(Nederlands) Bombou

Sorry, this entry is only available in Dutch.

Practical training collage Sangha

The lord mayor of Sangha, Aly Inguo Dolo, has asked to the Association Dogon Initiative (ADI) to realize a Practical Training College in Sangha for 800 students. ADI has accepted this mission. The College will provide the area with a construction and agricultural education facility. The architecture is in line with local culture and building traditions. At the same time the design provides a solution to the new scale of a large school in a village setting which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The hangar and the water tower on the background

The teacher housing (on the left) and the classrooms

The project consists of various ensembles of classrooms, hangar-workshops, teacher-residencies, and technical service buildings, all surrounded by gardens and stone walls. They create a ‘new neighbourhood’.For now, the first cluster of classrooms, the residencies, and the administrative cluster are functional. The first one hundred of what will be a total of eight-hundred students are presently receiving technical training to become masons or electricians.

The barrel vault roofs, constructive and no-supportive walls, and floors are made of the same material, found at and taken from the construction site itself: earth. The earth is being processed on-site by mobile machines that produce hydraulically pressed earth-blocks, thereby heavily reducing the costs of transport and source-material. These HCEB-stones, that also provide optimum cooling climate, have certainly proven their usefulness. But with every project, the technology and application processes are being optimized and further developed. Recently, the first dome-roofs made from HCEB-stones were finished.

The young masonry-students, of which one third are women, will soon themselves build the third and last cluster of buildings, purposed for agricultural education, in fulfilment of their practical internship requirements. They will be given some liberty to feed from their architectural traditions and aesthetic intuition. Each design will obtain its own personal character.

For more information, click hier.

Primary school Bombou

The primary school Bombou is located in the village of Bombou in the center of Mali, in the open plain at the Bandiagara Cliff in Dogonland, the area where the Dogon and the Peul live. The school is an ensemble of three classrooms, a sanitary block, an office for the director and the teachers, a storage room and a common outdoor area. The school is intended for children of two different cultures, the Dogon and the Peul. Although they are so close to each other, they are struggling to communicate with each other because of the many language variations and dialects. The new school will connect these two different ethnic groups.

The design is shown to women and children

The school is a sustainable building. It consists of three classrooms with a round shape and creates a connection with local building traditions. The use of locally pressed earth blocks ensures a natural integration with the environment, just like all surrounding villages that merge into the landscape. The hydraulically compressed earth blocks (HCEB) are produced with the ground on the site, which greatly reduces production costs and environmental degradation. They are not only sustainable but also much better than traditional clay buildings, resistant to the climate of both the hot sun and the heavy rainfall. The created indoor climate is also considerably cooler, a perfect environment for the children to learn.

In Mali, cooperation with the local community and education authority (CAP, programming and inspection) is needed to build a school. In fact, the village supports not only the construction, but also the children, Dogon and Peul, to go to school together.

The construction of a new water well close to the school

For more information click here.

Primary school Sono Ma

The existing primary school in the village of Sono Ma has been renovated and expanded with three classrooms on the basis of the original design. Prior to the renovation, the classrooms had been in very poor conditions. Their original structure was nonetheless judged good enough, and a design was made for the renovation that would integrate a number of important qualitative improvements.

The site plan and the section of the existing and the new school

The old roof was removed, as it was according to common standards wedged in between the walls, damaging them. A new roof, resting on a separate construction, was installed over the existing school. A veranda on the outside of the school now creates a shaded, communal outside area. Parts of the standing walls have been replaced by new Brazilian brickwork, which considerably improves the climate inside the classroom. The two clusters of classroom come together around the schoolyard. This special project has been an important step in the context of Malian building, an eye-opener for local builders to the potential of simple renovation and maintenance measures.

Children playing in the courtyard between the two schools

For more information (in French) click hier.

Primary school Gangouroubourou

In the open plain near the Malian village Gangouroubouro LEVS designed a new primary school. Similar to the primary school in Tanouan Ibi and the practical training college in Sangha, the architecture of the school reflects a connection between the local building traditions, culture and function. Compared with the rich architectural areas near the rocky walls in the Dogon area, particularly at this location the plain offers the possibility of a different appearance.

The ensemble consists of a school, blocks with sanitary facilities and a communal outdoor space. The structure of the school building consists of an enlarged front porch of more than 3 meters parallel to the three classrooms. The walls are constructed with newly developed and locally produced hydraulic compressed earth blocks (HCEB) in alternating strips. They determine the rhythm of the facades and provide a cool inside climate. The porch, which is equipped with stone benches on both sides, forms the large terrace of the school. The roof is constructed of overlapping steel plates, each hanging 1 meter over and creating extra shade spaces.

By means of thin steel shaft profiles, the mass of the roof is being transferred to the buttresses. The Poligny rafters stretch across the classrooms and create a free floor surface. Wind forces are prevented from pushing up the roof by a wide stroke of semi-open masonry for ventilation and by the use of several openings of long and narrow windows. The openings in the facade with its tilt window frames are painted in an ochre yellow color. The office and the storage facility have been built with curved roofs and on a smaller scale, corresponding to the function of the space.

Details of the windows and the brickwork

For more information (in Dutch) click here.

Primary school Senguembengou

The existing school in Senguembengou was designed in 1990 by a Malinese architect. In Mali there are many of these schools that are relatively well built and have a distinctive character. They are often in a decent condition. Since these schools are built with concrete bricks, the climate inside is very warm and the lowered ceiling, which should be used for ventilation, often works poorly.
During the renovation, the ceiling has been removed to improve the ventilation, the floors are renewed and the roof construction is rebuilt. On the other side of this renewed school, a new school with 3 classrooms has been built, creating an extra outdoor space, so that there is plenty of room for the children to sit in the shade.

View of the renewed school and the new one

View of the classrooms with the offices on the right

Installation of the blue pump next to the school

Primary school Ogoudengou

Situation plan: the school, the garden and the teacher houses

The new school in Bombou

At the previous visit of the Peul village Bombou in March, there were a number of conditions that had to be fulfilled in order to build a school. Amongst others, the condition that the CAP provides the teachers and agrees on the location of the new school. Also the need for cooperation between the Peul village and the three Dogon villages is necessary not only to obtain support while constructing the school, but also to let their children to go to school together.

All this was resolved and we discussed it with the villages. We presented the plan which was received with great approval.

Plannen voor een school in Bombou

In the ADI program for 2016, there is the plan to build a new school in the Peul village of Bombou. Once we arrived at the village, women and kids welcomed us with warm music and dances. For them, it was a real event having us in their village.

All inhabitants were sitting under a tree in the meeting place and we had a conversation with the elderly men of Bombou. Since the people there speak Peul and not Dogon, we had our own translator Meni Kodio, who is also busy with the Initiative Green Desert. During the meeting, Peul and Dogon offered us a couple of chickens, as a gesture of gratitude of our visit.

Just outside the village, we visited the site of the new school, which will integrate two different culture, the Dogon and the Peul. Even if they live so close to each other, they have difficulties to communicate due to many language’ variations and many dialects. The new school will connect together these two different ethnic group.

Plan for a school in Bombou

Approaching the completion of the school in Ogodengou

The school in Ogoudengou will be ready at the end of August including housing, toilets (renovated) and a fence. The planting of trees has already begun.

Last month, the work was hard in order to finish the detail of the edges of the roof, the garden walls and the painting of the window and door frames in a bright yellow color.

The schools in Ogodengou and Sono Ma

In Ogodengou the school and teachers houses are under construction. The furniture is already on site, ready to be placed inside the building. The French organization Via Sahel is financing the project, while we guarantee the partnership with the local community, as an important part in our work. The school and the houses will be able to be used in October.

In Sono Ma during the Easter holidays there were around twenty volunteers from the village to help to finish the project.

They were working on the benches and on the floor, which are now completed.

Sono Ma in the final stage of construction and reparation

Just like in Senguebengou, this year in Sono Ma we were busy with a renovation of an old school and the design of a new one.The roof of the old school was completely blown off by the wind. We repaired it, we improved the ventilation of the classrooms and now some small details need to be fixed and painted (like doors and windows).

The works on the interior are also in progress. The roof construction was changed and reinforced, but the other elements need renovation as well. The cracks in the walls should be fixed, the floors redone and the classrooms have to be painted.

The new school resembles those in Senguebengou and Gangoubouro. A nice veranda offering sun protection, a steel roof and good ventilation in the top part of the walls. Of course, all built with HCEB blocks made from local materials.

Here you can download the project design booklet by LEVS architects.

Senguebengou is ready for the new school year!

The new school year is here, and so is the new school in Senguebengou!

The project consisted of the renovation of the old school as well as the construction of a new one opposite of it. All the works went smoothly, the buildings are beautiful and the people of the village even made a new wall around the plot in a traditional way.

With all the new trees and bushes they planted on the site, we can see how much the school means to the people of the village. They were engaged in the whole building process and can truly say that this is their school, not just a building somebody made for them. They have proven to be a real partner!

Since everything went positively and without dificulties, Senguebengou can go to a new level! We decided that this should be the place to start a hygiene programme which is very important. The children will be learning about the importance of hygiene in everyday life, and what we can do is install the first blue pump out of many to come!

To view the post with more information about the blue pump click here.

A very big part of this project was done in collaboration with Impulsis who gave us a generous donation and the possibility to elaborate the hygiene programme.

Last but not least, we also have some photos of the school furniture. What we aim to do is to recycle and reuse old furniture by using the parts that are still in good shape. Again, this would not be possible without the dedicated work of the local people who put all the benches and tables together!

The final report about the project will be in December after our visit to Senguebengou and when the installation of the blue pump is done!

Click here to view a design booklet by LEVS architects.

Bouw Senguebengou loopt op rolletjes

Bekijk hier gebundeld het ontwerpboekje van LEVS architecten.

Bekijk hier de eerste bouwfase van de basisschool in Sengeubengou.

Het blijft elke keer weer verrassend hoe snel de scholen gebouwd worden als alles en iedereen echt ter plaatse is. De nieuwbouw met speciale buitenplek voor de kinderen vlak bij de waterpomp is al gereed. In de zomer periode vanaf begin juli 2014 wordt gestart met de renovatie van het oude monumentale schoolgebouw uit begin jaren 1980 van een Malinese architect. In oktober 2014 is het ensemble helemaal gereed.

Het is de doelstelling om bij deze school als eerste een blue pump te installeren. Dit doen we ook om het belang van het hygiëne programma en van het project van de schooltuin nogmaals te stimuleren. Maar, eerlijk is eerlijk, het is ook een locatie die goed is ter promotie van de pomp in onze campagne voor de komende jaren.

Construction beginning of a school in Sono Ma

The school in Sono Ma has made already good progress. The new construction of the school and the renovation of the existing school should be ready on 1 October 2014. Under the leadership of the team of Esay Dara this will certainly work out fine.

Click here to view a design booklet by LEVS architects.

Click here to view the report of the first conversations in Sono Ma.

jul-14 – Construction in Sono Ma Gedeon from stichting dogon onderwijs on Vimeo.

The layout of ground prepared for the construction of the foundations. In the background there are piled compressed earth blocs.

This school resembles very much the school in Gangouroubouro, but the difference is made by an innovative solution of the pillars. It has been observed that many stones were cut during the implementation. That took a lot of time and many stones were spoiled. Because of new details, this is no longer the case.

The pleasant aspect of this project is that also in this case, just like in Senguembengou, we are going to renovate the old school and we will install a new roof. The project runs very well, also thanks to the great support of the population. It seems that the clear agreements regarding the contributions of each party by means of contracts bear fruit. I hope that in October 2014 the first beginning of the planting of trees will have restarted also.

Sono Ma

The second school that we would like to realize in 2014 is located in Sono Ma. At this moment this school consists of an old building of which the roof blew off by the wind. Alongside a cluster consisting of traditional school-classes is to be found. Many trees have already been planted during the construction of the first building and these have well grown overtime. There are 292 students visiting the school, a director and five teachers. Three of them will be paid by the State and three others by the village.

The village chief signs the contract.

The village has shown a great commitment and is prepared to realize the needed education. Their contribution to the payment of the teachers and the large quantity of students already bear first witness of this. As usual we conclude clear agreements as far the role of the community is concerned. All that regards the supply of water, of gravel, of clay and the planting of trees and the construction of the school-garden. We have signed the agreement and still in this year we will begin the works.

Existing classroom; cracks in the construction of the roof.

Facing the old school-building three new class-rooms will appear with a large veranda. The existing school will be renovated. We will make a new roof and a pleasant veranda. Moreover the existing school does not dispose of adequate sanitary installations and therefore does not have a hygiene program! Next year, after the completion of the building, we will start to work on the content of the education program, in collaboration with the school. The very motivated teachers have shown a great interest in the program “Les mots imprimés” (‘the printed words’).

ADI and the six teachers in Sono-Ma.

Senguebengou

The construction of the school is carried out under the direction of Isay Dara. He is a very precise builder and he asks many questions. We discuss about the progress made and about improvements or possible simplifications. Continuously I notice that the plans are perfectly followed, but that the reasons why or the coherence is not always well understood. This is also a good lesson for us.

Click here for the first visit to the village and an overview of the design of the primary school in Senguebengou.

The steel-construction will be partially hidden.

Jurriaan and Amatigue (ADI) discuss the detail features of the masonry.

The cutting of the HCEB (high pressure compressed earth blocks) stones goes beyond what is needed. However this does not cause problems at the construction.

The new school gardens adjacent to the existing school grounds.

The collaboration with the population is very good. Apparently also the agreements concluded in December regarding the construction of a school-garden have been firm, as it has already been accomplished. The garden is very nice and beautiful, but it is only now that I understand the problem of water and why. It is forbidden to the students to go to the nearest water-well, because the teachers are afraid that they might fall in that well. And during school-time, the teachers bear responsibility for the students. The “India Mali” pump is functioning, but more or less 10 minutes are needed for 20 liters of water and it is really hard tot do so. In short, again we have learned a lot. We will see whether we could replace that pump.