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VVVings High School

Benga, Malawi

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located in Benga, Malawi
competition proposal from 2019

Through our VVVings design, we aim to create a welcoming and stimulating learning environment for Malawian teens, embodied in an easy-to-build, low-tech structure. The entire project is symbolically united under a single roof that brings students and teachers together as one community. This roof unfolds like wings, lifting students toward their aspirations.
Beyond its strong symbolism, the design also meets practical needs: it optimizes functionality and resource use by connecting all spaces under one roof, divides the exterior into distinct yards tailored to different program functions, preserves and integrates existing trees, and accommodates phased growth without compromising function or aesthetics. The site’s topography is leveraged to create additional classroom height and to house dry latrines beneath the gathering decks.
Functionally, the wings comprise the project’s core programs—school, dormitory, and housing—and converge in communal gathering spaces that include a multi-purpose hall, refectory, and an outdoor area for teachers. Two circulation systems organize movement: a cross-circulation linking main areas and a local circulation serving specific spaces; both converge at central gathering points. All functions have direct exterior access.
The building’s layout and road-facing yards foster interaction between the school and the community. The entrance and festivities yard, featuring an open-air theater, hosts outdoor events for students, families, and guests. Flanking the yard, the multi-purpose room supports events and exhibitions, while the refectory serves daily meals. Adjacent, a covered space functions as a social dining and cooking area for teachers.
While the floors follow the natural terrain, the roofs remain level. The structure employs post-and-beam steel framing with mud-concrete brick walls that provide bracing, thermal mass, and spatial division. The steel frame is organized on a 3x3 m grid for teachers’ houses and 4.5x4.5 m for other functions. Both interior and exterior floors are finished with clay-fired bricks. Classrooms feature swinging doors, windows, shutters, and garage doors for unrestricted ventilation and views.
The VVVings design brings diverse programmatic functions under one fluid architectural form, supporting the promoter’s mission to inspire students’ interest in education and empower their future achievements.