Lycée Kessel Djibouti / richard + schoeller

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We stood there thinking, sensitive to the slightest shadow, to the slightest breeze, considering that simple aspects of the climate like the wind that moves air masses from the sea can naturally soften a climate, ventilate a building, provide a comfortable interior atmosphere without energy if we observe them carefully. And we examined how to adapt this thinking in a concrete way in the construction of the Joseph Kessel high school in Djibouti.As we went around the cabin, the east wind, which was blowing gently and continuously, suddenly diffused an unsuspected freshness on this side of the walls.Wind, light and shadows can sometimes very simply allow partial self-sufficiency on certain primary objectives of architecture even in difficult conditions.Text description provided by the architects.We had moved away to the west of Dikhil, near Bouh Barre, after crossing a dry wadi at this time of year. The sun was gradually rising in the sky after a completely starry night, and was embracing us with its torpor. Even though the summer season was not here, walking was becoming difficult in May. Finding a stone hut, covered with a roof overflowing with sheet metal, we stopped in the shade. The thin thickness of this sheet metal seemed providential to us under the burning sun. Under its shade, the temperature had dropped by 10 degrees, without the sun's rays striking our skin or our entire body.