Niger has the highest birth rate in the world (approximately 7 children born to every woman) and simultaneously struggles to keep children in the education system beyond primary school.
Article 25 and MHA designed new classrooms and associated facilities that will enable the college to provide subsidised education for up to 1,200 children from primary school age through to sixth form. The buildings use materials and passive design principles first employed with great success on our projects in Uganda and Burkina Faso: laterite walls; laterite and CSEB vaults; and a steel framed fly roof. The passive design strategy is a great success: by mid-afternoon fully occupied classrooms typically remain 7-8°C cooler than the outside.
Client: Collège Amadou Hampaté Bâ
Architects: Article 25
Project Value: Undisclosed
Winner: IStructE Award 2023
Winner: AIA Sustainability Award 2024
Winner: AIA Medium Sized Project Award 2024
Winner: RIBA International Award for Excellence 2024
Part of the programme was an introductory course on construction skills for the benefit of female students to challenge misplaced views on gender in construction and ultimately provide employment opportunities.
