School in Senegal

Earth School Competition, 2022

Inspired by children's roundelay dance the layout of the school buildings is composed around the central courtyard with extended overlapping roof structures resembling linked hands of the dancing kids. This arrangement creates a variety of both shaded and open spaces for outdoor activities. We propose a flexible design that can be built in 5 phases - each includes a building with two classrooms and additional functions. All buildings are structurally and programmatically independent and can be built in any order. Central courtyard is a important feature of the scheme. It is the main area for school gatherings and paly as it has shaded zone with a water feature and a garden with local plants.

The scheme embraces local construction techniques and environmentally friendly materials such as compressed soil blocks, wood and thatch - all widely available in the region, also strong and easy to work with. Thich brick walls ceate a thermal mass that maintains a constant room temperature. With minor modifications to the original brick formwork, the proposed earth bricks can be simply manufactured on-site. This school not only fits into the surroundings, but also invites community participation in the school's future expansion.

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Lignano 2.0

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Steel Sanctuary