SENEGAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SENEGAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Community Building Through Education in Marsassoum, Senegal.

Education is the cornerstone upon which societal prosperity is built. In light of this, this project aims to use education as a means for community development while integrating sustainable construction concepts, demonstrating that human flourishing and environmental stewardship are mutually inclusive goals.

The project is situated in the small town of Marassoum, within the SĂŠdhiou region of the natural Casamance area of the African nation of Senegal. The town lies on the bank of the Soungrougrou river and the local population amounts to roughly 7,000 people.

SITE CONTEXT

Plot Size: 1182 m2 Classrooms: 448 m2 (64 m2 each) Administration: 53 m2 Library: 70 m2 Orchard: 115 m2 Courtyard: 147 m2 Canteen: 10 m2 Corral 16 m2

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE, MARASSOUM

The design concept is formulated around a central courtyard with the tree at its center, underscoring the primacy of nature to the design, and constituting a multi-functional event space hosting school and community events. Five conventional and two vocational 64m2 learning spaces surround the courtyard, grouped into three zones according to function (learning, activity, and training). Lightweight panels provide flexibility by enabling classrooms to act as expansions to the courtyard.

The library and the water distribution area and well flank both sides of the entrance, enabling easy public access and facilitating community growth while establishing the school as a focal point for societal activity. An orchard and corral along the southern faรงade shield spaces from radiation while providing an outlet for economic sustainability.

MASTER PLAN

CONSTRUCTION PHASES

ENTRY POINTS AND GATES

The project is set to be constructed in two phases, with the learning zone, administration, latrines, and one classroom from the activity zone constituting phase one, and the remainder of the design making up the second expansion phase.

EXPLODED VIEW

The main channels surround the courtyard, creating a defined space, and branching out from the building’s center. When water falls on the roof, the specially designed geometry of the roof deposits the water into the sloped channels, which direct the water mainly to the orchard for irrigation and the well for storage and distribution to the wider community. To facilitate easy and safe access, the channels are covered with tiles at the entrances of classrooms and other pathway intersections.

PLAN ZONING

LEARNING ZONE

ACTIVITY ZONE

TRAINING ZONE

Situated to the north and consists of three classrooms for older students, focused primarily on academic activities.

Bridges between the other zones and consists of the courtyard and two classrooms for younger students.

The courtyard can be expanded into the classrooms and can host multiple events and activities.

Located to the south and consists of the orchard, corral, and two vocational classrooms. The main activites are training and vocational activites teaching students valuable life skills.

RAINWATER HARVESTING CONCEPT The collection of rainwater is an essential part of the school’s design, helping acheive self-sufficiency while also providing the wider community with a steady and depandable water resource.

The rainwater channels are dug into the ground and form a network streching from the well to the orchard, and the spaces in between.

CLIMATE ANALYSIS

SECTIONS

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

Structural System: Bamboo Walls: Rammed Earth composed of local gravel, sand, and cement.

Roofing: Local Thatched Straw Openings: Wooden Panels 90 x 235 cm Curtains and Window Coverings: Reused local fabrics and fishing nets Making rammed earth involves compacting a damp mixture of subsoil that has suitable proportions of sand, gravel, clay, and stabilizer, if any, into a formwork (an externally supported frame or mold).

Team

Abdelrhman Magdy

Ayman Hassanen

Omar Darwish

Mohammed Zaki