Andrée-Anne Théorêt

Amal Primary School is identified as a safe haven in the midst of refugee camps. Not only is it a place where children can feel safe, it also endeavours to promote community spirit. The school’s organization suggests intimacy and the activities it hosts are distributed according to the positive and negative spaces generated by the offset of the built volumes. The buildings are planned in such a way as to allow universal accessibility throughout the complex. Enclosed spaces are given specific functions, whereas exterior enclaves are meant to encourage the creation of communal spaces such as gardens, markets or public forums. The classrooms create dynamic spaces for the children to interact within, they open completely to an outer courtyard where classes can also be held. Some classes could be held in the cafeteria’s kitchen, where people of the community can share their culinary culture with the students.

At McGill University School of Architecture