Live Learning Lab
Vision
This project proposes a transformative approach to early childhood education grounded in imagination, environmental awareness, and cultural identity. Instead of replicating external systems, it emerges from the soil, climate, and traditions of Casamance. The proposal is not merely a school, but a "live learning lab"—a nurturing environment where children observe the invisible, engage with their surroundings, and grow a sense of pride in their place. The architecture becomes a framework for cultivating wonder, empathy, and rooted ambition.
Site Strategy
Located in Diannah Malary, a rural village with limited educational access, the site offers both environmental opportunity and social necessity. Far from urban density yet accessible via rural paths, the school becomes a catalyst for local growth. Its siting responds holistically to prevailing winds, sun paths, soil types, and water dynamics. Adjacent agricultural beds, irrigated by rainwater runoff, integrate food production with learning and self-reliance.
Architectural Composition
Inspired by the anatomy of a fruit, five detached classroom “pods” radiate from a central “core” that contains the dining area, administrative space, and water-harvesting infrastructure. Each pod is accessed via a narrow, slightly elevated bridge, creating a sense of anticipation and autonomy. At the center, an inner courtyard encircles a lotus pond, which gathers water from the petal-shaped roof. Rising above it is a condensation tower adapted from the Warka model. Architecture here is not static mass, but a breathable organism shaped by rhythm, light, sound, and scent.
Materials and Construction
The project relies on vernacular materials and accessible methods: compressed earth blocks, clay plaster, bamboo, straw, and local timber. The central block is constructed from load-bearing earth masonry and finished with hand-applied red clay murals using natural pigments and fingertip gestures. The classroom pods combine bamboo frameworks and red-stained thatch, with clay niches for seating and storage. All construction is designed for communal participation, maintenance ease, and embodied cultural knowledge.
Climate Response and Autonomy
The school is entirely passive in its environmental systems. Roof forms optimize airflow and minimize heat gain, while breathable walls and shaded openings maintain interior comfort. The condensation tower harvests moisture from the humid night air, supplying a central cistern for irrigation and hygiene. Rainwater is collected from the sculpted roof of the central block and directed to the same system. These two complementary water-harvesting strategies—rain capture and atmospheric condensation—are tailored to the region’s two main climatic seasons: the rainy season and the prolonged dry season. Solar panels discreetly integrated into auxiliary roofs generate lighting for essential uses. The school operates independently from centralized infrastructure, embracing resilience and climate dignity.
Architecture as Pedagogy
The architecture itself becomes a silent teacher. Relief murals near the wash areas depict hygiene rituals. Classrooms include alphabet icons, while the dining space is surrounded by representations of natural cycles. The edible garden doubles as an outdoor classroom. Spatially, the design offers a mix of enclosure and openness: recesses for quiet reflection, open-air zones for play, and dappled light for daydreaming. The absence of corners, the tactility of clay, and the softness of transitions create an emotionally safe and sensorially rich environment.
Cultural Continuity and Empowerment
By fusing local construction practices with imaginative form, the project honors tradition while inviting reinterpretation. It provides a replicable and maintainable model that the community can take ownership of. More than a space to house education, this is a vessel for cultivating identity, dignity, and collective potential. It plants the idea that development can emerge from within, not arrive from outside.
Conclusion
The Live Learning Lab offers a poetic and practical vision for rural childhood education. It demonstrates how architecture—when shaped by empathy, context, and shared authorship—can inspire lifelong learning, stewardship of place, and pride without pretense. It is not just a building, but a beginning.
