Gando's Primary School with school garden

The Primary School in Gando, my home village. It was built in 2001 with the help of my association "Schulbausteine für Gando e.V.".

The structure of the building is designed to be aesthetically uplifting, while optimizing protection against the harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, the building is aligned from east to west. The floor plan consists of three rectangle volumes holding up to 50 students each. The classrooms are arranged linearly, separated by covered areas for recreation and outdoor lessons.

The densely packed clay blocks of walls and ceiling help moderating the room temperature. In order to increase resistance against termites, 6% cement was added to the blocks. Elegantly simple slats at the windows combine shade and ventilation. This way the rooms are light-flooded but aired.

A ring beam both links the classrooms and provides the structural base for the roof of corrugated metal sheeting. The ring bears at each end on columns of clay blocks with rounded edges to avoid students getting injured.

Steel supports lift the roof structure above the ceiling, creating spaces through which cooling air flows freely. The walls are shaded from both sun and torrential rain by the overhanging roof.

The floors within the class rooms show a traditional technique: made of stamped clay, women from the village spent hours compressing it by hand. Natural oils protect and seal the surface.

Opened in 2001, the school counts more than 350 pupils today. Impressed by the building, the local government readily agreed to fund teachers’ salaries. The school not only provides education for the village children, but is used to pass on new skills and knowledge to the entire community.

Sustainability aspects:

-Local materials are consciously preferred -Local labour: the initially untrained village inhabitants are the operating forces instructed by the architect; nowadays, Gando villagers are being hired to work on other public projects due to their new construction skills. -The engagement into the construction evoked a strong empathy with the school amongst villagers involved; it has become a central point of the village -Comfortable climate conditions: intelligent airing construction without any artificial ventilation -A comparably low budget construction -Combination: a modern architectural language with traditional materials -Multiplier effect: neighbouring villages follow the same model of community mobilization to build schools for themselves.