Kaira Looro 2026: Bamboo roof community center in Senegal
Afroditi Ioannidou and Vladimir Gligorovski win Kaira Looro Architecture Competition 2026 with a rammed-earth and bamboo community center in Senegal.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Afroditi Ioannidou and Vladimir Gligorovski secured first prize in Kaira Looro 2026
- The rural Senegal community center utilizes rammed earth and natural materials
- A sweeping bamboo roof facilitates passive ventilation and rainwater harvesting
- The winning proposal will move forward to actual construction for local use
Architects Afroditi Ioannidou and Vladimir Gligorovski, based in Greece and representing K-Studio, have clinched first place in the international Kaira Looro Architecture Competition 2026. Their winning proposal features a community center constructed from rammed earth, highlighted by an expansive bamboo roof located in the southern region of Senegal.
The conceptual design draws direct inspiration from traditional impluvium houses found in Senegal’s Casamance region. These domestic structures organize daily life inward around a central courtyard designed to gather residents, natural light, and rainwater. The architects successfully scaled up this residential concept into a village-wide community facility.
Organized by the humanitarian nonprofit Balouo Salo, the annual competition invited young architects and students to design an educational and collective hub for rural southern Senegal. The core brief required a structure that local communities could independently build using accessible techniques and natural materials without heavy machinery, with the grand prize including the realization of the project.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The design arranges the center along a gently curving, elongated arc housing a library, study areas, a workshop, and service rooms. All spaces open outward toward a gravel clearing at the core, creating an environment that functions simultaneously as a courtyard and an amphitheater for daily independent activities or large village gatherings.
Scaling up the vernacular impluvium housing typology into communal infrastructure demonstrates a sophisticated approach to sustainable architecture. By relying on local materials and participatory construction methods, the design addresses both tropical climatic challenges and long-term community ownership in remote rural areas.
The distinct character of the building stems from its sweeping bamboo roof, which dips low at the edges to provide deep shading for outdoor gatherings. The gap along the raised ridge enables passive ventilation by letting hot air escape while drawing cooler air inward. The primary structure pairs locally sourced bamboo poles tied with rope and galvanized wire alongside independent rammed-earth walls formed from regional laterite soil.
"Designing a community center that echoes traditional lifestyles through natural materials and accessible local construction."
Afroditi Ioannidou and Vladimir Gligorovski
Rainwater management is integrated through the expansive roof geometry, directing runoff toward handwashing stations while allowing the central gravel courtyard to facilitate natural groundwater infiltration during Casamance's rainy season. These practical interventions support rural villages in the region, which typically average around 1,500 inhabitants.
Source: designboom
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