For generations, the centuries-old baobab tree at the entrance to Kabar has been the heart of community life—a place where elders gather, stories are shared, and collective decisions are made. Community Ground builds upon this living tradition, creating a contemporary place where education, cultural continuity, ecological stewardship, and community leadership grow together.

Located between Kafountine and Diannah in Senegal’s Casamance region, the Jola (Diola) community has long sustained its identity through fishing, rice cultivation, communal labor, and deep relationships with the land. Yet more than 17,000 residents rely on a single overcrowded secondary school, where over 1,000 students attend facilities designed for only 400. Beyond limiting education, the shortage of shared learning spaces has weakened opportunities for intergenerational knowledge exchange and community life.

An unexpected 18-month funding delay transformed the project from an international design competition into a community-led process. Through conversations beneath the baobab tree, participatory workshops, mapping, and a Design Game involving more than 100 residents, elders, women, teachers, students, and local partners collectively shaped the school’s organization, gathering spaces, digital learning hub, and future growth.

Community Ground is more than a school. It is a shared civic place where formal education, Indigenous knowledge, lifelong learning, women’s capacity-building, and environmental stewardship reinforce one another. Extending beyond sustainable architecture, the project cultivates a living landscape through local construction, community greening, and ecological restoration, strengthening local capacity so future generations can sustain their culture, restore their environment, and shape their own future.