Land of Knowledge

Idea projektu

This project aims to create a sustainable, functional, and culturally adapted educational environment in the village of Kashitu, Zambia. We propose an innovative architectural approach tailored to the region’s climatic, social, and economic conditions. The central idea is to provide comfortable and energy-efficient learning spaces, including the use of earth-sheltered structures. These semi-underground spaces — classrooms, laboratories, an assembly hall, and teachers’ offices — are integrated into the landscape to ensure natural thermal regulation and reduce the need for cooling in the hot climate.

The campus is organized through thoughtful zoning: educational, administrative, residential, and recreational areas are distributed in a way that minimizes overlap and creates an optimal environment for learning, rest, and social interaction.

Popis projektu

This architectural proposal envisions the development of a secondary school campus in the village of Kashitu — a small but growing community on the border of Zambia’s Central and Copperbelt Provinces. With a population of around 18,000, the area faces a severe shortage of secondary education opportunities: despite having eight primary schools, there is no access to secondary education within a 40-kilometer radius. As a result, over 1,000 graduates annually are left without any prospect of continuing their studies.

Our goal is to change that. The project provides a comprehensive educational complex designed to accommodate over 600 students, with a full range of academic, administrative, residential, and recreational facilities. The campus includes:

Classrooms and science laboratories

Assembly hall and library

Informal gathering spaces and co-working areas

Administrative offices and teacher support spaces

Student dormitories

Dining hall and health center

Workshops and vocational training zones

Multiple sports courts and an athletics track

Shaded green spaces and outdoor recreation areas

The infrastructure supports both day students and boarding students, making it accessible to children from distant rural villages.

The Kashitu school project is more than architecture — it is a catalyst for social transformation. It opens access to quality secondary education for hundreds of students, generates local employment during both construction and operation phases, and sets an example of sustainable design tailored to the African context. Our mission is not only to build a school but to lay the foundation for a new future — one that empowers the next generation to grow, learn, and lead.

Technické informace

The construction approach is based on the use of local, affordable, and environmentally sustainable materials. The main components include:

Walls — built from locally produced adobe bricks, which provide high thermal mass and excellent insulation, reducing indoor temperature fluctuations.

Roofing — a system of timber trusses topped with natural thatch and leaves, reflecting traditional Zambian construction methods while ensuring thermal comfort and cultural continuity.

Earth-sheltered structures — a defining element of the design, these semi-underground rooms apply bioclimatic architectural principles. They protect from direct sun exposure, stay cooler throughout the day, and maintain a comfortable indoor climate with minimal mechanical intervention.

Site planning — flexible and scalable, allowing future expansion of the campus to meet the educational demands of a growing population.

Dokumentace

Show PDF 1