Conversion of Roca Porto Real into a secondary school

Rocas - historic villages of the islands of Sao Tome and Principe used to thrive in the past and shape the country's history. Now abandoned and forgotten, they are still vivid memories of the people who stayed on these two equatorial, African islands after the country gained independence.

Rocas, that in 1908 made the country of Sao Tome and Principe one of the biggest exporter of cocoa in the world, are now falling into disuse. These tiny villages are a patrimony of "endangered species", constantly degraded. I started to realize that if nothing is done, they may be lost forever. I got myself acquainted with this remarkable patrimonial heritage and couldn't stop thinking about anything else but the restoration of those tiny communities. People who stayed on the Island after independence (1975) without any professional skills that would help them to grow the economy of their new country, are mostly descendants of slaves who worked in Rocas. As the outcomes of my analysis showed me, there is a lack of secondary and higher education on the Principe Island, the shortage of classrooms and teachers. Therefore, I decided to revitalize abandoned Roca Porto Real (a former cocoa plantation) and design a secondary school in the post workshop area, which is now degraded. Architecture of Rocas divulges the hierarchy, which controlled the island - starting from exuberant houses of Portuguese landowners, through raw houses of the workers, up to workshops typologies that allowed total control over the slaves. I preserved the historic urban plan along with the existing buildings - "Casa Principal" and the office. In the post workshop area, I designed the secondary school complex. Long, closed, historic "U"- shape workshop area divided into 7 separated building blocks, creates friendly common spaces in the outdoors. Open classrooms in the middle of the yard creates a sheltered environment for open air learning. Preserving the natural heritage of this hidden African paradise, I designed the school complex using only local and reusable materials.