Kamanar is a secondary school for five hundred students in the town of Thionk Essyl, in southern Senegal. This is the first project to come out of Foundawtion, a foundation created by the studio to address architectural needs in economically disadvantaged areas.
This project is designed according to the needs, local population and weather conditions.
The design of this educational center ensures features such as low construction cost and adaptability to weather conditions and uses local materials.
The modules are made of blocks made of clay, soil and 8% cement. Since they were made by hand pressing, there was no need to boil them, so energy consumption was kept to a minimum. Since these clay blocks are very resistant to compression, a vault-shaped structural system was chosen.
Produced by volunteers using local techniques, the clay vault modules are enclosed by wooden grids and allow light in.
The clay and grids act as an evaporative cooler – no artificial air conditioning required.
The Grooved metal sheet protects the clay from rain and sunlight.
The detached modules or “awlas” are arranged in year-group classroom sets around a series of squares, each accommodating a pre-existing tree.
A library, two administration volumes, sanitary facilities and a Foundawtion space complete the complex., and finally, the circular gives its future development.
