Located on the outskirts of Koudougou, the third most populated city of Burkina Faso, the new Lycée Schorge building draws inspiration from traditional settlements in this part of West Africa, offering reinterpretations of vernacular building materials and systems on a contemporary note.

From a typological point of view, the secondary school is formed like a ‘village’ that closes in on itself. The classrooms, protected by a perimetral lattice, are arranged around a space that acts as a communal and representative central court. This whole layout resonates with the materials and construction methods used. The classrooms are built with walls of brick of high thermal mass, executed with sandstone extracted from local quarries and carved to shape before coming in contact with the atmosphere. As for the outer enclosure, it is a palisade of wooden poles which, while shading the walls of the classrooms, creates a pleasant protected street. Covering the complex is a roof of sheet metal which is separated from the concrete ceiling to form a ventilation chamber that dissipates solar radiation. The bioclimatic effect achieved through the walls, the lattice, and the roof is complemented by large towers that rise above the ‘village’ to induce natural ventilation passively.