School with Goofy Gestures

In Marsassoum, Senegal, where overcrowded classrooms often host 80 children and dropout rates remain high, Let’s Build My School, an NGO, initiated a project for a permanent, low-cost school as both an educational and community hub. Anchored by a central courtyard shaded by the existing moraceae tree, the design organizes seven classrooms, a library, offices, and latrines around a safe and playful enclosure. Spaces are staggered with rotated roofs, undulating surfaces, and niches that encourage intimacy and joy, while sandbag walls and vaulted brick roofs, built from locally sourced materials, ensure light, ventilation, and thermal comfort. Complementary functions such as orchard, corral, kitchen, and multipurpose hall support food security, self-sufficiency, and civic gatherings. A comprehensive budgeting framework aligns materials, labor, and phasing, balancing affordability with durability, and prioritizing local supply chains to reduce costs. This integration of design and financial planning makes the school adaptive, inclusive, and replicable as a model for resilient, community-based educational infrastructure.