Locality. From the community, for the community.

The local community is integral to our structure, and the structure is a cornerstone for the community. Built from local land and resources, the project returns value to the community through education, shelter, and economic resilience.

Locality - Our proposal is grounded in Place Based Design, emerging from Djilakh’s vernacular typologies, climate, and social fabric. It aligns with Senegal’s “Vision 2050” by addressing immediate food security needs while investing in long term human capital through vocational training. Locality concept drives every decision, ensuring the project will provide a brighter future for the community, while remaining affordable and sustainable.

Materiality - In Senegal, peanuts are one of the most widespread crops, forming a backbone of the local agricultural economy. Peanut cultivation generates large quantities of shells, an abundant agricultural byproduct that is often discarded. By revaluing this waste as a building resource, our project transforms an ecological burden into an asset. The use of peanut shells strengthens the circular economy and reduces dependence on imported materials. Peanut shells enhance acoustic performance, reduce material weight, and significantly lower construction costs.

The shells are integrated into the construction process by mixing them with local soil to produce Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB). The technique is simple, manual, and easily transferable, allowing locals to participate directly in the building process without specialized machinery. This method creates an ecological, breathable building envelope that significantly reduces interior heat gain. Our design prioritizes durability and easy maintenance. Both CEB blocks and roof tiles are designed based on peanut-earth mixture.

Program - The school functions as a living ecosystem serving the entire village. It integrates community gardens, livestock farming areas and workshops. In addition to a strong and inviting study environment, our design provides the community with immediate productive resources such as agricultural produce, household repair capabilities and flood refuge.

Typology - Acting as a natural continuation of Djilakh, our design is organized as a collection of independent pavilions. This typology breaks down the building mass to optimize airflow and enhance climate resilience.

The structures are raised on platforms and connected by walking surfaces, ensuring accessibility during the wet season as the central courtyard becomes a sunken retention basin, and transforms into a shaded green oasis during the dry season. This layout is inherently modular, allowing organic growth. New pavilions can be added over time without compromising the character of the campus.

In the end – It's peanuts.