Rural schools prototype in tropical Africa
Architects
Sol89. María González & Juanjo López de la Cruz
Collaborators
Rosa Gallardo, arquitecta. Cristóbal Galocha, María Ignacia Saavedra and Álvaro Valverde, estudiantes de arquitectura
Client
Kimse Yok Mu – Kym Field Schools
Rooting Structure. The African tropical savannah spans a vast realm of cultural and climatic diversity. The proposed rural school project defines a prototype capable of taking root in different territories across this continental strip by adapting to its multiple environmental, programmatic, and construction conditions. In botany, a “rooting organism” is one that can establish roots in various ecosystems thanks to its ability to adapt to different circumstances in its environment. We propose that this school architecture shares that quality: a constant core housing the common meeting space and water-related uses acts as an anchoring element to the place. From this, a modular, flexible porticoed structure allows the development of the educational program based on factors such as prevailing winds, physical site conditions, or the number of classrooms needed.
The proposal combines symbolic and systemic aspects within the same approach. It aims to take root through the allegorical space of the dome as a gathering and teaching place, while also establishing a rational, adaptable structure to develop educational spaces with minimal resources and optimal physical and environmental conditions tailored to each location. From an elevated platform that helps manage the site’s ground, a central core emerges, which serves as the foundation for the entire proposal. This core, constant across all possible variables, houses a partially domed covered space—an iconic area for assembly and learning. Around it, a dense perimeter addresses transitions to classrooms and small water-related uses (student and teacher restrooms, showers, tanks, and decanting and purification deposits). This element functions as an installation to which the rest of the program can connect (teaching spaces and teacher’s lounge), with its placement adaptable depending on orientation, site size, number of classrooms (e.g., 2×30 students, 1×60, or 3×20), and even capable of expanding or contracting over time by adding new classrooms through the modular grid that governs it.
A series of shaded spaces facilitate movement between the core and the orbital units—areas for recreation and social interaction—where the influence of the educational space can expand and relationships with the landscape can be fostered.
