Zantedeschia makes a vital link between education and water, as fundamental pillars of the future Ethiopia. The school works as a micro-society, as a garden of knowledge and security. The place to instill the values of a better society. Children as fresh flowers, have flexible and open spaces to the outside where they can play and learn, the inner places are naturally illuminated and wind travels across making it feel safe and playful.
The spaces are generated by the indistinct addition of a structural modules, made of cheap and sustainable materials, bamboo columns and trusses, rammed earth walls and zinc roofs. The dimensions of these elements allow them to be homologated to other systems such as wood and masonry. The interior partitions are made of wooden shelves, once disassembled they can become seats, tables, pedestals and even wooden castles. Also the structural pillars are shaped to accommodate several functions, as hens nest at the henhouse, a wood oven at the kitchen, a water tank at the bathroom, and a storage at the classrooms.
The school in its second phase responds to a closed cycle system as a premise of sustainability, where food is extracted from the local garden, which is fed by the 3 interconnected septic tanks purification system. In the center of the inner courtyard there is a tower for dew condensation, it delivers at least 50 L of water per day, it’s shaped like Ethiopian national flower , colored yellow, and rests on a garden. Below there is an absorption well that drains rainwater from the surroundings roofs to an underground cistern, it is activated by a manual pump system. The idea it’s to spread these seeds of knowledge all across Ethiopia, to achieve a garden, a garden of knowledge.
