Congratulations to the charity Voluntary Design & Build (vD&B), who recently won “Best Community Building” at this years AJ Small Project Awards for their Tarlungeni Children’s Centre in Romania.
Penoyre and Prasad’s Jamie Wakeford, is a trustee of the charity and worked on the design and construction of the building visiting Romania several times over a period of two years. The building provides early-years school accommodation for under-privileged children and was largely funded, developed and constructed by vD&B’s volunteer workforce of architecture students and graduates. The timber frame for the building’s two tall, mezzanined classroom spaces and single storey washing, playing and group space was sourced from the village’s own saw mill. The frame’s volumes are wrapped in brightly edged timber and colourfully punctured render, animating the elevations and providing a playful contrast to the surrounding buildings. Volunteers worked and lived in close collaboration with the existing school, community and a local Roma charity to produce a fun but robust building which facilitates integration into the education system.
For more information on vD&B’s projects or how to get involved please visit the website www.voluntarydesignbuild.org.uk