Initiative Rising Star – A school for Hopley, Zimbabwe
The Rising Star School is located on the outskirts of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. The Hopley district is dominated by informal residential structures. In the midst of this densely built settlement, the primary school forms a center for residents, which serves as a common meeting place in addition to the regular school time.
The main feature of the campus are the round arches built of masonry, which form the building structure and the room closure. Large arches span the classrooms, small arches span a corridor outside in front of it. After every two clas- srooms, there is a covered outdoor area for multi-functional purposes. The classrooms are ventilated by a ventilation level between the ceiling and the roof. This ensures venti- lation through small openings in the facade for a comfortable room climate.
Masonry is in Hopley and Zimbabwe a very widespread building material that especially finds use in simple constructions of small houses and thus only partially appreciated. By referring back to traditional construction methods and incorporating constructive details, this design presents a new approach to contemporary masonry work. This, in turn, gives the primary school a new identity in a neighborhood characterized by high unemployment and low education.
This school building project is being developed by Engineers without Borders Germany (Ingenieure ohne Grenzen e.V.) and is being carried out by a highly motivated project group in Stuttgart.