The youngsters and the community of the small village of Jadgal in south-eastern Iran came to an agreement with the NGO Iran-e-Man, whose mission it is to build schools in disadvantaged areas of the country, to help them build a rural school in their village. Iran-e-Man organised a competition, which was won by the Iranian architectural firm DAAZ Office. The design and construction of the school had to meet several requirements: it had to be a low-budget, participatory project with a sustainable development approach. The result is the Jadgal Elementary School. To carry out its construction, as designed by DAAZ Office, the studio received the support, involvement and work of the entire community of Jadgal. The village came together to finance the costs (young women knitted and sold sewing work), to define the spaces and to construct the building with their own hands.
Architecturally, the Jadgal school is a simple building, enclosed by a circular wall. This wall is perforated by irregular curved openings that open up to the outside views, allow light to pass through, provide ventilation and, most importantly, become leisure spaces for recreation, play and gathering for the school children. In the interior surrounded by the wall, around a large central atrium which is also circular, the buildings for classrooms and services are arranged like the beads on a necklace. Four of these buildings are used for classrooms, whilst the other three serve as offices, library and meeting space. In the school’s entrance area, on the other hand, the circular wall widens to house the caretaker’s office, storerooms and a small buffet.
The school was built with concrete and polystyrene formwork, an insulating and energy-efficient system, and then clad with a mixture of cement and local sand. This cladding prevents rusting from the rain, is easy to repair and integrates the building seamlessly with its surroundings. Its design and construction, as we can see, makes the Jadgal Elementary School a sustainable project, both environmentally and socially.
