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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    Panoramic view of the school complex after the refurbishment.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    This building refurbishment answers to children need for a safe, clean and performing school and to the need for an identity collective place of the whole Bedouin community.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    Inside the classrooms, the rhythm of rammed-earth wooden frames and the alternation of white surfaces of lime plaster and light brown surfaces of bamboo panels gives a character of simple harmony.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    The project has now continued with the construction of two additional classrooms and restoration of the playground area.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    The color and texture of bamboo panels, naturally changing with sunshine and time passing, is in harmony with desert landscape slow evolution.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    Movable bamboo panels provide shading, improve ventilation and allow greater user of daylight.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    The project has now continued with the construction of two additional classrooms.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    The two new classrooms are perpendicular to the original nine rooms, opening their doors towards the school’s main building and their windows towards the playground and the surrounding countryside.

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    Project update 2012 - Sustainable refurbishment of a primary school, near Al Azarije, Palestine

    The restoration of the building brings a great positive impact on children’s perception of their everyday school-life.

The restoration project for the existing classrooms of the Wadi Abu Hindi School has been successfully completed using a modified rammed earth wall technique that provides interior insulation, bamboo panels for external shading of the façade and adaption of the roof for better lighting and natural ventilation. The project has now continued with the construction of two additional classrooms and restoration of the playground area.

Last updated: December 20, 2012 Al Azarije, Palestine

Cool school through adaptation
The first phase of the restoration project was completed by September 2012 through adding an interior insulation layer to the original sheets of galvanized iron. The insulation is constructed using a multilayer rammed earth wall made of straw and mud that is added to the inside of the existing external metal wall. The insulation is then finished with a layer of plaster, significantly improving insulation from summer temperatures over 40°C and freezing winters.

The refurbishment also replaced dilapidated shutters with new metal sun-blinds that take design inspiration from the wooden lattice work of the Arabian mashrabiya. This approach, including shading panels of bamboo and transformation of the roof to allow better lighting and natural ventilation, will be continued in the remaining buildings of the school. Currently, further rehabilitation of classrooms and an administration room and library continue, thanks to funding by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OHC) of the United Nations.

Further construction under way
The final phase of the project commenced in late 2012 and will improve playground areas and include the construction of two additional classrooms to supplement the existing nine. This step is part of the cooperation project “Wadi Abu Hindi school low environmental impact rehabilitation”, promoted by the NGO Vento di Terra and funded by UNICEF.

The two new classrooms are perpendicular to the original nine rooms, opening their doors towards the school’s main building and their windows towards the playground and the surrounding countryside. The two classrooms are built with the same low tech self-construction technique of the school refurbishment, thus building a coherent complex. The area facing the new classrooms will host a play-ground equipped with canopy covered and outdoor washbasins system, constructed using material less vulnerable to degradation in the harsh environment. The center section will be allocated to a volleyball/basketball court, leaving an area for additional free play area beyond.