viewed under the lens of resilience. Resilience thinking enables architects and planners to analyse the volatile and unpredictable nature of these systems and thereby create well informed architectural interventions that would help increase the resilience of a city like Nouakchott.
Design Studio 3 took a virtual field trip to Nouakchott to analyse the city’s resilience potential. Through partnering with local stakeholders DS3 was able to design data collection strategies and utilise digital tools that would enable the team to capture and understand the rapidly evolving urban centre. This catalogue is a summary of all the information gathered from the virtual field trip."
The Nouakchott Guide to Resilience team:
Mohd Shakirin Samsul Baharin Publisher
Nick Cassidy Editor
Angelina Constanti Creative Director
Lindsey DuPell Photo Editor
Zanna Krzyzanowska Copy Editor
Chloe Loader Copy Editor
Ndabakunda Angella Nkurunziza Editor
Elizabeth Ryall Graphic Editor
Carol Wong Coordinator
Eleni Xenophontos Creative Director
Tutors:
Melissa Kinnear
Alex Towler
Julia Wedel
Jason Coleman
With special thanks:
DS3 would like to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to Sergio Suárez, who without his time, effort and contribution, this guide would not have been possible. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all who contributed to our understanding of Nouakchott and Mauritania.
You can follow DS3 on their instagram @resilientbydesign_ds3_obu as well as on the students individual profiles.