Congo Basin Initiative

Congo Basin Institute (CBI) | Cameroon, Africa Integral Group

Vision
By 2050, over 9 billion people are projected to compete for scarce resources
on a planet experiencing the effects of severe climate change. We envision
a world that meets its people’s needs for health and nutrition, while
developing sustainable economies and preserving the natural diversity of its
ecosystems.
Mission
To produce and implement integrative breakthrough solutions that conserve
the environment and meet the vital needs of the developing world while
supporting global security.
Goals
The consortium, led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), will create a
network of permanent, multidisciplinary enterprises focused on innovative,
evidence-based solutions to critical development challenges. The first will
be the Congo Basin Institute (CBI) located in Cameroon, Africa, dedicated
to developing solutions to the interconnected issues of environmental
devastation, human disease and poverty. Concurrently, we will mitigate the
lack of in-country research and training opportunities for African students,
as well as the efficiency and lack of coordination of current research
programs in the region.
View Looking South Across Site
Existing International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Campus

How We Work
Together with our globally recognized partners, we will create an enterprise that
leverages the diverse resources of universities, industry, government, and development
organizations. Emphasizing in-country building, the CBI will expand the existing campus
of our IITA partner in Nkolbisson, on the outskirts of Yaoundé, Cameroon to include a
Research and Education Park that will provide a variety of buildings and resources. This
innovative infrastructure will enable rapid scaling up of programs and partners to address
emerging development issues, as well as advance project replication in other regions.
View Looking North onto Site
Existing International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Campus

Who We Are
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Centre Pasteur du Cameroun
Cameroon Ministries and Universities
Drexel University
University of New Orleans
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Corporate and local NGO partners
View Looking Southeast Across Site and Existing IITA Campus

Program

ENTRANCE
I.I.T.A. CAMPUS
EXPERIMENTAL FARM
ENTRANCE
PARKING -
63 SPACES
PARKING -
24 SPACES
CONVENT
CONFERENCE,
DINING, MEETING
LAB
EXTENSION
DISTANCE
LEARNING
CENTER
ADMIN.
OFFICE
LODGING
FACILITIES
DIGITAL LIBRARY/
GIS FACILITY
TECH
INNOVATION
LAB
REPAIR/
TRAINING
BORE HOLE
BORE HOLE
Existing Buildings
Phase 1 Buildings
Phase 2 Buildings
SCALSE: NITTS E P LA N 1:7NO5RTH0

Site Orientation
The Congo Basin Institute is designed to integrate and expand on the existing IITA buildings and campus to both the east and
west. Transforming the IITA campus into a synergistic research campus, the new buildings are strategically located to generate
synergistic relationships between the various programs and the researchers, students, and educators who are planned to
have access to the campus. The conference center anchors the new phases at the north-east corner of the site. Furthermore,
the conference center is designed to act as a gateway to the new campus and as a welcoming area for people as they arrive
for conferences, research, and education. Lastly, the design more holistically ties the entire campus together with a series of
pathways that support both vehicular and pedestrian circulation.
Phase 1: Aerial View
View Looking Northwest over Phase 1 of the Congo Basin Institute (CBI)

Phase 1: Campus Gateway and Conference / Dining Center
View Looking South

On the Ground Research and Training
Central Africa needs a new generation of experts to help solve regional problems and
regional specific training. On the ground research promotes international researchers to
establish productive long-term collaborations with African researchers and creates an
indigenous generation of solvers. Initial CBI scientific and training programs will focus on
four overarching issues facing the region:
• Water and Health
• Food Security and Safety
• Climate Change
• Biodiversity
Phase 1: Left: Learning Center, Right: Conference / Dining Center
View Looking West

Investing in the Global Future
The creation of a permanent campus for the
CBI, a regional hub to launch new initiatives and
promote scientific advances within the region,
is an opportunity for partnerships with the
academic, donor, and industrial communities.
Phase 1: Lodging Facilities and Pedestrian Paths
View looking Northwest.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
50 60 70 80 90 100
Monthly Dry Bulb Temperature
Month
Temperature (F)
Comfort Zone
Monthly Relative Humidity
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 0 20 40 60 80 100
Month Relative Humidity (%)
Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, Cameroon:
Climate & Conditions
Tropical Weather
• Hot and very humid all year
• Temperature fluctuations throughout the year:
• Cool season 70-78F (comfortable 75% of time)
• Hot season 69-82F (comfortable 50% of time)
• Cloudy (Average 88% of the year)
• Annual precipitation: 60 Inches (1541 mm)
• Predominant westerly winds (1 to 4.7 mph)
• Winds from West 11% of year
• Winds from Southwest 17% of year
Day & Night
• Equatorial: Sun remains directly overhead most of year
• 12 hours of daylight daily
• Cooler temperatures at night; possibility of naturally cooling all
buildings at night
Ideal Building Orientation: Long facade facing North/South
Optimal PV Angle: Up to 20% tilt towards Southwest

Natural Ventilation - Wind
All of the building designs and typologies are oriented to harness
natural ventilation and facilitate cross ventilation. Each building
typology utilizes large pivoting doors across the length of the south
and north facade. When open, the doors act like a series of gills
that capture and draw in breezes which effectively cross ventilate
the space.
To further ventilate the spaces, buildings are equipped with a series
of large ceiling fans which draw the hot air toward the high ceilings
so that it can be pulled out with the cross ventilation.
By the Numbers
• Prevailing Winds From West 11% of year
• Prevailing Winds From Southwest 17% of year
• Predominant Westerly Winds, between 0.5 and 2.1 m/s (1 to 4.7
mph)
• Efficient power production usually occurs at 2 m/s

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
109
99
89
79
69
59
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Temperature (C)
Temperature (F)
Time at Peak Cooling Day (Hr)
Operative Temp
Heavy Mass
Grounded Building
Operative Temp
Heavy Mass
Elevated Building
Operative Temp
Light Mass
Grounded Building
Operative Temp
Light Mass
Elevated Building
Outdoor Temp
Comfort Range
Building Material Strategies
• A heavy thermal mass envelope reduces
peak daytime temperatures compared to a
light mass envelope.
• Buildings which will primarily be used
during daytime hours benefit from being
situated on the ground and are able to
stay below the outdoor air peak
temperature compared to elevated
buildings.
• Buildings which will primarily be occupied
at night such as the lodging will be
constructed of a combination of mass
materials and light weight materials,
balancing the benefits of both material
properties. Furthermore, buildings used
primarily at night are raised from the
ground plane increasing the potential
for cross ventilation and adding a sense of
security.

Water Collection and Treatment
The Congo Basin Institute (CBI) is designed to be simple, local,
and sustainable. The future campus would invest in a variety of
passive and active systems that would minimize the burden of
collecting and treating water.
Currently, the existing IITA campus gets its fresh water from two
on-site bore holes that penetrate deep into the earth, giving
access to underground aquifers. However, the site experiences
a great deal of rainfall that could be leveraged to meet the water
demands as the campus grows and expands in the future.
The current IITA campus utilizes leach fields and septics to
handle its waste water. CBI will explore more sustainable and
productive methods for waste management and implementation
of systems which more holistically treat waste and reclaim the
water.
Bore Hole
Water Supply

!"#$%&'()*+*,*-+./0
Energy and Water Heating
The CBI campus will utilize solar panels for hot water heating
and other energy demands. This will offset the cost of onsite
batteries, which have a limited shelf life due to the climate.
Rather, solar panels will charge the batteries of a series of
electric vehicles that will be used in place of the current fleet of
diesel powered trucks.
The system allows battery back-up if the national electric grid is
unreliable or fails.
By the Numbers
• An area of 1,740 square feet is required to implement five
6kW systems
• A 6kW system will produce approximately 42,000 kWh per
year
• A low-energy building uses 5-9 kWh/ft2 per year
Charge Battery
Electric Trucks

Cross Ventilation:
The north and south facades are composed
of a standardized system of operable doors
and windows. The facade opens to a
screened in porch and allows for cross
ventilation.
Natural Light:
Clearstories facing north bring in cool natural light without
additional heat gain and help to vent any hot air that has risen
in the space.
Thermal Mass:
Utilizing materials with a large amount of mass for
the walls and floor minimize the diurnal peaks
helping to keep the indoor temperature more
constant and comfortable. These mass elements
can be constructed of rammed earth, concrete, or
masonry and allow for local construction methods
to dictate the appropriate material.
Solar Radiation
Wind
Roof:
The metallic roof has a high albedo which helps to
reject and reflect much of the solar radiation
minimizing solar heat gain. The roof is designed to
flush rising hot air from the spaces below.
Solar Panels:
The roof is designed for a large solar
array that would give the campus a
source of clean energy and help to ride
out the periodic brown outs.
DINING AREA
CONFERENCE ROOM
Section through Conference Center and Dining Area ENTRY COURT
A large lecture room, two meeting rooms, kitchen, restrooms, and dining area are located under one large roof
canopy. The roof canopy protects the various programs from rain and direct solar radiation. Furthermore, a series
of solar panels is situated at an optimum angle on the roof. The roof is designed to reflect solar radiation while at
the same time allow cool northern light to penetrate to the deeper spaces.
The spaces are hyper flexible to allow for maximum reconfiguration in support of a large variety of functions and
programs. Both the large lecture room and the two meeting rooms feature pivot doors that allow for natural
ventilation and flexibility, connecting the open dining area and the meeting rooms.

Ventilated Roof System:
A corrugated metal roof is situated above the
insulating roof with a ventilated air gap
inbetween. Through cross ventilation the cavity is
flushed and heat gain to the interior from the sun
is minimized. The roof is designed to protect and
shade all mass elements and openings from any
direct heat gain.
Cross Ventilation:
ventilation.
Natural Light:
Clearstories facing north bring in cool natural light without
additional heat gain and help to vent any hot air that has risen
in the space.
Thermal Mass:
Utilizing materials with a large amount of mass for
the walls and floor minimize the diurnal peaks
helping to keep the indoor temperature more
constant and comfortable. These mass elements
can be constructed of rammed earth, concrete, or
masonry and allow for local construction methods
to dictate the appropriate material.
Solar Radiation
Wind
Section through Learning Center
The construction typology used for the Learning Center will be implemented for other buildings and programs, including
technical training, equipment repair facilities, remote sensing research facilities, research and training labs, molecular and
genetic laboratories, and administrative offices.
The construction techniques employed for the distance learning center allow the building to function passively by taking
advantage of the cross ventilation and limiting any direct and indirect heat gain from solar radiation. Furthermore, the
building strategy is designed to efficiently utilize mechanical cooling as required.

Ventilated Roof System:
A corrugated metal roof is situated above the insulating roof with a ventilated air gap
inbetween. Through cross ventilation the cavity is flushed and heat gain to the interior
from the sun is minimized. The roof is designed to protect and shade all mass elements
and openings from any direct heat gain.
Cross Ventilation:
ventilation.
Thermal Mass:
Utilizing materials with a large amount of mass for the walls and floor
minimize the diurnal peaks helping to keep the indoor temperature more
constant and comfortable. These mass elements can be constructed of
rammed earth, concrete, or masonry and allow for local construction
methods to dictate the appropriate material.
Solar Radiation
Wind
Raised Slab:
The slab of the housing is raised off the ground plane for
maximum ventilation, increased security, and heightened
views to the mountains and farming just south of the
housing.
Bathroom
Screen Porch
Collaborative Work Area:
Capping either the west or east facade of each
housing aggregate is a collaborative work area for the
residents to have impromptu working sessions.
Section through Lodging
The lodging is lifted from ground plane to increase ventilation during the primary hours of use at night while
sleeping. Furthermore, lifting the lodging creates an additional sense of security. The mass utilized to create the
roof and demising walls between individual units provides an excellent acoustic barrier between units, provides a
foundation for the overall structure, and helps to stabilize the overall temperature of the spaces.

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