Diapalanté - mutual aid and solidarity in Wolof - is a training centre and headquarters for an NGO active in the fields of health, education, heritage, and sustainable construction in Senegal. Two floors are arranged around an open courtyard and contain multi-purpose meeting rooms and workshops, a kitchen, a fair-trade shop, offices, and modest accommodations for volunteers. The naturally-ventilated concrete post-and-beam structure is roofed with wood trusses; the pressed bricks used for infill are made from local laterite with a small amount of cement additive. The centre meets Unesco’s strict requirements for World Heritage sites such as the colonial architecture of Saint-Louis, and young apprentices were trained in all aspects of the construction process.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
