KEUR RACINE
KINDERGARTEN
Completion Date
July 2017
Location
Quartier Dixieme, Thies, Senegal
Construction Technique
Salvaged tyres with compacted clay and sand and sand bags
Requirement
2 Classrooms
LBMS’s first project is located in Thies, which is 72 km away from the capital, Dakar. While there is a university in Thies, the region lacks preschool educational facilities. Bassirou Mbacké High School was built in 1967 when the local community donated parcels of privately owned land to support the educational infrastructure in their village. The high school was composed of nine classrooms built from concrete, and was in critical need of expansion. LBMS submitted a proposal to the mayor to add two more classrooms to the high school in order to accommodate up to 62 pre-schoolers. We proposed to build the preschool within the vicinity of the high school so that the secondary school students would be able to accompany their younger siblings to school.
LBMS provided work opportunities to 17 villagers and a school for 62 students
Existing School
New Classrooms
Construction Technique
The school sits on a foundation of 196 salvaged tyres which were compacted with clay and sand. The walls were erected using 2,000 sand bags filled with locally sourced clay, sand and water. The mix provides natural thermal insulation and much needed protection from humidity. The bags were laid as staggered bricks to distribute the load of the structure equally across the foundations. In order to allow for much needed ventilation and to flood the space with natural light, we elevated the roof from the walls, leaving a significant gap for air and light to pass through. By providing fresh classrooms in a hot climate, we develop opportunities for productive work and improve access to sustainable livelihoods. This building method with SuperAdobe strengthens the community’s capacity in response to environmental and climate-related hazards and natural disasters, such as floods and storms more frequent every year.
