Lycée Schorge: The Breathing Village Location: Koudougou, Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso’s third-largest city, Francis Kéré has reimagined the school not as a building, but as a village. Lycée Schorge creates a protective "embrace" around a central courtyard, using locally harvested laterite stone and a stunning curtain of eucalyptus wood to create a space that is cool, shaded, and deeply inspiring for its students.
Lycée Schorge: Architecture as a Community Embrace
This project sets a new standard for educational excellence in West Africa. It functions as an autonomous "village," where nine modular structures are arranged radially around a central courtyard. This layout does two things: it creates privacy from the dusty public domain outside, and it fosters a protected, inner world where students can gather, learn, and play.
The design is a testament to the philosophy that local materials, when treated with respect and innovation, can outperform expensive imports. It serves not just as a school, but as a catalyst for inspiration for the entire community.
Tectonics: Stone and Wood
The building’s identity is defined by the contrast between its heavy, earthen core and its light, wooden skin. The Laterite Core: The classroom walls are built from locally harvested laterite stone. This material is fascinating: it can be easily cut and shaped when first extracted from the earth, but once exposed to the atmosphere, it hardens into a durable brick with incredible thermal mass. The Wooden Veil: Wrapping around the classrooms like a transparent fabric is a screen made of fast-growing local eucalyptus wood. This "secondary façade" protects the earthen walls from wind and dust while creating shaded, informal gathering spaces for students waiting for class. It turns a simple walkway into a vibrant social corridor.
The Living Building: Passive Mastery
Koudougou is hot, so the building must breathe. Wind Catchers: The classrooms feature iconic wind-catching towers that funnel fresh air into the rooms. The Undulating Ceiling: Inside, the ceiling is a work of engineering art. A wave-like pattern of plaster and concrete components allows the interior to "exhale" hot, stagnant air through vents. This white, textured surface also diffuses daylight, providing soft, glare-free illumination perfect for reading.
Zero Waste: The economy of the building extends to the furniture. Desks and chairs were made from local hardwoods and leftover steel scraps from the roof construction, ensuring that nothing went to waste.
Data Sheet
Project: Lycée Schorge Secondary School Location: Koudougou, Burkina Faso Architect: Kéré Architecture (Francis Kéré) Completion Year: 2016 Area: 1,660 m² Key Materials: Laterite Stone, Eucalyptus Wood, Plaster Social Impact: Includes a Dental Clinic for students Photographs: Iwan Baan
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