Urbanitree uses local materials and construction methods for African Flow School in Cameroon

Patterned walls of rammed-earth bricks and carpentry in local hardwoods celebrate "ancestral materials and methods" at the African Flow School, a kindergarten in Cameroon designed by Barcelona-based architecture studio Urbanitree.

The 1,600-square-metre school on the outskirts of Yaoundé in Soa was designed for the Missionary Daughters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

The school occupies a U-shaped brick structure that surrounds a communal courtyard, which was designed based on the mission's "flow" pedagogical model that uses spatial design to structure and inform learning.

Guided by this, Urbanitree approached the building itself as an "educational tool", using ramme- earth bricks and azobé – a termite-resistant local hardwood – for its structure, as well as other local hardwoods for the interiors such as sapele, movingui and doussie.

"We wanted the building itself to be part of the pedagogy – an educational tool rooted in local culture," Urbanitree co-founder Vicente Guallart told Dezeen.

"The main challenge was the construction culture: in Cameroon, 'progress' is often associated with concrete, while for us progress meant working with ecological, low-carbon materials," he continued.

"African Flow School demonstrates that progress can mean reconnecting with ancestral materials and methods, while aligning with global challenges such as climate change and urbanisation."

In addition to its use of local materials, Urbanitree based the journey or "flow" through the school on four familiar ecosystems – mountain, village, savanna and forest – represented through the layout of classrooms and a series of sculptural forms.

At the northern end of the school is the "mountain", represented by a blocky, stacked structure built from local hardwood that can be both climbed over and entered as a grotto.

Alongside are the "savannah" and the "village", where a space for group learning organised as a long, linear hall with stepped bench seating sits alongside a curved chapel.

The journey ends in the "forest", where a gridded, tree house-like structure can be inhabited by students as an elevated lookout point offering views across the courtyard.

Throughout, areas of perforated brickwork, clusters of small openings and gridded timber screens filter in light in a way that is reflective of these ecosystems, such as from above in the mountain area and dappled through a screen in the forest space.

"Each environment evokes familiar cultural and natural references, fostering an emotional connection between the students and the spaces they inhabit," said Guiallart.

"In this way, architecture becomes the 'third teacher,' shaping learning through spatial experience," he continued. "These spaces embody the idea that education can emerge from nature, community, and tradition."

The neighbouring water tower, which serves the school, was built using a lightweight timber frame rather than the typical concrete, and is fitted with photovoltaic panels to help mitigate power outages.

Elsewhere, Architectural Pioneering Consultants and Wolfgang Rossbauer also used local materials and methods for a school in Tanzania, drawing on Montessori ideas of spatial learning.

The photography is by Adrià Goula.

The post Urbanitree uses local materials and construction methods for African Flow School in Cameroon appeared first on Dezeen.