Primary School

A prototypical 4 classroom primary school in Ethiopia. Building is constructed of local materials available, including tin sheet, locally sourced wood, brick and cement.
The proposed new classroom addition is located on the north side of the site allowing for a central play area and gathering space. Covered connectors act as gathering spaces for assemblies as well as circulation between buildings. The central courtyard with principal and staff offices located on the one side and all classrooms opening into the courtyard provide proper supervision of children entering/leaving classrooms and the playground. 

The classroom wing is located across from the dining room/ multifunction building. A smaller, inward-looking courtyard is created with connecting covered walkways between buildings that serve as gathering spaces on hot, sunny days and during inclement weather.

A playground is located on the west side of the site with direct access from the covered walkways. Courtyard is planted with large trees for cooling and shade for children. Access from the main road is connected directly to the administration building; this provides easy access for the public to the multipurpose room for community use.

Rainwater from the building roofs is collected using a series of roof gutters and stored in an underground storage tank. This greywater is then pumped to a gravity tank using a solar water pump. All toilets will use greywater for toilet flushing.

Solar panels are mounted on top of the dining room / multi functional building. Restrooms are furnished with floor toilets that use running water for flushing. Fixtures are low flow high water efficient. Building structure is made of concrete columns and concrete ring beams with brick infill. The roof truss is made of local timber and can be fabricated on site. Curved shims are cut to accommodate the curved roof profile. Roof is made out of locally available metal sheets.