The Dogon people live in the central plateau region of Mali, southwest of the Niger River. Their architecture has not ceased to amaze westerners since the French anthropologist Marcel Griaule ‘discovered’ it in 1930. Situated deep in Dogon territory, this school echoes its surrounding context through its construction type and through an updated reinterpretation of traditional building systems. Contaning three 63-square-meter classrooms arranged in a row, the school is built entirely with blocks of compressed earth bonded to form very low barrel vaults spanning 7 meters on the short sides of the classrooms. The horizontal pressure of the vaults is counteracted by the two lateral verandas decorated with Dogon patterns, and the vaults double as buttresses. The roof is perforated with small holes arranged in the vernacular way, and protected with a waterproof layer of red clay and cement. The thermal inertia of the walls and the floor-through layout are instrumental in mitigating the harsh conditions of the local climate.