Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

Architects: Toshiko Mori
Year: 2015
Photographs: Toshiko Mori, Iwan Baan, Josef and Anni Albers Foundation
Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Jordan MacTavish
General Contractor: Dr. Magueye Ba
Structural: Schlaich Bergermann and Partners
Village: Sinthian
Country: Senegal

Thread, designed by Toshiko Mori in Sinthian, Senegal, is a cultural hub built with local materials and techniques, recognized with a 2017 AIA Honor Award. Developed with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and American Friends of Le Korsa, it unites twelve local tribes and complements nearby clinics, a kindergarten, and a farming school. The twisting thatched roof collects rainwater for farming, while bamboo frameworks and compressed earth blocks provide ventilation and thermal control. The center features workshops, artist residencies, courtyards, and functional areas marked by recycled tile flooring. Built in a year by 35 local workers, it includes a library, children’s play gym, and phone charging station, promoting sustainability and community ownership.

This cultural center in Senegal, designed by Japanese architect Toshiko Mori, was built exclusively with local materials and techniques and was honored in the architecture category of the 2017 AIA Awards.

Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

Situated in the remote village of Sinthian, the building serves multiple functions for the local community, acting as a gathering space, performance center, and residency for visiting artists. Toshiko Mori designed the cultural hub to harmonize with the existing buildings on the site. The center, named Thread, is located near existing clinics, a kindergarten, and a farming school, which influenced the choice of materials such as compressed earth and thatch.

Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

Created in collaboration with the not-for-profit organizations Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and American Friends of Le Korsa, the facility aims to foster unity among the twelve local tribes that utilize it. The building’s twisting roof design provides coverage for enclosed workshop spaces and bedrooms located at either end, while a central gathering space is framed by open-air courtyards on both sides.

Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

The architects described the design as “a parametric transformation of the traditional pitched roof achieved through a process of inversion, inscribing a series of courtyards within the building’s plan while simultaneously creating shaded studio areas around the courtyard’s perimeter.” The undulating thatched roof serves a dual purpose by collecting rainwater, which is stored in large reservoirs and utilized by a local women’s association to cultivate crops during the region’s extended dry season.

Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

The main structure features a bamboo framework and walls constructed from compressed earth blocks, which were formed on-site. These bricks help absorb heat, while perforated sections facilitate airflow, ensuring natural ventilation throughout the interior. Broken recycled tiles are used as flooring throughout the building, with varying tones that serve to differentiate the functional areas. The building’s layout was influenced by climatic conditions, with studios and covered gallery spaces positioned to minimize exposure to the harshest sunlight, while overhanging roof sections provide shade for outdoor areas.

Thread Cultural Center / Toshiko Mori

A team of 35 local workers spent a year building the center, which includes a library, a children’s play gym, and a facility for charging mobile phones. The Thread cultural center was one of 23 recipients of the American Institute of Architects’ 2017 Honor Awards. The AIA’s judging panel stated, “In addition to providing the community with a sense of ownership and simplifying efforts to maintain it, employing local workers provided training for residents of a very remote area where entrepreneurship is scarce.”

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Project Location

Address: Sinthian, Tambacounda Region, Senegal

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