"Eclectic is a term that is used to refer to those, in the field of arts and science, who do not follow a predetermined system or direction, but rather select and harmonise diverse systems and directions in order to achieve optimal project results. This is also the foundational principle of our project for the national Pavilion of the Republic of Niger, which combines different cultures, African and Western cultures. This combination generates a cultural workshop in which, from the encounter of the two cultures, a third one emerges. We call this Archifusion (Architectural Fusion). The project consists of the fusion between a traditional, tribal and ethnic architecture and Western techniques. This collaboration is based on the exchange of common experiences and, therefore, on the development of common knowledge of all parties involved in the project. This development and growth have today a central role in knowledge exchange, as knowledge has become a capital resource and intellectual property, which may generate barriers that exclude countries that are technologically less advanced. Archifusion aims at overcoming these barriers by offering the most advanced technologies to serve a third diverse, miscellaneous culture. The purpose is to preserve the architectural beauty and history of the Republic of Niger without neglecting and devaluing its aesthetic authenticity, but rather to enhance and perpetuate it. This contribution originates from the analysis of the evolution of bricks in the western world over the last decades to improve living comfort and energy efficiency. This analysis produced ‘Brique Magique’, a brick that can still be produced with raw soil, but with a different shape and internal holes. These simple changes give the brick new features which allow thicker bricklaying, providing more stability and more thermal inertia and thus enhancing the living comforts. The holes can be filled with any local materials (e.g. sand, stone chippings, dirt, straw, etc.) which further increases the brick’s efficiency. Moreover, the peculiar shape allows building either straight or curved walling – which can be used, for instance, to build silos for grain storage. On the other hand, the traditional decorations of the houses are here re-interpreted by Italian artists who place themselves in relation to Nigerien culture, as a collective artisan workshop, in order to revive this tradition in "modern" terms, thus trying to give a different aspect to the constructions to be done."

Boris Brollo