Secondary School with Boarding Facilities in Maigua Village, Tigray, Ethiopia

The school and the entire spatial development will be organised around a series of green, terraced courtyards, each with a distinct character and purpose. Designed to accommodate a variety of activities, they will also provide shade and a safe environment for users. A system of canopies, pergolas and lightweight screens will ensure comfortable use of the entire campus, both during the intense midday heat and sudden heavy rainfall.

Many of the key design principles were inspired by traditional HIDMO architecture, making it a natural step to adapt the architectural form to the local context of Tigray. The complex has been broken down into smaller volumes, cascading along the natural slope of the site. The entrance zone is emphasised by a tower-like landmark, while perforated sections of the walls facilitate natural ventilation. The stepped arrangement of the volumes — conceived as a “box-on-box” composition — together with the green roofs, textures, colour palette and proportions of the stone blocks, are a direct response to observations of the local vernacular architecture.