Located between Mounts Meri and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania’s Arusha Region, this school of the remote Ngabobo Village was commissioned by the NGO Africa Amini Alama, and is attended by members of the Maasai community. The project is based on 28 concepts derived from the educational principles of Montessori, with practical learning fostered through elements like the textures of local materials and through interconnected spaces adapted to class activities.

In an east-west flow, the construction crowned with a large steel roof presents walls of volcanic rock and sand arranged in 45º angles to optimize cross ventilation. The interiors are partly clad in straw and mud to enhance thermal and acoustic comfort, a vernacular technique learned from Maasai women. The different diamond-shaped windows on the facade open to smaller learning niches while capturing solar heat to warm the classrooms.