eco moyo education center in kenya adds two new classrooms clad in dried coconut leaves

arkitekter uten grenser (AUG), architectopia and jan kazimierz godzimirski have partnered to design two new nursery classrooms for the eco moyo education center, a norwegian/kenyan charity project that offers free primary education to children from the nzunguni village in kilifi, kenya. with the aim of creating two spacious, good quality rooms with minimal intervention, the group of architects defined the activity space of each building with two parallel and horizontal surfaces, comprising a concrete floor and a sisal ceiling. vertically, the walls of the buildings are clad in makuti, a local thatch material made from dried coconut leaves.all images byjan kazimierz godzimirski

arkitekter uten grenser, architectopia and jan kazimierz godzimirski‘s design for the eco moyo education center includes two adjacent buildings that are defined by two parallel and horizontal surfaces. on the ground, the concrete floor gradually steps down towards the existing landscape, while above, the sisal ceiling extends outwards to all four sides of each building. the corrugated metal roofs on each building are characterized by a simple yet effective structure that collects rainwater and protect against the weather, especially the solar heat. additionally, the roof extends beyond the walls of the building to provide transition zones for play and gathering.

the project uses principles of natural ventilation, with a larger opening to the south, which is the most important wind direction to give the rooms natural cooling. the two buildings are clad in sisal and ‘makuti’ – dried coconut leaves – intertwined to provide some protection while maintaining the connection of the rooms to nature and the surrounding countryside. inside, the space becomes a place of transition where various activities can take place at once. for instance, facing the football field is a set of two walkways that can be used for observing the games. the slight shift of the two rooms further generates a space that becomes natural to gather at.