The World Bank believes that urbanization will be “the single most important transformation that the African continent will undergo this century”, with over half of the population set to live in cities by 2040. This will manifest as 40,000 people moving to cities every day for the next 20 years. While much of the architectural discourse around Africa's future focuses on cities, rural areas are often ignored. This has however been the preoccupation of Italian architect Valentino Gareri, founder of Valentino Gareri Architectural Atelier and Senior Designer at Bjarke Ingels Group.
With 60% of children between 15 and 17 in Sub-Saharan Africa currently not attending school, Gareri has proposed a new architectural approach to school design, founded on pillars of adaptability, modularity, and sustainability. In this interview, Gareri speaks with ArchDaily's Niall Patrick Walsh on the origins, concept, design, and future of his school prototype, as well as his own background in architecture.
