Amsterdam-based firm LEVS Architecten in 2013 completed work on a primary school in Dogon Plateau, Mali.
The designers told ArchDaily the school is made of hydraulic compressed earth blocks, which are unfired bricks. Soil for the rammed-earth building material was taken on-site, which the firm states saved on construction costs. As a bonus, the bricks withstand Mali’s climate better than traditional clay buildings. The brick, along with apertures in the roof keep the interior of the three-classroom school cool during the day. The apertures can be closed to deal with the other factor of Mali’s climate: its intense rainy season.
The climate control is a surprising feature for the building, in that its vaulted barrel shape reminds us of a 7-meter-tall kiln.
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Primary School Tanouan Ibi by LEVS Architecten. Photographs by the architects.
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