Plans for Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in the works

By StudioMDA Staff on 10.29.09

(StudioMDA is a New York-based architecture firm doing pro bono design for Raising Malawi. The following is a message from their staff members who are currently designing the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. Click images for full size.)

Yesterday afternoon, Madonna planted a Moringa tree to mark the start of construction of Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe. When the Academy is finished in 2012, the campus will accommodate 450 Girls.  We believe this school will set new educational and sustainable standards for schools in Malawi and other developing countries.

The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls campus will include a Library and Administration building, Dining Hall, Gymnasium, Wellness Center, Sports Field, 30 Classrooms, 12 Dormitories and 18 Staff Houses on a 46 hectare site. Our design concept for the Academy will utilize cutting edge environmental analysis with appropriate technologies to achieve sustainability goals such as passive ventilation, and natural light. Most construction materials are sourced locally, such as Hydraform bricks, made from soil on site, avoiding the use of burned bricks which have been largely responsible for wide spread deforestation in Malawi.

A field of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the gymnasium will help the school to be energy independent.  Two constructed wetlands will process all the black and grey water generated by the school allowing it to be used for irrigation that will keep the playing field green even in the dry season.  Learning landscapes, and educational agriculture areas will help to educate the student on the range on ecosystems in Malawi and help to develop the future of sustainable agriculture in the country.  The result will be a comprehensive educational campus that will create a safe and nurturing environment.

At StudioMDA we have closely collaborated with Adams Kara Taylor of London, dLand Studio of New York, Transsolar Climate Engineering of Stuttgart and New York, John Todd Ecological Design of Woods Hole, ARUP Consulting Engineers in New York, Alcatel Lucent New York and ePod Solar of British Columbia to develop the design of the project.  We have also worked closely with local architect Ismail Patel of IMDesign and the local Malawi design team including RD Consultants, M&E Associates, ULC Landscapes and SFS Property Consultants.

For further information please email press@studiomda.com.